The journey from finished orchestration to final recording is a complicated one involving a combination of musical and technological skills. This module takes students through the complex process of taking a finished arrangement and preparing for the live recording session. This includes producing musicians’ parts, conductor’s scores, preparing pre-records, click tracks and Pro Tools sessions. Students also learn about session planning and budgeting for live recordings.

This module will cover:

• A systematic approach to the strengths and weakness of technology in preparing for orchestral sessions.
• Learn how to prepare session-ready Pro Tools files, scores and parts.

Students are introduced to the practical skill of writing music in sync with a movie and establishing a strong understanding of the powerful and complex relationship between music and the moving image. In addition to this technical skill, students will be presented with the complex challenge of evoking complex emotions through music to enhance a narrative and contribute a deeper meaning to a given subject. This requires a strong understanding of musical theory alongside an ability to critically analyse both their own work and the work of others, articulating this and incorporating said research into their methodology.

Upon completion of this module, students should be well equipped to begin writing their own music to a given picture.

This module will cover:

• The basic workflow when starting a new video project in Logic and/or Cubase.
• How to first approach a new project.
• Understand how to tell a story with your composition and deliver your work.

Every great work begins with the creator being intimately familiar with the tools at their disposal and their capabilities. The session orchestra is made up of many individual instruments and musicians that come together to make a whole unit. True Masters of writing for the orchestra have an encyclopaedic knowledge of what each instrument is capable of, both as individual entities and when played as a part of a larger ensemble.

Further to the purely technical possibilities, orchestrators will also know how different techniques, pitch ranges and dynamics affect the tone of an instrument or orchestral section. Aside from the creative practice of orchestration, the cinematic orchestrator also has to contend with a range of practical challenges including last-minute changes, tight deadlines, and financial restrictions.

Students will delve deeply into contemporary professional practice to develop a critical awareness of these issues and the innovative technical and creative solutions proposed by those at the forefront of the profession.

In this module you will learn how to:

• Orchestrate music for live orchestral recording.
• Arrange and/or compose music for orchestra.
• Create a cohesive orchestration using notation software.
• Produce scores that conform to film, games, and television industry standards.

This module looks at the treatment of the whole orchestra by cinematic orchestrators and composers and the differences in approach between large and small ensembles. We also examine the different approaches to orchestration possible through specialised recording techniques such as split sessions and combining live and sampled instruments. We also deal with approaches to creating convincing mock-ups of large and small ensembles.

Students will also be exposed to a crucial aspect of both working as part of a larger team, and as an employee of the director/producer/composer. An ability to respond to notes effectively and in good time is a vital skill for the modern orchestrator.

Here students will have the option of tailoring the course to their own needs. You can pick one module from the following:

• Orchestration in Practice
• Advanced Composition
• Career Development for Musicians

For more information on these modules, click the button to download the Course Handbooks. Please note, the availability of MA elective modules may be subject to a minimum enrolment. The choice of electives is provisional and may be subject to change.

The final major project is an extensive piece of work that will take 12 weeks to complete. It represents the culmination of creative, technical and research skills acquired during the rest of the course. The challenge is to take a piece of music from conception through to final recording, performing all the creative and technical tasks required along the way.

Students will choose a creative approach to their source material or original composition, orchestrate the music within the technical and creative limitations of the ensemble, and create a full sampled mock-up, conductor’s scores, musicians’ parts, Pro Tools sessions and a budget.

You also have the option of completing a written dissertation if you prefer. This will represent your research into an area of music intended for media consumption (I.e. not concert music). The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarly written work.

You will be asked to write an essay of 12,000 words (+/- 10%), including footnotes, but excluding bibliography. This is substantially longer than any of your other work so far. You will undertake the work as an individual, under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom you will meet regularly in one-to-one sessions.