FIND OUT MORE

[Link]/study
Accommodation: [Link]/accommodation
Fees and finance: [Link]/money
Life in Liverpool: [Link]/study/city
Student support: [Link]/studentsupport
UG enquiries and applications: T: +44 (0)151 794 5927

MUSIC
The University of Liverpool
80-82 Bedford Street South
Liverpool L69 7WW
T: +44 (0)151 795 0500
[Link]/music
MEMBER OF THE RUSSELL GROUP

EB/RH JUN 2013

Music
With one curriculum, two single programmes,
a joint programme, and multiple combinations
and pathways, we offer one of the most versatile
and innovative ways to study Music in the country.

Introduction to Music 01
Research in context 04
An investment in your future 06
Programme details 08
Applications and admissions 13

Everything we do is music. Our programme

combines depth, breadth and choice,
allowing you to shape your programme
of study in accordance with your personal
interests and aspirations. You can be as
much or as little of a specialist as you choose:
this is a School that is cross-repertoire and
interdisciplinary, with opportunities for focusing
increasingly on one area of study or ranging
widely. This means that for classical specialists
we offer modules in analytical techniques,
composition and orchestration, as well as
a range of classical history topics that reflect
our staff research specialisms.

Popular music specialists can enjoy strands in

the music industry, popular music history, and
creative music technology. You can choose
from a diverse range of subjects taught by
enthusiastic specialists, including: film music,
world music, performance, creative music
technology, and composition. In the final year,
we offer students the opportunity to participate
in Widening Participation projects, which
involve going into local primary and secondary
schools as part of an accredited module,
reflecting our commitment to a modern and
vocationally orientated education. There are
also some work-placements and volunteering
roles available within the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic. All of our subject areas develop
through the three years of your degree, so you
can enjoy both flexibility and coherence in your
degree, whichever route you choose to take.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

01

Contents

You can take a specialist programme

focusing on Classical Music or Popular
Music, or you can blend the study of a
variety of musical topics in a way that suits
you. Alongside dedicated modules such
as Analysis and Classical Music History,
or Popular Music Studies and Music as an
Industry, we offer Performance (in both classical
and popular styles), Practical Outreach Work,
Music Technology, World Music, Film Music,
and a large range of modules that consider
a variety of repertoires, including those that
dont fall neatly into pop and classical
boxes. The flexibility of our programmes
means that you can also change the emphasis
as you go along, as many of our students do.

WHY CHOOSE MUSIC AT LIVERPOOL?

Leading and innovating. Our approach
to the study of music is one of the most
forward-looking in the country, bringing
together students from all kinds of musical
backgrounds. At Liverpool, you benefit from
expert teaching in many fields of music and can
tailor your studies to focus on areas that interest
you. Our single and joint programmes together
offer you the choice of specialising from the
start or finding your niche as you go along.
Flexible entry requirements. We consider
each application on its individual merits and
will sometimes tailor our offer accordingly.
Uniquely for a music department, you dont
need any formal music qualifications if you
want to take our Popular Music programme.
We happily consider previous AS qualifications,
General Studies and Critical Thinking AS or
A levels, and ABRSM or RockSchool grades,
both Theory and Practical. Applications
from adult learners or students with other
experience are also welcome.

02/03

Prospects. More than ever, we prepare students

for an enormously wide range of careers,
including not only the music industries in
particular but the creative industries in general.
We have links with a number of partners that are
relevant to future career opportunities: National
Museums Liverpool, where one of our members
of staff recently curated The Beat Goes On,
an exhibition of Liverpool popular music over
the decades; the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra under its renowned conductor Vasily
Petrenko, who is an honorary Professor of our
School; local clubs and venues hired for our
popular music gigs; local musicians from a wide
variety of musical and cultural traditions; and
the local independent cinema and art-gallery
FACT, where one of our staff members has
displayed a number of sound installations.

We also run work placement modules with local

schools and businesses, enabling selected
students to develop their professional skills
as part of their degree.
Performance. Performance is not compulsory,
but if its a route you want to pursue then, in
addition to paying for your tuition, we provide
workshops and mentor support to enhance
your development as a musician. Youll also be
encouraged to participate in live performances.
The School of Music runs an excellent
Symphony Orchestra, a University Choir, and
a Chamber Choir, while the Universitys Music
Society runs a wind orchestra, a brass band
and a jazz band. Theres also a student Band
Society and L.U.S.T., the student theatre group,
and many opportunities for informal musicmaking in various musical styles. The University
theatre and the Leggate Theatre in the newly
refurbished Victoria Gallery and Museum
serve as the venues for many concerts, and
we also use either of the Citys two cathedrals,
the Guild of Students and the Philharmonic
Hall for performance events.
Institute of Popular Music. The Institute
of Popular Music (IPM) is a research centre
within the School of Music. Founded in 1988,
it remains at the forefront of popular music
studies internationally. In celebration of its
21st anniversary in 2009, the IPM held a
major international conference dedicated
to popular music studies and, in association
with the Society for Music Analysis, the School
of Music held the International Conference on
Analysing Popular Music in 2013. It also holds
an important research archive.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

