BA (Hons) Popular Music Performance (Full Time)
Take your performance skills to the next level, combining your practice with the broad study of popular music and the music business.
UCAS codes
2013 Entry
- Three years Standard EntryW310
2012 Entry
- Three years Standard EntryW310
Entry level
Click here for Entry Requirements|
You may be invited to attend an audition.
Career opportunities
More than half the students who graduated in 2009/10 are already working as performers, teachers or in related industry positions. Performers may work as solo artists, in bands or as back up. They may work in live shows or for recordings. Entry to this industry will be competitive and students are encouraged to get as much performing experience as possible as well as building up their connections in the industry. The industry is very diverse and graduates might want to explore other opportunities in music.
Career paths include:
-
sales and marketing
-
public relations
-
event management
-
retail
-
arts administration
-
publishing.
For facts, figures and further details of graduate employability, view the career destinations PDF| for this course.
Course overview
The BA (Hons) Popular Music Performance degree at Southampton Solent University combines practical and vocational learning with academic study of the broader histories and contexts of popular music.
You are encouraged to learn, perform and analyse music in a wide range of styles. Performance is assessed in both solo and band contexts, often at local venues in front of public audiences. The course emphasises the study of the core rock and pop instruments: guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keyboards. Tuition methods are suitable for both schooled and self-taught musicians.
Performance is underpinned by academic work in the interdisciplinary field of music studies and by vocational experience offered throughout the course. Teaching and practice take place in the University’s well-equipped rehearsal and recording studios. Tutorials are arranged with individual tutors selected as specialists in your field of study.
Industrial focus
The course includes a programme of guest speakers from the music industry.
All students are encouraged to be active as performers and/or composers during their studies.
All students have the opportunity to compete or audition for annual opportunities to play at Glastonbury and record at Abbey Road Studios.
|
Course content
Year 1
Four core units:
-
Music Performance 1
-
Music in Practice
-
Understanding the Music Industry
-
Popular Music: Styles and Genres
-
Music Performance 1
-
Music in Practice
-
Understanding the Music Industry
-
Popular Music: Styles and Genres.
Year 2
Four core units and two options:
-
Music Performance 2
-
Arranging Music
-
Composing Music
-
Histories of Popular Music
Options:
-
Geographies of Popular Music
-
Noise Annoys: Experiments and Alternatives in Popular Music
-
Popular Music and the Moving Image
-
Subcultures and Scenes
-
Inside the Music Business
-
Curriculum Plus (Work-based Learning, Foreign Language, Community Volunteering).
Year 3
-
Collaborative Music Project
-
Individual Music Project
-
Working in the Music Industry
Options:
-
Festival Cultures
-
Music Audiences and Consumption
-
Technologies of Popular Music
-
The Global Music Industry
-
Curriculum Plus (Work-based Learning, Foreign Language, Community Volunteering).
|
Why choose this course?
-
Annual opportunities to compete in competitions to record and play at Abbey Road Studios and Glastonbury.
-
Nine recording studios, four rehearsal rooms and a 200-seat performance space, five individual practice spaces.
-
Music Lab with 24 Macs, Sibelius, Protools, Logic, and Ableton software, instruments, backline and tech support.
-
A vibrant local music scene offers a wide range of performance opportunities.
Assessment
Your skills and knowledge will be tested through public performances, studio sessions, graphic analyses, essays and seminar presentations.
Key career skills
IT, presentation, teamwork, creative thinking, project management, music performance and industry related skills.
Projects/work experience
All performers are encouraged to collaborate with students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music and Record Production, BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism, and BA (Hons) Music Promotion courses.