Playsomething

Academy

Rockschool Level 3 Diploma Music Practitioner - Business

Course Handbook 2013

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 Welcome!
Playsomething / Rockschool Level 3 Diploma Music Practitioner We want to warmly welcome you to the Playsomething Academy and to the Rockschool Level 3 Diploma - Music Practitioner : Business This booklet will give you an overview of the course and the PS Academy. We hope youll have a fantastic time at Playsomething and will go on to a successful career in the music industry. Alex Forryan Course Leader / Lead Tutor

 Contents

Welcome to Playsomething! The Teaching Team The Rockshool Music Practitioner Diploma
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2 4 4-6 4 5 5 6 7-9 10 11 12 13 13 13 14 15 15 15 15 16 17 17 17 18 19-20

What is the course ? Qualifications How does this qualification compare ? Modules we will be studying How to read an assignment brief Deadlines and Assessment Tracking your progress Timetables Attendance Punctuality College Holidays BRAVO Campaign ID Badges Smoking Rules Code of Conduct Eating and Drinking Disciplinary Procedure Complaints and Concerns Connexions Service

Managing your time

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Professional behavior and your safety

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Guidance and Support

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The Music Team

During your time here, you will work with a number of different staff around the College and the Academy in order to achieve your goals and objectives.

Alex Forryan Course Leader Marc Rapson Re-Mixing and Production Siobhan Dunne Deputy Head of Department Creative Arts and Industries sdunne@hrc.ac.uk

Dave Evans Careers in Music

Roisin Quinn Copyright

Linda Foster Head of Department Creative Arts and Industries lfoster@hrc.ac.uk

THE COURSE Rockschool's qualifications for Music Practitioners are vocational qualifications in popular music for all levels of ability from beginner to semi-professional. They provide an increasingly popular alternative to more traditional music qualifications such as GCSE and A/AS Levels, one that is nationally recognised and accredited with varying levels and sizes to suit individual needs. Developed by two organisations specialising in the music industry, they ensure that the most up-to-date trends, technological, commercial and business advances are embedded within them, providing learners with the skills to develop realistic employment opportunities in the music industry. They focus on practical musical skills and provide great flexibility of unit choice within a chosen pathway: Performance, Composition, Business or Technology, each allowing direct progression into their chosen area of the industry and/or a higher level of study. QUALIFICATIONS The qualifications are available at Level 1 (equivalent in demand to GCSE Grades D- G), Level 2 (equivalent in demand to GCSE Grades A*-C) and Level 3 (equivalent in demand to A/AS level) and are offered in different sizes at each level, as shown in the table below. The size of each qualification is determined by the amount of credit. A qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of units carrying sufficient credit for that qualification. Each credit broadly equates to 10 learning hours. HOW DOES THIS QUALIFICATION COMPARE? In contrast to music GCSEs and A/AS levels, Rockschool's qualifications for music practitioners are vocational qualifications, allowing direct progression into the industry and/or a higher level of study. They therefore place particular emphasis on developing practical skills for employment within the industry. Other similar qualifications, such as the Level 3 BTEC qualifications in Music Practice, combine practical skills with contextual knowledge that may not necessarily be fundamental to progression in many career pathways. Similarly, too many mandatory units can adversely affect learning and potential success, so these qualifications contain one mandatory unit relevant to the vocational pathway. The qualifications are transferable and cumulative, in that, for example, learners taking an Award can build on units successfully achieved to attain a Certificate/Extended Certificate/Subsidiary Diploma. Unlike the Level 3 BTEC and GCSE/A/AS, there is no external assessment. These qualifications are assessed completely through internal assessment with external moderation. 5

 THE UNITS AT PLAYSOMETHING CME 902J Level 3 Diploma (Business Pathway) - 90 credits. 340 - Copyright in the Music Industry - 15 Credits (Core Unit) 349 Planning a Career in Music - 10 Credits 375 - Podcast and Radio Production 10 Credits 320 Music Dissertation 15 Credits 353 - Music Event Management - 15 Credits 338 Music Event Health & Safety 10 Credits 354 Setting Up a Music Business 15 Credits Total Credits : 90

 How to read an Assignment Brief

When you are to be assessed on work you will be given an Assignment Brief. An Assignment Brief includes the following information: what you need to achieve what evidence you will need to produce when you will need to submit your work by who will be assessing your work what criteria (descriptions of achievement) your work will be judged against Your assignment briefs will all look like the one below and the key details you need to understand are highlighted here.
Title of the Assignment The numbers and names of the Units this brief relates to Which criteria from these units you are being assessed against Which functional skills this work may go towards The dates you will need to submit different elements of this work To achieve well your Assessor recommends you read these books / watch these films etc.

