Music Technology

BA (Hons) Music Technology
Mode: full-time

At stage one, you will study a diverse range of musical styles, industry-standard software applications and an introduction to music theory.

At stage two, you will study advanced music applications, an introduction to music software writing and more advanced music production techniques and theory.

At stage three, you will study performance with technology, music and business, and a project on an area of special interest.

Time is split between practical work in the fully equipped facilities, and academic assignments. As more skills are acquired, practical work starts to predominate.

The combination of staff expertise and the well established media department gives this course its unique flavour and marks it out from other music technology courses available.

Students who attain this award will be well-versed in all the main aspects of music technology after having studied it from a number of thought provoking perspectives.

Particular strengths of the course include: the opportunities for collaboration with students from the visual medias which may include radio, television, film, plus new media such as video games and computer animation, and staff expertise in the areas of software synthesis, digital signal processing and composition.

Areas of study include:

• Classical, Jazz, Popular and Contemporary Style and Context
• Music Software
• The Music Business
• Sound to Picture
• Music Theory
• Performance with Technology

Why choose this course?

• Highly qualified staff and a well-established media department give this course its unique flavour and mark it out from other music technology courses based in more traditional music departments
• Opportunities for those who are interested in music for picture, involving collaborative work with film and animation students
• We have our own radio station, which provides an outlet for student music and also offers another application of sound technology not covered by many university courses
• Media-related courses ranked 3rd in the UK, according to the Guardian 2007
• Music for the visual media (film, television, video games, web design)
• Software synthesis and digital signal processing
• Composition and songwriting using industry-standard technology

Career Opportunities

• Popular musics, performance, production, management and support.
• Classical and art musics, performance, production, management and support.
• Music and sound design for theatre.
• Multimedia, sound design and music production (for the web and interactive media such as cd rom/dvd.)
• Film, TV sound design and music production, library music.
• Music software, design, testing and consultancy.
• Music technology journalism.
• Teaching music technology
• A wide range of sound related technological areas such as noise analysis/measurement, vibration and spectral analysis, audio restoration, audio archiving etc.

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The course is delivered via a mix of lectures and small group seminars where key points from the lectures are expanded on and clarified.

The seminars also provide an opportunity to explore student led topics. Problem solving and experiential learning is a key component of the course

There is also an element of lab-based and practical work. You will have access to a dedicated teaching lab and studio with networked computers and a range of appropriate equipment and software for music production.

Teaching materials will be available online and students can contribute to online discussions on the Music Technology Wiki website.

In the seminars you will be given opportunities for individual help and advice on areas of your own particular interest in the field, as well as help and advice with assignments.

Assessment

You will undertake a range of practical and written assessments during the course.

Practical Assessments include the composition and production of original music to a variety of briefs, demonstrating the technological skills taught.

Written Assessments include both short assignments, in which the wide range of technological knowledge taught in class will be assessed, and longer more essay style work in which a topic is explored in more depth.

Dissertation/project and research

The stage three dissertation unit, which accounts for a large part of year three work, allows you to specialise in an area of particular interest and explore this in depth.

This project can be either primarily practice based or essay based.

Recommended reading

These books provide a good introduction to the subject of music technology.

Roads C. 'The Computer Music Tutorial', MIT Press.
'AB guide to Music Theory'. Associated Board Publishing.

Attendance

Although this is a full-time course, lectures are grouped sensibly wherever possible to allow students to take on part time employment out of normal teaching hours should this be necessary.