BA(Hons)Popular Music

Study location	United Kingdom, Falmouth (Penryn Campus)
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA(Hons)
Course code	W340

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English IELTS: 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each skill) CAE: 168 (with a minimum of 162 in each skill)

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application.

More information	falmouth.ac.uk/popularmusic

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

Year one

Your first year focuses on learning skills that will help you to become a confident live performer who creatively works with technology and who can self-produce their own work. A typical first year will involve practical workshops based on improvisation, group dynamics, reinterpretation, stage presence, visuals, live sound and listening. You’ll also explore the possibilities of music technology as an important medium and sessions will introduce you to electronic instruments, vintage equipment and the recording studio as a compositional tool.

You’ll be encouraged to draw from other art forms, such as poetry, film and visual art, as a way of developing an innovative and exciting practice that’s influenced by the creative approach of key
groundbreaking popular musicians. Lectures will focus on entrepreneurial strategies to get you thinking about how to effectively launch an independent practice in today’s music industry.
Alongside music business studies, you’ll be introduced to different ways of thinking about music through philosophy, critical thinking and debate.

Year two

Your second year immerses you into the depths of your core modules. In Dark Sound, you’ll produce an EP that embodies dark themes that recur in both mainstream and ‘outsider‘ pop. In the studios you’ll focus on the finer craft of songwriting while you hone your technological skills in music production. A strong emphasis will also be placed on developing visual material and artwork to represent your sound for promotion.

You’ll undertake in-depth study on the workings of the contemporary music industry including publishing, digital marketing, distribution, internet radio and music law. An impressive array of visiting speakers will help you gain a vital understanding of the music industry and guide your ability to network and strategically plan. You’ll put what you’ve learnt into practice by conducting a mini-tour that will launch your music into the live performance network.

The second year will also be the point in the degree where you can choose to study abroad with one of our partner institutions through the Study Abroad and Erasmus Exchange programmes.

Year three

Your final year gives you freedom to develop your own projects, having used the first two years of your studies to really get to grips with your practice. Many students decide to pursue their music
careers by writing, launching and promoting albums as well as undertaking UK or even European tours. Students can also undertake internships at major management companies or independent record labels, finding innovative ways to build on their acquired skills as artists or industry specialists. Alternatively, some students may focus on music education in schools, while others develop music community projects for charity organisations in the UK and abroad.

Like previous Popular Music students, your final professional practice project will see you producing excellent work, which may lead to you supporting the likes of Primal Scream, Sigur R63 and Kaiser Chiefs. Or you may wish to pursue the Island Records/Darcus Beese Internship Award. This is a one-year paid internship at Island Records for a graduating Falmouth music student who has shown promise in working in the recorded music industry. As part of this process, four third year Falmouth music students are offered work experience at Island Records each year.

Career opportunities

o Musician and songwriter
o Session player
o Artist/production manager
o Music journalist
o Music educator
o Music community worker
o Music researcher
o Music/cultural theorist and writer
o Creative marketing
o Working at a record label