Cambridge OCR · RQF Level 3
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Performing Arts
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 3
- Total credits120
- Guided learning720 hours
- Units in this qualification73
Awarded by Cambridge OCR · on the Ofqual register
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What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
Aimed at level 3 learners, the Cambridge Technical Diploma in Performing Arts allows candidates to develop essential knowledge and transferable skills within the performing arts sector. It prepares individuals for further learning or training in this field. Units cover areas such as stage sound operations, music from around the world, and contemporary theatre performance.
These are the units Cambridge OCR registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Arranging MusicReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Recognise arranging techniques through the detailed study of existing musical arrangements
- Demonstrate the ability to arrange music effectively for diverse musical groups and available resources
- Demonstrate the ability to manipulate musical elements to produce effective and creative musical arrangements
- Create accurate and legible scores and individual parts of arrangements suitable for different instruments and voices
Auditions for ActorsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Select suitable audition material for a range of performance styles.
- Relate vocal performance technique to character and style in auditions.
- Relate physical performance technique to character and style in auditions.
- Use vocal technique effectively in performance during auditions.
- Use physical technique effectively in performance during auditions.
Backline Technical ManagementReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the design and construction basics of various backline instruments.
- Set up backline instruments and equipment according to specifications.
- Maintain backline instruments and equipment to ensure optimal performance.
- Know the different technical roles within a backline team and understand commercial practices in the industry.
- Know Health and Safety practices relevant to the backline technician role, ensuring a safe working environment.
Choreographing DanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the fundamental principles of choreographing dances, including spatial awareness, dynamics, and rhythm
- Demonstrate how to create dance specifically tailored for a particular event or occasion
- Choreograph dance sequences effectively in more than one distinct dance style
- Create original dance pieces suitable for public performance, demonstrating creativity and technical skill
Classical Music in PracticeReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain how classical music developed historically.
- Create informative and engaging programme notes for a classical music performance.
- Perform classical music as a soloist, demonstrating technical proficiency and musicality.
- Perform classical music as part of an ensemble, demonstrating effective collaboration and ensemble skills.
Classical Theatre PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the social background of classical roles, considering relevant historical context
- Understand the historical background of classical roles, considering relevant social context
- Understand the cultural background of classical roles, considering relevant social and historical context
- Explore the performance styles of classical texts through practical exercises
- Explore the performance styles of classical texts through research and analysis
- Rehearse creatively, contributing original ideas and interpretations
- Rehearse responsibly, respecting the director's vision and fellow performers
- Perform classical texts with accuracy and understanding
- Perform classical texts with appropriate characterisation and stage presence
Community arts projectReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the purpose and principles of community arts projects, including their social, cultural, and educational benefits
- Develop a community arts project, including identifying needs, setting goals, and securing resources
- Take part in a community arts project, contributing to its planning, implementation, and evaluation
- Evaluate a community arts project, assessing its impact on participants and the wider community
Composing MusicReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Originate compositional ideas through exploration and experimentation with different musical elements
- Extend, develop, and manipulate musical material using a range of compositional techniques
- Appreciate the role and importance of the structural elements of composition, such as form, harmony, and melody
- Present a portfolio of compositions in an appropriate format, demonstrating creativity, technical skill, and musical understanding
Contemporary Songwriting TechniquesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know how different songwriters construct songs in a range of contexts.
- Write or adapt material for use as effective lyrics.
- Compose music for lyrics to create effective songs.
- Produce a portfolio of original songs showing a range of genres and styles.
Contemporary Theatre PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Research contemporary texts from a range of sources
- Interpret contemporary texts, considering their historical and social context
- Realise contemporary texts through practical exploration and experimentation
- Rehearse contemporary texts, refining performance skills and techniques
- Perform contemporary texts to a specified audience, demonstrating effective communication and engagement
Contemporary performanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the key characteristics that define contemporary performance
- Create and deliver contemporary performances using appropriate techniques
- Understand the theoretical and contextual background of contemporary performance
Dance AppreciationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate how to apply a recognised system of analysis to deconstruct and understand existing dance works
- Interpret and evaluate dance works, considering their historical, social, and artistic context
- Learn and accurately reproduce extracts from established dance works, demonstrating technical proficiency
- Utilise elements from the professional dance repertory to inspire and inform the creation of original dance pieces
Dance ImprovisationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Apply improvisational methods and structures to create spontaneous dance sequences
- Explore different stimuli, such as music, text, or visual prompts, to generate movement ideas
- Use performance skills in improvisation, including focus, projection, and communication with other dancers
- Understand the effectiveness of improvisation as a choreographic tool and performance technique
Dance PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Participate effectively in practical dance workshops and rehearsals, demonstrating commitment, collaboration, and a willingness to learn
- Perform dances demonstrating application of physical skills, including technique, coordination, and control
- Perform dances demonstrating application of interpretative skills, including expression, communication, and emotional connection
- Perform dances demonstrating the application of appropriate stylistic qualities, reflecting the genre, period, and cultural context of the work
- Understand how to improve dance for performance through evaluation and review, identifying strengths and weaknesses and developing strategies for improvement
Dance in the communityReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Develop a comprehensive community dance project proposal, including aims, objectives, target audience, and resources
- Understand how groups are managed effectively in a community dance context, including communication, conflict resolution, and inclusivity
- Know what skills and techniques will be appropriate in community dance projects, considering the needs and abilities of participants
- Evaluate a community dance project, assessing its impact, effectiveness, and areas for improvement
Designing Costumes for PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Develop creative and practical costume design ideas for a performance
- Communicate costume design ideas effectively using visual and verbal methods
- Manage the costume construction process, including sourcing materials and overseeing production
- Fulfil the roles and responsibilities of a costume designer within a performance production team
Developing Classical Ballet TechniqueReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Accurately and consistently use classical ballet technique in practical work, demonstrating control, coordination, and artistry.
- Know the main elements of classical ballet terminology, including the names and descriptions of steps, positions, and movements.
- Create combinations of movement using classical ballet technique, demonstrating an understanding of musicality, phrasing, and spatial awareness.
- Perform combinations and sequences using classical ballet techniques with confidence, precision, and expression.
Developing Contemporary Dance TechniqueReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate contemporary dance technique in classes, showing control and coordination
- Demonstrate contemporary dance technique in classes, showing an understanding of alignment and posture
- Improve physical skills through regular contemporary dance training
- Improve interpretative skills through regular contemporary dance training
- Absorb sequences of movement in class quickly and accurately
- Reproduce sequences of movement in class with appropriate style and dynamics
- Understand individual technical progress by reflecting on performance and feedback
- Understand individual technical progress by identifying areas for improvement
Developing Physical TheatreReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand key influences and practitioners in the development of physical theatre.
- Develop skills and techniques associated with physical theatre performance.
- Select, develop and refine materials for a physical theatre performance.
Developing Voice for the ActorReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the principles of voice production, including breathing, resonance, and articulation
- Understand the importance of vocal health and hygiene for actors
- Participate actively in voice classes, engaging in exercises and activities to improve vocal technique
- Contribute constructively to voice classes, providing feedback and support to peers
- Demonstrate vocal technique effectively in performance, projecting voice clearly and expressively
Developing teaching skills in danceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Create a teaching plan outlining clear and measurable lesson objectives
- Structure a teaching plan to include appropriate activities and resources
- Instruct a dance class, delivering clear and concise instructions
- Demonstrate effective communication and classroom management skills
- Recognise and value prior knowledge and skills of participants
- Build upon existing skills and knowledge to facilitate learning
- Respond to performance of participants with constructive feedback
- Provide guidance and support to improve technique and artistry
Devising PlaysReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain how to effectively use stimulus material as a starting point for devising plays
- Demonstrate how to develop and shape initial ideas into a coherent dramatic structure
- Demonstrate the ability to rehearse effectively in preparation for a devised performance
- Perform devised drama with confidence, clarity, and appropriate dramatic techniques
Drama ImprovisationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate the ability to use fundamental improvisation skills effectively.
