Artist Development

Level 4

This industry-first course explores all areas of the music industry, so you have a well rounded view of how to have a professional music artist career.

Artist Development

Level 4

This industry-first course explores all areas of the music industry, so you have a well rounded view of how to have a professional music artist career.

This industry-first course explores all areas of the music industry, so you have a well rounded view of how to have a professional music artist career.

THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE AT:

KEY INFORMATION:

Entry Requirements

You must be 17+ and have a Level 3 qualification or work experience

Course Length

One year

Qualification

RSL Level 4 Diploma – Creative Practitioner

This industry-first course explores all areas of the music industry, so you have a well rounded view of how to have a professional music artist career.

AVAILABLE IN:

key information:

Entry Requirements

You must be 17+ and have a Level 3 qualification or work experience

Course Length

One Year

Qualification

RSL Level 4 Diploma – Creative Practitioner

course overview

Our L4 Artist Development (AD4) course prepares you to thrive in the professional music industry. You’ll develop creative and technical skills like composing with technology, audio mixing, video editing, crafting engaging digital content, and sharpening your performance abilities through regular showcases and live opportunities.

We’ll also focus on building your professional edge with branding, promotion, and networking skills, while creating a portfolio and Electronic Press Kit to kickstart your career. With opportunities to connect across ACC and the wider music scene, this course gives you the tools and confidence to succeed as a modern music professional.

  • Creative and Technical Expertise: Develop skills in music composition, audio and video recording, music mixing, and digital content creation. Master digital desktop publishing, video and image editing, and repertoire development to produce work that engages your audience.
  • Performance and Showcasing: Hone your performance skills with regular opportunities to practise and perform in front of tutors, peers, and public audiences. Gain experience organising and delivering professional standard showcases to demonstrate your growth as an artist.
  • Professional Development: Learn essential transferable skills like target setting, organisation, and resource management. Build expertise in branding, promotion, and networking, while creating a professional portfolio and Electronic Press Kit to support your career ambitions.
  • Industry Insight and Connections: Work with industry mentors and guest speakers to gain real-world insights and feedback. Network within your campus, the ACC community, and the wider music industry to build lasting professional connections.
  • Real World Experience: Engage in live opportunities to perform at gigs, work with festivals, and collaborate with industry professionals. Use the tools and experiences provided to refine your craft and prepare for a successful music career.

Through tailored sessions focusing on key aspects of your creative practice, you’ll engage in showcase and reflection sessions, creative digital skills workshops, industry and branding seminars, and rehearsal/practical development time.

This course functions as a mentorship programme, offering regular reviews to refine your artistic skills, industry knowledge, and professionalism. Weekly group mentoring fosters collective growth, connects you with guest speakers, and encourages collaboration within the national college network.

You’ll receive termly, personalised feedback from music industry partners, and all work, such as branding, imagery, and press materials – is designed to be practical and real-world ready.

Throughout the year, you’ll have opportunities to work with venues and festivals. While gigs are arranged by the college, you’ll also be supported in creating and promoting your own performances.

In college, you’ll also have access to:

  • Fully resourced practical spaces:
  • PA Systems
  • Microphones, leads and stands
  • Guitar and bass amps
  • Drum kits (acoustic, with cymbals and/or electronic kits)

 

You will also have access to:

  • Physical professional standard resources:
    • Apple iMacs, with Logic Pro X music production/recording software.
    • MIDI controller keyboards.
    • Audio interfaces.
    • A range of industry-standard microphones and recording interfaces.
    • Music production studio(s).
    • Rehearsal spaces.
    • Access to DSLR cameras for photography and videography.
    • An Adobe Creative Cloud licence.

 

Also benefit from: 

  • An online learning programme in your first year, to support and enhance your studies.
  • A national network of like-minded Students and teachers studying your course in our campuses around the UK.
  • A guest speaker programme with access to industry practitioners.

During your course, you will have access to a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), where you can:

  • View your course information.
  • Set and review targets to help you develop musically and academically.
  • Review notes from your 1-2-1 sessions with your course leader.
  • Access resources for your lessons, to help you understand and complete projects and assignments.
  • View your timetable and check your attendance.
  • Submit your work and receive your grades.

course overview

Our L4 Artist Development (AD4) course prepares you to thrive in the professional music industry. You’ll develop creative and technical skills like composing with technology, audio mixing, video editing, crafting engaging digital content, and sharpening your performance abilities through regular showcases and live opportunities.

