The Ten Best Music Production Colleges
The rise of the music production college grants aspirational students access to state of the art gear, hard won expertise and the ability to get a foothold in a competitive industry. But with so many institutions offering such diverse pathways, it’s more than a little beneficial to identify the major players…
Over the last three decades, there’s been an exponential surge in music production colleges. While many institutions, such as the prestigious SAE and Guildford’s ACM, have longstanding reputations as providers of industry-priming know how, armed with a huge array of technology and gear, others have risen in tandem with the growth of computer music making. While magazine sales have (sadly!) dwindled, websites, social media and – critically – YouTube are the readily accessible mediums which serve as the new disseminators of tutorial content for aspiring producers and musicians. But music production colleges offer so much more than passively taking in video content.
The best music production colleges, listed here, are staffed by experienced personnel, who’ve weathered more than a few in-studio storms in their time. Daily interactions with people who’ve lived the career that you yourself seek is fairly vital. So too, is the revolving door of guest speakers and masterclasses that colleges like BIMM and ICMP offer as a fixed element of their syllabuses. The opportunity to learn from this well of varied experience is just one selling point for those that may be thinking of a career behind the desk.
While focused study of skills, coupled with academic training in software, hardware, gear and theory are all core aspects of the courses offered by these colleges, the appealing idea of building out your own professional networks and establishing your own little black book of contacts is another major lure. While how much networking you undertake while studying is largely down to you, it’s undeniable that students stand a much better chance of forging new connections by attending a music production course than they do locked away in your bedroom.
With all this in mind, then, here’s ten of the UK’s most acclaimed destinations that should be on the shortlist of anyone eyeing up where to develop their, or their children’s, abilities
Founded back in 2001, BIMM has grown into a multifaceted, prestigious destination for aspiring producers and professional musicians over the ensuing 21 years. With a range of campuses which take in Brighton, Birmingham, London and wider Europe, and with the power to award degrees bestowed upon it in 2019, BIMM is among the world’s most esteemed music-learning institutions.
Students can choose between a BA (Hons) in Electronic Music Production or Music and Sound Production. There’s also the option to combine a course with other disciplines (such as music business, or songwriting) for a joint honours. There’s a range of optional additional modules and a high degree of connectivity to the wider industry via BIMM’s extensive European network. “BIMM’s Music Production courses are incredibly flexible and career-focussed.” Explains BIMM Institute Birmingham’s College Principal, Ant Greaves, “We know that the modern music industry is ever changing, so by creating and developing our courses in conjunction with the employers who will ultimately offer our students work, we aim to prepare our students for a sustainable career in Music Production.”
Formerly the School of Audio Engineering, SAE now offers a wide array of wider media courses including 3D Animation, Graphic Design and Video Game Design, yet SAE remains a byword for top-tier music production education. Founded by Tom Misner in Australia back in the 70s, SAE has blossomed into a world-spanning body, with the alumni from its East London campus reading like something of a who’s who of music industry figures. As with BIMM, SAE offer a degree in Audio Production, quality assured by the University of Hertfordshire, and with that, provides access to some exemplary gear in both SAE House and Bankstock Studios or at its Glasgow and Liverpool campuses.
Originating in Guildford, and expanding to London and Birmingham. ACM has been a wellspring of new talent since 1995, providing specialist programmes and degrees in Music Performance, Songwriting, Production and Business. It boasts specialist programmes for a range of performance styles and genres. A key benefit of study at ACM is its close connectivity with Metropolis Studios, within which you can easily gain valuable expertise while witnessing the wheels of daily professional life turn. Its Industry Link department keeps in close contact with students following graduation, assisting alumni in making the right career choices. Just ask former students Zomboy, Newton Faulkner or the mighty Ed Sheeran: all of which honed their craft at ACM.