Audiovisual media. We are proud to have two

members of staff whose area of international
expertise is the study of audiovisual media,
video game and film music through video
installation art to iPhone apps. This allows us
to offer a particular departmental strength in
teaching in this area, which is complemented
by our new AV composition studio, a dedicated
resource for final-year and postgraduate
students studying creative music technology.
Music analysis. Several members of staff
are dedicated to the study of music through
analysis of scores and performances, but
also research music theory from psychological,
cognitive and emotional perspectives. We
offer a critical approach that encourages you
to develop your own unique ways of analysing
music from a broad range of repertoires.
Our first year module Music as Sound
invites you to explore many new possibilities
for appreciating the sonic experience of music,
and will equip you with an open mind should
you undertake our three-year pathway through
music analysis.

A contextual approach to music studies.

While our staff specialise in particular aspects
of music research, we each also take broader
contextual approaches. Your studies here
will benefit from a rich variety of philosophical
and aesthetic theories, ranging from disciplines
such as psychoanalysis and critical theory
to current issues of gender and sexuality.
We do not just aim to teach you music history
at Liverpool; we want you to interrogate
the historical foundations that others take
for granted.

STUDY ABROAD
As part of your Music degree programme
you may have the opportunity to study abroad.
Studying abroad has huge personal and
academic benefits, as well as giving you a head
start in the graduate job market. Music students
may currently apply to study with one of our
many worldwide partners. For more information,
visit [Link]/goabroad

73.9

90

of our research activity has been deemed

world-leading, internationally excellent
or internationally recognised.
(RAE 2008)

of our graduates are employed

or in further study within six
months of graduating.
(DLHE 2010/11)

Researchincontext
From the outset of your studies with us,
the people who teach you are engaged in
a wide variety of interesting research areas.
Tony Shorrocks, Head of Performance,
is advising the University of Liverpool
Management School on how musicians
experiences of practice and performance could
help inform the training of surgeons and pilots,
who also talk of practice and performance.
All of them willingly place themselves in highpressured situations where performance is
a conscious control of risk and danger. Tony
encourages students to reflect on performance
as a kind of risk management, and equips them
to become confident, self-aware, and critically
reflective practitioners in the process.
The Institute of Popular Music (IPM) is a
research centre within the School of Music.
Founded in 1988, it remains at the forefront
of popular music studies internationally. In
celebration of its 21st anniversary in 2009,
the IPM held a major international conference
dedicated to popular music studies. It also
holds an important research archive.

04/05

Dr Marion Leonard recently curated an

exhibition with National Museums Liverpool
called The Beat Goes On, about popular
music history in Liverpool, and has since
edited a book with the same title, with Dr
Robert Strachan. Her teaching deals with
the marketing and mediation of popular
music, while he considers ways of writing
and producing popular music histories.

We are lucky also to have two specialists

in film music and audio visual media in the
School. Dr Holly Rogers has recently written
a book Sounding the Gallery bringing together
separate theories of audio and visual media
for the first time, revealing a new and
interdisciplinary understanding of audiovisual
production, and informing her role in the
Schools AV media teaching provision.
Professor Anahid Kassabian has completed
a book on ubiquitous musics (the music we
hear wherever we go) and teaches a final-year
module on changes in listening practices, using
her research to get students thinking about
how and where they hear music now. Matthew
Fairclough, Head of Music Technology in the
School, has been working with major festivals
in the UK and abroad, not only developing
new music compositions but also working
with experimental sound technologies, making
him ideally suited to working with students
interested in creative music technologies.
Our classical theorists, Professor Michael
Spitzer and Dr Kenneth Smith, will teach
you the cutting-edge techniques of music
analysis that they are developing. With their
philosophical and psychoanalytical approaches
to music they also complement the recent work
of Dr Freya Jarman, whose research into the
voice in both classical and popular repertoire
informs her teaching on first-year modules
such as Music as Sound. Our teaching,
in turn, influences our research.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

I picked music because I wasnt sure

what career I wanted so I decided to
study something I enjoy for the next
three years of my life. This department
offers such a wide variety of study
options. Study is split into lectures
and seminars and you are advised to
do a lot of independent work and really
immerse yourself in music. Liverpool
is a fantastic city to study music in,
theres always something going on.
REBECCA TODD
MUSIC BA (HONS)

See what Rebecca had to say about

studying Music at Liverpool
[Link]/study/undergraduate/video

Music leads to a rich diversity of career paths, from

live performance and production, to sales, distribution,
teaching and a lot more besides. A large number of
our graduates enter the world of the media or arts
administration or the third sector using the musical,
technical, literary and organisational skills they have
developed on their programme.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Employers in many sectors are increasingly
seeking arts and humanities graduates for
their transferable skills.

