Music and Technology
Music and technology is a discipline that sits at the meeting point of musical creativity and the technical systems that shape how music is created, recorded, and distributed. The relationship between music and technology is not new, every instrument is a technology, and recording transformed the industry in the twentieth century, but the digital revolution has accelerated the pace of change dramatically. Producers, composers, and engineers now work with software tools of extraordinary sophistication, and understanding how those tools work at a technical level, as well as how to use them creatively, has become a defining skill in contemporary music-making.
At the University of Liverpool, this three-year full-time programme combines musicianship and music theory with the technical skills of audio engineering, music production, digital sound design, and music technology research. The programme includes a sandwich year with work placement and a year abroad, giving you professional experience in a music or audio context and the opportunity to study music technology in an international setting. Liverpool's cultural heritage as a music city, and its active contemporary music scene, provide a stimulating environment in which to develop both creative and technical skills.
Studio work is central to the degree throughout, and you will build a portfolio of produced and recorded work alongside your academic study.
Graduates move into careers as music producers, audio engineers, sound designers, live sound technicians, studio managers, and music technology educators. The games industry employs audio professionals to design and implement interactive sound, and film and television post-production offers further opportunities for those interested in audio for picture. Broadcasting, podcasting, and the growing field of spatial audio and immersive sound are additional directions.
Some graduates build independent production practices, while others develop careers in music education or postgraduate research in music and sonic arts.