BA (Hons) in Music Top-Up

Learning and teaching methods

Learning and teaching methods will include seminar sessions, tutorials, practical sessions, workshops at schools and other settings, student-led collaborative activity, practical activity in the keyboard lab, online learning through Auralia and other software programmes.

Assessment

Assessment strategies and methods on the programme will include: portfolio submissions to support flexibility, rationales to evidence understanding and explicate reasoning, practical assessments and workshops, compositions and audio-visual artefacts, technical exercises. The Research Project module allows for students to choose an submission format in consultation with their tutor and the module leader.

What do I have to do to pass?

In order to pass the programme you must achieve the credit for each module. You must pass each module with an overall mark of 40 (except where compensation applies). There may also be a requirement for you to achieve a minimum mark in each assessment. Where this is the case it will be stated in the module specification.

Certain modules may be compensated at the discretion of the assessment board. Compensation is the award of credit for a failed module on the basis of good performance in other modules. Rules applying to compensation can be found in the Academic Regulations for Taught Programmes.

Modules

Instrumental & Vocal Teaching

This module develops your skills as an instrumental or vocal teacher, preparing you to work confidently with learners from beginner to advanced level. You will explore a range of pedagogical approaches, educational theories and inclusive teaching strategies, alongside practical and psychological aspects of learning, practice and performance. Through reflection and applied teaching experience, you will deepen your understanding of both your own musicianship and the learning process.

Creative Leadership

Creative Leadership focuses on leading and facilitating music in educational and community settings. You will develop skills in group composition, improvisation and workshop design, exploring the social and artistic impact of collaborative music-making. The module supports reflective practice and prepares you for leadership roles in schools, arts organisations and participatory contexts.

Digital Musicianship

This module introduces the creative and technical skills required to work with music technology. You will develop practical experience using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), sampling, synthesis and sound editing to create studio-based work and music for live performance with electronics. Alongside practical work, you will engage critically with key electronic works and aesthetic approaches to digital music-making.

Composing for Media

Composing for Media develops your skills in writing music for film and screen. Through a series of short assignments and a larger final project, you will explore the creative and technical demands of media composition. You will produce a complete soundtrack for a film extract, integrating instrumental, electronic and Foley elements, and develop an understanding of how music shapes narrative and atmosphere.

CoLab

CoLab (Collaboration + Laboratory) is an intensive collaborative project that brings together students from across the institution to create new work. Working with musicians, dancers and artists from other disciplines, you will experiment, take creative risks and engage in process-led artistic exploration. The focus is on collaboration, reflection and documentation, with some projects culminating in informal sharings or performances.

Arranging

This module strengthens your understanding of advanced theoretical concepts through practical arranging. You will apply and extend your harmonic and stylistic knowledge across a diverse range of repertoire, developing the ability to adapt music for different instruments, voices and contexts. Reflection and peer review form an important part of the creative process.

Research Project

The Research Project enables you to undertake an independent investigation into an area of musical interest related to your practice. You will develop research, critical thinking and analytical skills, culminating in a substantial written or practice-based project that demonstrates your ability to engage deeply with a chosen topic.

Students at KM Music Conservatory will need to achieve a minimum of High Pass or above for their Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) Music overall in order to be eligible for this programme. Applications will open in March 2026 and will be processed directly by Trinity Laban, not through UCAS.

English Language Requirements 

IELTS (General or Academic Training) minimum 5.5 in all four areas or Trinity College London – Intergrated Skills in English level II or above. For more information, visit our English language requirements page.

If you require a student visa to study in the UK, you may require a Secure English Language Test (SELT).