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Music and Music Technology

UAL Level 2 Developing Band Skills and Live Gigs – Music Performance & Production Diploma

Want to play live gigs and be part of a band? This course is all about building the skills and confidence to do exactly that. You'll rehearse, write your own music, and perform at real gigs with other musicians, while learning how the music industry works around you. It's practical, it's hands-on, and it's the first step in turning what you love into something more.

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Got a question? Ask us

How you’ll learn

Rehearse. Write. Play Live.

This is a practical, gig-led course for musicians who want real experience playing live and working as part of a band. You’ll learn how to rehearse effectively as a group, write and arrange your own music, and deliver engaging live sets. You’ll get to grips with the different roles in a live music setting, and how a band actually works together to put on a show.

Alongside the playing, you’ll build the professional skills behind it: researching musical styles, artists and live performance techniques, and planning rehearsals, setlists and performances. It takes real effort to sharpen your craft, but by the end of the year you’ll have stage presence, band and teamwork skills, and the confidence to make your music heard.

What You'll Learn

  • How to rehearse and perform as a band
  • Writing and arranging your own music
  • Understanding roles in live music settings
  • Analysing different musical styles
  • Improving your skills through reflection
  • Researching artists, genres and live performances to inform your work
  • Planning rehearsals, setlists and live performances effectively

What You'll Gain

  • Confidence performing at live gigs
  • Strong band and teamwork skills
  • Stage presence and audience engagement
  • Planning and preparation for live events
  • Communication and collaboration skills
Entry and progression

What you need and where it leads

  1. Entry requirements
  2. This course Level 2
  3. Further study

Entry requirements

  • 4 GCSEs at Grade 3 ideally including English and Maths.
  • An audition — you’ll need existing skill on your chosen instrument or voice
  • A genuine passion for playing live and being in a band
  • Successful interview with our team alongside your audition

If you haven't yet achieved Grade 4 in Maths or English, you'll keep working towards them alongside your course, built into your timetable.

Not sure you meet these? Talk to us and we will help you find the right starting point.

Further study

Careers it can lead to

  • Other Skilled Trades £24,800 a year
  • Records Clerks and Assistants £24,600 a year
  • TV, Video and Audio Servicers and Repairers £30,900 a year
  • Glass and Ceramics Makers, Decorators and Finishers £27,100 a year
See all 13 careers
  • Leisure and Theme Park Attendants £12.91 an hour
  • Beauticians and Related Occupations £12.24 an hour
  • Library Clerks and Assistants £25,800 a year

With further study or experience

  • Musicians £30,900 a year
  • Arts Officers, Producers and Directors £36,200 a year
  • Photographers, Audio-visual and Broadcasting Equipment Operators £27,800 a year
  • Artists £35,100 a year
  • Design Occupations £32,400 a year
  • Engineering Technicians £39,700 a year

Typical pay is the UK median for each job (Lightcast, October 2026).

Our facilities

Your Rehearsal Studio, Your Stage

Most of your time is spent playing, rehearsing and performing, not sat in a classroom. The rehearsal studios become your home.

  • Excellent rehearsal studios

    proper spaces to rehearse, jam, and develop your sound as a band.

  • The Café Indie performance link

    a real venue connection where you get to play live to an audience.

  • Real gigs and performances

    take part in live gigs that show you what it's really like to perform and connect with a crowd.

  • Expert-led tuition

    learn from tutors with real industry experience, in a college that isn't like school.

259A4074
Rehearsal Studios · Café Indie Venue Link · Real Live Gigs
Cayden

Cayden

Music

Student Voice

“

Recording our first single was and a great opportunity. It was professionally mixed and mastered. It has been huge for us, a massive jump in our careers. Poet’s Corner is us now and we want to continue. The only way to go is up. We are doing something people only dream of doing. If it were not for the College, we would not have met, and we would not be where we are today.

Read more student stories
For parents and carers

Supporting your child’s journey

GCSE Support Built In

If your child needs to resit GCSE English or Maths, it's built into the timetable, not bolted on as an extra. They'll get structured support alongside their main course.

Learn more

More than a Hobby

This is a practical course. There's real theory and real craft to learn, and students have to work to earn the qualification. It's about turning a genuine interest into a real skill set that hones their craft and gives them great work-ready transferable skills.

Real Career Prospects

These qualifications lead to real jobs. Our courses are built around the skills that employers are actually hiring for, locally and nationally.

Your next step

Apply now, come and see us first, or ask us anything.

Ready to Play Live?

Applications for September 2027 are open. Apply online in 10 minutes.

Apply online

Want to visit first?

FE Open Event – 19th January 202719th January 4:30pm to 7:00pm

Book your place

What happens after you apply

1

You apply

Apply online and you’ll get a confirmation email.

2

You meet your tutor

We’ll invite you to an interview to talk through the course and your plans, and make sure it’s right for you.

3

You get an offer

We’ll email you a conditional or unconditional offer.

4

You get ready to start

Come to a taster session in the summer, then enrol in August, bringing your results.

Read our full guide to applying