Songwriting

Bachelor of Songwriting

Available at
Auckland
Fees
Duration(s)
Full time: 3 years

Bachelor

Start Date(s)
Auckland
  • February 2025

Entry Requirements

SHOWCASE YOUR VOICE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Course Structure

The Bachelor of Songwriting is broken up into three distinct levels, each designed to develop different skills.
Level 5
Credit Points: 15

To develop a suite of writing tools and techniques underpinned by introductory concepts of genre and style.
Credit Points: 15

To develop skilful use of structure and arrangement by writing in condensed short forms. Includes music cues for film and jingle writing.
Credit Points: 15
This 36-week course provides a platform for engagement with transferable skills via collaborative client projects which may include contracted roles within projects of more advanced student groups. With a key focus on employability in Aotearoa/New Zealand students engage with professional practice situated in the holistic ideals of Te Ao Maori. Students conduct peer review via the Transferable Skills Matrix in an effort to foster and develop employability skills.
Credit Points: 15

To analyse and develop interpretations of songs by celebrated New Zealand writers. The songs will be presented in workshop performances on campus and in a public performance.
Credit Points: 15

Across a range of genres, to develop dramatic composition and arrangement techniques to effectively intersect with dramatic text.
Credit Points: 15

Students will give a mixed media presentation with analysis and interpretation of key songs, and connect the artist to a genre-led community of practice.
Credit Points: 30
Requires groups to produce a suite of outputs that display an individualised integration of production techniques acquired over the previous courses. Includes a reflective blog on the multiple ways such integration occurs and the effectiveness of such.
Level 6
Credit Points: 15

Students will rewrite and re-perform a set of music assets to achieve multiple stylistic outcomes. The outputs will be subject to peer analysis and critique.
Credit Points: 15

In CC602 Era students will examine the relationship between social and technological context and creative outputs. Students will choose a heritage screen or sonic product to explore and reflect upon its cultural/historical backdrop. Students will compose/produce a replica to meet the genre and/or stylistic characteristics of the original, and give consideration for how that product can be re-contextualised in a modern era.
Credit Points: 15
This 36-week course provides a platform for engagement with transferable skills via Work-Integrated Learning and collaborative client projects which may include contracted roles within projects of more advanced student groups. Students will accumulate 40 hours of Work-Integrated Learning via professional industry placement. Students and WIL clients conduct peer review via the Transferable Skills Framework in an effort to foster and develop employability skills.
Credit Points: 15

Students engage with the history of New Zealand music. Examining genres and relevant practice, students will create a song that responds to a cultural aspect of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Credit Points: 15
Identify a current published writer/producer in the context of Futurist- Anarchist. Explore and reflect upon their most impactful work. Produce a screen or sonic output displaying a range of avant-garde compositional and production techniques. Create a reflective blog discussing the tools and techniques developed and applied.
Credit Points: 15

Students research and reflect upon representations of culture in global music works and relevant industry practices by region.
Credit Points: 30
Students provide technical production crew support for those enrolled in Level 7 interdisciplinary collaborative course CC705 Fundamental Project Production. Students enrolled in CC606 will pitch for the various production roles on offer and under Facilitator supervision, Level 7 students will assign production roles and together groups will develop and deliver approved creative research-informed sonic-screen projects. The key focus is effective engagement with assigned responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables in a group dynamic.
Level 7
Students are provided with a series of authentic industry composition creative briefs on short deadlines requiring a range of stylistic and structural approaches.
Credit Points: 15
To engage with and critically reflect upon the unique cultural landscape of Aotearoa and to personally reflect upon its values and meaning. Visits to places of cultural significance and engagement with local iwi will underpin facilitated studio sessions. Students will collaboratively produce an audio-visual product to holistically represent and reflect chosen aspects of this.
Credit Points: 15
This 36-week course provides a platform for engagement with transferable skills via Work-Integrated Learning and collaborative client projects which will include assigning roles to and evaluating the performance of less advanced student groups. Students will accumulate 40 hours of Work-Integrated Learning via professional industry placement. Students and WIL clients conduct peer review via the Transferable Skills Framework in an effort to foster and develop employability skills.

Tuakana-Teina project
Level 7 and 5 students are partnered in an informal facilitated mentor programme. The Tuakana (mentor) provides leadership and assistance for the Teina (mentee) and includes the mentee in the culture and community of the Level 7 projects.
Students engage with the history of New Zealand music. Examining genres and relevant practice, students will create a song that responds to a cultural aspect of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Credit Points: 15
In this design phase that informs CC705 Fundamental Project Production, students collaboratively develop and pitch multiple sonic-screen project briefs viable for delivery within the CC705 timeframe. Peer review, critique, reflection and industry practitioners pitch sessions inform the final project focus, technologies, methodologies and delivery modes. The scope of the project should be finely tuned with creative and production duties defined and assigned.
Credit Points: 45
A single trimester interdisciplinary collaborative course for Level 7 Screen, Audio and Music Production students, with production crew support from Level 6 students enrolled in CC606 Production Profile. Under Facilitator supervision, groups develop and deliver approved creative research-informed sonic-screen projects. The key focus is the assignment, management and review of project partner work responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables. A key driver is the critical engagement with the context of interdisciplinary research by creative practice, as opposed to the duration of work
NZQA Course Codes
NZQA Level 5 Bachelor (3 Trimesters) NZQA Level 6 Bachelor (3 Trimesters) NZQA Level 7 Bachelor (3 Trimesters)
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
NZQA Level 7 This is an NZQA accredited programme of study that leads to the Level 7 NZ Bachelor of Songwriting.

What jobs will this course lead me into?

  • Songwriter
  • Composer
  • Musician
  • Performer
  • Music Producer
  • Music Director
  • Educator

YOUR DREAM CAREER BEGINS NOW

Key Information For Students