Music production for your Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Learn to produce and mix your own tracks with a professional coach, in a real recording studio, a production room or online. Designed around the DofE Skills section.

Enquire now

Three ways to learn

Every session is one hour, one to one with your coach. Your programme blends all three, planned with your coach.

Immersive Recording Studio

A fully immersive session in our professional recording studio, built around a Neve 8078 console. Your coach leads the session, with our recording engineer alongside to help produce, so students see how a professional session comes together.

Ritz Production Room

A production room with Logic and professional equipment, including KRK studio monitors, so students learn to listen critically and hear the detail and balance in their mixes.

Online

One-to-one on the student's own computer and home setup, so they become confident producing independently.

From idea to finished track

  1. Foundations: Setting DofE goals, the studio and DAW, starting a track.
  2. Building the track: MIDI, beat programming, virtual instruments, recording and editing, arrangement.
  3. Mixing: EQ, compression, reverb and delay, panning, gain staging, critical listening with reference tracks.
  4. Finishing and review: A polished final mix, exporting correctly, developing their own sound, and a final review.

Shown as a 12-week Bronze programme. For Silver and Gold, each stage runs for longer and students build a larger portfolio.

DofE support

  • Clear objectives set at the start
  • Weekly progress logs checked and signed by the coach
  • Regular listening reviews of tracks and mixes
  • A final review of finished productions, with the required sign-off and assessor's report

Bronze, Silver and Gold

A monthly subscription for the length of your Skills section. One-hour sessions every week with your coach, in the studio, the production room or online.

  • Bronze

    3 months · 12 weekly sessions

    Your goal after 3 months

    Create your first finished track

    You’ll be able to build beats, record and edit audio, and arrange and mix your first track with your coach.

    £496 VAT inc per month

    3 monthly payments

    Enquire about Bronze

  • Silver

    6 months · 24 weekly sessions

    Your goal after 6 months

    Develop your own production style

    You’ll be able to make more deliberate recording, arrangement and mixing choices, and build a small portfolio that reflects your own sound.

    £433 VAT inc per month

    6 monthly payments

    Enquire about Silver

  • Gold

    12 months · 48 weekly sessions

    Your goal after 12 months

    Produce with greater independence

    You’ll be able to plan, record, edit and mix your own productions, with a developed portfolio and the confidence to take new ideas through to finished tracks.

    £402 VAT inc per month

    12 monthly payments

    Gold can be started from age 16

    Enquire about Gold

Includes a blend of immersive recording studio sessions, production room sessions and online sessions, agreed with your coach. Paid by Direct Debit on the 1st or 15th of the month. Cancel with 30 days' notice.

All prices include VAT.

Questions parents ask

Not taking DofE? See the general music production and recording course for ages 13–21.

Can music production count towards the Duke of Edinburgh's Award?

Yes. Learning music production can count as an activity for the Skills section. Students need regular activity averaging at least an hour a week, and our weekly one-hour sessions, signed progress logs and final review are designed around that.

How long does the DofE Skills section take?

It depends on the level. At Bronze, the Skills section is usually 3 or 6 months; at Silver, 3 or 6 months if Bronze is done, or longer if not; at Gold, 6 or 12 months. Students choose which section they do for longer.

How old do you need to be for each DofE level?

Bronze can usually be started from age 14, Silver from the school year you turn 15, and Gold from age 16.

Will the coach sign my DofE logs?

Yes. Weekly progress logs are checked and signed, and we provide the final review and sign-off needed at the end of the section.

Where are you?

Ritz Music Studio, 88 Sheen Road, Richmond, TW9 1UF.

What does the monthly price include?

One weekly one-hour session with your coach for the length of your award, your DofE progress logs and reviews, and the assessor's report at the end. Sessions are a mix of studio, production room and online, planned with your coach.

Can I learn to record music in the studio for my DofE Skills section?

Yes. Your coach plans a blend of immersive recording studio, production room and online sessions. In the immersive sessions, you work in Ritz's professional recording studio in Richmond, built around a Neve 8078 console, with your coach and a recording engineer.

Do I have to be doing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award to learn music production?

No. Ritz also offers a separate Recording and Production programme for ages 13–21, with or without Duke of Edinburgh. This DofE page is for students using music production for the award's Skills section, including progress logs, reviews and the assessor's report.

Enquire about a DofE programme

Enquire about a DofE programme

88 Sheen Road, Richmond, TW9 1UF

Recording studio pricing · Lesson pricing