Is This Music? Understanding Sound in Society primes you to formulate a vocabulary and repertoire of concepts so as to communicate with clarity on the subjects of music and sound. The module introduces you to the sociology and psychology of music and encourages you to reflect on your own musical activities in the context of other practices and theories. It covers a wide range of musical customs, Western and non-Western, classical and popular, past and present, although it focuses on musical and social developments since the Industrial Revolution. The aim is for you to understand not just how these customs connect with music, but why they do so, and how that engagement compares to that of others in the world.

Ensemble Performance assists you in developing skills and confidence in musical performance. Practical workshops will enable you to develop your skills in composition, arranging, performance strategies and improvisation. Through a series of collaborative small-group projects, you will develop arrangements of existing or original material to be performed in a public setting at the end of the module. You will produce all aspects of the final performance, such as staging, stage management and live sound, thereby gaining knowledge and understanding of this key area of musical practice.

Studio Practice focuses on the recording of music. The module will develop your skills in a modern studio environment, exposing you to current hardware and software which will provide you with real-world experience appropriate to the industry. The practical elements of the module are underpinned by relevant theory, established principles and working practices, enabling you to exploit the dynamic elements of music for creative purposes. Exploration and experimentation with microphones and digital audio workstations will culminate in the creation of a piece of music.

Creative Music Technology introduces you to a range of repertoires and techniques derived from sample-based approaches to composition and sound design. You will identify and analyse concrete (sample-based) approaches to composition within contemporary electronic music. Engaging in a creative exploration of the studio as an instrument, including the technologies and techniques related to recording, sampling, sound design, sequencing and arranging, will enable you to develop knowledge of a variety of skills that can be applied within musical compositions. You will create your own sounds from scratch in a recording studio which will then be creatively applied in compositions or sound design projects. This process enables you to develop essential technical skills, critical listening skills and attention to detail.

Sound for Picture introduces you to the theory and practice associated with film sound and particularly post-production sound design. The module examines both the relevant theory and the technology necessary for successful capture of audio suitable for film. You will record all of the sound for a short digital movie, using only one microphone and a digital recorder. You will then have the opportunity to explore the perceptual properties of sound and manipulate it for dramatic effect with industry standard software. Keeping a production diary will encourage you to reflect upon the skills you gain.

Words and Music focuses upon a fundamental aspect of the genre of musical theatre that will equip you with an understanding of issues that impact upon the creation and performance of musical theatre works. You will critically examine approaches to the combination of text and music. Initially taking examples from across a range of genres, classical and popular, the module will progress to focus upon music in theatre, from opera to musical theatre. This will be undertaken as a series of case studies, with the intention to develop your critical awareness and understanding of a range of techniques and practices. These will include solo song/aria, duos and ensembles and larger structures (e.g. the finale). The study will further examine the role and function of the librettist, and the relationship between composer and librettist (if they are not the same person). You will also be presented with opportunities to develop your own creative practice in the combination of words and music.

Performance Study is the first stage in which you are taught technique and musicianship, on an instrument or vocally, along a progressive path set by professional specialists. The module will generally be taught in one-to-one, hour-long weekly sessions (ten per semester).

Music Literacy is designed to assist those who cannot read conventional music notation or who have not yet reached the standard represented by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Grade 5 Theory examination. The module will introduce you to time-based and pitch-based notation, basic principles of writing melody, harmony and counterpoint, varieties of rhythmic notation, simple phrasing, and descriptive terms in various languages. At the end of the module, you will have the required knowledge and skills to be able to successfully achieve the ABRSM Grade 5 Theory standard.

Electronic Music and Sound Design engages you in a creative exploration of sound synthesis techniques, equipping you with knowledge and skills to inform the production of distinctive and highly flexible sounds for use in a variety of applied musical contexts. The module will develop your understanding of fundamental concepts and repertoires of relevance to digital audio, enabling you to identify and analyse synthetic approaches to composition and sound design within contemporary digital and electronic music. The acquisition of technical and theoretical knowledge will be demonstrated through the completion of a number of compositional assignments and original compositions.

Song Writing and Recording explores songwriting via notable examples from pop, rock, folk and country. The module provides you with the opportunity to enhance your composition skills while also perfecting studio recording technique. You will explore the works of contemporary artists by means of analysis, discretisation (segmentation) and dissection of their works. You will also synthesise a new original composition using the same chord palette. The module will culminate in the capture of an original song, performed and recorded in a high quality studio setting.

Recording Live Music focuses on capturing music remotely, outside of the recording studio. The module engages you with the systems and workflows necessary for recording musical performances in a range of different contexts, including (but not limited to) concert venues, field recording techniques, campus theatres and TV studios. In the latter studio environments,  you will be introduced to innovative approaches to remote audio capture using audio over an internet protocol (IP) network. Analogue and digital technology will be utilised throughout the module and you will gain hands-on experience of recording bands of various sizes and in a range of locations. Live recordings will then be mixed in a recording studio using relevant post-processing techniques.

Researching Music introduces you to a range of key concepts, approaches and theoretical paradigms deployed in the study and criticism of contemporary music and culture. Key concepts related to the cultural understanding of contemporary music will be discussed and critically interrogated in relation to musical examples. You will learn how to locate, interpret and understand music in relevant cultural contexts, drawing upon key terms and theoretical frameworks in the construction of critically informed arguments, and developing practical skills for identifying, planning and executing an independently structured research project.

Performance Development is the intermediate stage in which you are taught technique and musicianship, on an instrument or vocally, along a progressive path set by professional specialists. The module will generally be taught in one-to-one, hour-long sessions, supported by related classes focused on collaborative projects and improvisatory strategies.

Playing Live allows you to gain experience of performing live in different environments and in front of different audiences. You will have the opportunity to gain credit for playing live on the street, or at a venue, such as a local open-mic event or other specialist music venue. You will also have the opportunity to perform in the Creative Edge TV studio and to play and have your music streamed over the Edge Hill Student Union’s radio station. This module is ideally suited to performing musicians and will provide you the opportunity to engage with the planning and organisational elements necessary for successful live performance.

Soundtracks critically examines the relationship between music and moving images in cultural contexts such as film, television, video games, advertising, animation and interactive performance. You will interrogate the communicative potential of musical scores and soundtracks, whether sourced or underscored, in order to explore the discourses of visual culture and how they are amplified by ascribed non-visual (sonic) traits. Of equal note has been the applied use of ambient soundscapes, foregrounded music and songs. In the main, the module takes the view of the composer and sound designer, focusing on the contextual history and development of their role. Ultimately, you will create a music score or soundscape to a given film extract.

Arranging Popular Music introduces you to the techniques associated with the transformational role of the arranger in the production of popular music. While arranging is often seen as adding material to a song, the arranger might also refine the composition through reduction of timbre or enhancement of other features, and so the role of the arranger is often one of both transformation and realisation. As well as exploring facets of harmonisation, orchestration, instrumentation and voice leading, you will engage with the directorial, conducting and diplomatic skills needed to manage studio time and organise session musicians. Historical work by leading arrangers will also be examined to enhance your understanding of the arranging process and its deployment in different genres.

Dissertation Project offers you the opportunity to undertake an in-depth personal research project, under supervision, and explore a range of research methodologies and presentational formats appropriate to the project. You will gain a thorough knowledge of your chosen subject area and will be expected to shape that knowledge to produce a final submission that demonstrates your ability to locate the material within the wider contexts of your discipline. The project will require the consideration and discussion of methodological and epistemological issues. The dissertation will allow you to work independently to explore areas of contemporary academic interest, consider issues of current industry practice and critically analyse case studies or products within specific cultural and social contexts.

Employment Strategies in the Creative Industries allows you to examine and evaluate methods by which to optimise opportunities for employment, commissions and interventions such as ‘clean-up’ tasks. Comparative methods of planning, networking and campaigning will be studied and workshopped and industry professionals will outline their grounds for selection. You will acquire strategies of how to plan for sustainability, maintain relations with institutions, and gain sources of finance for projects.

Production and Mastering provides you with the opportunity to further enhance the critical listening skills necessary for more complex mixing tasks. You will explore and experiment with advanced music production techniques using current industry standard equipment. Attention will be given to the impact of software on the spectral and spatial enhancement of music during and after the final mix. The module will culminate in the production and mastering of a music composition suitable for delivery via a range of listening media.

Social Media Context and Practice engages with the information and communications technology currently underpinning download culture. You will consider the impact of internet-based sharing tools, specifically in relation to the online distribution and consumption of music. The module will also require you to devise a strategy for how this can best be exploited for a band or solo artist.

Foley and ADR Studies immerses you in a post-production facility and exposes you to the software, hardware and workflows typically found in the film, animation and gaming industries. Film audio is characterised by a heavy dependency on post-production techniques, such as Foley and auto dialog replacement (ADR). In motion picture film, it is common practice for the soundtrack to be constructed separately from the moving image. Dialogue and sound effects are often replaced in post-production, after the film has actually been shot. Animation and game sound is also constructed using similar processes, albeit in a slightly different order. Such processes employ multi-pass (looping) techniques which help bring to fruition the overall aesthetic of the moving image. This module will enable you to develop critical listening skills and a working knowledge of how Foley and ADR can be used to shape the sonic landscape of the moving image.

Electronic Performance and Interaction introduces you to advanced computational techniques for real-time digital performance and interaction design. You will develop skills enabling you to move beyond studio and desktop based environments into the field of live multimedia performance and exhibition contexts. You will learn how to build bespoke software and digital instruments that supplement or replace the fixed duration compositions common to digital audio workstation compositions with dynamic systems for live performance and interaction.

Advanced Performance is the final undergraduate stage of three through which you will be taught technique and musicianship, on an instrument or vocally, along a progressive path set by professional specialists. The module will generally be taught in one-to-one, hour-long weekly sessions, or group sessions, under the supervision of a specialist.