Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Music Performance (Professional Practice)

This is a vocational qualification so you will learn and be assessed by doing – experience is key.

Key activities include:

• Practice

Developing your vocational skills at level 4/5 through workshops, masterclasses and practical seminars.

• Performance

You may be involved with performing, designing workshops, projects or fulfilling commissions – as many creatives will teach at some point in their career this will inevitably include some educational practice.

You will learn to develop and deliver sessions, workshops and work as a facilitator.

This is about how you use your vocational skills to successfully complete projects, live briefs or commissions.

You will produce a Major Project or your own design within your vocational field; this project may use some of the learners from lower levels to be your ‘staff’, talent or performers.

• Professional

You will develop an understanding of managing finances including bidding for funding and managing budgets.

Creating a business plan is a necessary skill that you will develop in relation to projects and enterprise as well Health and Safety management.

You will learn how to deliver a successful pitch to your desired audience – your Major Project could depend on it!

The success of your business is dependent on your mastery of marketing including website creation and using social media to promote your business.

We work extensively with partners such as The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (formerly Sage Gateshead) and recording studios such as Blast Studios and Overall Studios, as well as Creative and Cultural Skills to ensure our qualifications are credible and current.

We have developed ‘CoLab’ to make the best use of our industry specification resources so that you can work within integrated creative teams to fulfil your brief – this could be dancers, musicians, actors, composers/arrangers, production arts specialists, technical theatre practitioners and media.

From day one, this course is designed to lead you directly to industry employers, jobs and working in the music industry — helping you build professional connections and gain real-world experience alongside your studies.

After your Higher National Certificate (HNC), the hope is that you can progress straight into industry jobs and start building your career, or alternatively, continue your studies by progressing to the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Music Performance taking your skills to the next level while deepening your industry experience.

This course is built to develop your entrepreneurial edge. You’ll learn how to create and run your own business, from securing funding to managing finances and completing your tax return, giving you the confidence to work for yourself or within the industry.

Audition/Interview

You will need some vocational ability in your chosen area.

A one-off £40 cost for DBS.

The fee for this course is £5,995.

The fee shown is the fee you will pay per year of study. For example, if the course lasts for one year, this is the full fee you will pay.

If the course lasts for one or more years, this is the fee you’ll pay per year of study.

There may be additional costs for equipment, uniforms or study resources which we’ll let you know about at your course interview.

Many of our learners will apply for a Student Loan to help cover these fees. Our friendly team can help you through this process and can be contacted via email at [email protected] or 0191 490 0300 or via Live Chat.

Please note: The fee shown may be subject to change when our fee policy is agreed in Spring 2026. If this happens after you have applied, you will be contacted directly before the course is due to start. All courses will run subject to sufficient student numbers.