- Apply and further develop existing improvisation techniques to enhance performance.
- Perform confidently and effectively in improvised drama scenarios.
Exploring Contact ImprovisationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate awareness of movement flow in contact improvisation, understanding how to initiate, sustain, and transition between movements
- Demonstrate awareness of the underpinning principles of contact improvisation, including weight sharing, balance, and responsiveness
- Explore contact with stimuli, responding to external cues such as music, objects, and the environment
- Explore contact with other dancers, developing trust, communication, and sensitivity to their movements
- Improvise using the dynamics in performance, varying the energy, speed, and intensity of movements to create expressive and engaging performances
Exploring dance practitionersReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the work of historical and contemporary dance practitioners, including their styles, techniques, and contributions to the field
- Work in the style of dance practitioners, demonstrating an understanding of their choreographic approaches and movement vocabulary
- Understand how dance performance can be influenced by the work of other artistic practitioners, such as musicians, visual artists, and theatre directors
Exploring theatre practitionersReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the key works of historical and contemporary theatre practitioners
- Describe the contributions of historical and contemporary theatre practitioners to the development of theatre
- Apply the style of theatre practitioners in practical performance work
- Adapt performance techniques to reflect the style of different theatre practitioners
- Analyse how theatre performance can be influenced by the work of practitioners
- Evaluate the impact of practitioner techniques on audience interpretation
Historical Context of PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the relevant historical context of chosen performance material
- Contextualise current practical performance work within a historical framework
- Present research findings clearly and concisely
- Evaluate research findings critically and draw informed conclusions
Improvising MusicReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the stylistic elements of improvisation across a range of musical genres
- Compare and contrast improvisational techniques used in different musical genres
- Develop instrumental or vocal techniques appropriate for improvisation in contrasting styles
- Apply instrumental or vocal techniques to create improvised musical phrases
- Improvise music in response to a stimulus in contrasting styles
- Adapt improvisational techniques to suit different stimuli
- Improvise music responding to other musicians in a group setting
- Develop listening skills to effectively respond to musical cues from other musicians
International DanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the history and cultural context of different genres of international dance
- Analyse the key features that define different genres of international dance
- Replicate key features of different genres of international dance in practical performance
- Demonstrate technical skills relevant to different genres of international dance
- Perform dance combinations accurately within the international dance genre
- Interpret the stylistic nuances of international dance combinations
Jazz DanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the historical relationship between jazz dance and music
- Demonstrate the connection between musical rhythms and jazz dance movements
- Identify and demonstrate key features of various Jazz Dance styles, such as Lindy Hop, Charleston, and contemporary jazz
- Analyse the stylistic differences between various Jazz Dance styles
- Perform dance combinations accurately within the Jazz style
- Interpret the stylistic nuances of jazz dance combinations
Live Music WorkshopReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Interpret ideas for performance material effectively.
- Apply ideas creatively to performance material.
- Take part in workshop performances, demonstrating relevant skills.
- Evaluate the workshop process in light of performance outcomes, identifying areas for improvement.
Make-up for PerformersReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Identify different types of make-up and their appropriate uses.
- Identify and apply different make-up techniques for various performance styles.
- Prepare the skin for make-up application using suitable products and techniques.
- Interpret make-up designs and character analysis to inform the application of make-up.
- Apply make-up with attention to safe and effective skincare practices.
Mask Making in the Performing ArtsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Gather research findings from a variety of sources related to mask making
- Organise and present research findings effectively
- Generate original design ideas for masks, considering purpose and context
- Develop design ideas through sketching, modelling, and other visual techniques
- Identify appropriate materials for mask construction based on design requirements
- Apply a range of construction techniques to create masks
- Utilise decorative techniques to enhance the aesthetic appeal of masks
- Construct masks from designs, ensuring structural integrity and visual impact
Modern Music in PracticeReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain how Modern Music developed historically.
