Popular Music

In addition to practical areas, this programme focuses on developing an in-depth and critical historical understanding of popular music repertoires, cultures, and practices. Some modules are practical, concerned with musical performance, song-writing, or creative music technology, although none of these are compulsory. Others focus on popular music history topics or the music industry. The remaining modules involve writing about popular music from a historical, critical, sociological, or philosophical viewpoint. Our studio and performance modules cater for both classical and popular musical styles.

This programme is available with a Year in Industry, which will be spent on paid placement within an organisation in industry, broadly defined. You will be supported by the School of the Arts and the Department throughout, and your reflexive written account of the experience will contribute towards your final degree result. Please note it is not possible to study both a Year in Industry and a Year Abroad on this programme.

This programme is available with either a Year in China or a Year Abroad. The Year in China offers undergraduate students the opportunity to spend one year at our joint venture, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). You can choose either the China Studies Track, where you will take courses from the China Studies Degree, the Creative Track, or the Entrepreneurship Track . XJTLU is a fully English-speaking university, located in Suzhou. The Year Abroad offers students the opportunity to spend a full academic year studying at one of our partner universities around the world, following a mixture of culture and/or discipline-related modules. If you wish to study this programme with a Year in China or a Year Abroad you will have the opportunity to apply after you arrive at Liverpool.

Course Modules

The nature of the programme varies according to your module choices. In first year, Core modules will take a detailed look at the nature of the popular music industries, and a critical exploration of twentieth-century popular music history, not only going through key musical milestones but also exploring their social contexts and the long-term cultural implications. In the second and third years you focus in more depth on fewer selected topics, either concentrating solely on Popular Music modules or retaining the option to pursue one or two modules in other areas. Specialist topics such as Gender and Sexuality and Sound, Technology and Society are studied alongside advanced level performance and music technology modules. 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).