BA (Hons) Popular Music Bachelor's degree at Northampton

Introducing core principles of using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) with a focus on the industry-standard software. Essential skills necessary for effective operation creatively, and professionally. Emphasis is on contemporary music production techniques, through exploration and implementation of workflows across a diversity of contexts for both MIDI and audio.

Introducing the safe working in a recording studio. Operating an analogue mixing console, core skills in routing, gain structure, and dynamics processing. Using studio grade digital audio tools, steps of mixing and managing audio sessions, recording studio workflows through technical and communication skills needed to capture and process sound effectively.

Students are introduced to music composition through the use of standard tools of work. In this case, a variety of notational standards applicable across a broad range of music styles. Having set a foundational tool box, students are then shown how to development musical materials.

Set in a range of real-life scenarios, this module focusses on the creation of original materials, and rearrangements of existing musical materials, including presenting these in individual, small group or band performance settings.

The purpose of this module is to provide a firm foundation of core theoretical, aural and practical skills which underpin music-making in different contexts. This module challenges learners to interpret given musical briefs, including those expressed in standard popular music notation, and create effective musical outputs from them.

A contextual analysis of popular culture as a phenomena and the economic changes that influence professional practice.

This module enhances students' comprehension of the interplay between sound and visuals, emphasizing their symbiotic relationship in creating meaning and mood. It fosters technical proficiency in recording and audio software while promoting critical listening. Students will create soundtracks and approach visual sequences from an auditory perspective.

Understanding how music – sound – behaves both acoustically and psychoacoustically is a necessary requisite for a successful career in music performance, music production and sound engineering. Many areas of work within the music industry require knowledge of sound processing and acoustic principles including studio recording, live sound engineering, the design of musical instruments, music production studios and synthesis. This module is therefore one that will underpin everything you do during

This module develops professional skills relevant to working both in the music industry and related industries. With a focus on enterprise, entrepreneurialism and professional development, students will explore a variety of ways by which they might manage their professional careers. Students undertake an industry placement.

Combining elements of music theory, music analysis, notation, composition, song writing with the application of creative work in digital audio workstation, or studio, a variety of popular music genres are explored.

To further develop the creative output of students, including artistic identity, song writing and the creation of original materials, alongside their ability to develop, rehearse, and present musical output in a professional performance environment.

Building further upon the work done in Performance and Practical Musicianship, this module goes deeper into more complex musical materials and styles, to further develop your knowledge and awareness of possibilities both professionally and artistically, to meet several different specific real-world industry briefs.

Music and Sound Design for Media takes a broad look at a range of practical and some theoretical aspects of soundtracks for audio products such as podcasts, radio, adverts, moving image, film, new media and Gaming. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) techniques as well as a range of compositional methods are explored.

This module presents students with a series of tasks and scenarios taken directly from the real world of being a working professional musician, further developing the essential skill of being a versatile and diverse musician to meet specific performance briefs.

This module affords the space to develop your own musical projects, and to showcase them in a performance at a large external venue, which will include a focus on new or reimagined music.

The Music Education module has been designed to bridge between undergraduate study and post-compulsory teaching qualifications. Much of the content is drawn from PGCE level accompanied by a placement. This module prepares students for teaching by providing information about a wide range of teaching and learning methodologies, theories and practice.

This professional project module delivers practice-led research resulting in the realisation of a popular music practical output. Students are guided through professional project skills, from initiation of ideas to the presentation of a fully realised artefact with supporting written evidence. The project can be used as a placement activity.

Students develop at length a particular disciplinary interest. This may derive either from study in the first two years of the degree, or from reading and/or practice activities on their own initiative. Either way, they will bring to bear on their subject matter the analytical techniques learnt during their degree.