How you’d get this certificate
- Zavmo teaches you. You learn the units one-to-one with an AI tutor, on your own work.
- You register with an approved centre. That is a college, training provider or employer OCN London has approved to offer this qualification. Zavmo is not an approved centre, so you register with them, not with us.
- The centre assesses, and OCN London awards. A qualified assessor at the centre judges your evidence, and the certificate comes from OCN London.
This Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts enables learners to develop skills in this sector. Areas of study include approaches to acting, music theory, design for performance, final production, and interdisciplinary skills.
These are the units OCN London 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. Zavmo teaches towards them on your own work, and work done here is recognised as prior learning under the agreements we hold.
Zavmo is not an awarding body, is not an approved centre, and is not affiliated with OCN London. It does the teaching and the mapping. OCN London sets this qualification and awards it, and a qualified human assessor makes the assessment decision.
Free first step
Try a free Future Fluency lesson first
The free part is a Future Fluency lesson on using AI at work. It is not part of this qualification. Next, a free account. We build your plan for this qualification as you set up. Teaching towards this qualification begins when you subscribe.
No card · Nothing to commit to
What each unit actually teaches you to do
Accents for Actors Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand characteristic components of a range of accents in spoken English.
- Apply accents in the delivery of a variety of English-language texts e.g. monologues, poems, scenes.
Acting: Scenes to Performance Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of developing a considered and effective approach to text analysis and interpretation.
- Rehearse scenes effectively, utilising appropriate rehearsal techniques and strategies.
- Understand the level of commitment – vocal, physical, and emotional – required to convincingly portray a specific character when performing a scene from a play.
- Reflect critically on own performance, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
Application of Music Theory Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Transpose musical pieces accurately and effectively.
- Interpret and utilise both open and closed musical scores.
- Understand the function and application of primary and secondary chords within a specific musical context.
- Understand the fundamental elements of musical composition, including melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Approaches to Acting Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and techniques of different acting methods, such as Stanislavski, Meisner, and Method acting.
- Employ diverse approaches to acting, adapting techniques to suit different roles and performance styles.
Audition Skills Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of preparing the voice, body, and mind effectively for audition purposes, including warm-up exercises and mental preparation techniques.
- Understand typical audition processes and requirements, including the format, content, and expectations of different types of auditions.
- Understand the criteria employed by audition panels when assessing candidates, including acting ability, vocal technique, physical presence, and suitability for the role.
Composition: Writing for Instruments Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Compose a melody suitable for a musical instrument
- Compose effectively using polyphonic texture
- Demonstrate an understanding of tempo and time signatures when composing for instruments
- Create appropriate accompaniment for instruments
- Utilise a chosen medium effectively in a composition
- Apply knowledge of style and form in composition for instruments
Composition: Writing for Voice(s) Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Compose a melody with effective word setting
- Compose song/vocal lines effectively using different tonalities
- Compose harmony which supports the voice in an accompaniment
- Incorporate performance directions in the interpretation of text
- Apply style and form effectively in composition for the voice
- Understand the processes involved in writing music for voice
Creation, Development and Extension of New Material in a Musical Composition Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Compose and develop a melody
- Write melodic lines with similar interval content to accompanying chordal texture
- Compose and develop rhythms in new music
- Create cross rhythms effectively
- Understand the application of structure in new music
Design for Performance Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Create a model box to present a set design
- Understand the various factors that influence the design of a set for a production
- Construct detailed design plans
- Calculate the cost of a full-size version of a set
Developing Career Opportunities in Performing Arts Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand own skills, knowledge and abilities in relation to pursuing a career in the performing arts industry
- Apply appropriate marketing and promotion techniques to market their own self/product effectively
Developing Song Writing Skills Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different song styles commonly found in popular music
- Understand the use of form and structure in popular music compositions
- Understand how subject matter is explored in popular music lyrics
- Understand the interaction and relationship between lyrical and musical devices in popular music
- Compose a song in a popular music style, demonstrating effective use of lyrical and musical elements
Extended Project Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Work effectively within the established conventions of a specific subject area
