Music BA (Hons)
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UCAS Code: W300|Duration: 3|Full Time|Creative Campus
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
As a world-renowned city of music - with active and increasingly growing popular, classical, jazz, electronic and experimental music scenes - Liverpool is an ideal location for pursuing the creative practice and study of music. The BA Music Programme at Liverpool Hope will offer you the opportunity to explore the many facets of performing, composing, producing, and intellectually engaging with music across a broad range of topics and genres, including popular, classical, jazz, electronic, and world music traditions.
Our music programme benefits from a unique, creative scholarly approach that features:
- An inclusive outlook towards genre that allows students to pursue their musical interests.
- A wide-ranging approach to music study that develops diverse skills in performance, composition and academic study.
- A variety of opportunities to perform in and compose for university ensembles, student-led ensembles, and other musically collaborative experiences.
- A team with multifaceted interests in music that are pursued professionally beyond the university setting.
Our Music programme is part of our School of Creative and Performing Arts, based at the Creative Campus, and housed in the purpose-built Capstone building. The School is one of only a handful of All-Steinway Music Schools in the UK and, in addition to a Steinway Model D in the Capstone Theatre, we also have a number of sound-proofed bespoke music recording, rehearsal and practice spaces. There is also a good stock of musical instruments and outboard technology to cater across all musical genres.
Our students have had opportunities to gain professional experience with a variety of professional organisations, including Liverpool Sound City, Immix Ensemble, Parr Street Studios, Sentric Music, Ditto Music, The Vocal Booth studio, Melodic Distraction (radio station), and The Beatles Experience, among others.
We continually establish connections within the wider industry and our programme regularly hosts music industry professionals, who provide real-world knowledge through their guest lectures. Join our dynamic creative community of music production to facilitate the next steps in your creative and professional journey.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, seminars and tutorials. You have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor on a regular basis.
If you are studying Music as a Single Honours degree, in your first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to 10 teaching hours in your second and third years. In Single Honours Music, you will study Music for half your time and Music Production for the other half, in each year.
If you are studying Music as a Combined Honours degree, in your first year of study there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years.
On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend approximately 30 hours studying independently each week, as well as group study to prepare for any group assessments you may have. Extra- curricular musical ensembles are an important enhancement to the curriculum and it is expected that all students will be actively engaged in these activities.
Students are also expected to attend a series of compulsory concerts and events, these are intended to illustrate the musical genres studied in other areas of the course, and to add additional enhancement.
Assessment and feedback
During your studies, you will have a number of assessments, including written and practical exams, portfolios of written pieces and compositions, written reports, and essays.
Feedback on your work comes in a number of different ways. Tutors will give regular feedback in class. In Performance, you will also gain regular feedback in your individual lessons with your named instrumental/vocal tutor; in Composition, you will gain additional feedback from the players who play your works in the Composition workshops. For more formal submissions such as essays, exams, and portfolios, written feedback will be available within four working weeks. If you need further clarification, you can always contact individual tutors to ask for a meeting. Please note that ‘feedback’ is different from ‘mark’ (the numerical mark awarded on a specific piece of work) and will usually concentrate upon areas of strength, areas of weakness, and suggestions for improvement. Some feedback sessions may include a presentation to the whole group, giving a ‘global’ overview of the way a task was tackled.
Year One
In your first year, you are introduced to the disciplines of music performance, composition and the fundamental technologies that underpin each of these areas. You will be introduced to a number of popular and classical music genres, and will examine the performance and composition techniques that constitute their style. You will also cover areas of music notation, including theory and scoring, from the perspective of a performer and composer; developing a high level of musical literacy – of whatever genre you choose to focus upon – is an essential core to many other parts of the degree programme.
In Single Honours Music, you will also study Foundations of Music Production, which will allow for focused study into the Foundations of Audio Recording, Sound Reinforcement, MIDI Programming and Automation. These areas will be taught holistically through exploring such topics as the physics of sound; audio signal flow; audio mixing; audio editing; digital signal processing and an introduction to automation.
You will have individual lessons in your chosen instrument or voice, and you will also learn about essential University level study skills, such as essay writing, presentation skills, referencing and using the library in groups of 10, which also function as small pastoral groups.
You will attend a series of compulsory concerts and events throughout your first academic year. The concerts included in this series are intended to illustrate the musical genres studied in other areas of the course, and to add additional enhancement.
Year Two
Your second year of Music develops your understanding of classical and popular music genres still further, through the joint focus of music performance and composition. All students will develop their skills through gaining further knowledge of theoretical concepts that allow you to perform and compose more complex musical works. You will also be introduced to the areas of music business and music education.
In Single Honours Music, you will be taught the explorations of Music Production and examine concepts such as stylistic sound production techniques; along with rather more advanced digital signal processing and automation techniques; music interactivity; digital sound theory; sound synthesis; surround sound techniques; an introduction to audio/visual work (theory and practice); and an introduction to generative music.
Year Three
In your third year of Music, you will be encouraged to further hone your skills as a performer and composer, who is able to gain fluency with the realisation of large complex pieces of music. You will develop your understanding of music practice in relation to the music business and music education and have the opportunity to experience a work placement in one of these areas.
In Single Honours Music, in Music Production you will explore aspects of music theory through an integrated programme of themes such as: stylistic sound; sound and perception theory; sound synthesis; mixed-media, interactive and immersive music and sound; surround-sound techniques and digital music.
All third year single honours students will also have to carry out a large research project, report or dissertation linked to issues pertaining to, for example, music performance, composition, music recording, live event planning or digital music, and the changing opportunities that exist for these areas in today’s music profession, regionally, nationally or internationally. A focus on music business or education contexts may also be explored here.
Entry requirements
| A-Levels | BBC |
|---|---|
| UCAS Tariff Points | 112 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications |
| BTEC | DMM |
| Access to HE | 112 Tariff Points |
| IB | 28 |
| Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only |
| Welsh Baccalaureate | This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications |
| T-Levels | 120 Tariff Points / Merit |
| Subject Requirements | Applications should have a relevant level 3 qualification in music, for example A' Level Music, BTEC or equivalent. The ability to read and write music is essential, and applicants should be of at least ABRSM Grade 5 Theory standard or the equivalent in terms of skills and knowledge. |
International entry requirements
| Specific Country Requirements | Select your country |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirements page. |
Careers
You will graduate from Liverpool Hope with a broad musical education having had the opportunity to specialise in particular areas. An increasing number of our students are choosing to continue their studies at Masters’ level at Liverpool Hope on our MA courses with a focus on Music and Creative Practice. Many graduates also enter the teaching profession via our PGCE courses run by the Faculty of Education.
However, our Music degree also develops a range of transferable skills, including critical analysis and communication so that, in recent years, several of our graduates have moved into the commercial and management sectors, often setting up their own businesses.
Many of our students also choose to mix a career in the music sector with private music teaching. The transferable skills you will gain having studied Music at Liverpool Hope will also equip you for a broad range of other careers in the public and private sectors.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
In your third year of study, you have the opportunity to undertake a music-related work-based placement. Placements are available with a range of our partner organisations (including Milapfest, the European Opera Centre, and Liverpool's two cathedrals). Past students have recently also undertaken placements with the Angelfield Arts Festival, BBC Radio Merseyside, and in Music Education settings.
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Additional costs
On top of your tuition fees, you need approximately £100 to buy core textbooks.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £12,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: