Music: Popular Music and Recording with Foundation Year

The University of Salford has an international reputation for innovation and excellence in popular music education. This pioneering course explores popular music from a broad range of perspectives, developing technical and creative skills while placing an emphasis on academic and theoretical aspects. It delivers a broad-based curriculum during the first year with excellent opportunities for specialisation throughout years two and three. Our vibrant masterclass series is designed to enhance your career planning, involving internationally renowned guest speakers and visiting artists from the creative industries.

You will engage with popular music as an academic discipline, developing a detailed understanding of key popular music concepts, techniques and processes, as well as perfecting your practical ability in performance, composition, arranging, and the creative use of music technology.

Building on our long-standing reputation for Popular Music and Recording, our course is well-known for producing artists such as members of the British art rock band Everything Everything, singer-songwriter Kristyna Miles and James Cook (lead singer) and Rick Boardman (keyboards), members of 3-piece Indie Electronica band Delphic.

You will study popular music as a discipline from a broad range of perspectives, developing technical and creative skills while placing an emphasis on academic and theoretical aspects. Our masterclass series involves leading professionals from the popular music industry – whether performers, composers or producers - designed to assist you in your professional development and career management.

Salford’s proximity to Manchester city centre means you will be able to take full advantage of the region’s world-renowned music scene as both an active participant and enquiring spectator. Our students regularly contribute to programmes, theatre productions, concerts and gigs as music performers and composers, and the course provides ample opportunity for you to engage with like-minded creative artists.

In addition to the traditional three year degree route, you have the option of pursuing additional training and academic tuition by undertaking our four year Foundation course, which prepares you for study at an undergraduate level.

This course is not open to international students.

On the foundation year, you will develop both your individual and ensemble instrumental ability. You will receive weekly one-to-one instrumental tuition from a specialist tutor, focusing on technique and its application across a broad range of repertoire. You will also join one of the many Ensembles within the Directorate, including Popular Music Choir, Big Band, Brass Band, Wind Band and Classical Choir.

After your foundation year, in your first year on the full degree programme, you’ll focus on instrumental creativity and proficiency through ensemble and one-to-one lessons with leading performance specialists. In addition to examining the concepts of style and genre in English language popular music, you’ll develop fundamental creative skills in arranging, applied composition and music technology.

In year two you’re given the opportunity to specialise within the musical fields of your interests and skill set. In the final year, you consolidate your learning, deepening your individual creativity in a personal body of portfolio work. You’ll also apply your enterprising skills on a major project designed to enhance your professional practice.