QUALIFYING YOU FOR LIFE

High level creative skills in performance,
composition, orchestration, or music
technology
Experience of sustained independent project
management in creative practice or research
Group and team work, not just in musical
performance but also for research projects
Gathering, sorting, and critically responding
to information from a variety of sources
Musical, oral, and written presentation skills.

WORK EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES

06/07

In the final year, the School of Arts offers

students the opportunity to participate in
Widening Participation projects, which involve

going into local primary and secondary schools

as part of an accredited module, reflecting our
commitment to a modern and vocationally
oriented education. There are also some workplacements and volunteering roles available with
the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as the
RLPOs outreach programme In Harmony.

RECENT EMPLOYERS
Aldeburgh Music
BBC Cardiff
Celebrity Cruises
The Globe Theatre
Liverpool Biennial Festival of
Contemporary Arts
Manchester Orchestra
Marks and Spencers
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Republic Medi
Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Wirral Academy of Performing Arts.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

I studied at Liverpool University and came out with

a first class degree in Music. On leaving Liverpool I
undertook an internship in the Education Department
of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London where I
received a grounding in professional Arts Admin. The
knowledge I gained from managing the orchestra at uni
was vital but also the academic knowledge I had from
my degree proved very important in this role. I left my
internship early as I was offered a job at Shakespeares
Globe as the Music Assistant on productions. The job I
have now is as an Education Officer with the Orchestra
of the Age of Enlightenment, where I am involved in
organising the extensive Education Programme the
Orchestra delivers. I wouldnt change my time at
Liverpool for anything, the music department was
friendly and supportive with plenty of opportunities
for those willing to grab them. I certainly wouldnt have
had the jobs I have had without the degree on my CV.
ELLIE COWAN
DEGREE: MUSIC BA (HONS)
PROFESSION: EDUCATION OFFICER AT THE ORCHESTRA
OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Graduate
Profile

Aninvestment
inyourfuture

Prog ammedetails
Subjects at a Glance

UCAS Code

Length (Years)

Page

Music BA (Hons)

W300

09

Popular Music BA (Hons)

W340

10

Music/Popular Music

12

This subject can be taken as part of a Combined Honours degree.

See [Link]/combined-honours for further details.
This subject is available as part of the Honours Select curriculum as either
100% (Single Honours), 75% (Major), 50% (Joint Honours) or 25% (Minor) as indicated.
See [Link]/honours-select for further details and UCAS codes for Joint
and Minor pathways.

HONOURS SELECT

PROGRAMME CONTENT

From 2014, the Faculty of Humanities and

Social Sciences is offering a new, innovative
way to study.

The first year is designed to provide both a

foundation for your chosen interest and also
the basic skills and tools for more advanced
study in the second and third years. You also
have the opportunity to study or investigate
areas that may be new to you (such as Film
Music or World Music).

We are offering a much wider range of Joint

(50:50) degrees across the Faculty. In addition,
we are giving you the option to study two
subjects on a 75:25 basis, focusing 75% of
your time on your Major subject and 25% of your
time on your Minor. See [Link]/
honours-select or the separate Honours
Select booklet for further details.
Subjects which combine particularly
well with Music include:
Communication and Media
Film Studies

In the second and third years you focus

in more depth on fewer selected topics,
either concentrating solely on Classical Music
modules or retaining the option to pursue one
or two modules in other areas. In the third year
there is a particular emphasis on specialism
and extended or independent projects (such
as a Dissertation, major composition portfolio
or extended recital).

Year One
Entrance Requirements
See [Link]/study/undergraduate/courses for current entrance requirements.

Music BA (Hons)
UCAS code: W300
Programme length: 3 years

Students must take at least two core modules.

Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 1 and Popular Practical Study 1.
Core modules:

WHICH DEGREE

We employ a range of teaching methods,

including lectures, seminars, tutorials,
workshops, master-classes, and online
tasks and projects. The emphasis is on
student participation and interaction. We
fit the most appropriate mode of teaching
to the particular subject, conscious that
the learning process needs to be enjoyable,
enabling students to acquire useful and
marketable skills and knowledge.

