COURSE OVERVIEW
The Masters in Songwriting course is a practice-based, industry-led programme, placing your development as a songwriter in a critical and contextual setting. Working in a peer community, with teaching and support from current industry songwriting practitioners and academics, you’ll explore and refine your creative output and goals, considering artist, commercial and intellectual outcomes.
Students complete a series of modules which focus on creative exploration, technical songwriting exercises, musicology and creative voice, before undertaking a final Masters project, choosing either the creation of a new major repertoire work (typically a debut album) or a dissertation in the area of songwriting.
ICMP's Songwriting masters classes explore the art and craft of contemporary songwriting, with students writing at least one song every week. You’ll collaborate with other ICMP students and will engage in small group ‘A&R-style’ feedback and critical discussion with your professional songwriting tutors and talented peers, regularly critiquing each other’s works-in-progress across the course of the year.
The highlight of the Masters in Songwriting course is the final module. Students get to choose between Major Repertoire or Dissertation projects, which allow students to progress specific songwriting interests in a distinctly personalised manner. The Major Repertoire Project allows you to develop a large-scale piece of repertoire work, which is typically a debut album. You’ll be allocated an expert, individual supervisor/A&R to help guide your project with regular one-to-one support. This mentor will be hand-picked to suit your project from either within the ICMP Songwriting faculty or outside in the wider UK songwriting industry.
Songwriting masters students form a small but close-knit team, and you’ll immediately become part of the strong, diverse and inclusive community around the whole ICMP Songwriting department.
As an MA Songwriting student, you’ll regularly network within the music industry thanks to monthly performance opportunities at our London songwriting industry event – Songwriters’ Circle and MA-specific guest speakers from the worlds of songwriting and academia. You’ll also get the chance to attend occasions organised by the London chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), which is run out of ICMP – a group with exclusive links to one of Nashville’s most celebrated songwriting venues: the Bluebird Café.
As a graduate of the Masters in Songwriting course, you’ll leave ICMP London school of music with the skills, knowledge, confidence and connections required to succeed in whichever direction your songwriting path takes you, whether that’s within the worlds of the music business, the songwriting industry, education, academia or beyond.
Financial Support
Student support for postgraduate music masters courses is available to students studying at ICMP.
Eligible students on designated masters courses at ICMP will be able to access the postgraduate Master's loan in the same way, and at the same value, as they could at a publicly funded provider. Individuals will be able to borrow up to £11,222. If you opt to study part-time, your loan would be split into two instalments over the two years of study.
Full Fees Information | Full Programme Specification
Successful completion of the programme Masters in Songwriting at ICMP Music College leads to the award of MA by the University of East London.
Key facts
- A personalised learning experience which equips you with the knowledge, understanding and skills for successful employment in the music industry.
- Enhances your creativity and confidence as a songwriter and academic.
- High-quality teaching by groundbreaking songwriters and producers who are all still active and successful in today’s modern music business.
- Major Repertoire Project and Dissertation optional modules allow for choice between advanced songwriting and rigorous scholarship routes.
- Focuses on realising your unique identity as a songwriter.
- Offered as one year full-time or two years part-time study.
- The London location provides opportunities to showcase your songwriting at top London events, such as Songwriters’ Circle, while immersing yourself in the global music scene.
- A high level of contact teaching hours, delivered in small groups in world-class facilities.
- Connections with the wider London music industry enables you to build an impressive musical network.
- Opportunities for international collaboration and engagement make for a truly international postgraduate course.