The study of music is a creative, technical and theoretical exploration of one of the most mysterious art forms. Studying it at Liverpool Hope, will give you the opportunity to investigate the many facets of performing, composing and producing beautiful and challenging music. You will also be exposed to aspects of the music business and industry, as well as its many historical and theoretical concepts.
You will have the opportunity to explore the performance and composition of music across a broad range of topics and genres such as popular, classical, jazz and electronic. Your studies will focus on music performance, composition and production – underpinned by historical and theoretical areas of enquiry led by staff with a broad range of teaching, professional and research specialisms.
Our Music degree is part of our School of Creative & Performing Arts, based at our 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, as well as a number of musical instruments to cater across all musical genres.
Liverpool is a UNESCO City of Music it boasts a diverse musical heritage, which underpins active and increasingly growing popular, classical, jazz, electronic and experimental music scenes. If you are passionate about music, Liverpool is an ideal city for you.
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. 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.
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.
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.
*Please note topics marked with a * are studied by Single Honours students only.
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 theory 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.
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.
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 teaching.
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.
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.
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 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.
During the August/September admissions period we are able to offer some flexibility in our entry requirements for courses that still have vacancies.
We are also offering a Foundation Year on many of our courses for students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level to enter directly onto our degree programmes.
Please call us to discuss the options available to you: 0151 291 3636
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 either our MA Music (with specialist pathways available in Musicology, Performance, Composition, Electroacoustic Composition, or Sacred Music) or our MA in The Beatles, Popular Music and Society. 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.
If you take a Negotiated Learning Project 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 Cornerstone Arts Festival, BBC Radio Merseyside, and in Music Education.
If you have particular interests in research and are contemplating further study at MA level, you also have the opportunity to work with a member of staff on a specific research project as an accredited Research Assistant.
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.
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.
The tuition fees for the 2020/21 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.
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.
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
The International tuition fees for the 2020/21 academic year are £11,400 (provisional) per year for full-time undergraduate courses.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
This course is also available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: