The Integrated Foundation Year at WaterBear is designed as an introductory year prior to transitioning into your specialist BA (Hons) Professional Music course.
The Integrated Foundation Year course supports access to higher education. It will help you build the core and specialist skills you’ll need for degree-level study. It focusses on the development of relevant and sustainable skills required by musicians and entrepreneurs of the 21st century.
If you are taking on a subject that you are yet to study in depth, have been out of education for while or just need some support in preparing to study at a higher level, then the Integrated Foundation Year course could be for you. You will have the chance to explore your creativity, expand professional skills, improve study skills, and develop a deeper knowledge of the area you want to study.
The degree course for today’s independent, self-motivated musicians.
If you’re a dedicated musician with the commitment to making a life in music, then the BA (Hons) Professional Music (Performance) at WaterBear is the degree course for you.
It’s designed to motivate you to reach your music goals and realise your full potential. It focusses on what’s really important – the creation of high-quality music and great live music performance. And like all degree courses at WaterBear, it gives you the perfect blend of artistic freedom alongside practical strategies to forge a solid career in music.
For musicians in today’s music industry, it’s all about developing a broad range of skills to build a sustainable and resilient career. You may be a multi-instrumentalist looking to improve in one or more different areas, or you might just want to focus on your primary instrument or voice. No problem. You’ll be able to access a wide range of content, resources and tuition to suit your individual needs. All online content from our full range of courses is accessible to everyone, so you can tailor your own learning journey.
At WaterBear, we believe in smaller class sizes and the value of personal 1-1 mentoring. We also believe you should have the freedom to explore what’s possible and continually push creative boundaries. All students on our 3-yr degree courses learn in small groups on pro-standard gear in environments designed to fuel creative output.
Students at WaterBear also get free, bookable access to professional rehearsal and recording studios, so you won’t need to worry about where to practice and record yourself or your band.
This course is taught at WaterBear in Brighton, and awarded by Falmouth University
The Integrated Foundation Year is designed to support your access to Higher Education and specifically entry onto one of the BA (Hons) Professional Music courses at WaterBear. It focusses on the development your music and music projects. Every week, you’ll hone specialist skills related to your chosen area of interest and learn about what it means to be a professional in today’s music industry.
Who's it for?
This course has been specifically designed for anyone with a passion for music who wants to go on to study a BA (Hons) Professional Music course at WaterBear, but who may need some extra support prior to studying at degree level.
On the Integrated Foundation Year:
You will study core modules that focus on music and industry practice.
You will improve your technical abilities and develop your specialism.
You will be working individually and collaboratively to create and present your ideas.
You will explore style and genre and develop a wider knowledge of music as a source of income with a focus on what it means to have a DIY approach, including the use of technology.
The Professional Music (Performance) degree is built on three fundamental elements – your music, your career and your projects. It deals with what really matters in music and the industry. It will expand your options and push you to deliver high-quality music and great live music performance. Every week, you’ll hone your instrumental / vocal techniques, stylistic knowledge, improvisation and stagecraft, and expand your creative repertoire. You’ll be performing live on stage in working music venues with other WaterBear musicians and artists. And you’ll learn all you need to know about the realities of being a professional musician in today’s music industry. There are also regular networking events, masterclasses, collaboration and work opportunities so you can build your all-important contacts list.
This course has been specifically designed for:
Vocalists
Guitarists
Drummers
Bassists
Multi-instrumentalists
Every musician at WaterBear has their own story to tell and their own path to follow. We provide a supportive, safe environment for you to experiment and create. You'll also develop a tailored career plan to support your personal goals and ambitions.
Integrated Foundation Year Modules:
Production Know-How
What Makes Music Great
Music Performance
Creative Production Workshop
Music Promotion
Showcase
Level Four Modules:
Your Music Performance
Navigating the Music Industry
Creative Music Performance
Your Strategy
Level Five Modules:
Your Sound
Your Events
Innovation in Music Performance
Enterprise in the Music Industry
Level Six Modules:
Your Professional Development
Specialist Report
Professional Project Portfolio
As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.
Module assessment methods will vary depending on the subject matter and will include a blend of practical and written assessment, and portfolio submission.
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Falmouth University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
We regret that this course is not available to international applicants who would require a Student Visa. If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
At Falmouth, we recognise excellence in many forms, and we see the whole you.
Our diverse community is creative, innovative and entrepreneurial.
We recognise that these qualities aren’t always shown in academic grades alone. That’s why, while many of our applicants achieve high academic grades, we also welcome those who can demonstrate their potential through an exceptional portfolio or performance.
To support this approach, during a friendly conversation with our academic team, we’ll consider your ideas, your creative output and your ambition to ensure you’ll thrive at Falmouth.
If you are able to demonstrate relevant, current, equivalent experience instead of formal qualifications, we encourage you to apply. Please contact our Applicant Services team before applying, for advice regarding your individual experience and eligibility.
If you are an international applicant and require a Student visa to study in the UK, you must have a recognised English language test approved and vouched for by the University at the appropriate level. You can see what we accept on our website https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements Our Applicant Services team can help you with any general questions you may have about study visas or suitable language tests. For more specific advice, we recommend you also consult UKCISA http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
View our list of accepted English language tests and qualifications using the link belowhttps://www.falmouth.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements
At Falmouth University, we take a rounded approach to admissions. Instead of focusing on criteria like grades alone, we operate a contextual admissions policy, where we look at you as a person: your talents, your experiences and your potential. Every offer we make is shaped around you and your circumstances, and our conditional offers are always intended to be realistic and achievable.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Apply for September 2026 through Clearing
Email:applicantservices@falmouth.ac.uk
Phone:01326 213730
Explore our courses available through Clearing and contact our friendly Course Advisors via phone or our online form.
Email:enquiries@waterbear.org.uk
Phone:01273 726230
Woodlane
Falmouth
TR11 4RH
At Falmouth University