Students can choose to focus on mainly

classical music (BA Hons Music) or mainly
popular music (BA Hons Popular Music)
or to combine the two (BA Hons Music and
Popular Music). Each programme is itself
flexible and this allows students to design a
pathway that accommodates their particular
interests and emphases. All programmes
include the opportunity to study areas such
as film music, world music, or society and
culture. Similarly, all programmes include,
and provide the opportunity to focus on
more practical areas, such as performance,
composition and technology.

08/09

HOW YOU LEARN

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

Key Contact: Dr Kenneth Smith

E: kmsmith@[Link]
This programme focuses on Classical
Music. Some modules are practical,
concerned with musical performance,
composition and orchestration, or creative
music technology. Others use advanced
notation skills in connection with classical
music history topics or music analysis.
The remaining modules involve writing
about music from a historical, critical,
sociological, or analytical viewpoint. Our
studio and performance modules cater for
both classical and popular musical styles.

Studying Music
Analysis
Music as Sound
Critical Approaches 1: Music and Culture
Optional modules:
Classical Practical Study 1
Popular Practical Study 1
Composition and Orchestration 1
Music Technology I
Popular Music Studies 1
Music as an Industry 1
Music and Society 1: Musics of the World
Music and AV Media 1

For current entrance requirements and

full module details, see [Link]/
study/undergraduate/courses

Year Two
Students must take at least two core modules.
Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 2 and Popular Practical Study 2.
Core modules:
Classical Practical Study 2
Analysis 2: Understanding the Classical Style
Composition and Orchestration 2
Topics in Classical Music 2: Post-Wagnerian
Tonality and Philosophy
Optional modules:
Researching Music
Popular Practical Study 2
Music Technology 2: Recording,
Mixing and Remixing
Critical Approaches 2: Aesthetics
Popular Music Studies 2: Sound,
Tech and Society
Music as an Industry 2: Music
and Commerce
Music and Society 2: Music,
Culture and Identity
Music and AV Media 2: World Cinema

Year Three
Students must take at least two core modules.
Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 3 and Popular Practical Study 3.
Core modules:

10/11

Classical Practical Study 3

Analysis 3: Romantic and Early
Modernist Music
Composition and Orchestration 3
Topics In Classical Music 3: Opera

Optional modules:
Dissertation
Popular Practical Study 3
Music Technology 3: Projects
Critical Approaches 3: Reception
Contemporary Genres
Music as an Industry 3: Music and Mediation
Asian Practice and the Global Music
Repertoire
Music and AV Media 3: Moving Image
Two other modules may be taken in
a subject other than music.
This subject can be taken as part
of a Combined Honours degree. See
[Link]/combined-honours
for further details.

PROGRAMME CONTENT
The first year is designed to provide both a
foundation for your chosen interest and also
the basic skills and tools for more advanced
study in the second and third years. You also
have the opportunity to study or investigate
areas that may be new to you (such as Film
Music or World Music).

Year One
Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 1 and Popular Practical Study 1.
Core modules:
Studying Music
Music as Sound
Critical Approaches 1: Music and Culture
Popular Music Studies 1
Music as an Industry 1
Optional modules:

Popular Music BA (Hons)

UCAS code: W340
Programme length: 3 years
Key Contact: Dr Kenneth Smith
E: kmsmith@[Link]
This programme focuses on Popular Music.
Some modules are practical, concerned
with musical performance or creative music
technology. The remaining modules involve
writing about music from a historical, critical,
sociological, or analytical viewpoint. Our
studio and performance modules cater for
both classical and popular musical styles.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

Classical Practical Study 1

Popular Practical Study 1
Analysis
Composition and Orchestration 1
Music Technology I
Music and Society 1: Musics of the World
Music and AV Media 1

Year Two
Students must take at least two core modules.
Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 2 and Popular Practical Study 2.
Core modules:

Optional modules:
Researching Music
Classical Practical Study 2
Analysis 2: Understanding the Classical Style
Composition and Orchestration 2
Critical Approaches 2: Aesthetics
Topics In Classical Music 2: The Symphony
Music and Society 2: Music, Culture
and Identity
Music and Av Media 2: World Cinema

Year Three
Students must take at least two core modules.
Students may not take both Classical Practical
Study 3 and Popular Practical Study 3.
Core modules:
Popular Practical Study 3
Music Technology 3: Projects
Contemporary Genres
Music as an Industry 3: Music and Mediation
Optional modules:
Dissertation
Classical Practical Study 3
Analysis 3: Romantic and Early
Modernist Music
Composition and Orchestration 3
Critical Approaches 3: Reception
Topics in Classical Music 3: Opera
Asian Practice and the Global Music
Repertoire
Music and AV Media 3: Moving Image