- Create informative and engaging programme notes for a modern music concert.
- Perform Modern music as a soloist, demonstrating technical proficiency and musicality.
- Perform Modern music as part of an ensemble, demonstrating effective collaboration and ensemble skills.
Music Production TechniquesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand manufacturers’ specifications for a range of audio recording equipment, including microphones, mixing consoles, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).
- Set up the equipment required for a recording session, including microphone placement, signal routing, and gain staging.
- Capture audio sources using multitrack recording techniques, ensuring optimal sound quality and separation.
- Mix multitrack recordings, applying appropriate EQ, compression, and effects to achieve a professional-sounding final product.
Music Technology in PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain how music technology can be used to enhance and transform performance.
- Describe the historical context of electronic music performance and its evolution.
- Use music technology effectively in a live performance setting.
- Perform with related art forms, integrating music technology seamlessly into the performance.
Music Theory and HarmonyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Notate pitch accurately using staff notation, including clefs, accidentals, and key signatures
- Notate rhythm accurately using staff notation, including note values, rests, and time signatures
- Notate harmony accurately using staff notation, including chords, inversions, and cadences
- Notate music, showing dynamics effectively using standard musical markings
- Notate music, showing tempo accurately using tempo markings
- Notate music, showing expression appropriately using articulation and phrasing marks
- Harmonise melodies effectively using appropriate chords and voice leading
- Transpose melody and harmony accurately to various keys, maintaining correct intervals and relationships
Music and Sound for the Moving ImageReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the components of a musical project based on a moving image, including scoring and sound design
- Analyse the relationship between music and moving image
- Produce music for a project based on a moving image, demonstrating creativity and technical skill
- Produce non-musical sonic elements for a project based on a moving image, including sound effects and ambient sound
- Integrate music and non-musical sonic elements effectively
- Deliver the project in appropriate formats for distribution and presentation
Music in the CommunityReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the context of community music-making, including the historical, social, and cultural factors that influence its development and impact
- Know the purpose of community music-making, including its potential to promote social inclusion, personal development, and community cohesion
- Identify key practitioners and organisations involved in community music-making, and understand their roles and responsibilities
- Lead practical music-making activities, adapting your approach to suit the needs and abilities of different community groups
- Plan a community music-making project for a specific community group and/or venue, taking into account their needs, interests, and resources
- Participate effectively in a community music-making project, contributing to its successful implementation and achieving its intended outcomes
- Monitor the progress of a community music-making project, using appropriate methods to track its impact and identify areas for improvement
- Evaluate a community music-making project, assessing its effectiveness in achieving its objectives and identifying lessons learned for future projects
Musical Theatre PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the background and context of a role or roles in a musical theatre work
- Understand the vocal demands of a role or roles in a musical theatre work
- Understand the acting demands of a role or roles in a musical theatre work
- Apply appropriate vocal skills to a role in a musical
- Apply appropriate acting skills to a role in a musical
- Apply appropriate movement skills to a role in a musical
- Rehearse for a role in a musical, responding to direction and feedback
- Rehearse for a role in a musical, developing characterisation and stage presence
- Perform a role in a musical with confidence and accuracy
- Perform a role in a musical with appropriate characterisation and stage presence
Performance WorkshopReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Interpret ideas for performance material effectively.
- Apply ideas creatively to performance material.
- Take part in workshop performances, demonstrating relevant skills.
- Understand the workshop process and its impact on performance outcomes.
