I am a senior lecturer at the University of East London and have been programme leader of the Music Culture: Theory and Production (BA) since 2003-04, the inaugural year of the degree. I have also taught Cultural and Media Studies in what is now the School of Humanities and Social Sciences since 1999.
During Semester B of 2009-10 I will module lead Sound Systems, supervise third year dissertations, and continue with PhD supervision.
I will also continue to work on the organising committee of the Centre for Cultural Studies Research, which staged the Cultural Studies Now international conference in July 2007.
Lecture notes will be uploaded on UEL-Plus during the course of the semester in order to provide students with access to material (and to avoid requests for PowerPoint/Keynote presentations, which encourage passive listening and note-taking). The lecture notes are not delivered word-for-word in the lecture theatre.
In addition, the module guide is also available on UEL-Plus, as are seminar readings for week five onwards.
If you are interested in studying on the Music Culture BA or taking a music-related PhD in the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies at UEL, please get in touch and we can discuss your ideas.
Music Culture: Theory and Production (BA)
Music Culture: Theory and Production is an innovative degree that encourages students to develop skills in music playing, production and performance while reflecting on the place of music in contemporary culture. Spanning jazz to rock to dubstep, the programme explores a broad range of popular genres from the dual perspective of the musician and the cultural critic. Delivered at UEL’s Docklands Campus, the degree has acquired a cutting-edge reputation since its inception in 2003.
Music Culture: Theory
The theory component of Music Culture makes up approximately fifty percent of the programme and encourages students to analyse the relationship between sound and society. Deploying a range of historical and theoretical frameworks from the field of Cultural Studies, the degree analyses the way in which race, gender, sexuality, technology, economics and geography have intersected with sound and music since the rise of jazz in the early twentieth century. The degree’s theory modules explore the way music generates its meaning and affects, the relationship between technology and creativity, the history of genre across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the relationship between sound and the body.
Music Culture: Production
The production side of the Music Culture degree introduces students to different forms of musicianship, ranging from established modes of instrumental playing to newer practices that have emerged around synthesizers and digital technologies. Making up approximately fifty percent of the degree, the production modules introduce students to the core principles of instrumental music and digitally generated music, after which they explore various forms of music-making, including improvisation, production, interdisciplinary collaboration, digital sound, sound and the moving image, and sound and the internet. Production modules are taught within the framework of “critical practice”, which encourages students to engage critically and self-reflexively with the music-making process.
Private Tuition and SongLab
The Music Culture degree supports students in their instrumental, vocal and production development by offering support for private tuition. Students are asked to make a contribution to the cost of the lessons, with the bulk of the tutor fee paid by UEL. In addition, a weekly non-assessed workshop called SongLab encourages students to develop their songwriting skills across a broad range of generic styles.
Students
Arriving from a wide range of musical and social backgrounds, Music Culture students are attracted by the panoramic scope of the degree and want to be challenged to broaden their musical horizon. In addition, Music Culture students understand that their musicianship will be enhanced by engaging with the culture and history of music, and that these studies will benefit, in turn, from their hands-on experience of making music. Music Culture students are also keen to live in London, one of the most important music-making cities in the western world. Having settled on London, Music Culture students are also drawn to the special position of East London, which has become the most dynamic region in the UK for making new and innovative music.
The Single Honours Programme
Music Culture students are required to pass eighteen modules, taking three modules a semester for the duration of the three-year programme. Students take core production and theory modules during the first and second years. During the third year, students get to write a dissertation, develop an extended piece of music, and go on a music industry/community placement. At points, students can also take options in other degrees, ranging from Cultural Studies to Media Studies to Music Industry Management. Students are assessed through a combination of production-based activity (performance, production and composition), critical writing (research-based essays, reflective essays, dissertation) and seminar presentations, with second and third year marks contributing to the final degree award. In addition, students are encouraged to take a range of extra-curricular professional courses at Stratford Circus, one of our collaborative partners and a leading arts venue in East London.
Resources
Production modules are taught in the Multimedia Production Centre (MPC), a vibrant music/media/art space situated on the Docklands campus. The degree is delivered via state-of-the-art equipment, using software such as Logic Studio. The MPC’s Equipment Store has a wide supply of musical equipment and instruments that students can book out, and is an Apple Approved Training Centre for Education. Students are encouraged to book practice rooms and studios in the MPC in order to work on their music, and the MPC has introduced extended opening hours so that students can make use of the facilities during non-peak periods. Live performances are regularly staged in the student bar, while interdisciplinary collaborations can result in performances in theatre spaces such as Stratford Circus. Students can also enrol on Apple Pro Certification courses through the University.
Institute for Performing Arts Development
The Music Culture: Theory and Production degree is part of IPAD, the Institute for Performing Arts Development, which has been established in the University of East London as a national centre for excellence with groundbreaking undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in theatre, dance and community arts practice, as well as music. The close proximity of these programmes enables students to meet across their disciplinary fields and develop imaginative collaborations.
Entry Requirements
Applicants will require 180 UCAS Tariff points, including a Level 3 (A-level of BTEC National equivalent) qualification. Applicants are also expected to be able to demonstrate a dedicated commitment to making music. All applicants will be interviewed by a member of staff before being offered a place in order to confirm their suitability for the programme. To apply, please contact UCAS at app.req@ucas.ac.uk. The programme code is WJ39 and the institution code is ELOND E28. Applicants who are not ready to embark on the three-year degree programme can enter the School at Level 0 rather than Level 1 and take Music Culture as an extended degree, spending the first preparatory year studying music and related subjects on the Media and Creative Industries foundation programme. We welcome applications from mature students.
Music Culture As A Joint Degree
Music Culture can be taken as a joint degree with a range of other subjects, including IPAD programmes such as Dance, Performing Arts and Theatre, as well as other programmes, including Cultural Studies, Media Studies and Music Industry Management. Students who take Music Culture as a Major take a range of theory and production modules, while those who opt for Music Culture as a Joint or a Minor get to opt for theory modules. Applicants who apply for the Major need to be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to making music, whereas those applying for the Joint or the Minor do not require a background in music-making.
Support
All students are allocated a personal tutor for the duration of the programme, while additional support is provided via the Student Enquiry Desk. The university (including the Students Union) provides support for students in terms of study skills, housing, finance, careers, learning resources and counselling. Professional musicians are employed to contribute to the core delivery of the programme, while the production facilities and library can be accessed across extended opening hours.
After Music Culture
Developing excellent levels of analysis and musicianship, the Music Culture BA equips students to enter a wide range of music related careers. Graduates can pursue a career as a musician, working independently (as a solo artist or a DJ) or in a band. Alternatively, graduates can pursue a career in the music industry, working for an independent or major label, or in music journalism, seeking employment with a specialist music publication or production company. A series of programming and engineering options are also available to technology-focused graduates. Finally, the Music Culture BA will equip students who wish to enter into postgraduate study in either production, theory or a combination of the two. The rigorousness of the Music Culture degree means the award will empower graduates, whatever their chosen path.
Information
If you have any questions about the Music Culture: Theory and Production degree, please get in touch:
Tim Lawrence
Programme Leader
Institute for Performing Arts Development
University of East London
Docklands Campus
University Way
London E16 2RD
Email: t.lawrence@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 7484
Website: www.uel.ac.uk/ipad
Maya Davis
Administrator
Institute for Performing Arts Development
University of East London
Docklands Campus
University Way
London E16 2RD
Email: Maya.davis@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 3000