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Want to take your musical flair to the next level? Our MA Popular Music Performance course helps you sharpen your skills, define your creative identity, and build a thriving career in today's music industries.
You'll explore performance as both a creative and research-informed discipline. Through live practice, recording, interdisciplinary projects, and critical reflection, you'll develop advanced technical, expressive, and entrepreneurial skills to create music that's widely appealing and accessible.
The course encourages experimentation, collaboration, and self-directed growth, ensuring your work is original, professional, and relevant. You'll engage with current professional practices while drawing on cutting-edge research, giving you the tools to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-changing arts sector.
As part of this course, you'll:
Design and deliver original performance projects across live, recorded, and audio-visual formats
Explore diverse musical influences to shape your unique artistic identity
Apply research methods and reflective practice to inform and evolve your creative approach
Collaborate across disciplines, including with staff and peers from production, film, and performing arts
Build the entrepreneurial skills to sustain a dynamic music career in the arts
Programme overview
Main Subject
Music
Degree
MA
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
Want to take your musical flair to the next level? Our MA Popular Music Performance course helps you sharpen your skills, define your creative identity, and build a thriving career in today's music industries.
You'll explore performance as both a creative and research-informed discipline. Through live practice, recording, interdisciplinary projects, and critical reflection, you'll develop advanced technical, expressive, and entrepreneurial skills to create music that's widely appealing and accessible.
The course encourages experimentation, collaboration, and self-directed growth, ensuring your work is original, professional, and relevant. You'll engage with current professional practices while drawing on cutting-edge research, giving you the tools to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-changing arts sector.
As part of this course, you'll:
Design and deliver original performance projects across live, recorded, and audio-visual formats
Explore diverse musical influences to shape your unique artistic identity
Apply research methods and reflective practice to inform and evolve your creative approach
Collaborate across disciplines, including with staff and peers from production, film, and performing arts
Build the entrepreneurial skills to sustain a dynamic music career in the arts
Admission Requirements
4+
6+
54+
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subject of Music, Music Performance or Popular Music, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of popular music performance experience, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within a relevant creative field.
In your supporting statement you should reference the following areas (recommended 500 words approx.):
What you have previously studied and what you learnt about music performance;
Why you want to study the MA Popular Music Performance at Leeds Beckett University;
Describe your current musical practice (e.g. performance, songwriting/arranging production, interdisciplinary collaboration) that would form the basis of your study on the course;
Who your influences are as a performer and/or songwriter/arranger and why;
The type of music you enjoy writing, performing, or producing and why;
What you want to do once you've finished your studies.
All suitable candidates will be required to submit a portfolio prior to acceptance on the course. This should include at least three examples of your music performance practice that clearly evidence your creative musicianship and relevant performance experience.
Examples could include:
Audio or video recordings of your musical performance work;
Original recordings that you have composed, arranged, or produced;
Your work should be uploaded to a media-hosting site such as YouTube, Soundcloud or Bandcamp. You should also include a PDF document with an overview of each of the examples (i.e. when, where and for whom was the performance/production completed?) and identify your role/s in the performance/production process (Are you the performer, composer, arranger, producer?). Links to these documents should be added to the supporting statement in your application.
1 Year
Sep
Candidates are required to submit references or letter(s) of recommendation for acceptance
Candidates are required to submit an essay(s) for acceptance
Tuition fees
Domestic
10,400 GBP
International
18,440 GBP
Scholarships
Selecting the right scholarship can be a daunting process. With countless options available, students often find themselves overwhelmed and confused. The decision can be especially stressful for those facing financial constraints or pursuing specific academic or career goals.
To help students navigate this challenging process, we recommend the following articles:
MA Popular Music Performance
City Campus, Leeds, United Kingdom
12 monthsProgramme duration
18,440 GBPTuition Fee/year
SepStarting Month
Programme overview
Main Subject
Music
Degree
MA
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
You'll explore performance as both a creative and research-informed discipline. Through live practice, recording, interdisciplinary projects, and critical reflection, you'll develop advanced technical, expressive, and entrepreneurial skills to create music that's widely appealing and accessible.
The course encourages experimentation, collaboration, and self-directed growth, ensuring your work is original, professional, and relevant. You'll engage with current professional practices while drawing on cutting-edge research, giving you the tools to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-changing arts sector.
As part of this course, you'll:
Programme overview
Main Subject
Music
Degree
MA
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
You'll explore performance as both a creative and research-informed discipline. Through live practice, recording, interdisciplinary projects, and critical reflection, you'll develop advanced technical, expressive, and entrepreneurial skills to create music that's widely appealing and accessible.
The course encourages experimentation, collaboration, and self-directed growth, ensuring your work is original, professional, and relevant. You'll engage with current professional practices while drawing on cutting-edge research, giving you the tools to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-changing arts sector.
As part of this course, you'll:
Admission Requirements
In your supporting statement you should reference the following areas (recommended 500 words approx.):
All suitable candidates will be required to submit a portfolio prior to acceptance on the course. This should include at least three examples of your music performance practice that clearly evidence your creative musicianship and relevant performance experience.
Examples could include:
Your work should be uploaded to a media-hosting site such as YouTube, Soundcloud or Bandcamp. You should also include a PDF document with an overview of each of the examples (i.e. when, where and for whom was the performance/production completed?) and identify your role/s in the performance/production process (Are you the performer, composer, arranger, producer?). Links to these documents should be added to the supporting statement in your application.
Tuition fees
Domestic
International
Scholarships
Selecting the right scholarship can be a daunting process. With countless options available, students often find themselves overwhelmed and confused. The decision can be especially stressful for those facing financial constraints or pursuing specific academic or career goals.
To help students navigate this challenging process, we recommend the following articles:
How to get a full scholarship
Looking for a fully-funded scholarship to see you into university? Find out how to boost your chances of getting one.
Scholarships to study abroad
Find scholarships to study abroad with our lists of international scholarships – categorized by country, by subject, and by type of student.
Scholarship Applications: Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to all your questions about scholarship applications, including tips on how to find scholarships and chances of success.
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