Music Production BA
UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Creative Campus|UCAS Campus Code: L46Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Liverpool is a vibrant city, tapping into the momentum and energy of a diverse creative scene, which stems from a long history as an international port city known for its music. Our course adopts a creative approach to music production that considers equipment to be a means to artistic ends, an aspect of modern musicianship that is essential for any self-sufficient practitioner.
Music Production gives you the opportunity to explore the creative, technical, and theoretical aspects of one of the most rapidly changing creative landscapes. The course will expose you to aspects of the music business and industry, as well as its many historical and theoretical concepts. It provides you the opportunity to develop lasting, transferable skill sets that empower you to develop a resilient and sustainable approach to your future practice. To achieve these aims, our programme features:
- A creative outlook towards music production that explores equipment as means to artistic ends.
- A forward-looking programme that values new practices in music production without excluding traditional topics.
- An integrated approach to music production that covers the fundamentals of the topic without leaving gaps in knowledge.
- A team with interests in diverse aspects of music production that are pursued professionally beyond the university setting.
Our students have had the opportunity 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.
Hear from student Gemma Wilton about what it's like to study Music Production at Hope.
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.
Studying Music Production, 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.
As part of the enhanced performance programme, you will have the opportunity to take part in the extensive extra-curricular music making opportunities at Hope. These include, Choir, Big Band, Concert Band and various smaller, student led, ensembles.
Students are also encouraged to attend the myriad of concerts and events on campus. These are intended to illustrate the musical genres studied in other areas of the course, and to add additional enhancement.
Assessment and feedback
Assessments on this course will consist of:
- creative and technical portfolios – such as recording, live music or programming projects
- practical, technical examinations on areas of relevant software and hardware and programming environments
- reflective reports, and essays.
Curriculum overview
The Music Production curriculum commences from covering the fundamentals of studio and live music production and MIDI programming from a technical and creative point of view. From this base it moves through to the handling of advanced concepts in studio composition, production, live sound production as well as interactive applications in music.
Year One
In your first year, you will be introduced to the principles of Music Production and your studies will be directed into three broad areas; Foundations of Audio Recording; Foundations of Sound Reinforcement; and the Foundations of MIDI Programming and Automation. You will be taught holistically as you explore themes including; the physics of sound, audio signal, audio mixing, audio editing, digital signal processing and introducing automation.
You will attend the Foundations in Music Production lecture series, which will explore questions such as; understanding of microphone type and placement, principles of audio editing, mixing, post-production techniques and the preparation required to manage a live show. These lectures will be linked to two themed seminar series: The Foundations of Audio Recording Seminar allows for focussed study of practical mic placement and recording of a variety of instruments (solo and group); these seminars will also include the theory relating to audio signal flow. The Foundations of MIDI Programming and Automation Seminar will allow for the focused practical study upon the automated mixing of audio stems within a variety of genres and settings; these seminars will also include the theory relating to audio perception.
All first year students will attend a series of compulsory concerts and events throughout their 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
You will further develop your skills, understanding and appreciation of more advanced techniques of both studio and live sound production, and MIDI programming, automation and interactive applications in music.
You will attend the Explorations in Music Production lecture series where these areas will be taught in an integrated way through shared themes such as: stylistic sound production techniques; digital signal processing techniques; automation; music interactivity; digital sound theory; sound synthesis; surround sound techniques; expanded engagements with live music; MIDI arrangement and orchestration; introduction to audio/visual (theory and practice); and introduction to generative music. This lecture series will be linked to two themed seminar series: Explorations in Studio and Live Production Seminar and Explorations in Interactive Music Programming Seminar.
In addition, you will attend a series of compulsory concerts and events. 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. For example, during the academic year 2018-19, students attended concerts given by Milapfest, Sonic Interactions, and Angel Field Festival.
Year Three
Students will attend the Advanced Studies of Music Production lecture series and explore themes such as: advanced practice and theories of: stylistic sound; sound and perception theory; sound synthesis; mixed-media, interactive and immersive music and sound; surround-sound techniques; live coding; algorithmic music modelling; music for content; project management; and generative composition.
In your third year, you will be encouraged to further hone your skills, understanding and appreciation of advanced studio and live sound and digital music.
The third year lecture series will be linked to two themed seminar series: Advanced Studio and Live Production Seminar and Advanced Digital Music Seminar. Each student will also attend a weekly tutorial with their allocated personal tutor, and be required to participate in the recording of our music concerts.
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 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. In this way, students will recognise that academic study need not be directly linked to employment, but that academic study can be used to compete in a constantly evolving job market.
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 |
| Subject Requirements | 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
Potential career prospects after completing this course include Recording engineer, Recording Producer, Sound Designer, Sound Programming, Live Sound Engineer.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
Work placement opportunities include music studios and festivals, gaming companies, etc. This is most likely to take place in the final year of study and will enhance the employability of all students.
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 2023/24 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 will need approximately £100 per year for recording consumables.
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 2023/24 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: