Sixth Form Commercial Music Course
Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is one of the nine specialist Music and Dance Schools in the UK, giving pupils on this course a fantastic music education.
Our pupils must display creativity, be driven, enthusiastic and resilient in order to maximise
their potential on the course.
Our Sixth Form Commerical Music Course covers three broad interdisciplinary areas of learning: live performance skills, songwriting and composition, and music production. Pupils on the course are taught by industry musicians, who are actively working in the business.
Pupils on the course are taught in their respective years for most classes, such as music production and music theory. However, all pupils on the course are taught as a collective for some classes, for example, live performance skills and songwriters’ circle.
Every year the pupils on the Commercial Music Course perform an external Showcase. Previous venues have included: the 606 Club, Pizza Express Live, Holborn and Bush Hall. Throughout the year pupils on the course have frequent opportunities to perform in Acoustic Nights and in-house showcases.
Course Summary
Practical musicianship constitutes a large proportion of the course and there are opportunities throughout the School to collaborate with some of the other vocational departments. The creative aspect of the Commercial Music course allows pupils to write original material, create their own arrangements and write for commissions.
Classes on the course are supplemented by master classes given by visiting industry professionals. These have included: Frank Turner (singer/songwriter), Claire Martin OBE (BBC 3 – The Jazz Lineup), Juliet Russell (The Voice), Lindy Robins, Steve Robson, Fraser MacColl (Jungle), Ella Henderson. Industry professionals attend many of the showcase events.
Graduates of this course have forged successful careers in the industry as professional producers, songwriters and singers. Many of our students decide to continue their studies at higher education institutes including LIPA, ICMP, Leeds Conservatoire, Royal Northern College of Music, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, Berklee College of Music.
Course Structure
All pupils on the course are entitled to two peripatetic music lessons a week. One of which must be on the pupil’s primary instrument/voice.
Over the two years, pupils on the Sixth Form Commercial Music Course will undertake classes in:
- Songwriting skills and techniques
- Rehearsal protocol and performance skills
- Recording and production
- Portfolio preparation
- Theory and aural training
- Popular music genre studies
- The music industry
- Vocal and instrumental development
- Fitness, movement and wellbeing
UAL Qualification
From September 2026, our Sixth Form Commercial Music Course is accredited by the University of the Arts London’s Level 3 Diploma in Music Performance and Production. This qualification is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to progress to further study and training in a range of music performance and production disciplines.
Students require a minimum of four GCSE grades at grade C/4 or above to enter the qualification, which awards a Pass (36 UCAS points), Merit (60 UCAS points), or Distinction (84 UCAS points) after completion. The qualification is rigorously assessed through internal assessment and external moderation of the final major project.
The structure of the qualification, with units linked to provide coherence, will allow students to synthesise newly acquired practical skills with theoretical knowledge and understanding as they explore their aptitude and ambition and the particular characteristics of a broad range of music performance and production disciplines. Students will be encouraged to recognise not only the unique characteristics of different disciplines but also the dynamic, potentially innovative relationships between them.
The qualification will be delivered through eight units over a two-year period. Units will vary in length to ensure that the qualification reflects the school’s specialist vocational training, enabling students to:
- Have a critical and contextual awareness of different perspectives and approaches within music performance and production or related subjects of study or work
- Research, analyse and evaluate relevant information and ideas in order to develop creative solutions
- Understand, adapt and safely use appropriate and practical methods and skills for creative production
- Solve complex problems through the application of music performance and production or related practical, theoretical and technical understanding
- Critically review the effectiveness and appropriateness of methods, actions and results
- Use evaluative and reflective skills in order to take responsibility for own learning, development and decision making
- Take responsibility for the research, planning, time management, and actions to access progression opportunities
- Effectively present themselves and their work to appropriate audiences.
Fees & Funding
The School offers Scholarships for the Performance Foundation, Musical Theatre, Acting and Commercial Music Courses and Music & Dance Scheme and Dance & Drama Awards for Dancers.
Find Out More
Rupert Gardner BA (Hons), PGCE | Director of Music
Please get in contact if you have any queries regarding our sixth form commercial music course.