It’s a name that still conjures gravitas, and since it opened up its training institute in 2015, Abbey Road has been a world-class destination to study music production and audio engineering, too. Though the chance to work within and around Abbey Road itself is certainly attractive (aside from attending workshops in the legendary studios, the Institute has its own bespoke live room and recording studio there), in summer 2021 the London campus of the Abbey Road Institute moved into Islington’s Angel Recording Studios – one of Adele’s former favourite places to record. The courses that the Abbey Road Institute offers are varied, and include a professional one year Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, as well as at 5-month Advanced Diploma in Audio Post Production in Film and TV.
Once known as the Guitar Institute, the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is a music production college that provides a multitude of courses, and has been delivering on its promise of being London’s leading music industry education provider for 30 years. Recently granted the power to award its own degrees, ICMP’s courses are intricate and industry-focused, aimed at priming students with the knowledge and acumen required for a career in the ever-active industry (impressively, 94% of graduates land in full-time employment or further education) The raft of industry talent currently serving as tutors is equally as notable, including songwriter Tim Elsenburg and former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherly.
Bristol has a storied legacy as a hotbed of electronic music talent, and the city’s dBs Institute is driven to ensure that the next generation of innovators are furnished with decades of experience-carved knowledge. With a stated purpose to effect positive social change through sound, dBs provides personalised support and focused teaching to its students, who can study a wealth of course types. With undergraduate and postgraduate degrees oriented around Electronic Music Production, Sound Engineering, Video Game Sound, Live Sound and a whole heap more. While its parent city’s spirit flows through the main campus, there’s now also a Plymouth campus and, opening later this year, a new facility in Manchester.
First opened as a studio in London back in 1994, and now a truly global learning enterprise, Point Blank provides music production academies in five countries, a platter of online courses and an intricate web of networking opportunities for its students. With a star-studded roster of alumni, including Claude VonStroke, Goldie and Gemma Cairney, Point Blank has a recognised standing as an exemplary institution. At Point Blank, you can study for either a professional course or a university degree, with the technical courses sitting hand-in-hand with the music industry-leaning. Already offering a notably solid online course canon before the pandemic, Point Blank has enhanced its remote offering to students unable to physically attend over the last two years, now offering web-based skills workshops, virtual masterclasses and wellbeing activities.
Aimed at 16-18 year olds, SoundSkool music industry college is a solid choice for young people who are keen to start building a career in the professional world of music, or develop their abilities for their own projects “SoundSkool is a Music Industry College and community, we work hard to make sure all that we teach is relevant in today’s music industry.” Explains SoundSkool Founder and CEO Simon Gordon, “We deliver RSL qualifications and we amend our units annually to tweak what went well, and what can be improved.” Based in London, the college offers Level 2 and 3 Diplomas in Music & Business, and also hosts outreach programs that aim to provide free workshops and courses across London’s housing estates, youth clubs, schools and charities. Priding itself on small class sizes and greater face-to-face time with its students than many other colleges, SoundSkool’s individually-nurturing ethos is one which we can very much get on board with. “We are also a very small institution and students like the sense of family that we create.” Continues Simon, “Alongside this, is a great alumni network of students that have gone on to make waves in the industry.”
Established in the centre of London in 2002, the London College of Creative Media provides a range of courses on music production and performance. Its cube-shaped HQ was built in 2017, and is known affectionately as ‘The Box’. Within it are a maze of recording studios, equipped with a huge amount of industry standard, top flight gear. The LCCM’s 12-month MMus in Music Production is particularly attractive, as the college equips students in both the technical expertise required to go far in the industry, as well as focused identity-nurturing to better hone student’s personal brand. It also regularly invites industry professionals to share their experiences with students.
Alternatively, if a real-life course at a real-life college doesn’t float your boat, or it’s easier for you to study remotely, you can always take a web-based course. In the online domain, here’s no better provider than Producertech. Allowing you to cherry pick and pay just for the courses you personally need, and then view and participate at home via your computer. Unlike the myriad diffuse videos you might find on YouTube, Producertech carefully curate their courses, with additional course materials including software projects, livestreams, assignments and a private forum for all members. While it’s a different kettle of fish from learning the ins and outs of music production at a college, Producertech is certainly worth listing for being one of the world’s best providers of online music production knowledge.