Performing Arts BusinessReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the range of employment opportunities available within the performing arts sector
- Understand the requirements for different roles within the performing arts sector
- Know the different types of organisations that operate in the performing arts sector, including their structures and functions
- Manage financial controls effectively for a performing arts event, including budgeting and record-keeping
Performing repertoireReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the defining features of a repertoire, including its historical context, stylistic characteristics, and performance conventions
- Develop skills required for performing from a repertoire, including technical proficiency, musical interpretation, and stage presence
- Perform from a repertoire, demonstrating an understanding of the material and the ability to engage an audience
Performing with MasksReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the mask as a performance instrument, considering its history, cultural significance, and expressive potential
- Develop mask acting techniques in practical workshops and rehearsals, exploring physicality, gesture, and vocal expression
- Create and perform mask drama, devising original pieces or adapting existing texts
- Understand the effectiveness of mask performance in communicating ideas, emotions, and narratives to an audience
Planning and Delivering a Music ProductReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Plan and set up recording sessions that encompass a variety of techniques, considering acoustic properties and equipment requirements
- Undertake a range of roles in the recording and production of contrasting multi-track material, demonstrating adaptability and teamwork
- Complete effective stereo mixes of the multi-track recordings, achieving a balanced and professional sound
- Edit and master the material to a professional standard, ensuring optimal sound quality and consistency
- Produce financial records related to the music product, demonstrating an understanding of budgeting and cost management
- Know the related roles and relationships across the music industry, understanding the collaborative nature of music production
- Review the music production process at its conclusion, identifying areas for improvement and future development
Professional practice in Performing ArtsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the current professional environment within the performing arts industry
- Analyse the challenges and opportunities facing freelance performing arts professionals
- Produce strategies for sustaining a freelance career in the performing arts, including networking and marketing
- Understand legal and contractual frameworks relevant to performing arts professionals
- Interpret and apply legal and contractual information to professional practice
Props MakingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Use research to inform the design of a prop.
- Use research to inform the creation of a prop.
- Use appropriate prop construction methods.
- Select and use appropriate materials for prop construction.
- Interpret design plans accurately when constructing a prop.
- Create a prop suitable for performance purposes.
Researching current issues in Performing Arts.Real unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Apply a research methodology to investigate current issues in the Performing Arts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of issues currently affecting the Performing Arts Industry.
- Edit and synthesise research data effectively.
- Communicate research findings clearly and concisely.
Script WritingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different styles of writing for performance, including genre conventions.
- Understand different forms of writing for performance, including plays, screenplays and radio scripts.
- Research different writing forms and topics relevant to performance.
- Explore different writing forms and topics relevant to performance.
- Present ideas in a written format appropriate to the performance medium.
- Present written material that can be interpreted by others involved in the performance.
- Understand the effectiveness of script writing in conveying narrative and character.
Sequencing Systems and TechniquesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Set up a computer and peripheral MIDI hardware safely and correctly.
- Realise musical ideas effectively using MIDI sequencing skills.
- Realise musical ideas effectively using audio sequencing skills.
- Understand the terminology associated with music sequencing techniques, including MIDI and audio concepts.
