The Open College of the Arts (OCA) is an open access, distance-learning institution that offers a range of arts courses at foundations and degree level. Founded by Michael Young in 1987, the institution is a registered charity, and a subsidiary of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), who validate our degrees. One of the OCA's main aims is to widen access into degree-level study of the arts; this is increasingly important in the current educational climate and means that students who missed out on an arts-based education at school need not be excluded from higher-education (HE) studies. Fees are kept low, and students spread the costs over their degree by paying for individual units rather than a whole level at a time. The institution offers degrees in a range of subjects including Music, Fine Art, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Textiles, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Creative Arts.
What is our teaching model?
Academic teams work from home, and students work at their own pace with one-to-one support from a specialist tutor. Students can enrol at any time, so there's no need to wait for a new academic year to start, and can take up to nine years to complete the degree. Individual tuition is supported by online group sessions, which in the music department have included listening groups, composition workshops, performance classes and topic-based discussions.
Who are our students?
Many of our students combine part-time study with work, caring commitments and family life, and the courses are well-suited to students with disabilities, health issues, or those with other reasons why a campus-based education isn't for them. Students range in age from 18-year-old school leavers to octogenarians, and come from all walks of life. Current music students include those wanting to learn new skills in order to change careers, amateur musicians looking to gain a deeper academic understanding of the subject, budding composers working on developing their skills, retirees following a life-long love for music, university professors pursuing a passion and instrumental teachers working towards gaining a degree qualification. Many of our students have said that they always wanted to study music but didn't have the chance; OCA is allowing them to follow their dreams.
Good foundations
The Music Open Foundation course is aimed at beginners, and introduces music theory, composition, music history and academic research, working up to a level that is roughly equivalent to Grade 5 theory. Its aim is to prepare students for HE level study through gaining experience of study skills, while providing a solid grounding to the subject. Many of our Foundations students are instrumentalists looking to fill gaps in theoretical knowledge, or prospective degree students refining their skills before embarking on HE study.
A degree more
OCA's music degree was validated in 2015 and launched the following year. A composition curriculum had previously been included as an option in the Creative Arts degree, and this formed the initial focus of the qualification, with additional pathways in orchestration, arrangement and musicology to allow for a broader range of specialisms. The course aims to take students from their existing level of musical knowledge to the creation of a distinctive, personal voice, through active and independent learning. We aim to challenge and inspire our students, introducing them to new ideas and providing them with a safe space to test work, make mistakes and find their musical personalities.
Following the OCA's Open Access policy, the entry requirement for the degree is just Grade 5 theory or equivalent, or the successful completion of OCA's Foundations Course. Working part-time over nine years, following a carefully designed curriculum, students are able to reach national standards for a BA degree by the end of the course, with many students working a long way above the required level. Taking time to develop and enhance creative skills, under expert guidance, pays dividends.
Performance is not currently included formally within the curriculum, although a new performance pathway is in development, and extra-curricular activities, such as the New Music Collective, which provides a collaborative space for the creation of new work, and online performance workshops, allow plenty of opportunity to perform for those who want to.
Leading by example
The music tutor team is small but strong; we are all composers, academic researchers and practising musicians. I feel it is important for all of the tutors to lead by example, presenting our work on a national and international level and inspiring the students through sharing our successes, as well as preparing them for the profession by sharing our wider experiences. One of OCA's biggest strengths is the quality of its tutors; within the music department this is something I am particularly proud of.
Carrying on
During the lockdown we have been busy; our well-established teaching model, based on an institutional history of over 30 years specialising in high-quality distance learning, has been continuing as normal. We have instead been able to use the time to refine our online assessment processes, develop new courses and pilot a new online learning environment. Any students who have needed additional time to complete coursework as a result of Covid-19 have been supported by our dedicated Learner Support Team, and those who have had the flexibility to use their time to focus on their studies have been able to move quickly through the course. Our most recent assessment event saw the biggest number of submissions we have ever had, and music enrolments continue to grow. Our first students will be entering the final level of the degree imminently, and I'm enormously excited to see how their projects will develop over the coming months.
New Music Collective rehearsal (pre-lockdown!)
BA(Hons) Music at OCA
Year 1 (HE4)
Students study three courses, covering Composition, Music History and Stylistic Techniques. The Music History course, From Present to Past, traces back in time, providing students with new (and sometimes challenging) listening experiences which are then contextualised through a detailed study of repertoire through history. Composition at this level provides students with a solid technical grounding, covering harmony, counterpoint and rhythm, while Stylistic Techniques brings together theory and practice in an exploration of stylistic features in a broad range of music.
Year 2 (HE5)
At Level 2, students begin to specialise and work further towards the creation of an independent voice. They can choose 2 courses from Composition, Orchestration & Arrangement, Instruments & Repertoire* and History & Context*. Composition at this stage encourages greater adventurousness, developing the skills gained at level 1 to explore extended harmony and different compositional styles. Orchestration & Arrangement provides experience with a wide range of instrumental forces, from piano reductions and instrumental choirs to full orchestra. Instruments & Repertoire explores the connection between the development of instruments, the repertoire written for them and the performers who play them; this is ideal for instrumentalists wanting a deeper understanding of the academic side of performance. History & Context is centred on historical musicology and independent research, with introductions to historical manuscripts, ethnomusicology and ecomusicology.
Year 3 (HE6)*
In the final level of study, students choose to specialise in composition, orchestration/arrangement or musicology. In Major Project they create a portfolio of work in their chosen field, which could range from a selection of compositions or large-scale creative work, to a performing edition of a historical manuscript or realisation of an open-notation score. This practical work is underpinned by research undertaken in Contextual Studies, culminating in an extended essay, lecture recital or film. In the final course of the degree, Sustaining your Practice, students work towards the public presentation of their work, supported by instruction in professional and business skills.
For further details see www.oca.ac.uk or email enquiries@oca.ac.uk
*Courses will be launched during the 20/21 academic year
