Talk to me about UCLAN/Huddersfield/ Leeds Beckett please

[traceyinrosso70]

DS just starting to research courses (music technology/ production or sound/audio engineering) . He's picked out courses at Huddersfield (DH alumni of there but 20+ years ago!!) UCLAN (my home town of Preston but was always the brunt of jokes that you only went to Preston Poly if you had messed about too much in sixth form!!) and Leeds Beckett. Trying to get an idea about the accomodation in Huddersfield, some unbiased opinions as to the quality of UCLAN and does anyone know anything at all about Leeds Beckett ? TIA

FelixFelix how did you find getting a job after graduation ? Did you opt for a sandwich year ? DS plays drums (currently Grade 6 Rock School) and wondered whether he would get chances to play too although it's Live Sound he's particularly interested in. Is there any live sound aspects to the course or practical opportunities ! TIA

Tracey, in Salford you can study Performance alongside Music Production. It's very highly rated for Music.

Lol, when I saw your thread title I just knew that someone would post suggesting your DS goes to a 'proper' uni. My DCs vary in their academic abilities from a medical student to my fourth DC who is going to a mid ranking Uni. After 4 Rounds of Uni applications it's clear that a lot of people are way too focused on Oxbridge/RG Unis and rankings, there is so much more to choosing where to go.

Nothing beats visiting the Uni's and talking to the staff and students. Do any of the Unis run taster courses?

I'd send away for hard copies of the prospectuses if your DS doesn't yet have them.

ImperialBlether - he has looked at Salford but he doesn't have the required theory grades so needs to chose a course that doesn't require theory grades. Hence the list he has at the moment - plus he's interested in LIPA but I believe it's very competitive to get in there.

My son didn't either; he did the Foundation Year and tbh it was the making of him. He left with a First last summer and absolutely loved every minute he was there. The tutors are fantastic. However, it's not a campus university and you have to be prepared for city life in Salford.

Tracey no job for me unfortunately! I didn't end up pursuing it to be honest. My DP also did the same course and got a very good result but really struggled to get a foot in the door of the music industry. He's now doing a second degree in Mechanical Engineering because the job prospects after the music tech degree were so dire. Sorry to put a dampener on it all, but it's the truth unfortunately. I'd say about 20% of people who graduated in my year ended up working in music and the rest are in call centres/office jobs. If you can afford to move to London and work for free for a while then it's totally worth doing (obviously unachievable for the average person). I think the best thing to do is go and look around as many universities as you can and have a good chat with the tutors about what your son wants to do. He will get lots of chances to play. There's a lot of modules focussed on live sound/the engineering side of things. DP had an offer for LIPA but chose Leeds Met instead. I'm actually very surprised he got an offer for there (he'd kill me if he knew I thought that ) so it's definitely worth a try.

Dear Tracey, it's been a while now since your original thread and my DS is starting to look into similar options. It would be great to hear what your son chose to do... any chance of a report back?

I know from working with them on a national teaching body that the course at Huddersfield is a leader in e field nationally & internationally for contemporary music & music technology. Wouldn't look far beyond that, tbh.

Oh gah! Zombie thread. Sorry.