Finding the suitable music university courses can be challenging in itself. For many years, I was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to amount to very much. My school teachers didn’t believe in me. I now have a Master’s Degree from the University of West London and AMS Online. This post supports the courses offered by AMS Online and shows you what you can do. It doesn’t matter who you are. You, whoever you are, can succeed and get a Master’s Degree in Music from a prestigious university like the University of West London with the help of AMS Onine.
Why Take Music University Courses
Why not? Whatever you want to do in life, a Degree in any subject can be invaluable. For instance, sites like Total Jobs ask for your highest academic achievement. I can now say Master’s or Higher. Isn’t that something? Considering my school days where I got straight D’s in my GCSE’s. I can now feel proud of what I have accomplished with the help of AMS Online.
My Musical Past
I started playing the guitar in 1994 when hanging out with someone who wanted to start a band. The fact that I was contributing musically to the sound of something that sounded ok, was an amazing feeling. I probably wouldn’t think much about it today, but at the time, it was a lot of fun. I spent most of my lunch breaks in the music room. At first, I started on a bass guitar. Sliding my fingers along the strings made an interesting sound, and I was curious to see what other sounds I could make.
I soon moved on to the six-string. This was because I saw that I could make many different sounds with the six-string, which is more versatile than the bass. I found myself playing the guitar at every opportunity. I also read various magazines: Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar in particular.
After I Left College
Due to an overactive social life, I had a few mental health issues to cope with after leaving college. I found two jobs, but neither lasted more than six months. After that, I had some time at a hospital before going back to college to take advanced-level courses (Access to Higher Education).
My Access course went well. I was a popular member of the class and had lots of friends. Nobody knew about my mental health issues – apart from the fact that I kept falling asleep in class. At this stage, I wanted to get into trance music production, so I took a sound engineering course that I enjoyed and had lots of friends there too. However, the standard of the work wasn’t excellent.
Many Years Later – 2013
In 2013, I was back in touch with some of my older College friends. These were the guys that I had smoked cannabis with and crashed out listening to happy hardcore. However, when I heard from them again in 2013, they had given up that life entirely and become devout Muslims. We were still great friends, and I invited them to my wedding. They didn’t want to go to a Church.
Anyway, they mentioned FL Studio to me. This was my first DAW and is still my first choice today. This is what saw me to the first of my music university courses. This is for ease of use more than anything else. It is just such a user-friendly DAW. I started to make music and share it with my friends. The quality wasn’t amazing compared to what I do today, but it was a start. I enjoyed it. Having full control over the total sound of the production was something that particularly appealed to me.
The First of My Music University Courses: Foundation at Wolverhampton University
I don’t remember how I first found out about AMS Online. However, the first person I spoke to at the University was Lewis Harding. I told Lewis I had done a Certificate of Higher Education in Business Planning in 2013. I am not sure if that was the actual name of it, but he said that would be sufficient academically to get me into the Foundation. Lewis was the first university contact who I shared my music with. He liked what he heard.
From 2016 to part of 2017, we had some family issues to cope with. These hard times only fuelled my passion for music, and all of my pent-up energy and aggression was unleashed into my music. I named songs after my son, and others were called, “My Black Dog”, and other interesting names.
Attending Music University Courses in Person
Wolverhampton University was the only one I went to while studying there. I have never even stepped foot on the University of West London campus. I went to Wolverhampton to have an appointment with the disability team. They were excellent, but there wasn’t a lot they could put into action for me. I am a sight-impaired person but can cope with normal text. As I type this to you, my screen is not magnified. It is quite small. I rely on my ability to type great English; the rest is just pure typing ability.
I met Lewis first of all at a university base in Central Birmingham. He went through everything with me, and I asked him my burning questions. At the time, I was the only one doing the Foundation. I took the Foundation because I wanted to do something that I knew was within my capabilities before continuing to something more advanced.