The Learning Outcomes from the units this brief addresses Scenario this is the situation you are going to be working in. If this is a live brief for a real client this information will be here
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Task description this is an outline what you are expected to do to fulfil this brief

This is the d eadline for submitting the work for this task.
The wording of the criteria from the unit that you will be assessed against will be here so you can see what you need to achieve

What documents, items, portfolios or pieces of work you will need to submit to show you have completed the tasks

 Assignment Brief Terms Glossary

Brief an overview of the activities involved in working towards a particular project or activity Unit a segment of the qualification surrounding a particular skill, theme or subject. You will be studying towards 19 units throughout the whole of your qualification. Learning Outcome each unit has a series of outcomes that summarise what you will achieve from successfully completing the unit Criteria this is a specific description that explains what you need to demonstrate in the evidence that you produce in order to gain different levels of achievement. They are often labeled things like P1 or D3. Scenario this is the situation you will be working in on this brief. It could be a brief for a live client or an imagined situation. You will need to read this carefully to ensure you are producing what is expected of you in order to achieve. Submission Date this is the deadline you have been set for handing in work to your Assessor. If you do not submit by this deadline, this may become a matter for disciplinary procedures. See the section on submitting work within your Student Handbook for details about this. NYA this stands for Not Yet Achieved and is awarded if you have not yet met the Pass standard for this particular task. Your feedback from your Assessor will outline clearly to you what you need to do to improve your work and you will be given a deadline to submit the improved work. See the Assessment section of your Student Handbook for details on this. WT this stands for Working Towards and this may be marked on Assessment because a task is only part of what you need to complete to meet a criteria. If you have shown that you are working towards achieving this, it will be indicated here. See the Assessment section of your Student Handbook for details on this.

The Rockschool Website

 Deadlines and Assessment

Deadlines
You will always be given clear deadlines for submitting your work, by your Assessor, on your Assignment Brief. You will be expected to submit your work on this deadline in order to get your work assessed. If you are unable to submit work on the deadline you will need to fill in an extension form, and have the form signed by the relevant Assessor, at least two days before the deadline. If you do not submit your work by the deadline and have not had an extension form signed and approved by the Assessor at least two days in advance, then this will be marked as a non- submission. You should arrive at college with your work ready to submit to your tutors on the day of the deadline. Not being able to print work out, email problems or last minute practical issues are not considered a reasonable excuse for non- submission. Not submitting work on deadline is considered a very serious matter and will lead to disciplinary processes.

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 Assessment of your work

All of the work you produced will be assessed by the tutor who has set the Assignment Brief you have worked on. You do not do any exams for your core Rockschool Diploma. However, the grades you are awarded for your assignment work will formulate the basis of the final grade you receive for your qualification. Your tutors will take work in on the deadline, assess it and provide you with feedback on what you have achieved. They aim to always do this within two working college weeks (this does not included college holidays, Bank Holidays etc.). You will always be given clear guidance on what parts of the unit you have achieved and to what standard. You will also be given written feedback on where the evidence for your achievements are to be found and how you may consider improving your work. You will be given a re-submission deadline on the feedback. If you wish to make improvements to your work and submit it again for assessment this must always be handed back in by the re-submission deadline. If you do not reach the Pass standard of any part of an Assignment Brief, the action plan you are given by the Assessor is compulsory action and must be completed and returned to the Assessor by the date given.

Tracking Your Progress

Your Personal Tutor and the Course Leader for your course will keep a careful record of your progress. They will record what you achieve on assessment of each assignment brief. They will be able to keep you informed of whether you are meeting the targets you have been set. You will also have your own achievement folder where you will keep a copy of the feedback you receive from your tutors as well as a tracking sheet recording what you have achieved. You can access this folder at any time for your own reference but your Tutors will look after it for you.