Popular Practical Study 2

Music Technology 2: Recording,
Mixing and Remixing
Popular Music Studies 2: Sound,
Tech and Society
Music as an Industry 2: Music
and Commerce

For current entrance requirements and

full module details, see [Link]/
study/undergraduate/courses

Music

Music/Popular Music

Popular Music

This subject pathway focuses on a particular

aspect of Music and/or Popular Music. Some
modules are practical, concerned with musical
performance, composition and orchestration,
or creative music technology. Others use
advanced notation skills in connection with
classical music history topics or music analysis.
The remaining modules generally involve
writing about music from a historical, critical,
sociological, or analytical viewpoint. Our
studio and performance modules cater for
both classical and popular musical styles.

Students can chose to study Music, which

has a Classical focus, or Popular Music.
Some modules are practical, concerned
with musical performance or creative music
technology. The remaining modules involve
writing about music from a historical, critical,
sociological, or analytical viewpoint. Our
studio and performance modules cater for
both classical and popular musical styles.

PROGRAMME CONTENT
The first year is designed to provide both a
foundation for your chosen interest and also
the basic skills and tools for more advanced
study in the second and third year. You also
have the opportunity to study or investigate
areas that may be new to you (such as Film
Music or World Music). Students taking the
Popular Music pathway may also take up
one dedicated Classical Music module,
whilst those studying Music will also have
the option to take up a Popular Music module.
After the first year of study dedicated
Classical Music modules are only available
to those taking the Music pathway, and
Popular Music modules are only available
to Popular Music students.

This subject pathway allows you to pursue

an interest in a particular aspect of Music
and/or Popular Music. This might be Classical
or Popular Performance, Composition and
Orchestration, Technology, Classical History,
Film Music or the Music industry. Some options,
such as a Dissertation in Year Three, are not
available on the 25% pathway.

These subjects are available as part

of our HONOURS SELECT programme.
Choose from over 30 subjects to create
your perfect Joint or Major / Minor Honours
Degree. See [Link]/
honours-select for further details.

12/13

We welcome applications from all over

the world, and its our aim to make the
process of applying as smooth as possible.
The information that follows is a brief guide
to applying for programmes of study at the
University of Liverpool. For full details of our
applications and admissions policy, please
visit our website at [Link]/
ug-admissions

MAKING AN APPLICATION
THROUGH UCAS
Applications for full-time undergraduate
study are made via UCAS, the Universities and
Colleges Admissions Service, using UCASs
online application system at [Link]
The University of Liverpool institution code
is LVRPL L41.

WHEN TO MAKE YOUR APPLICATION

For up-to-date information please visit
[Link]

For information on English language entry

requirements, visit [Link]/study/
international/countries/english-language or
contact Student Recruitment and Admissions
T: +44 (0)151 794 6730 E: irro@[Link]
[Link]/help/undergraduate

MATURE STUDENTS
We welcome applications from candidates
who are not applying directly from school
or college, or who have non-standard
qualifications, or who wish work or life
experience to be taken into account as part
of their application. For further information
see [Link]/maturestudents

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

We give equal consideration to all applicants
and welcome applications from students
with disabilities. Please contact the Disability
Support Team on T: +44 (0)151 794 5117
to discuss your support needs before
you submit your UCAS application.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
For full details on the programmes we offer
and detailed entrance requirements, visit
[Link]/study/undergraduate

In the second and third year you focus in

more depth on fewer selected topics, either
concentrating solely on your chosen pathway
or retaining the option to pursue one module
in another cross-repertoire area. In the third year
there is a particular emphasis on specialism
and extended or independent project (such
as a Dissertation, major technology portfolio
or extended performance recital).

Faculty of Humanities and Social

Sciences > School of the Arts > Music
[Link]/music

Applications
and admissions

We accept a wide range of other

qualifications, eg EU and international
qualifications. For more detailed information
on entrance requirements, see our online
prospectus [Link]/study/
undergraduate/courses

For current entrance requirements and

full module details, see [Link]/
study/undergraduate/courses

DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY

The University of Liverpool attaches the
greatest importance to its policies and activities
to promote diversity and equality of opportunity.
Full details on these policies can be found online
at [Link]/diversity-and-equality

DISCLAIMER
Every effort has been made to ensure that
information contained within this brochure
is accurate at the time of going to press.
However, the matters covered are subject
to change from time to time, both before
and after a candidates admission.