Set constructionReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the properties of different set construction materials, including their strengths and weaknesses
- Know the safe handling and storage procedures for set construction materials
- Know a range of set construction techniques, including joinery and assembly methods
- Apply materials and construction techniques to build set components
- Apply materials and construction techniques to assemble set components
- Function safely as part of a set construction team, following health and safety guidelines
- Function effectively as part of a set construction team, communicating clearly and working collaboratively
Singing Techniques and PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how vocal exercises can contribute to the development of vocal technique
- Understand how vocal exercises can contribute to the maintenance of vocal technique
- Follow a regular practice routine to improve vocal skills
- Realise a vocal line accurately when presented using staff notation
- Perform an individual vocal line effectively within an ensemble
- Design a programme of songs suitable for a solo performance
- Perform a programme of songs effectively as a soloist
Skills development in Performing ArtsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Produce a skills development plan that identifies specific skills to be developed, sets realistic goals, and outlines a clear strategy for achieving them
- Develop existing skills through focused practice, reflection, and feedback, demonstrating improvement in performance
- Develop new skills through structured learning activities, experimentation, and application in practical contexts
- Evaluate skills development, assessing progress against the skills development plan and identifying areas for further improvement
Special Effects Make-upReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the special effects make-up requirements of a production, considering the script, character, and setting
- Analyse the specific effects required and determine appropriate techniques and materials
- Experiment with different special effects make-up techniques, such as prosthetics, ageing, and injury simulation
- Evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of different materials and methods
- Produce detailed designs and plans for special effects make-up, including sketches, colour palettes, and material lists
- Document the design process and rationale for chosen techniques
- Realise special effects make-up on performers, applying techniques with precision and attention to detail
- Ensure the safety and comfort of performers during the application process
Stage Costume MakingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Apply costume construction skills to create stage costumes
- Select appropriate materials for costume construction based on design and performance requirements
- Realise a costume design for public performance, ensuring it meets the required aesthetic and functional standards
Stage Design for PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Develop set designs for performance, considering the script, director's vision, and practical constraints
- Present set design ideas effectively, using visual aids and clear communication to convey the design concept
- Manage the set construction process, ensuring that the set is built safely, on time, and within budget
Stage Lighting DesignReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know established lighting design practices and principles within the performing arts industry
- Apply design skills effectively in a variety of 2D and 3D forms, such as sketches, models, and digital renderings
- Undertake the role of lighting designer during the preparatory and rehearsal phases of a production, including attending meetings and contributing to the creative process
- Manage the plotting session efficiently, ensuring all lighting cues are accurately recorded and communicated
- Manage technical and dress rehearsals, making necessary adjustments to the lighting design to achieve the desired effect
Stage Lighting OperationsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Compile and utilise a portfolio of reference material for stage lighting operations.
- Rig stage lighting equipment safely, adhering to industry standards and health and safety regulations.
- Understand the principles and application of colour in a performance context, including colour theory and its impact on mood and atmosphere.
- Focus and control luminaires to achieve desired lighting effects.
- Operate lighting control systems to execute lighting cues during a performance.
Stage ManagementReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the responsibilities of a stage manager during each stage of the production process, from pre-production to post-production
- Create and use appropriate production and performance documentation, such as prompt books, cue sheets, and risk assessments
- Undertake the responsibilities of a stage manager during a performance, including cueing, communication, and problem-solving
- Take responsibility for the implementation and observation of safe working practices in a stage management context, adhering to relevant health and safety regulations
Stage Model MakingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Apply technical model-making skills in the creation of stage models
- Select appropriate model-making materials based on project requirements and desired aesthetic
- Safely and effectively use model-making materials
- Construct a scale set design accurately within a scale model box
- Apply decorative finishes to the scale model box to achieve the desired visual effect
Stage Sound DesignReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the components of existing stage sound designs, including equipment, techniques, and aesthetic considerations
- Undertake the role of sound designer within the production process, contributing to the creative vision and technical execution
- Apply advanced studio techniques to a range of production genres, such as theatre, film, and music
- Operate sound equipment effectively for performance, ensuring high-quality audio and seamless transitions
Stage Sound OperationsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Evaluate the acoustic properties of a performance venue
- Demonstrate skills in recording techniques and associated technology
- Provide sound for performance
Storytelling as PerformanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Research source material for a story, identifying key themes and characters
- Research source material for a story, analysing its structure and narrative
- Create original stories with a clear narrative structure