- Demonstrate extensive and detailed subject-specific knowledge relevant to the chosen project
- Construct a sustained and coherent argument within an extended piece of work
- Present the completed project work in a format consistent with the conventions of the specific subject, including appropriate academic citation methods
Final Production Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Engage actively and constructively in the rehearsal process for a full production
- Build and develop a designated character within the play, demonstrating understanding of the role
- Develop an appropriate character voice and physical movement style for the role
- Demonstrate personal responsibility and a professional attitude within the rehearsal framework
- Work creatively and collaboratively throughout the rehearsal period and during the performance
- Perform the play effectively and confidently in front of a live audience
- Evaluate personal performance, process and development throughout the rehearsal and performance period
Fundamentals of Form and Melodic Structure Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of melodic structure and construction
- Understand the process of modulation to a range of keys within a musical composition
- Understand the different structural elements commonly used in music
- Understand the role of harmonic function in shaping musical structure and melody
Improvisation: Acting and Theatre Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Utilise improvisation techniques as a means of building focus and concentration
- Use improvisation to explore and develop a character's traits and motivations
- Use improvisation to explore and interpret scripted material
- Improvise performance effectively in response to a range of different stimuli
Interdisciplinary Skills Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate the diversity of performance work through practical application
- Understand the relationship between different performance disciplines and their interconnectedness
- Understand how to create work for performance, recognising the potential for collaboration and the integration of different skills
Keyboard Harmony Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Perform a chord progression using two hands on a keyboard
- Harmonise a melody using keyboard skills
- Perform score reading from a vocal score
Lighting Systems and Design in a Stage Production Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the theory and process of lighting a production, including design principles and practical application
- Set up a lighting system for a stage production
- Effect changes within a rehearsal and production period, adapting to evolving needs
- Illuminate a stage production effectively, using appropriate lighting techniques
Movement for the Performer Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to safely use the actor’s body in a physical warm up
- Understand movement principles and safe practices
- Understand different approaches to movement
- Demonstrate physical awareness in performance
Musicianship Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate aural awareness and understanding of pitch, metrical, and rhythmic patterns in music
- Demonstrate aural awareness of harmony
- Translate aural sounds (metrical, rhythmic and pitch) into standard musical notation
- Sing at sight in a variety of keys/modes, metres and rhythmic characters
Non-Text Based Performance Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Warm up the body in preparation for a non-text-based performance
- Apply and demonstrate an understanding of the basic components of physical expression
- Devise and rehearse a non-text-based piece
- Perform a non-text-based piece
Performance History in Music Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand historical performance and its values
- Understand how context influences the development of art forms
- Understand the style of a performance genre
- Understand how historical concepts impact upon contemporary performance
Performance: Acting and Theatre Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Draw on a range of learned skills to perform effectively
- Maintain focus throughout performance
- Perform with authenticity
- Respond to critical evaluation of performance and apply feedback
- Understand how to work professionally with a company
Performing Arts Administration and Management Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the industry management and union framework within the performing arts sector.
- Understand the key aspects involved in booking a performing arts event.
- Understand the key aspects of publicising and promoting a performing arts event.
- Understand how a performing arts event is structured and financed.
Performing Arts: Performing Rights, Copyrights and Contracts Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the implications of the Designs, Copyright and Patents Act 1988 and subsequent relevant legislation on the performing arts.
- Understand the different types of contracts commonly offered within the performing arts industry.
- Understand the structure of the performing arts industry, including roles and responsibilities.
Performing Classical Texts Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Develop the vocal and performance skills required to perform a classical text effectively.
- Realise a performance of a classical text that is appropriate to the style of its period.
- Apply considered characterisation and storytelling techniques through applied performance skills.
Physical Theatre Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the health and safety measures that are relevant to physical theatre performance.
- Demonstrate trust and co-operation with others in a physical theatre performance.
- Perform basic physical movements required for physical theatre.