The Way Music University Courses With AMS Online Work
You will be assigned at least one mentor from the first week of your degree with AMS Online. When I did my Foundation and my Bachelor’s, I was assigned two mentors. One of these was for the academic side, and the other was for the practical side. We arranged times each week that were good for us both. Therefore, you can work at a time and location that suits you from week to week. If you want to make another time or day, just let your mentor know. They can usually fit in another time without too much of a problem.
The Foundation degree was a two-year course. After completing my Foundation, I was offered a top-up year to get my Bachelor’s Degree with the University of West London.
Bachelor’s Degree at the University of West London
I enjoyed my Bachelor’s immensely. As I progressed from the Foundation, I found that the more advanced the study got, the more interesting it got. The project I put together for my Bachelor’s was to write The Complete Guide to Music Marketing. This book is now updated annually, and you can have a free copy sent to your email by leaving your email address in the box either towards the top of this post or at the bottom. The Complete Guide to Music Marketing enabled me to gain a 2.1 in my Bachelor’s and progress to the Master’s Degree programme.
Time Out of Study
I learned quite a lot from subscribing to sites like Sonic Academy, but these courses can not and should not be done instead of music University courses. Music university courses are vital if you want to progress in life, get a job after graduating, and have a good life. Short courses on Sonic Academy are great if you want to learn the fundamentals of music production, but they cannot replace music university courses.
Applying For the Master’s?
I didn’t apply for a place on my Master’s Degree course. Robin Dymond wrote to me to offer me a place. At the time, I was in between jobs, and I thought, “Why not?” Therefore, I signed up for another year at the university. Furthermore, I put more time and effort into my study this time. I focused 100% on studying and even put Krannaken.com on hold while I did it.
Going Back to the University of West London
As I just said, all of my time and effort went into my study when I got back to university. This was even to the detriment of Krannaken.com. I felt like giving up on more than one occasion, but I spoke to Robin Dymond and Pablo Urbina. They were both really supportive and encouraging. They both assured me that the Master’s was within my capability and that I could do the course and get a result. Indeed I did! I got my Master’s Degree at last!
Any Regrets
My only regret is that I didn’t get my Master’s earlier. I regret not getting it while my parents were still on this side of Heaven. It would have been such a wonderful thing to share with them.
Good Points About Music University Courses With AMS Online
- You are assigned a mentor who gets to know you individually and becomes aware of your skills and abilities.
- You can fit it around your family or work commitments
- You can get funding for the courses from Student Finance England
- If you are an introvert, you don’t have to worry about mixing with others
- The staff are very supportive and encouraging
- There are regular online workshops that you can attend and Robin always sends out news of these – even to alumni.
The Cons of Music University Courses With AMS Online
- Even though you are encouraged to do so, you don’t get to mix with other students very much. Therefore, you don’t establish any friendships with them.
- If you can’t get to the University library, you have to pay for memberships with organisations like Scribd, Readly, and other online e-libraries.
A Note About Funding For Music University Courses
Funding is available to those living in the United Kingdom. If you want to study and can’t afford to, don’t worry. You are able to get funding from Student Finance England if you live in England. I believe similar funding initiatives exist for those living in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We had a guy on our course from Switzerland. He was probably self-funded.
Days Ahead
Now that I have finished my Master’s Degree, I have the world at my feet. What’s next? My local Jobcentre has given me a year to turn Krannaken.com into a full-time income. This is where my passion lies and I am excited to think of the possibilities for the future.
I expect Robin to contact me at some point over the next 12 months to offer me a place on a newly formed Ph.D programme. However, for the moment, I am a happy blogger and doing what I want to do.
The music university courses at AMS Online have given me a much broader understanding of the music industry. I am now prepared to move on and turn my education into a full-time life ahead and follow my passion.
If you would like to learn more about music marketing,, please feel free to request a free copy of my book, The Complete Guide to Music Marketing 2023. It will be sent to your email inbox.
Learn more: AMS Online and the University of West London
