module specification

Module brief:
This module explores the sonic arts related sectors within the Creative Arts Industry with focus on areas of economic growth and sustainable employment. The students will learn about current UK and International markets and their contribution to the economy, research the same to identify key factors guiding the industry, and find ways to place their work as well as their Sonic Arts related skills within the industry. Through case-study research the module will focus on the practical issues in the Creative sectors including galleries, research centres, festivals and competitions, as well as commercial sectors of the industry such as film, performing arts, show business, marketing and sales, affording students with an understanding of the wide spectrum of Sonic Arts related sectors. With a clear employability focus, the module will provide students with transferable skills emphasising research, self-efficacy, and promotion in the contemporary globalised industry of arts and entertainment.
At the end of this module the students will have gained a fresh perspective on the impact and value of the creative arts industry to the national and international economies. They will also have a better grasp of the essential skills needed to adapt and thrive in the continuously evolving creative arts sectors, and how to consolidate their careers within a fast-changing, globalised economy.
This module is generally taught over 30 weeks with a midterm assignment on Week 15 and submission of the Case Study Project on Week 27. This is a core module for the Sonic Arts pathway of the BSc Music Technology and Production.

Aims of the module:
● Identify areas of the Creative Arts Industry sectors and working environments, and explore career options available to them after graduation.
● Develop key skills in managing facts and figures relating to the Sonic Arts.
● Analytical review of case studies to recognise economic movements in critical areas, drawing on reference from Creative Industries Council (CiC), Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), The Association of Sound Designers (ASD), publications such as The Wire, and The Arts Council England.
● To develop a range of professional, practical skill sets required to work in the fundamental sectors of the Creative Arts Industry.
● Learn the vital skills required to work in the Sonic Arts including: volunteering, freelance, distribution, marketing, sales, and live performance.
● Identify the value of the key Awards and Festivals in the Creative Arts Industry sectors including The Music and Sound Awards, MPSE Golden Reel Awards, CiC’s Createch, and The Prix Ars Electronica.
● Gain vital knowledge through industry visits, guest speakers, and conferences such as NIME International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression.

The syllabus is organised to meet the needs of the Sonic Arts pathway cohorts. By consolidating the practice on research and the creation and production of sonic art works, the syllabus aims to equip students with the knowledge of the Sonic Arts sectors and a specialised set of skills that will allow for a faster response to the diverse demands the creative arts industry will ask of them following graduation in the professional environment.

Key subject areas:  
● Employment Sectors – Researching a career destination. Identifying the key areas of employment in the Sonic Arts sectors. Aligning employment with existing skills. Analysis of case-studies: the artist, the producer, the academic, the technician.  LO1, LO3 LO4

● Globalisation and the Creative Arts Industry – Analysing the UK and International Sonic Arts related sectors in case-studies, highlighting areas of economic growth and importance. Establishment of economic parallels and individual cases.  LO2, LO4

● Digital Markets and virtual galleries – Analysis of the effect of digital technology on the Sonic Arts related sectors. The side effects of digital markets on the activities of artist agents, promoters, museums, gallery curators.  LO1, LO2

● The alternative/experimental Music and performance sectors. Art music festivals, concerts and performances. Career paths outside the mainstream scene.  LO1, LO3, LO4

● Promotion, Awards and celebration of talent – Identifying the importance of awards such as The Prix Ars Electronica to the Sonic Arts related sectors.  LO3, LO4

● UK creative industries – facts and figures. UK Futures – predictions and useful links to forecasts about the UK creative industries, in special the Sonic Arts related sectors.  LO1, LO2, LO4

The balance between independent study and scheduled teaching activities within this
module is 70% and 30% respectively. Scheduled teaching follows the average contact time, per standard 30-credit module across the University, at 90 hours (3 hours per week). The scheduled teaching is divided in Lectures, Workshops, and Seminars and they take place in the Classroom and Computer Labs.
Independent study provides students with the opportunity to develop LO3 – Ability to evaluate their Music Technology and Sonic Arts skills and critically evaluate this in relation to their graduate career goals. For example, by reflecting on their own Music Technology practices and reviewing them against real world practices and preparing career plans.
Students have access to the entire Music Studios facilities via online booking system, and Library facilities at London Met. Blended Learning is maintained via Weblearn Course and Module pages with full documentation of the activities developed in class.
Opportunities for reflective learning/PDP are promoted through feedback and written reports, embedded in all assessments with emphasis on reflection of their work. Formative assessment and feedback is planned to address their learning development needs and to capture their learning achievements with a regular request of reflective commentaries in all written submissions.

On completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate:

LO1. Knowledge and analytic understanding of the requirements and benefits of a range of careers in context of the character and conditions of the Creative Arts Industry.
LO2. Knowledge and understanding of the economic importance of the key sectors in the Creative Arts industries.
LO3. Ability to evaluate their Music Technology and Sonic Arts skills and critically evaluate this in relation to their graduate career goals.
LO4. Apply the ideas and arguments they have learned to review, consolidate, and extend their knowledge in a research project of their own.

Essay
Submission in week 15.
Students will be given a choice of essay questions or appropriate written exercises, from which they must choose one. The options will relate to all the key themes and issues dealt with during the module, including Career Planning and/or Industry market analysis.
The word count for the assessment is c. 2000 words.

Case Study Project
Submission in week 27.
Creative Industry market analysis: reflective report with rationale.
Students will be asked to undertake a case study of 3000 words maximum on a chosen Sonic Arts related sector.
In this case study, they will need to identify the socio-economic factors relating to the sector, applying examples and extended knowledge.

Textbooks:

Core Text:

Cottrell, S (2010) Skills for success: the personal development planning handbook, 2nd Ed, Palgrave Macmillian, Basingstoke. [3rd edition 2015: e-book]
Scherer A (2012) Brilliant intern Prentice Hall, Harlow
Durrant A, Rhodes G, Young D, (2011), Getting started with university-level work based learning, 2nd edition, Libri Publishing, London
Moon J (2004) A Handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice Routledge Falmer, London
Trought F (2012) Brilliant employability skills Prentice Hall, Harlow. [2nd edition 2017: e-book]

Recommended Reading:

Journals:

Journal of Sonic Studies, Online access: http://sonicstudies.org/
Leonardo Music Journal, Online access: https://www.leonardo.info/Leonardo-Music-Journal 
Sound Image: A Magazine of Aural and Visual Arts, 3 volumes, Deerfield, MA: Sound Image Inc., 1975-77. LP-magazine. Published by Jim Metzner. Online access: https://continuo.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/sound-image-a-magazine-of-aural-and-visual-arts/ 
The Wire, London, since 1982. Online access: https://www.thewire.co.uk/
Sound Arts: Xebec Sound Culture Membership Magazine, Kobe: Xebec Corporation, 1994-1998. Online access: http://www.sukothai.com/xebec.html
Acoustic Space, eds. Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, et al., Riga: E-Lab and Xchange Network, quasi-annually since 1998. Online access: http://rixc.org/en/acousticspace/
Hz, ed. Sachiko Hayashi, Stockholm: Fylkingen, since 2000. Online open-access journal. Online access: http://www.hz-journal.org/n20/index.html
Writing Around Sound, 3+ issues, since 2015. Print journal that engages with audio culture and sonic art in New Zealand. Online access: http://auricle.org.nz/writing-around-sound/

Websites:

Association of Sound Designers, Online access: http://www.associationofsounddesigners.com/
Motion Picture Sound Editors, Online access: http://www.mpse.org/
Creative Industries, Online access: http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/
Designing Sound – Art and technique of sound design, Online access:
http://designingsound.org/
Prix Ars Electronica – World’s most time-honoured media arts competition, Online access: https://www.aec.at/prix/en/
Arts Council England, Online access: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/
NIME _ International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Online access: http://www.nime.org/

Electronic Databases:

Contribution of the arts and culture industry to the national economy (2015) An update of our analysis of the macroeconomic contribution of the arts and culture industry to the national economy, Report for Arts Council, England, July 2015, Online access: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Arts_culture_contribution_to_economy_report_July_2015.pdf
Overview of the creative arts sector in the UK, Online access: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/creative-arts-and-design/overview-of-the-creative-arts-sector-in-the-uk

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