Music

Popular, contemporary, and commercial music sits at the centre of global culture, and studying it at degree level means taking seriously both the craft of making music and the industry that brings it to audiences. This is a field where musicianship, entrepreneurial intelligence, and an understanding of how the market for music actually works are all essential, and the best practitioners combine all three. Whether your interest lies in performing, writing, producing, or building a career across multiple roles in the music industry, this course is designed to develop the whole musician.

At the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts this three-year programme draws on the institution's distinctive heritage and its professional networks in one of Britain's most significant music cities. You will develop as a performer, whether as a lead artist, session musician, or both, and you will also build skills in composition, arrangement, production, and media work. The course takes a broad approach to working across the music industry, preparing you to succeed in the multiple roles that a contemporary music career typically requires.

You will engage with the history and theory of popular music as well as with contemporary practice, and you will develop the professional habits and collaborative skills that working musicians need.

Graduates go on to careers as performers and session musicians, media composers and producers, songwriters, music supervisors for film and television, music managers, and entrepreneurs in the wider creative industries. The course's emphasis on commercial awareness means you leave with an understanding of how the industry works, not just how to make music. Further study at postgraduate level in music performance, composition, or the music business is also an option for those who wish to deepen their specialist expertise.