Music Performance

Music Performance is a discipline dedicated to the craft of making music at the highest level, requiring not only technical mastery of an instrument or voice but also the interpretive depth, collaborative awareness, and professional adaptability that a career in contemporary performance demands. The landscape of music performance has shifted considerably in recent decades: performers today must be comfortable across a wide range of contexts, from concert performance and recording to live events, digital platforms, and cross-disciplinary collaborations with film, games, fashion, and media.

At Nottingham School of Art and Design, part of Nottingham Trent University, this two-year, full-time degree provides music students with an innovative and practically focused programme that reflects the needs of the modern, integrated global entertainment industry. You will develop your performance skills in a creative environment that values collaboration and adaptability, building the practical competencies and professional awareness required to work effectively across the interconnected sectors of contemporary music. The programme's emphasis on real-world application means you will graduate with both a refined performance capability and an understanding of how that capability fits into the broader industry landscape.

Graduates pursue careers across a wide range of performance and music industry roles, including session and live performance, music direction, teaching, studio work, and collaboration with media productions in film, television, and games. The versatility that the programme cultivates is particularly valuable in a sector where most practitioners build portfolio careers across several related activities rather than following a single linear path. Further study at postgraduate level in performance, music technology, or arts management is also open to those who wish to develop specialist expertise or move into education and research.