We’ll also focus on building your professional edge with branding, promotion, and networking skills, while creating a portfolio and Electronic Press Kit to kickstart your career. With opportunities to connect across ACC and the wider music scene, this course gives you the tools and confidence to succeed as a modern music professional.

  • Creative and Technical Expertise: Develop skills in music composition, audio and video recording, music mixing, and digital content creation. Master digital desktop publishing, video and image editing, and repertoire development to produce work that engages your audience.
  • Performance and Showcasing: Hone your performance skills with regular opportunities to practise and perform in front of tutors, peers, and public audiences. Gain experience organising and delivering professional standard showcases to demonstrate your growth as an artist.
  • Professional Development: Learn essential transferable skills like target setting, organisation, and resource management. Build expertise in branding, promotion, and networking, while creating a professional portfolio and Electronic Press Kit to support your career ambitions.
  • Industry Insight and Connections: Work with industry mentors and guest speakers to gain real-world insights and feedback. Network within your campus, the ACC community, and the wider music industry to build lasting professional connections.
  • Real World Experience: Engage in live opportunities to perform at gigs, work with festivals, and collaborate with industry professionals. Use the tools and experiences provided to refine your craft and prepare for a successful music career.

Through tailored sessions focusing on key aspects of your creative practice, you’ll engage in showcase and reflection sessions, creative digital skills workshops, industry and branding seminars, and rehearsal/practical development time.

This course functions as a mentorship programme, offering regular reviews to refine your artistic skills, industry knowledge, and professionalism. Weekly group mentoring fosters collective growth, connects you with guest speakers, and encourages collaboration within the national college network.

You’ll receive termly, personalised feedback from music industry partners, and all work, such as branding, imagery, and press materials – is designed to be practical and real-world ready.

Throughout the year, you’ll have opportunities to work with venues and festivals. While gigs are arranged by the college, you’ll also be supported in creating and promoting your own performances.

In college, you’ll also have access to:

  • Fully resourced practical spaces:
  • PA Systems
  • Microphones, leads and stands
  • Guitar and bass amps
  • Drum kits (acoustic, with cymbals and/or electronic kits)

 

You will also have access to:

  • Physical professional standard resources:
    • Apple iMacs, with Logic Pro X music production/recording software.
    • MIDI controller keyboards.
    • Audio interfaces.
    • A range of industry-standard microphones and recording interfaces.
    • Music production studio(s).
    • Rehearsal spaces.
    • Access to DSLR cameras for photography and videography.
    • An Adobe Creative Cloud licence.

 

Also benefit from: 

  • An online learning programme in your first year, to support and enhance your studies.
  • A national network of like-minded Students and teachers studying your course in our campuses around the UK.
  • A guest speaker programme with access to industry practitioners.

During your course, you will have access to a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), where you can:

  • View your course information.
  • Set and review targets to help you develop musically and academically.
  • Review notes from your 1-2-1 sessions with your course leader.
  • Access resources for your lessons, to help you understand and complete projects and assignments.
  • View your timetable and check your attendance.
  • Submit your work and receive your grades.

Ready to apply?

Applying to study with us takes less than two minutes, and we have interviewers ready and waiting to speak to you.

Find out more about the application journey and apply now below.

READY TO APPLY?

Applying to study with us takes less than two minutes, and we have interviewers ready and waiting to speak to you. Find out more about the application journey and apply now below.

LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT

90% of our learners achieve their full qualification.

93% of our learners have a positive destination.

5 out of 8 of our learners go onto university or other Higher Education.

learner achievement

COURSE MODULES

COURSE MODULES

Careers Within Artist Development

With all the transferable skills you’ll learn on this course, the world really is your oyster. 

You can head off to University, study a Level 4/5 course or go straight into the world of work.

Careers Within Artist Development

With all the transferable skills you’ll learn on this course, the world really is your oyster. 

You can head off to University, study a Level 4/5 course or go straight into the world of work.

additional information

  • We are a creative college, creating a specialist, creative ecosystem. This is enhanced by teachers, support staff and managers with creative backgrounds and experience.
  • There are opportunities for collaboration across creative disciplines for example photo and video shoots for musicians, or writing music for video games.
  • We have developed in house careers and online learning programmes to support, enhance and harness students’ creative skills and abilities.
  • We cover a range of disciplines and outputs whilst still allowing students to determine and develop their own creative outputs.

You must be 17+ and have a Level 3 qualification or work experience.

Learning Structure:

  • Practical sessions in specialist spaces combined with contextual classroom studies.
  • Opportunities to collaborate with peers from different pathways during shared lessons.

