BA (Hons) Popular Music
Leeds, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
14 Jan 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,900 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* BA with foundation year (year 0 only) - £15,700
In 2005, we became the first UK conservatoire to deliver a specialist course in Popular Music, and we’re still pioneers 20 years later.
Our BA (Hons) Popular Music degree is designed for bold performers ready to craft their own sound, develop their artistry, build a sustainable career and make a lasting impact on the music industry.
Whether you dream of touring in a band, working as a solo artist or session musician, or becoming an instrumentalist or multi-instrumentalist producer, this course will give you the practical and technical tools, artistic confidence, and industry insight to make it happen.
You’ll develop advanced instrumental and/or vocal skills, refine your performance identity and cultivate your stagecraft through tailored one-to-one tuition and taught group sessions with professional performers. You’ll have the creative freedom to collaborate with other musicians, focus your own creative practice, and work in our Apple Mac labs where you will learn the skills required to realise your ideas and performances into recordings using industry-standard software and facilities.
You’ll explore the cultural, social and industry context of popular music and will learn how to analyse songs and performances, empowering you to become an informed and adaptable musician. Through expert tuition and a regular series of visiting masterclasses and Q&A sessions, you will also learn the music industry skills that prepare you for the realities of a portfolio career.
From the rehearsal room to the main stage or recording studio – this course will help you grow as an artist and thrive as a professional and cultivate a successful career in the music industry.
Industry Collaboration
Masterclasses, Q&A sessions, live sessions, and input from alumni and industry guests provide insight and mentorship.
Leeds Conservatoire Undergraduate Principal's Scholarship
We are offering eight scholarships of £5,000 to new international students starting on a 3-year undergraduate course at the conservatoire in September 2025.
Please note that Foundation Year students can apply for scholarships for Years 2 to 4 of their studies. The scholarship does not apply to the Foundation Year, as it already benefits from a lower fee.
Principal's Scholarships are awarded to exceptionally deserving students based on audition and personal statement.
Full details can be found in the Eligibility & Terms section below.
Applications are now closed for 2025/26 entry
Foundation Year (L3)
- History of Popular Music
- Musicianship Foundations 1: Theory and Tools
- Musicianship Foundations 2: Applied Theory
- Popular Music in Context
- Foundational Performance 1
- Foundational Performance 2
Year 1 (L4)
- Performance 1: Skills
- Performance 2: Technique
- Creative Environments 1 (Pop and Folk)
- Creative Environments 2 (Pop and Folk)
- Musical Analysis (Pop, Folk, Songwriting)
- Musical Contexts (Pop, Folk, Songwriting)
Year 2 (L5)
- Performance 3: Artistry
- Performance 4: Creativity
- Creative Environments 3 (Pop and Folk)
- Creative Environments 4 (Pop and Folk)
- Industry 1: Infrastructure (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
- Industry 2: Portfolio Skills (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
Year 3 (L6)
- Major Performance Showcase
- Focus 1 (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
- Focus 2 (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
- Industry 3: Strategy (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
- Industry 4: Implementation (Pop, Songwriting, Folk)
Creative Opportunities
You’ll get to perform on campus and off campus, collaborate with songwriters, producers and artists, and build a performance showcase portfolio for the industry.
Graduate Destinations
Graduates go into live performance, session work, music education, artist development, writing, journalism and creative production. Progression to our postgraduate music degrees in performance, songwriting and production will be available.
Performance Opportunities
Students on our Popular pathway play at our regular showcase, ‘Crosswire’, and perform at venues throughout the city, including the Brudenell Socal Club, Belgrave Music hall, Oporto and Nation of Shopkeepers. In addition, many of our students join the Contemporary Pop Choir and other extra-curricular ensembles that the college run.
Recently, students have performed at:
- Sound City Festival (Liverpool)
- Eurosonic Festival (Netherlands)
- The Royal Festival Hall (London)
- Crosswire (a regular night for Leeds College of Music Pop and Production students)
- BBC One’s Pitch Battle (Winners) – made up of singers from our Contemporary Pop Choir