MA Music (Audiovisual Cultures)

Program Overview

Through a combination of essay-based assignments and innovative methodologies, students develop critical thinking, creativity, and research skills. The program prepares graduates for diverse careers in academia, the music industry, and the creative/cultural industries.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Focus: Interdisciplinary study of music and the moving image
• Key Concepts: Audiovisual culture, critical thinking, multimedia collage, ethnographic filmmaking, creative exploration
• Learning Approach: Combines essay-based assignments with innovative methodologies like digital archiving, sound walks, and collaborative creativity
• Department: Music, renowned for progressive work in audiovisual theory, composition, and performance-as-research

Outline:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Music and Audiovisual Culture (30 credits):
Introduces key concepts and theoretical frameworks
• Audiovisual Cultures Major Project (60 credits):
Culminating research project showcasing creative and critical engagement with the field
• Optional Modules (90 credits, 2 from Music Department):
• Music and Screen Media
• Advanced Music Studies
• Critical Musicology and Popular Music
• Contemporary Ethnomusicology
• Sound Agendas
• Music Management
• Philosophies of Music
• Contemporary Music: Practice and Discourse
• Sources and Resources in the Digital Age
• Performance as Research (Ethnomusicology)
• Analysing Contemporary Music: From Serialism to Spectral Noise
• Interpretation, Meaning and Performance
• Popular Music and its Critics
• New Directions in Popular Music Research
• Research through Musical Performance
• Music as Communication and Creative Practice (MCCD)
• Politics of the Audiovisual (MCCD)
• Strategies of World Cinema (MCCD)
• Cultural Studies and Capitalism (Sociology)
• Postcolonial Theory (Sociology)
• Race, Empire and Nation (Sociology)
• Embodiment and Experience (Sociology)
• Why Music Matters for Sociology
• Gender, Sexuality and Media (Sociology)
• Feminist Methods (Sociology)

Assessment:

• Variety of assessment methods: Essays, projects, presentations, vlogs, installations, sound walks, digital archiving, collaborative work
• Emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, and research skills
• Feedback provided throughout the program to support learning and development

Teaching:

• Expert faculty: Internationally recognized scholars and practitioners in audiovisual culture
• Innovative teaching methods: Lectures, seminars, workshops, individual supervision, guest lectures, field trips
• Emphasis on student-led learning and active participation
• Vibrant research environment: Opportunities to participate in ongoing projects and events

Careers:

• Diverse career options: Academia, publishing, broadcasting, film/TV sound, journalism, music industry, creative/cultural industries, arts administration, new media, sound curation, librarianship, teaching, digital archiving, AR/VR consultancy
• Program prepares students with transferable skills: research, communication, critical thinking, creativity, project management, teamwork

Other:

• Postgraduate student-run journal: Sonic Scope
• Festivals: Longplayer (experimental music), PureGold (live music), Music Week (ensemble performances)
• Collaboration opportunities: Invention, Creativity and Experience (VR/AR), Embodied AudioVisual Interaction research group
• Vibrant location: New Cross, close to London's cultural scene
• Supportive environment: Department events, staff support, student union activities
• International environment: Diverse student body and faculty

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year. Home - full-time: £9630 Home - part-time: £4815 There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme.