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Music Technology BA (Hons) modules

Year one | Year two | Year three

Year one

Block 1: Introduction to Studio Recording & Production

The module is divided into two sections; digital audio recording and production which includes an introduction to the practice and theory of digital audio recording, mixing and mastering, and digital audio sequencing which covers the study and development of ability in the handling of sequencing and MIDI control along with an introduction to basic audio signal processing.

This module is delivered by a mixture of studio practicals, critical listening, reading and self-directed study.

Practical 74 hours
Consolidation 40 hours
Reading 44 hours
Self-Directed Study 122 hours
Assessment 20 hours

Block 2: Ideas in Music & Technology

This module is a seminar and lecture series introducing students to a diverse range of issues and perspectives related to recent and current cultures in music and the sonic arts. The focus will be on central historical and philosophical threads of the last century to contextualise contemporary sound- and music-making. Exploring individual artists and thinkers, broad aesthetic movements, and the development and impact of technologies on culture, music and sound. Listening will be a key activity: inquisitive, contextual, critical and analytical.

This module is delivered through lectures, critical listening workshops, reading and self-directed study.

Lecture 48 hours
Workshop 24 hours
Listening 56 hours
Self-directed study 144 hours
Assessment 28 hours

Block 3: Sound Analysis & Synthesis

An understanding of how sound works is essential in developing an appreciation of, and an ability to work with, sound as a medium. This module first familiarises students with the physical/acoustical foundations of musical sounds. Students will study sounds through both waveform and spectral representations and understand how temporal and spectral acoustical features relate to the primary perceptual parameters such as musical pitch, dynamics, and timbre.

The module is block taught over 7 weeks, delivered by a mixture of lectures, workshops, listening, reading and self-directed study.

Lecture 24 hours
Workshop 12 hours
Practical 36 hours
Reading 40 hours
Reflection 70 hours 
Self-directed study 94 hours
Assessment 24 hours

Block 4: Making and Performing Music 1: Tools & Techniques

This module covers a wide range of creative applications for technology in music-making, both compositional and performative, focusing on the study of genres, styles, repertoire, and techniques. Lectures, practical work and self-directed study lead toward developing an understanding of the range of practices, contexts, paradigms and techniques that are associated with music and the sonic arts in the contemporary world.

The module is block taught over 7 weeks, delivered by a mixture of, workshops, listening, reading and self-directed study. Workshops will bias listening and analytical exercises in early weeks, along with group discussion. In later weeks, they will turn to peer listening and tutorial support for student work in progress.

Workshop: 72 hours
Self-directed study: 188 hours
Assessment: 40 hours    

Year two

Block 1: Creative & Professional Work: Presentation & Promotion

This is an open module designed for students to undertake a short intense project to allow the development of specialist creative, technical, professional and/or research-led skills, while simultaneously developing professional practice. Special thematic sub-projects, supported by lectures, workshops, and personal tutorials, are offered each year, from which the students may choose one or more across the duration of the module. Indicative examples of sub-projects include:   

  • Improvisation Ensemble   
  • Sensors and interfaces    
  • Advanced Synthesis & Sequencing   
  • Electronic Instrument Building    
  • Coding or Live Coding   
  • Spatial Performance   
  • Spatial Composition

For each chosen project, students will devise ways of promoting and presenting their work, both collectively (e.g. organising a group performance) and individually (e.g. accumulating a personal portfolio) within a public forum.

Teaching will vary according to the projects undertaken, but will comprise lecture and seminar activity, technical instruction, contextual and critical study within regular workshops. Work towards student projects will be guided through tutorial support.

Workshop 44 hours 
Tutorial 12 hours 
Reading 40 hours
Reflection 60 hours
Self-directed study 104 hours 
Assessment 40 hours

Block 2: Film, Games & Media

Covers the technical and aesthetic considerations of the creation original musical compositions and sound designs in a variety of audio-visual contexts. Content includes application of existing skills and the development of new skills in relation to designing sound and context-specific compositional strategies in a range of "real-world" scenarios, focusing primarily on sound and moving image.

The module is block taught over 7 weeks, delivered by a mixture of, workshops, listening, reading and self-directed study. Workshops will bias listening and analytical exercises in early weeks, along with group discussion. In later weeks, they will turn to peer listening and tutorial support for student work in progress.

Workshop 21 hours
Tutorial 28 hours
Self-directed study 230 hours
Assessment 20 hours

Block 3: Studio Recording & Production

Learn more advanced studio recording and production, including detailed knowledge of the nature and physics of acoustic and electronic instruments, microphones, and recording spaces such as studios. Covering a variety of structured recording, mixing, and production strategies and work practices to enhance efficiency and quality of work, as well as advanced techniques of applying effects and other processing in mixing.

This module is delivered by a mixture of studio practicals, critical listening, reading and self-directed study.

Practical 74 hours
Consolidation 40 hours
Reading 44 hours
Self-Directed Study 122 hours
Assessment 20 hours

Block 4: Making and Performing Music 2: Topics & Projects

This module will build upon the foundation of skills acquired in year one, in particular those related to the module Making & Performing with Technology 1.   It is primarily concerned with the application and development of music technologies in the creation of original works of musical composition or sonic art, as well as exploring the potential for innovative performance paradigms while developing existing ones.

Practical work, lectures, workshops and self-directed study lead toward a creative body of work realised for performance or a fixed medium.

The module is block taught over 7 weeks, delivered by a mixture of workshops, listening, reading and self-directed study.

Workshop: 72 hours
Self-directed study: 188 hours
Assessment: 40 hours  

Year three

Block 1: Advanced Production Skills and Mastering

This module develops the students technical and contextual knowledge within the framework of professional practice, testing the full breadth of skills needed to be successful in this area. Students will experience the audio recording and production process through taught sessions using multichannel studios. Students will develop a portfolio of targeted practical projects that will demonstrate confidence with live recording practice, while also developing project management skills, including working in small teams; they may also participate in broadcasts, such as DemonFM and will compile and produce programme material in a format appropriate for its intended distribution.

Lecture / Large Group: 24 hours
Studio: 48 hours
Workshop: 6 hours
Reading: 40 hours
Self-directed study: 142 hours
Assessment: 40 hours

Block 2: Making & Performing Music 3: Personal Portfolio

This module provides an opportunity to create a personal portfolio of original creative musical/sonic or multimedia work, plus a reflective writeup. The portfolio will demonstrate a sophisticated approach to the creative use of technology. It may consist of a single large-scale work or multiple smaller works.

Special thematic sub-projects, supported by lectures, workshops, and/or international links, may be offered to help direct individual work. Indicative examples of sub-projects include improvisation ensemble, audio-visual creation, circuit bending, brainwave music, live performance with silent films, etc.

The heart of the delivery is independent work by the student with the support of one-to-one tutoring from an assigned mentor. 

Workshop: 36 hours 
Tutorial: 10 hours 
Research: 18 hours
Reflection & Writing: 16 hours
Self-directed study: 180 hours 
Assessment: 40 hours

Block 3: Applied & Collaborative Projects

Provides the opportunity for students to explore music technology in the wider context of multimedia and interdisciplinary practice, while presenting it via local community and public art outlets. Students may undertake one or more short intense and thematic projects, supported by lectures, workshops, international links and personal tutorials. Indicative examples of projects include:   

  • Improvisation Ensemble    
  • Composing with Dance  
  • Installation Art  
  • Dirty Electronics  
  • Interactivity  
  • Sound for Film and Animation  
  • Augmented Reality  
  • Audio Visual Music  
  • Community Music  

Delivery is primarily through independent work by the students (both individually and within collaborative groups) supported by an assigned mentor.  

Workshops: 24 hours
Tutorial: 10 hours  
Research: 86 hours
Reflection: 180 hours

Block 4: Final Project

Students will engage in an in-depth investigation of a music technology topic of their choice and design, supported by an individual tutor. The final research may take the form of a purely written document (a dissertation), or students can choose to pursue a practice-based investigation (a ‘final project’, or ‘final performance project’), in which research is reflected both in written work and a portfolio of creative work that is informed by and/or helps investigate the topic.

In either case, the module is designed to enable students to advance considerably as independent learners, being able to imagine and define a project of interest to them, plan and manage that project over several weeks, develop their capacity to build their own ideas or creative work on the ideas of others through research, and make arguments and/or articulate the context and ideas behind creative work.

Lecture: 10 hours
Tutorial: 10 hours  
Research: 100 hours
Reflection: 180 hours

*All modules titles are subject to validation and while terms may change the scope of the degree will remain largely similar.