Popular Music, BMus (Hons)

Course summary

Why study BMus Popular Music at Goldsmiths

• This ground-breaking degree embraces popular music in its many forms, and centres on exploration and experimentation in creative practice.

• This programme will allow you to acquire and develop a variety of skills, both individually and collaboratively, including musicianship and ensemble playing, songwriting, production and recording (at Goldsmiths Music Studios), composition and making music for film, and alternative sites for music.

• We have strong links with the music industry, employing professional musicians, producers, and artists as lecturers.

• We also present frequent, high-profile speakers from the music industry at our talks and events. Recently, these have included Dave Okumu, Nigel Godrich, Darkstar, Mica Levi, Matana Roberts, and Arts Council Music Relationship Managers.

• You’ll be very well set-up for the world of work. Employers look for initiative-driven graduates who think critically about their actions, work well with others and adapt quickly and creatively to new ideas. These ideas are written into the DNA of the degree, which will help you develop these skills.

• Through a collaboration with Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records we have created NX Records, an independent record label based at Goldsmiths, giving us the potential to promote our students' work on an international stage.

• You'll be within easy reach of South East London's many venues, as well as those across the capital, which provide a connection to music, art, dance, and theatre with an international focus, but also to local promoters, labels and the London-based music industry.

• You'll have the opportunity to perform at student-run showcases, in department ensembles, and at PureGold, our annual music festival that celebrates music created and performed at Goldsmiths.

• Our location in London means that we are able to attract visiting instrumental and vocal teachers of the highest quality, with many of our staff also teaching at the major music conservatoires. We provide a generous allocation of tuition time. Our performance modules are supplemented with ensemble classes and workshops/masterclasses given by top professional musicians.

Year 1 (credit level 4) In your first year you study a range of areas including creative and practical music studies, textual and contextual analysis of popular music, and an introduction to music technology. All modules are compulsory at this level as we feel it is essential that all our students develop the necessary key skills and knowledge base before further specialisation. The modules are: Songform Popular Music Performance Artistic Practices Contemporary Music Industries Popular Music Cultures Year 2 (credit level 5) In your second year, you'll study the following compulsory modules: Performance: New Contexts Songwriting You'll then choose 2 optional modules (30 credits) from the following list: Ensemble Performance Studio and Production Skills Pitching Creative Businesses The Goldsmiths Elective The Goldsmiths Project You'll also choose a further 2 modules (60 credits) from the following list: Creative Jazz Studies Music and the Moving Image Global Musics Sonic Art: Contexts and Practices Year 3 (credit level 6) In your final year, you will complete the following compulsory module: Music: Major Project You'll then choose 1 or 2 optional modules from the following list: Creative Performance Work Placement You as Your Future: Developing Creative Careers Psychological Approaches to Music You'll then choose a further 2 options from the following list: Audiovisual Composition and its Contexts Sculpting Electronic Sound Capturing Music and Practice Music Education, Outreach and Inclusion Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.