Music and Audiovisual Media MA

Program Overview

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This MA program in Music and Audiovisual Media provides advanced training in music composition, sound design, and film studies, offering two pathways: academic research and practical composition. With industry-standard facilities and expert faculty, students develop expertise in analyzing, composing, and producing music for screen media, preparing them for careers in filmmaking, music production, and academia.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

This program provides flexible advanced training that will develop your knowledge and expertise in music and audiovisual media. It offers two pathways; one academic and one practical, which enables you to develop skills according to your own interests and specialisms.

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Introduction:

Utilizing the industry standard facilities within the Department of Music, this course allows you to specialize in areas such as composition for moving image, sound design, screen music analysis, film studies, and sound studies. You can develop your knowledge and research skills through approaches to audiovisual media including musicology, critical theory, and textual analysis. Students present their research in essays, audiovisual essays, podcasts, soundwalks, and other audiovisual formats. Film, television, gaming, and web-based audiovisual content creation are all expanding areas of employment for music graduates. The subject is also a burgeoning field of academic study. The MA Music and Audiovisual Media responds to these developments by offering both practice-based and critical studies pathways.

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What you'll learn:

• To compose and produce screen music to a high standard
• To critically reflect on relevant literature, methodologies, and theories of music in audiovisual media
• To analyze screen music in an engaging manner, drawing on appropriate terminology and theoretical concepts
• To prepare and present original research in a professional and appropriate manner using the necessary tools and resources
• To produce original compositions for a professional recording session or concert
• To work both under supervision and independently; justify and defend decisions taken in the construction and prosecution of research tasks
• To demonstrate the ability to plan, organize, review, and deliver a large-scale independent project

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Outline:

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Semester One:

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Compulsory Modules:

• Analysing Screen Music 1 (MUSI567): This module will introduce students to the skills needed to research, analyze, critically assess, and write about music and audiovisual media at a postgraduate level.
Students will learn historical and technological approaches to synchronizing music to moving images across a broad range of media, from silent and narrative cinema to pop music videos, video games, and more.
• Composing to Picture 1 (MUSI569): This module will introduce students to a range of professional practices and applications of screen composition.
Students will master the technical skills and storytelling strategies required to synchronize their music to picture in an appropriate and considered way. The module encourages students to build a portfolio of work consisting of a range of audiovisual media. Sessions will be delivered as lectures and workshops in the Mac Suite, and students will be assessed on their curated practical work. Topics will include composing for video games, web content, and other forms of modern content. Prominent theories will be discussed and formative exercises will provide practical experience, culminating in a final creative project. During the module, students will gain skills and experience with software such as Unity and FMOD.
• Creative Sound Design (MUSI559): This module will introduce students to the creative application and choreography of sound in audiovisual media.
Topics will include Foley sound, storytelling with sound, the relationship between music and sound, and mixing. Sessions will be delivered in a combination of seminars and practical studio workshops in our new Foley stage. During the module, students will gain skills and experience with software such as Logic Pro and Pro Tools.
• Sound and Digital Cultures (MUSI551): This module will introduce students to the use of music in digital media, from music videos to social and interactive media.
Students will learn how the circulation of music on the Internet has affected music production, dissemination, and reception. Topics may include music and apps/streaming, music/sound/voice and AI, and other forms of modern media and digital communication. The module will culminate in a case study of a digital audiovisual media work.
• Soundscapes and Screen Media (MUSI565): This module will introduce students to the concepts and creations of soundscapes in screen media.
Students will learn how different musical genres and sound effects create ambience and environments in media from films to video games. Topics will include a select history of music and sound design, and the relationship between music and sound. The module will culminate in a creative project that explores or creates soundscapes in audio-visual media.

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Semester Two:

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Compulsory Modules:

• Analysing Screen Music 2 (MUSI554): Building on from Analysing Screen Music 1, this module prepares students for the delivery of academic conference papers.
Students will develop a conference paper to be given in a symposium with fellow students and staff. This module will also continue to introduce students to recent techniques, theories, and scholarly debates in music in audiovisual media, such as the use of pre-existing popular music in film and television, and the creation of digital music videos. Students should have taken MUSI553 or have equivalent experience as approved by the instructor.
• Branding and Collaboration (MUSI552): This module will prepare students on both pathways for a career after the MA course.
The module will encourage students to work together to present their music and research in a variety of multimedia formats.

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Optional Modules:

• Composing to Picture 2 (MUSI556): Building on from Composing to Picture 1, this module will prepare students for a professional recording session.
It offers students the opportunity to develop their music and have it recorded by live musicians in a studio setting. The module takes students from the spotting session all the way through to the delivery of a mixed and mastered soundtrack. During the module, students will gain skills and experience with software such as Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, and Sibelius.

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Final Project:

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Compulsory Modules:

• Major Project: Music and Audiovisual Media (MUSI550): The Major Project marks the culmination of the student’s MA course.
Depending on individual pathways, students will deliver either a portfolio of original music-to-picture compositions, a written dissertation, or a research project that combines practical and written work. Students will each be assigned a supervisor with whom they will liaise throughout the semester.

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Assessment:

Students on the MA Music and Audiovisual Media programme are assessed through a combination of formative and summative coursework, including screen music portfolios, self-reflective commentaries, essays, audiovisual essays, and musical scores.

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Teaching:

The MA Music and Audiovisual Media programme is split into two pathways: research and practical. Teaching on the MA programme is delivered primarily through a combination of lectures, workshops, and seminars, as well as guest lectures and workshops with external partnerships. All teaching takes place on campus. In semester 3, students develop portfolios and research projects with guidance from a specialist supervision team. Assignments encompass a wide range of topics and can be focussed towards written or audiovisual research projects, or more practical projects involving music composition, VR environments, and/or sound design. Lectures and seminars focussing on career development and professional skills encourage students to think about and prepare for employment (or self-employment) after the course.

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Careers:

The MA Music and Audiovisual Media develops key skills to those working or wishing to work in a variety of fields related to music and media. The MA programme is particularly suitable for graduates looking to pursue careers in filmmaking as, for example, music composers, orchestrators, music supervisors/editors, or sound designers. Our staff and students come from a variety of performance and non-performance backgrounds and share interests that span classical, popular, world and film music. Long established as a classical music department, in 1988 we created the Institute of Popular Music – the world’s first specialist centre for the study of Popular Music. Music placed in the top quartile for impact classified as outstanding (4 ) (REF 2021). These include recording and production studios, an SSL studio, practice rooms with Yamaha pianos, a multipurpose rehearsal and performance space, iMac suites and a games research lab. In March 2022 we opened the Tung Auditorium, a new state-of-the-art performance venue seating up to 400 people, with space for a 70-piece orchestra.

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UK students (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland): Part-time place, per year: £10,800 International Fees: Part-time place, per year: £22,400 Fees stated are for the 2024-25 academic year. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support. You can pay your tuition fees in installments. All or part of your tuition fees can be funded by external sponsorship. International applicants who accept an offer of a place will need to pay a tuition fee deposit.