- Create original stories with engaging characters and themes
- Use storytelling techniques to engage an audience, including vocal projection and body language
- Use storytelling techniques to create atmosphere and suspense
- Tell stories to selected audiences, adapting the performance to suit the audience's needs and interests
- Tell stories to selected audiences, responding to audience feedback and engagement
Studying Music from Around the WorldReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know the role of music in different cultures
- Know the musical features of a range of world music traditions
- Know some of the ways in which elements of world music have been used in western music
- Carry out a world music project
Tap DanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the relationship between music and tap dancing, demonstrating an understanding of rhythm, tempo, and phrasing
- Describe the role of accompaniment in tap dance performance
- Perform the key features of tap dancing competently, including steps, rhythms, and techniques
- Demonstrate proficiency in executing fundamental tap steps and combinations
- Perform studies and combinations within the style of tap dancing, showcasing technical skill and artistic expression
The Healthy PerformerReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the structure and function of the human body in relation to physical performance
- Apply the principles of fitness training and safe practice to maintain and improve physical well-being
- Explain why injuries occur in performance and describe appropriate treatment methods
- Recognise the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining health and optimising performance
The Performance of MimeReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the history of mime as a performance art
- Recognise and analyse the work of key practitioners of mime
- Develop mime skills and techniques, including movement, gesture, and facial expression
- Create and rehearse mime performances, demonstrating creativity and technical proficiency
- Perform in mime acts, engaging audiences and conveying meaning through non-verbal communication
The Practice of Directing for TheatreReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare a script for production, including analysis and adaptation
- Plan the necessary processes for a theatre production, including scheduling and resource allocation
- Conduct a rehearsal process effectively, guiding actors and developing the performance
The Sound and Music IndustryReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know about the structure and operation of the sound and music industries and how they relate to the broader entertainment industry.
- Know the professional roles and responsibilities within a chosen area of the music industry, such as recording, publishing, or live performance.
- Create a comprehensive business plan for a music-related product or service, including market analysis, financial projections, and marketing strategies.
- Know the importance of royalties in the sound and music industry, including different types of royalties and how they are collected and distributed.
Theatre Front-of-House OperationsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Know front-of-house (FOH) procedures in a theatre, including ticketing, ushering, and customer service
- Know the roles within a FOH team, understanding the responsibilities of each position and how they contribute to the overall operation
- Devise customer care guidelines for a theatre, ensuring that they are clear, concise, and aligned with the organisation's values
- Know current legislation relevant to the theatre, including health and safety regulations, licensing laws, and accessibility requirements
- Undertake roles within a FOH team, demonstrating competence in performing assigned tasks and providing excellent customer service
Theatre in EducationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Research and select suitable ideas for a Theatre in Education (TIE) project, considering the target audience, educational objectives, and relevant social issues.
- Develop an educational performance project, including creating a script, designing characters, and planning staging and costumes.
- Contribute effectively to the realisation of a TIE project, working collaboratively with other team members to rehearse, perform, and evaluate the production.
Urban DanceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Perform the key features of urban dance styles, demonstrating technical proficiency and stylistic accuracy
- Understand the relationships between music and urban dance, including rhythm, phrasing, and musicality
- Demonstrate the application of physical skills, such as coordination, agility, and stamina, in an urban dance performance
- Demonstrate the application of interpretative skills, such as expression, characterisation, and storytelling, in an urban dance performance
Working as a session musicianReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how recording sessions work, including the typical workflow and processes involved.
- Identify the different roles and responsibilities of individuals in the recording industry.
- Know the range of competencies necessary to be a successful session musician, including musical skills and professional attributes.
- Produce strategies for gaining work as a session musician, including networking and self-promotion.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 3 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this

The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
- Apply and remove special effects to change the performer’s appearance
- Assess, select, and apply make-up to change the performer’s appearance
- Break down scripts and prepare budgets for physical special effects
- Build relationships and trust with and within community groups to inspire take up to your session(s)
- Coordinate Multi-Partner Projects and Live Events
- Create Miniature Effects
- Create Physical Special Effects Props
- Create Practical Fire Effects
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your own work
This unit enables learners to identify and apply arranging techniques such as reharmonisation and orchestration across various musical genres. Learners will create musical arrangements for different groups, manipulate musical elements, and produce accurate scores and parts.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Performing Arts
73 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Cambridge OCR.
- Arranging Music
- Auditions for Actors
- Backline Technical Management
- Choreographing Dance
- Classical Music in Practice
- Classical Theatre Performance
and 67 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.