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Managing Your Time

During your time at the College, you will be expected to manage your time effectively and efficiently. This is particularly important with regards to getting to your lessons and appointments on time and submitting work on deadline. The following aspects of your time management will be monitored by your Tutors and the Course Leader: Your attendance at all sessions Your punctuality arriving and leaving on time to each session Your work submission punctuality handing in work on deadline and in the format that your tutors require

Timetables

You will be given a timetable for your group during induction. You will be expected to keep this safe and use it to ensure you arrive at all your sessions on time, in the right room, with the correct equipment and homework, ready to work. You can always find your timetable on the Playsomething Diploma Blog, in the Timetables section should you need another copy. You will need to look carefully to ensure you get the right one for your year and group.

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Attendance
It is vital that do not miss any of the sessions that appear on your timetable. Your attendance is carefully monitored by the media team and poor attendance will mean you may be entered into a disciplinary process. Poor attendance is deemed to be anything below 90%. Should you have a genuine reason for not attending college you need to ensure that you notify the Academy of this by ringing the PS Admin Team Office to speak to Alex or Angie on 01920 480483 If you do not ring in and inform us of your reason for absence this is viewed as an unauthorised absence and taken very seriously. Should you be aware of a reason why you will be absent from college in advance you will need to provide evidence of this to your Personal Tutor in advance of your absence. The only acceptable reasons for absence are: Funeral of a close family member Practical Driving Test Hospital Appointment that cannot be arranged outside of college hours Interview for a full-time job / HE course (at the end of your one-year course) Absence because of leisure activities, part-time work or taking holidays within term-time is unacceptable behaviour and may lead to disciplinary action. You will need to plan these activities around your timetable and the college calendar, both of which you can find in this handbook.

Punctuality

You must attend all sessions on time, with the correct equipment and ready to work. Your punctuality is carefully monitored by the media team and poor punctuality will mean you may be entered into a disciplinary process. Poor punctuality is deemed to be anything below 90%. If there is any reason why you may be late to a session, you must ring the PLAYSOMETHING admin. Team on 01920 480483 Speak to Angie

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 College Holiday Dates

st 1 Week / Induction Week Half term Easter Break May Bank Holiday Half Term Term ends

th Mon 7 Jan 2013 Mon 18th Feb Fri 22nd Feb 2013 Friday 29th Mar Friday 12th April 2013 Monday 6th May 2013 Monday 27th 31st May 2013 Fri 28th June 2013

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Professional Behaviour and Your Safety

On this course, you will be treated as an adult, and given the opportunity to take on professional roles. You will call your tutors by their first names, there are no uniform requirements and we do not follow school procedures like assemblies. However, with this role comes the responsibility to act in a responsible and appropriate manner.

BRAVO Campaign
The college runs a campaign based on improving life on college campus for everyone. You will be expected to abide by the BRAVO guidelines during your time on the course. You will be given a presentation all about the BRAVO campaign during Induction. Be Safe Respectful Always Polite Visible ID On Time

Wearing ID Badges

It is essential that you have your ID visible on your person at all times. This is to protect yourself as well as the students and staff around you. You may be asked to produce your ID for a member of staff or security personnel. Failure to do so may result in you being removed from the campus.

Smoking Rules
In conjunction with national legislation the Academy has a no smoking policy. If you wish to smoke you may need to be off campus.

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Offensive Language
Our main building is next to a Doctors Surgery that is in use every day and is attended by parents with young children. Please, therefore NEVER USE OFFENSIVE, ABUSIVE or INNAPROPRIATE language outside the Diploma Building FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THIS WILL BE DEALT WITH VERY SERIOUSLY.

Code of Conduct

Responsibilities of students
Respecting the rights and views of others Not using language or behaviour that could offend Wearing your ID card at all times so it is visible No ID cards:- Reception staff will issue a temporary ID card for one-day use (will not swipe). Your name will be recorded and reported to departments. 3 instances will trigger the Disciplinary Procedure. Use College buildings and equipment safely and carefully To complete and submit assignments by agreed deadlines To attend all external assessments they have registered for To avoid plagiarism. This means either directly copying from written or published material, or paraphrasing someone elses work, without crediting the source.

We will be giving you a Code of Conduct for the course that you will need to agree to and sign during your induction. Should you fail to abide by the requirements of these codes this may lead to action using the disciplinary procedures. 16

To avoid collusion. For example, getting someone else to produce work and submitting it as your own; colluding with others to produce work and submitting it as your own; knowingly allowing another student to copy your work. Not to cheat. For example, copying other students work (with or without their knowledge); submitting someone elses work as their own; fabricating results (for example experiments, research, interviews, observations)

Eating & Drinking

The Playsomething Academy provide a common room area for eating and drinking within the main PS House Building. Students are not to eat or drink in classrooms or the studios due to the equipment and are not permitted to eat or drink in the corridor areas.

Disciplinary Procedure

Your Personal Tutor will monitor your progress on the course carefully, along with you, in Personal Tutorials. All of the tutors will keep in touch with your Personal Tutor and ensure they are fully informed of your achievement, behaviour, attendance, punctuality and submission of work. If there are concerns with ANY of these areas, you will be made aware of this by your Personal Tutor and if you fail to make the improvements that are discussed this could progress on to further stages in the disciplinary process. The stages in the disciplinary process are as follows. You would progress on to the next stage in the process at each point if you fail to make the improvements recommended within the time frame you are set by your Personal Tutor. Tutorial discussion to identify and agree an action plan (documented in ILP) Formal Stage 1 disciplinary with Course Leader present with clear targets given and review date established Formal Stage 2 with the Head of Department which could result in permanent suspension.

Complaints and Concerns

If you have any complaints or concerns about your course or need to talk to someone other than your Personal Tutor or the Programme Manager for your course, you will need to speak to the Deputy Head of the Department, Siobhan Dunne. Her details can be found at the front of this handbook. 17

 Guidance and Support

During your time on the course you will be given help, assistance and support during your induction, as you progress through your course and as you apply to take the next step on from this course. You will be given guidance and support from a range of different people during this time.

Personal Instrumental Tutorials

You will be assigned a Personal Instrumental Tutor during your induction period. This person will act as your key contact within college and they will meet with you at least twice every half term for a 15 minute meeting. Your Personal Instrumental Tutor will be primarily responsible for helping you track your progress on the course and monitoring your behavior, attendance, punctuality and work submission record. In the case of any concerns or queries you should contact your Personal Tutor in the first instance. You will be given a schedule of Personal Tutorials during induction stating when you will have your first meetings with your Personal Tutor.

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Connexions Service
Youth Connexions contact Careers Guidance interviews provide students with a completely confidential opportunity to explore ideas and plans for the future, and to formulate realistic decisions about their education, training and employment. Careers interviews can help to motivate and support students in their studies and provide a framework for future plans. What Does A Careers Adviser Do? The Careers Advisers help your students when they: Are stuck for career ideas Want to pack in their course Are worried they are going to fail Knew what kind of job they wanted, but don't want that any more Are arguing with Mum and Dad about going to university - or not Don't know how to write a CV - or a Personal Statement - or a letter of application for a job Want to practice their interview skills Are thinking about a 'gap year' but don't know what they could do, or how to go about it Feel unsure about what to do next Don't know how to find out about jobs Get confused about choosing universities Can't make sense of their UCAS application Want help to choose future courses

The Careers Advisers are there to help with UCAS and with all the research that should precede a higher education application. 19

 Careers Interviews are available every weekday to: One hour Careers interviews can be booked at reception; there will be 2 or 3 days each week when appointments will be available. Additionally there are drop-in sessions for full-time students most weeks. The days and times of the drop-in sessions will vary each week in order to offer as many students as possible the chance to find a convenient time to speak to an adviser. Times of dropin sessions available at reception and library counter at both campuses. Appointments can be made by students as needed or staff may wish to refer a student for a career interview: *Broxbourne: go to Reception or call 01992 411400 ********** Jane Walden and Paula Pearch Careers Area LRC 3rd floor Telephone: 01992 411748 E-mail: jwalden@hrc.ac.uk E-mail: ppearch@hrc.ac.uk Additionally, members of the Connexions team including Alicia Anderson (Alicia.Anderson@hertscc.gov.uk 07990 698788) at Broxbourne and Ruth Andrews (Ruth.Andrews@hertscc.gov.uk 07789 927610) at Ware. Students can make appointments at Broxbourne reception to see the Connexions advisers, or contact them by phone or email and leave a message if necessary.

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