Performance

Performance as a university discipline is broader than any single performing art. It encompasses the study and practice of how human beings present themselves, communicate and create meaning in front of an audience, across contexts as diverse as concert performance, theatre, ritual, sport and public speaking. For musicians and performers especially, it asks not just how to play or sing but how to communicate with an audience, how to manage the physical and psychological demands of performance, and how to develop an authentic and compelling interpretive voice.

At the University of Chichester, this four-year full-time degree develops your practical skills as a performer alongside a rigorous theoretical and contextual understanding of performance as a field of study. You will train in the art of performance itself, developing your technical proficiency and interpretive range. The programme explores the psychology of performance, including performance anxiety and how it can be understood and managed, the use of gesture and physical communication in performing, and the specific demands of concert and event hosting.

Alongside this core focus, you will have the opportunity to engage with the Alexander Technique, yoga, dance and acting, which together develop bodily awareness, coordination and the physical freedom that effective performance demands. Contextual study frames your practical work within broader questions about what performance is, how it functions in different cultural settings, and what audiences bring to and take from it.

Feedback, reflection and sustained practice are central to the learning experience. You will develop as an independent performer with a well-grounded critical understanding of your own practice.

Graduates move into professional performance, arts education, music therapy (with further training), event hosting and presenting, arts administration, community arts, and a wide range of roles in the creative and cultural sectors. Postgraduate study in performance, music or performance psychology is an option for those who want to develop further expertise.