MA in Popular Music Practice

Research, collaboration, professional development, experimentation, 1-2-1 guidance and more. This is what our MA Popular Music Practice offers you. Over a full twelve-month period of study you’ll be pushed to expand upon everything you know, moving you away from the skills-based style of undergraduate learning and towards becoming an influential and unique voice in your industry.

Our clearly defined course structure is intelligently composed to cover theoretical, practical and collaborative elements. It culminates in a major project of your choice focusing on one of the following paths: performance, production, composition or entrepreneurship. The path that you choose for your major project will be the specialism stated on your final qualification.

Which specialism will you choose?

For your major project, you’ll focus on one of these specialisms in detail. This is a chance to tailor your studies to your passion whilst taking theory, practice and research to an advanced level.

Performance

Hone your instrumental technique, build on your performance experience and evolve your performance style. With performance, you’ll have the chance to develop your musicality and your capabilities to a highly advanced level. Set yourself up as the go-to musician on the national music scene – and beyond.

Production

Thanks to our fantastic studio facilities and industry-leading lecturers, specialising in production will stretch your skills in recording, mixing, mastering and more. Get involved in extraordinary recording projects and build your portfolio for a sustainable career.

Composition

Whether you are a singer-songwriter, a sound artist or a composer interested in sync opportunities, this path will deepen your knowledge, understanding and ability to write music for a variety of situations, channels and outputs. Furthermore, it is often an excellent pathway of collaboration and will see you embark on exciting projects that span media and genre.

Entrepreneurship

Specialising in entrepreneurship provides a huge range of opportunities such as starting a business, curating events or collaborating with your MA peers and industry organisations. There is huge scope here for you to develop yourself into a commercially minded, music business professional.