Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE
Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
Key Course Facts
Student Reviews
Below you can see course specific reviews for 35 graduates of Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE at Institute of Contemporary Music Performance for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Music.
This particular course
Salary
Salary of Graduates in Music
Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Music at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.
| 15 months after graduation | 3 years after graduation | 5 years after graduation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median salary | £23000 | £17000 | £19500 |
| 25-75 percentile range | £19000 - £25000 | £10000 - £21000 | £13000 - £25000 |
All Music courses of Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
Salary of all UK Graduates of Music
| 15 months after graduation | 3 years after graduation | 5 years after graduation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median salary | £21455 | £18888 | £21821 |
| 25-75 percentile range | £17911 - £25024 | £13645 - £23424 | £16458 - £28067 |
All Music Courses
Course Description
The Popular Music Performance CertHE is a one year course that is designed for students who aspire to fulfill the highest levels of musicianship whilst building a successful portfolio career within today’s modern and diverse popular music industry.
A dynamic, challenging and relevant programme, this course will provide you with the playing, performing, technical and theoretical skills necessary to prepare you for the real world of the portfolio musician. The study of established genres, styles and repertoire sits at the core of the course, and you’ll develop a wide and comprehensive understanding of genre conventions through study of your principal instrument, aimed at enabling you to succeed in a wide range of contexts.
The course covers a variety of learning activities in subject areas such as performance, stylistic techniques, music technology, arranging and composing, sight-reading and sonic analysis. You’ll be challenged to develop outstanding technical skills on your primary instrument.
Over the year, you’ll receive tuition from our expert teaching faculty, made up of highly esteemed musicians, all of whom have active careers in the music industry and higher education sector. Learning will be achieved in small groups, where collaboration is encouraged to enable conceptual exploration of experiences, influences and ideas. Through live performance workshops you’ll develop a strong comradery with your fellow students, be inspired to network and create projects with students from other ICMP programmes, and receive individual instrumental feedback.
ICMP tutors will provide you with relevant knowledge of the internal workings of the music industry through the delivery of regular masterclasses, industry events and networking opportunities, along with addresses from guest lecturers and emerging artists.
By the time you graduate with ICMP, you’ll be fluent in the language of popular music, capable of working in creative and collaborative music business environments, ready to explore exciting industry pathways to begin your professional career, and will have an impressive and professional portfolio of work to present to the industry.
Progression: After completion of this course you can progress on to year 2 of the BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance degree.
Jobs & Career Perspectives
15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.
This particular course
Current jobs
All courses of Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
Required skill level of job after 15 months
This particular course
Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)
Example below based on all graduates of Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE at Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
| 25% | Business, Research and Administrative Professionals |
| 10% | Teaching Professionals |
| 10% | Web and Multimedia Design Professionals |
| 10% | Business and Financial Project Management Professionals |
| 5% | Managers, directors and senior officials |
| 5% | Administrative occupations |
| 5% | Business and public service associate professionals |
| 5% | Business, Research and Administrative Professionals |
| 5% | Media Professionals |
| 5% | Finance Professionals |
Entry Requirements / Admissions
UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course
This particular course
Costs
Tuition Fees Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE
| EU | £9250 | |
|---|---|---|
| England UK | £9250 | |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | |
| Scotland | £9250 | |
| Wales | £9250 | |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | |
| Ireland | £9250 | |
| International | £14750 | |
| England UK | £9250 | year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | year 1 |
| Ireland | £9250 | year 1 |
| EU | £10250 | year 1 |
| International | £15250 | year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | year 1 |
Average student cost of living
| Rent | £518 |
| Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) | £50 |
| Supermarket shopping | £81 |
| Clothing | £35 |
| Eating out | £33 |
| Alcohol | £27 |
| Takeaways / food deliveries | £30 |
| Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) | £24 |
| Holidays and weekend trips | £78 |
| Transport within city | £17 |
| Self-care / sports | £20 |
| Stationary / books | £13 |
| Mobile phone / internet | £13 |
| Cable TV / streaming | £7 |
| Insurance | £51 |
| Other | £95 |
| Average student cost of living | £1092 |
London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.
How to apply
Application deadline:
August 1, 2025
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Possible Entry Points:
- year 1 (Default entry point)
UCAS application code:
316K
About Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) is a specialist education provider for numerous subjects related to the world of music, located in the city of London, England. The ICMP began its existence as a place to teach guitar and bass exclusively, but has since evolved to include the education of vocals and drums, as well as the creative process of songwriting and music production in a studio setting.
Student composition of Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
-
Total number of students enrolled at Institute of Contemporary Music Performance by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
- undergraduates:
- 900
- postgraduates:
- 90
- Total:
- 990
Where is this programme taught
Show on map
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Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE | Institute of Contemporary Music Performance | - | - | - | £9250 £9250 | £14750 £15250 | - | London |
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FAQ about Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
- Tuition fees for this programme are 9250 per year for UK students. In addition to the tuition fees you should also take into consideration the average monthly cost of living for students in the UK.
- The median salary of graduates of this course was £23000 15 months after graduation, £17000 3 years after graduation and £19500 after graduation.
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals (25%), Teaching Professionals (10%), Web and Multimedia Design Professionals (10%), Business and Financial Project Management Professionals (10%)
- 35 graduates rated the course 91. This means that 91% of graduates indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the course. See detailed ratings above and how these compare to the averages at other universities.
- Popular Music Performance - Keys CertHE is taught on campus and cannot be taken online at Institute of Contemporary Music Performance.
- It is moderately difficult to get accepted into this course. The average UCAS tariff score of this course is 131 which is among the
Percentile among all Music students in the UK.