Music and Technology BA (Hons)

The Music and Technology programme allows you to specialise in the vocational areas of recording and production, electronic music, sound design and composition for film and video gaming.

The programme not only focuses on technical areas such as sound recording and music production, but also allows you to explore other creative and experimental applications of music technology. You will underpin your technology practice with specialist theoretical, historical and contextual modules, and will have the option to develop your performance skills in either popular or classical music.

Programme in detail

Alongside your technology focused modules, you will choose 50% of your degree course from a wide range of popular and classical music modules. This means you can also study classical or popular music performance, classical or popular music composition, the music industry, or select from a wide range of historical and theoretical options.

In Years Two and Three, in addition to the core modules, you will be able to focus on the areas that interest you most through our independent projects

Department Key Facts

Number of first year students

66 Year One undergraduates in 2018

UK league tables

We created the Institute of Popular Music in 1988, becoming the first Department of Music in the UK to introduce dedicated, specialist popular music studies and research

Graduate prospects

94% of our graduates are employed or in further study within six months of graduating (DLHE 2016/17)

Research performance

Ranked 10th in the UK for 4* and 3* research in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 (THE 2014)

Why this subject?

Working in partnership with the city

We work closely with musical and cultural partners throughout Liverpool, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. This particular partnership extends across the spectrum of the Department’s activities, with the Orchestra’s musicians making frequent visits to campus, providing lessons and coaching - including through our undergraduate scholarship scheme - and undergraduate and postgraduate composition workshops.

Take advantage of composition and song-writing opportunities

Traditional, electro-acoustic, and audio-visual composition, as well as popular composition/ song-writing, are all represented in the Department.

Develop your confidence through performance

Although not compulsory, if you wish to pursue performance then we offer tution, workshops and support to enhance your development as a performer. Among the many ensembles, there is a symphony orchestra, a university choir, and a chamber choir, while the University’s Music Society runs a wind orchestra, a brass band and a jazz band. We run a weekly professional lunchtime concert series. We are also home to numerous pop and rock groups, covering many styles, and many of our students perform at local venues and open-mic nights. 

Benefit from studying in a well-established Department

We were one of the very first places to offer university-level provision in popular music, and our dedicated research centre - the Institute of Popular Music - was the world's first specialist centre for the study of popular music.

Learn from music analysis and psychology experts

We offer a critical approach that encourages you to develop your own unique ways of analysing music from a broad range of repertoires and invites you to explore many new possibilities for appreciating the sonic experience of music.

Benefit from access to excellent facilities and learning resources

The Department has expanded recently to provide additional studios, practice rooms and a large rehearsal space. Students enjoy excellent library facilities, which include books, online services and learning spaces.