- Choreograph simple physical performance sequences.
- Demonstrate the use of memory and the production of sound effects and/or text to support physical theatre work.
Piano/Keyboard Technique Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Play scales and arpeggios accurately and fluently on the piano or keyboard.
- Understand and play chords and chord sequences on the piano or keyboard.
- Harmonise melodies effectively on the piano or keyboard.
Practical Assistant Stage Manager Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Undertake the role of assistant stage manager effectively
- Create or source rehearsal props and furniture
- Maintain rehearsal props and furniture
- Create or source performance props and furniture
- Maintain performance props and furniture
- Organise prop tables for performance
- Recognise the different categories of props
- Organise scene changes in rehearsal
- Implement scene changes in rehearsal
- Organise scene changes during performance
- Implement scene changes during performance
Practical Deputy Stage Manager Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Undertake the role of deputy stage manager effectively
- Create a Prompt copy during rehearsals for a full production
- Maintain a Prompt copy during rehearsals for a full production
- Run a technical rehearsal
- Understand what is expected during a technical rehearsal
- Act on what is expected during a technical rehearsal
- Cue a show effectively
- Create show reports accurately
Relating as a Composer Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Anticipate how a listener understands a new piece at first hearing
- Analyse how a listener understands a new piece at first hearing
- Articulate the main areas of communication in a new piece
- Communicate the circumstances in which a composition has been conceived
Screen Acting Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the specific requirements of acting to the camera
- Manage the intimacy demanded in screen acting appropriately
- Respond to the demands of a director effectively
- Review own performance in response to feedback
- Analyse own performance in response to feedback
Singing Solo Performance Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Demonstrate solo performance skills of a variety of materials
- Interact with accompanying musicians effectively
- Lead accompanying musicians effectively
- Make appropriate repertoire choices for solo performance
Socio-historical Influences on Music Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Analyse social and historical influences on musical language and style.
- Analyse political influences on musical style and content.
Solo Musical Performance Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Select appropriate repertoire choices for a solo musical performance.
- Apply technical skills effectively in a solo musical performance.
- Demonstrate solo performance skills in a variety of musical repertoire.
Song Lyric Writing Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Analyse the structure and style of effective song lyrics.
- Analyse patterns of rhyme and rhythm in song lyrics.
- Compose original song lyrics.
Sound Systems and Design in a Stage Production Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the use of a sound system in stage production.
- Set up a sound system for a stage production.
- Effect changes to a sound system within a rehearsal and production period.
- Produce and operate sound effects and music for a performance.
Stanislavskian Methodology Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the principles of Stanislavski's systems.
- Apply Stanislavskian exercises to create a character.
- Discuss the complexities of Stanislavski's System.
Studying a Play Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Interpret a play, demonstrating an understanding of its themes, characters, and plot.
- Analyse the ways in which the dramatist manipulates form, including structure, language, and dramatic devices.
- Evaluate a given play within its social context, considering the historical, cultural, and political influences on its creation and reception.
Technical Command on a Musical Instrument or Voice Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Play or sing scales, arpeggios, and technical exercises, demonstrating accuracy, control, and fluency.
- Apply technical skills to two contrasting study pieces, showcasing musicality, interpretation, and performance quality.
- Sight read on own instrument or voice, demonstrating the ability to interpret and perform unfamiliar musical notation accurately and confidently.
The Performing Arts Industry Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Identify and describe the roles and functions of various institutions and agencies within the performing arts industries, such as theatres, production companies, and funding bodies.
- Communicate and promote self or product effectively to employers, fundraisers, or audiences, utilising appropriate communication strategies and promotional materials.
- Explain the legal aspects of the performing arts industries, including copyright, contracts, and employment law.
Voice Skills for Actors Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Describe and demonstrate appropriate voice preparation techniques, including warm-up exercises and vocal care strategies.
- Apply vocal techniques to speech, demonstrating clarity, projection, articulation, and vocal control.
- Utilise vocal techniques to interpret character, conveying emotions, intentions, and personality through vocal expression.
Voicing Elizabethan/Jacobean Scenes, Monologues and Sonnets Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the structure of Elizabethan verse, including iambic pentameter, rhyme schemes, and poetic devices.
- Establish a connection between language and text, demonstrating an understanding of the meaning, imagery, and rhythm of the words.
- Demonstrate a range of vocal techniques and sensuous values of language, including tone, pitch, pace, and emphasis.
- Sustain through-lines of thought within complex syntax, maintaining clarity and coherence in vocal delivery.
- Identify with the thoughts and feelings of the character, conveying authenticity and emotional depth in performance.
Writing Drama Real unit · OCN London
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the distinctive features and characteristics of different forms of drama.
- Write effective dramatic speech and understand how it can take different forms in theatre performance.
- Understand different elements of stagecraft, such as lighting, sound, and set design, and how they can be used to enhance a dramatic performance.
- Understand the potential effectiveness of combining dramatic speech and stagecraft elements in a piece of drama to create a cohesive and impactful performance.
The national standards these units are built against
What the job actually needs, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
- Standard
Cast performers to realise the creative idea
- Standard
Manage expectations of the different people involved in arts projects and live events
- Standard
Use and develop the voice for radio and audio presentation or narration
The credits, and who awards them
Level 3 credits are regulated, and they are awarded by OCN London rather than by Zavmo. 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 have covered and what is next.
What you would be collecting
Accents for ActorsActing: Scenes to PerformanceApplication of Music TheoryApproaches to ActingAudition SkillsComposition: Writing for InstrumentsComposition: Writing for Voice(s)Creation, Development and Extension of New Material in a Musical Composition
Each one is a real unit registered against this qualification.
How you’d practise it
You don’t watch this. You do it.
You are not assessed on remembering this. You are assessed on applying it, analysing it, evaluating it and producing something. So that is what the practice is: projects, role play and your own live cases, with a tutor in the room.
- Rehearse the conversation Apply
“Interdisciplinary Skills” is a conversation before it is a document. You have it with Zavmo playing the other person, badly at first, then again once you know what you actually want to say.
- Bring your own plan Create
For “Extended Project” you bring the plan you are actually working on, not a case study. Zavmo pulls on the assumptions in it until the weak one shows.
- Draft the real one Create
You do “Audition Skills” on a real document of your own. Zavmo works on the draft you have to send anyway, so the coursework and the job are the same piece of work.
- Map a live decision Analyse
“Lighting Systems and Design in a Stage Production” runs on a decision you are facing now. Zavmo maps it with you and shows what the second-order effect looks like before you find out the slow way.
What you leave holding
The standards this credential builds, in the shape the product keeps them
Nothing here is marked learned. There is no learner on a public page, so the map shows what the qualification covers rather than what anybody has done.
- Cast performers to realise the creative idea
- Manage expectations of the different people involved in arts projects and live events
- Use and develop the voice for radio and audio presentation or narration
How you would learn this
One to one, on the work you already do
A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.
A lesson from Accents for Actors, one of this qualification's own units.
Applied to your own work
This unit develops understanding of phonetic features and social contexts of English accents. Learners will accurately reproduce and apply a range of accents in spoken English texts.
- 1 Remember
- 2 Understand
- 3 Apply
- 4 Analyse
- 5 Evaluate
- 6 Create
It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time. Teaching towards this qualification begins when you subscribe.
Built for OCNLR Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts
44 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by OCN London.
- Accents for Actors
- Acting: Scenes to Performance
- Application of Music Theory
- Approaches to Acting
- Audition Skills
- Composition: Writing for Instruments
and 38 more in the full unit list below.
Free tools
Want a read on where you stand?
Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.
Learned on your own work, taught one-to-one.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your free first module is Future Fluency, so you can see how the teaching works before you pay for anything.
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.
The title, level, credits, guided learning hours and unit learning outcomes on this page are taken from the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Where this data comes from.