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Explore our Music facilities with Guildhall students

Guildhall has a unique buzz and vibe to it…a great sense of community and friendliness

Rebecca Carson
BMus Flute

Guildhall has prepared me for a career in music therapy from searching for jobs to having brilliant work experience from the placements they chose for me

Emma Barber
MA Music Therapy

Guildhall had a crucial role in my success. The very high quality orchestral projects and masterclasses prepared me for professional life

Joao Seara
BMus Double Bass

Studying at the Guildhall School has been a life-changing and unforgettable adventure

Rebekah Carpio
MMus Clarinet (Orchestral Artistry)

The strong collaboration between departments has created a very special and supportive atmosphere

Meili Li
MMus Opera Studies

The teaching staff encourage the diversity that Guildhall is known for…there is something for everyone, regardless of style and influence

Oliver Leith
MMus Composition

Such incredible musicians and inspiring teachers and the opportunity to hear from world-class visiting artists has been invaluable

Vijay Prakash
MMus Jazz Trombone

During my time here, I organised an international conference based around my subject involving delegates from 4 continents

Emily Baines
DMus, ‘Mechanical Musical Instruments as a Source for Historical Performance’

In my first year, I was given the opportunity to play with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. We performed a number of concerts and our CD, recorded at one of those concerts, went on to win the BBC Music Magazine Award for Best Opera Recording.

Andrew McCoy
BMus Tenor Trombone

Working in pairs during the MA has helped me developer a deeper understanding of how opera composers work and how to spark their imaginations with a libretto.

Zoe Palmer (writer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

The relationship between the Barbican, BBC, and Guildhall is absolutely invaluable as it provides opportunities for students that cannot be found elsewhere.

Emiko Edwards
MPerf Piano

I feel that the people here really make the institution. I found Guildhall to be a really supportive environment that gave me room to explore, take risks, and mature as a mucisian, and as a human being.

Francesca Chiejina
MPerf Vocal Studies

Writing music for theatre has been a highlight of my time at Guildhall, as it has allowed me to explore an art form in which I have a great amount of interest and to work towards a professional finished product.

Alexander Hall
BMus Composition

Barbican is a key partner of Guildhall, and we can often get artists who perform there to do a masterclass or project with us, and we often do performances at Barbican events.

Ieva Vaitiekunaite
BMus Electronic Music

Whether it is in sit-in rehearsals, side-by-side projects or chamber orchestra sessions, the LSO players offer invaluable guidance and provide a glimpse of the exceptional standards we aspire towards.

Rees Webster
MPerf Oboe (Orchestral Artistry)

I was excited to cover a role in the UK premiere of Andrew Norman's 'A Trip to the Moon' in the Barbican, have a solo recital at LSO St Luke's and also to sing on the stage of Wigmore Hall.

Mirjam Mesak
MPerf Vocal Studies

I knew about the fantastic tutoring and resources, but the friendly and stimulating environment clinched it for me.

Eden Lonsdale
BMus Composition

I had the opportunity to play percussion with the Guildhall Studio Orchestra which gave me the chance to learn from, and play alongside, amazing senior players, as well as to perform with the incredible Liane Carroll.

Dave Adsett
BMus Jazz Drums

Guildhall is an institution that knows it has to be connected to the outside world - that's the key thing. It's not a bubble. It has roots in the city and in the world.

Jonathan Ferrucci
Artist Diploma Piano

One minute you could be playing in the Guildhall Studio Orchestra with jazz musicians, the next you could be playing in the opera pit, then the next minute you'll b e with actors doing the musical and then playing a symphony in the orchestra.

Millie Ashton
BMus Violin

The departmental philosophy of returning opera back to something that is essentially produced as part of a company is a really great thing.

Klara Kofen (writer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

The quality of teaching is amazingly high. With the guidance and help that I've been given, I feel my work has got dramatically better over a short space of time.

Lucy Armstrong (composer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

I set up a piano trio when I arrived, and we have weekly coaching with members of the Endellion Quartet and the faculty. It has been very rewarding.

Leo Popplewell
MMus Cello

It seemed like this was a place to go and experience a complete world of art and performance and see what happened - a place that really encouraged you to make things that you want to make.

Vittorio Angelone
BMus Percussion

Home > Music > Principal study > Electronic Music
Study Electronic Music at the Guildhall School

Electronic Music

Electronic Music | Film Music | Sonic Arts | Game Audio | Live Electronics | Popular Music Production | New Media

The Electronic Music Department provides a range of specialist disciplines within which to study a wide array of produced music and sound, from experimental Sonic Art to mainstream Film Scoring.

