BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism (Full Time)

Level

BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism (Full Time)

Southampton Solent University
Logo Southampton Solent University

Need more information? Get more details on the site of the provider.

Starting dates and places

There are no known starting dates for this product.

Description

This dynamic course was created in consultation with leading music magazine editors in the UK and the US. It will help you develop the up-to-the-minute skills and knowledge you need to succeed in contemporary music journalism, across an exciting range of media.

&nbsp

Key elements include:

  • Sourcing, researching and writing music features, news and reviews for mainstream and underground audiences
  • Print and digital interactive magazine design and production
  • Radio and video documentary-making and webzine-building and management
  • Digital interactive journalism
  • Audio and audio-visual approaches
  • Popular music and music press histories, genres and cultures
  • Development of the music and media …

Read the complete description

Frequently asked questions

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.

Didn't find what you were looking for? See also: Popular Music, Journalism, Music, BMus, and Song Writing.

This dynamic course was created in consultation with leading music magazine editors in the UK and the US. It will help you develop the up-to-the-minute skills and knowledge you need to succeed in contemporary music journalism, across an exciting range of media.

&nbsp

Key elements include:

  • Sourcing, researching and writing music features, news and reviews for mainstream and underground audiences
  • Print and digital interactive magazine design and production
  • Radio and video documentary-making and webzine-building and management
  • Digital interactive journalism
  • Audio and audio-visual approaches
  • Popular music and music press histories, genres and cultures
  • Development of the music and media industries – and their futures
  • Course magazine Audio Addict, which gives students the opportunity to interview renowned international artists and experience a professional magazine and website production environment
  • Dedicated teaching team including internationally published music journalists, magazine editors and authors
  • Masterclass workshops from former and current music journalists
  • Extensive feedback and support from our expert team
  • Close links with music, music media and music festivals industries
  • The chance to work in student teams devising, producing and managing all aspects of SMILE, the University’s annual music and arts festival. Students work in areas such as print and digital interactive media, pre-event podcasting, SMILE daily paper, programme and website, pre- and post-event documentaries for radio and television and event production, management and promotion.
|

Industrial focus

Employability is at the heart of this course, and students benefit from the unparalleled links our staff have with the music and media industries.

Guest speakers from industry, live briefs and industry mentoring provide up-to-date insight, and there are regular lectures by visiting teaching fellows including James McMahon (editor of Kerrang!).

Students have secured work placements with music magazines and radio stations including NME, Mixmag, DJ and Radio NRJ (France), as well as arranging placements in related areas such as public relations, marketing and promotion.

A music journalism mentorship programme and music media partnerships are being developed to further link employers and professionals with students and help enhance students’ careers.

Solent students often work at music festivals such as Bestival, Camp Bestival and Blissfields, in areas such as daily newspaper and programme editorial and production, documentaries, marketing and promotion, artist liaison and event production.

Solent Music also supports music-related work experiences and promotes the fantastic music talent at Southampton Solent University.

The course offers a broad range of transferable skills which can help you find work within the music, media and creative industries. Recent graduates have found high-profile employment in these industries as well as developing successful freelance careers.

Course content

Year 1

Five core units:

  • Understanding the Music Industries
  • Popular Music: Styles and Genres
  • Popular Music Press: Contexts and Issues
  • Popular Music Journalism Practice
  • Tri-Media Production 1.

Year 2

Six core units and one option unit:

  • Histories of Popular Music
  • Mediating Popular Music: Sound-Vision-Text
  • Popular Music Journalism Practice 2
  • Writing for the Music Industries
  • Tri-Media Documentary Production
  • Tri-Media Website Production.

Options:

  • Pop: The Invisible Mainstream
  • Noise Annoys
  • Global Pop
  • Pop, Politics and Protest
  • Subcultures and Scenes
  • Curriculum Plus.

Year 3

Three core units and one option unit:

  • Collaborative Music Project
  • Individual Music Project
  • Working in the Music Industry.

Options:

  • Festival Cultures
  • Music Audiences and Consumption
  • Technologies of Popular Music
  • The Global Music Industry
  • Popular Music and the Moving Image
  • Hello Twentieth Century
  • Curriculum Plus.

Why choose Solent?

Developing skills in print, online, radio and audio-visual media, together with an in-depth knowledge of the music media industries, will open the doors to a wide range of career opportunities.

  • Solent is a Skillset Media Academy and officially recognised as a national centre of excellence in media education.
  • Course created in collaboration with editors of leading music magazines in both the UK and the US
  • Dedicated teaching staff that includes internationally published music journalists, magazine editors and authors
  • Unparalleled links with the music and media industries and unique partnerships with music festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Wilderness, Sonisphere and Blissfields
  • SMILEfest – an annual week-long student-managed event featuring live performances, guest speakers and industry-led workshops
  • Dedicated course magazine Audio Addict provides opportunities to interview and review well-known musicians
  • Supported work experience with magazines, radio, websites, festivals, music PR and the wider music and media industries through dedicated student placement body Solent Music
  • Industry-standard digital and interactive media facilities.

Assessment

Essays, practical production projects, timed assignments, group and individual projects and seminar presentations, portfolios and reflective writing projects.

Projects/work experience

In 2010/11 students produced the programme and documentary films for the award-winning Blissfields festival. Students also worked on The Bugle, the Bestival daily paper. Students produced the programme, website and films for SMILEfest, Solent’s own music festival.

Key career skills

IT, presentation, teamwork, creative thinking, analytical skills.

Graduate quote

Marie Louise Cooper

“While at Solent I was lucky to work with the music PR company Division Promotions. Whilst there I wrote a number of news articles and reviews which appeared on its online music and skate magazine Caught in the Crossfire. I also sent out press releases daily to some of the biggest music companies in the industry, as well as helping it to relaunch its website by sending out fliers and promotional materials, and creating a database for the company of all its clients. I also did daily activities like looking through magazines and collecting press clippings of the artists it promotes.

“Since graduating I have been co-running deadmau5’s label mau5trap. I’m currently working on getting releases out, accumulating weekly sales figures in spreadsheets, compiling weekly radio plays for our artists, and planning and organising our mau5trap parties. I’ve also made a presentation for mau5trap.

“Doing this course opened so many possible careers for me. I learned a wide variety of skills and have discovered that music journalism itself has so many useful skills that the music industries want. The teaching on the course was excellent and the tutors always inspirational.”

Industry quote

Paul Bliss, Owner, Blissfields

“Blissfields was very happy to be involved again with the students from Solent University’s Popular Music Journalism course who produced an excellent event programme for sale at the weekend, including some insightful interviews and information for our attendees. We were also impressed with their dedication and with the finished film that they put together after the weekend.”

Key info from UNISTATS

There are no reviews yet.

Share your review

Do you have experience with this course? Submit your review and help other people make the right choice. As a thank you for your effort we will donate £1.- to Stichting Edukans.

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.