Music Performance & Acting for Film

Music Performance and Acting for Film is a distinctive combination that brings together two of the performing arts in a single degree, asking what it means to perform music and what it means to perform a character, and whether the skills and sensibilities involved are more similar than they might first appear. Both disciplines demand precision, presence, emotional intelligence, and the ability to communicate something true under pressure. Studying them together develops a performer who can move across genres and contexts, and who brings a cross-disciplinary understanding to both.

At the University of Chichester, this three-year full-time programme develops your musical performance skills alongside acting technique specifically oriented to the demands of film and screen work. Music performance covers your chosen instrument or voice, ensemble work, and the interpretation of repertoire across styles, while the acting for film component addresses camera technique, character development, scene study, and the physical and emotional tools of screen performance. The combination is relatively unusual and may appeal particularly to students interested in musical theatre, film scoring, or careers that combine music and screen.

The career possibilities for graduates from this combination are genuinely varied. Musical performance on stage, in recordings, or as a session musician is one direction. Screen acting, whether in film, television, or commercial work, is another.

The combination of skills is particularly valuable in musical theatre, where both disciplines converge, and in areas such as music video performance, branded content, and the growing intersection of music and film. Many graduates build portfolio careers combining several of these strands. Teaching music and drama, production, and arts facilitation are further options.

Postgraduate study in performance, screen acting, or music is available for those who want to specialise.