 

Professional Development: 

  • Weekly sessions to develop employability skills specific to your chosen discipline.

 

Attendance and Independent Work:

  • 100% attendance is mandatory for all lessons and timetabled activities.

 

Students are expected to work independently outside timetabled lessons to:

  • Apply what they learn.
  • Complete assignments.

 

Progress Reviews and Reporting:

  • At least three one-to-one reviews per year.
  • A formal learner report accessible to parents/carers via the online portal.

 

Enrichment Opportunities:

  • Creative projects, guest lectures, and events.
  • An online learning programme to support studies outside college hours.

This internally assessed course is delivered and evaluated by teachers through planned projects. These combine practical tasks, like performances, compositions, audio recordings, and visual media, as well as written reports and presentations, involving both individual and group work. The year is currently made up of 7 formal assessment points covering four projects undertaken in order:

  • Deconstruction: A series of reflections on your current creative practice, as well as creative musical and visual experiments to consider your current understanding and what your future needs are.
  • Developing the Brand: Create and carry out a plan to grow yourself as a creative musical practitioner
  • Presenting the Brand: Present a landmark showcase of your musical work and developed branding, gathering audience feedback to provide an opportunity to further refine your ideas.
  • Evaluation and Career Plan: Reflections on how you have developed during the course , leading to establishing your next career steps in a comprehensive action plan.

All campuses 16-18*

FREE

All campuses 19+ (FIRST YEARS ONLY)

£4,425

additional information

  • We are a creative college, creating a specialist, creative ecosystem. This is enhanced by teachers, support staff and managers with creative backgrounds and experience.
  • There are opportunities for collaboration across creative disciplines for example photo and video shoots for musicians, or writing music for video games.
  • We have developed in house careers and online learning programmes to support, enhance and harness students’ creative skills and abilities.
  • We cover a range of disciplines and outputs whilst still allowing students to determine and develop their own creative outputs.

You must be 17+ and have a Level 3 qualification or work experience.

Learning Structure:

  • Practical sessions in specialist spaces combined with contextual classroom studies.
  • Opportunities to collaborate with peers from different pathways during shared lessons.

 

Professional Development: 

  • Weekly sessions to develop employability skills specific to your chosen discipline.

 

Attendance and Independent Work:

  • 100% attendance is mandatory for all lessons and timetabled activities.

 

Students are expected to work independently outside timetabled lessons to:

  • Apply what they learn.
  • Complete assignments.

 

Progress Reviews and Reporting:

  • At least three one-to-one reviews per year.
  • A formal learner report accessible to parents/carers via the online portal.

 

Enrichment Opportunities:

  • Creative projects, guest lectures, and events.
  • An online learning programme to support studies outside college hours.

This internally assessed course is delivered and evaluated by teachers through planned projects. These combine practical tasks, like performances, compositions, audio recordings, and visual media, as well as written reports and presentations, involving both individual and group work. The year is currently made up of 7 formal assessment points covering four projects undertaken in order:

  • Deconstruction: A series of reflections on your current creative practice, as well as creative musical and visual experiments to consider your current understanding and what your future needs are.
  • Developing the Brand: Create and carry out a plan to grow yourself as a creative musical practitioner
  • Presenting the Brand: Present a landmark showcase of your musical work and developed branding, gathering audience feedback to provide an opportunity to further refine your ideas.
  • Evaluation and Career Plan: Reflections on how you have developed during the course , leading to establishing your next career steps in a comprehensive action plan.

All campuses 16-18*

FREE

All campuses 19+ (FIRST YEARS ONLY)

£4,425

student benefits

A range of student-friendly offers are available in partnership with WEX. These vary by store so check in with your local branch to see what support they can provide you as an ACC learner.

student benefits

A range of student-friendly offers are available in partnership with WEX. These vary by store so check in with your local branch to see what support they can provide you as an ACC learner.

what next?

Book an open day

The best way to find out what it's like to study at Access Creative College is to come and see us at an open day. We have open days throughout the year. Book your place below.

How to apply

Applying is quick and easy, and can be done in less than two minutes. Just click the button below and fill in a quick form and we'll do the rest. We have interviewers ready to speak to you.

what next?

Book an open day

The best way to find out what it's like to study at Access Creative College is to come and see us at an open day. We have open days throughout the year. Book your place below.

BOOK NOW

How to apply

Applying is quick and easy, and can be done in less than two minutes. Just click the button below and fill in a quick form and we'll do the rest. We have interviewers ready to speak to you.

APPLY NOW

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