Here are 8 things you need to know if you’re thinking about studying for a Level 4 course with UD x UEL in east London…
Being a student at UD…
Welcome to our new home, a state-of-the-art £4.1 million building called The Talent House, at 3 Sugar House Lane in Stratford – and you’re all invited.
UD and East London Dance have come together, under one roof. We present to you Talent House, a pioneering music and dance hub, designed by award-winning architect Katy Marks. Boasting professional facilities, including digital broadcast capability throughout, it will lift the aspirations of all who use the House.
With five commercially specified music recording studios, a live room, two vocal booths, a large flexible rehearsal space, a Mac and tech lab (with 20 workstations for music education), two dance studios, a flexible space for seminars, a shared area for members (including a canteen and hot-desking space), Talent House is THE cultural hub for emerging talent. To top it all off, the central atrium is our main reception, which has a capacity for an audience of 200, and can be used for informal gigs and dance jams.
UD x UEL: The benefits
If you choose to study for a Level 4 Course with UD x UEL, while you’ll be based at our HQ, Talent House, you’ll also get the best of both worlds, with access to UEL’s campus, clubs & societies, student hubs, a student bar and a lively programme of on and off-campus entertainment. Read more about student life HERE.
If you’re studying with UD, you’ll also benefit from bespoke access to our membership packages, aimed at supporting the artist or entrepreneur in you.
On top of timetabled activities, students will benefit from our bespoke Student Membership package that includes;
→ Hot desk co-working space
→ 8 hours per month of complimentary studio time per month
→ Limited bookable tickets available to UD Industry Takeover seminars and Showcase events → 10 hours per month of access to the tech lab facilities for course work
State-of-the-art studios
At the heart of the Talent House is a 6-room record production and teaching facility, featuring studio-wide Dante Audio Over I/P Connectivity via Focusrite’s Rednet, for management of inter-studio audio playback, headphone mixes and recording management.
Focusrite’s Rednet system is featured in Studios 1, 2 and 3 plus the live room, with expandability into the other two production rooms and teaching spaces for facility-wide content production.
Our computers are equipped with the latest in audio software, with the Mac suite equipped with everything you need to edit a video, create special FX, mix a record or pursue other creative endeavours. Talent House really is the place to realise your talents, whatever they might be.
At UD, we understand that young people need the resources and space to create and explore their potential. The Talent House provides just that while we continue to empower those, trying to make it in the music industry, to realise they already belong. Equipping those who are breaking through into notoriously competitive creative environments with the tools they need: Excellence, structure, confidence, opportunity and networks.
Career Opportunities
UD has a long working history with the music industry and we’re proud to be able to make connections when opportunities present themselves. Members of our community have gone on to secure employment with organisations including Universal, SBTV, Apple Music, BBC Introducing, SoundCloud and many more. There’s even a Grammy nominee or two in our midst! With Flames, one of UD’s flagship programmes, having just returned from performing at Glastonbury with Raye, opportunities at UD come in many forms and we look forward to sharing our contact book with you.
Industry Partners
UD are teaming up with MMF and Spit Game, among others to be announced, to further boost our Level 4 offering.
Students will receive complimentary access to MMF (Music Manager Forum) website, publications, online educational sessions and be invited to attend social events.
Spit Game are a collective of artists, actors, models, producers and creatives representing young Black London cultures. Output covers a wide range of young Black excellence in creativity, including music and film. At the core are the in-house Cypher Series, Spit on the Street and short films. Students at UD will be able to access a wide range of opportunities and insights from the team, including social media branding and content creation.
Community
All are welcome at UD. UD has been nurturing community for over 20 years. Whether through our membership programme, Open Mic nights, Incubator, Flames, Industry Takeover or co-working lab, we promote a safe-space for creatives who are all about Black music and Black music culture. Talent House is fully accessible. We work to ensure that other underrepresented and marginalised young artists also feel safe and heard, for example those who are neurodiverse, or have a disability or are from the LGBTQIA+ community. Fighting against social and racial injustice are core values.
Green spaces
As highlighted by UEL in their blog on ‘reasons to live and learn in east London’, there’s also plenty of opportunity to grab a breath of fresh air if nature is your thing. “Large city farms, Victorian Cemeteries or woodlands and wetlands – there’s something for everyone in the East End. Take a cycle in the Olympic Park, buy some fresh eggs from Mudchute Farm or go bird spotting (or wild swimming) at the Walthamstow Wetlands. Spot bluebells in Epping Forest or enjoy some quiet time with a book in Tower Hamlets Cemetery. Stroll along the canal from the Olympic Park to Victoria Park or go canoeing in Hackney Wick.”
Stratford
UD have always been based in Stratford, east London. Many years ago (way before our time), when Stratford was still a rural area, it was all about livestock, bread making and potato production. Following years of urban decline and becoming one of the most deprived areas in the UK, regeneration began ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Stratford is now the 2nd most connected part of London after Kings Cross. With further development underway, a culture boost is on the horizon to add to what the Talent House already offers, with East Bank – University College London (UCL), the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East, the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) and the London College of Fashion – set to arrive in 2024.
Still got questions? Want to book a tour?
Email level4@udmusic.org, download the prospectus or apply via UCAS.