All disciplines commence with a broad curriculum - exploring a full spectrum of styles and genres inherent in the field - before becoming increasingly specialist as the programme progresses.

While students within particular disciplines work to a common core curriculum, the actual content of study is uniquely tailored to the individual student through folio content, specific project roles and chosen studies in common techniques.

Undergraduate

BMus

Electronic Music represents one of the largest growth areas in the music industry today, and suitably skilled electronic musicians can enjoy a wealth of vocational opportunities. Our approach is deliberately vocational, reflecting the distinctive character of conservatoire training.

Uniquely, Guildhall School offers Electronic Music as a one-to-one Principal Study in one of seven specialist disciplines. Students receive a weekly one-to-one lesson with one of the Department’s expert professors, allowing for a totally individualised approach to developing skill and artistic excellence. This core approach is supported by a range of common techniques classes and whole-department creative workshops.

Electronic Music disciplines are studied on a par with more conventional instrumental disciplines at Guildhall. This means that musical output forms the backbone of assessment, and not the technological process – although you will progress through a series of projects which demand ever-increasing technical competence and understanding.

Major projects undertaken by the Department reflect real-world scenarios as closely as possible. In fact, many of the projects are real commissions, which form an important part of early career development. The Department has had regular involvement with the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Total Immersion events, Barbican public event programmes and partnerships with high profile external organisations such as the Glastonbury Festival, Wigmore Hall and the National Trust. Recent partnerships include EMI Production Music, Native Instruments, and the electronic instrument developer, ROLI.

Cross-departmental collaboration and experimentation are actively encouraged. All Electronic Music students work regularly across year groups through a series of collaborative projects within weekly creative workshops. Regular visiting professionals further enrich the curriculum with vital insights into the realities of working as a full-time musician.

Read more about the BMus course structure.

Electronic Music disciplines

Our disciplines reflect specific career paths that demand a specialist technical and artistic focus. Students choose one discipline on entry to the School to set the bias of their studies, but this does not exclude incorporating elements of other disciplines, as appropriate, to your unique career aspirations. For example, a student studying Film Music may wish to also incorporate elements of Game Audio as a complimentary skill. Students preferring a more general curriculum across all areas will find the Electronic Music discipline most suitable.

  • Electronic Music: a broad curriculum throughout, involving activity across all disciplines
  • Film Music: covering all media composition and production (film, television, radio, production music etc.)
  • Sonic Arts: incorporating electro-acoustic composition, sound art, installations, experimental music etc.
  • Game Audio: specialist study of music, sound and programming for games
  • Live Electronics: for those focusing on live performance with electronics (from DJing to experimental performance)
  • Popular Music Production: songwriting and production across all genres
  • New Media: creative musical expression with new technology (instruments, interfaces, etc.)

Transfer of discipline, where this makes sense, is possible. The most likely scenario is a transfer from general Electronic Music to a more specialist discipline as your artistic direction matures.

Activities and ensembles

  • Weekly one-to-one tuition in specific disciplines
  • Weekly cross-year and cross-discipline creative workshops focusing on artistic projects
  • Weekly common techniques seminars
  • Termly collaborative projects
  • Regular partnerships with external organisations, venues and clients

    Recent Department highlights

    • Projects on The Lodger, The Lost World and The Adventures of Prince Achmed with Barbican Film
    • Performances at Glastonbury Festival
    • Performances at the Barbican Centre
    • Masterclasses with Harry Gregson-Williams, Steve Reich, Tory Miller, Imogen Heap, Stephen Endelman, Kevin Kerrigan, Leafcutter John, Rupert Collinson (AIR), Trevor Wishart, Robert Henke, Richard Tognetti and Kathinka Pasveer.
    • Numina, Revolution 360 and Towards the Mean installations at the Barbican Centre
    • The Gift installation with Melanie Manchot at the Bloomberg Space
    • Music for the Waddesdon Manor Imaginarium
    • Performances as part of A Scream and an Outrage curated by Nico Muhly at the Barbican
    • Collaboration with Central Saint Martins animation students

      Find out about our Electronic Music facilities

      Recent alumni

      We have a graduate employment rate of over 95%, based on recent graduates’ careers two years after leaving. The alumni profiles and links below provide further insight into the breadth and scope of this dynamic course:

      Find out more

      Find further information on teaching staff, audition requirements, open days and how to apply. A list of FAQs is also available.