Welcome to the University of Northampton.BA (Hons) Popular Music

Mark Thursby –Programme leader

for Music.

Composer and producer of EDM. Mixing and studio engineering. Music theory and science

of music.

Guitarist and drummer.

Research in Philosophy and

mind/brain.

Dr. Jasmine Shadrack – Senior Lecturer in Music.

Research in Feminism,

psychoanalysis, trauma and

herstory, music and performativity.

Guitarist/front woman of a black

metal band. She sits on the board for Academic Charts Online, and is a

member of International Society

for Metal Music Studies.

James Kelly – Senior Lecturer in Music.

Composition, studio recording, mixing,

remixing, synthesis, sampling and sound

design.

Turntablist, exploring the

remixing of vinyl using DJ scratch

techniques for the creation of new

music.

Academic staff introduction.

Tony Platt – Producer & Engineer.

World class expertise.

Produced AC/DC, Bob Marley, Iron Maiden,

Motorhead, Gary Moore, The Cult, etc.

Yoshe Watson –Lecturer in Music.

early career academic specialising in

performance, socio-musicology,

subcultural theory, and music on the

Internet.

Radio: presenting on BBC Introducing and

Radio 1.

Outside of the day job, Yoshe performs with new trip hop /

electronica band Cassini Circles.

BA (Hons) Popular Music

Why study at Northampton?

• Instrument tuition in year one included in course fees (single honours)

• Taught by industry professionals (i.e. we all have music releases and / or published research)

• Accredited by the UK Music Academic Partnership (MAP)

• Combination of composition, performance and music production to give a complete view of the Music industry

• Innovative and exciting performances in a variety of venues

• Dedicated record label

• Opportunities to have work professionally mixed and mastered for release

• Specialised extra-curricular masterclasses for music production, Choir and instrumental/Jazz performance

BA (Hons) Popular Music

Why study at Northampton?

☯ To make beats

☯ To get better at [insert instrument]

☯ To improve your writing / academic prowess

☯ To LEARN new stuff

☯ You will be taught how your own brain works, and how to learn effectively

It's more useful to think of the human species as bad at thinking and learning* - we’re lazy, and we would rather not do it!

To understand why this is, we need a five-minute, whistle-stop tour of psychology, and cognitive science, etc. and so here goes…

Shock News...

*Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Macmillan*Willingham, D. (2009). Why Don't Students Like School? Jossey-Bass, San-Fransisco

System 1: intuition, sub-conscious, involuntary, automatic, irrational, gut instinct, FAST…

⌘Orient to the source of a sudden sound behind you⌘ Complete the phrase: “Batman and…?” ⌘Make a ‘disgust face’⌘2 + 2 = ? ⌘Don’t read the following word*

Fortnite

⌘Stereotype, judge people and gossip ⌘Drive to work⌘Read a bedtime story to your children! (parents)

Things become fast and automatic through prolonged practice

*Note that you cannot prevent yourself from doing some of the above. Stroop Test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E92GSwr46DY

System 2: intentional, restrained, logical, reasoning, conscious awareness, paying attention, SLOW

☯Think of system 2 as the conscious YOU☯Can be disrupted ☯Requires attention and effort

☯Brace for the starter gun in a race☯Search memory: can you remember learning to tie your shoelaces? ☯Monitor the appropriateness of your own behaviour in a social situation☯18 x 7 = ? ☯Fill out an application form☯Check the validity of a complex argument

(procedural memory: “remember the 6; carry the 5…” etc.)

Thinking is solving problems, reasoning, reading something

complex – anything that requires mental effort.

System 2 in Music

Consider the Add-1 game:

o Tap out a steady beat with one hand, next you’ll be given four digits (say 5294).

o Tap two beats and then say aloud the string in which each of the four digits has been increased by 1 (6305).

o Keep the rhythm going, and repeat every two beats.

o (try Add-3)

System 2 in Music

As you do this System 2 exercise, your pupils dilate by about 50% of their original area and your heart rate increases by about 7 beats per minute.

System 2 has limited capacity and you will eventually be unable to stop yourself from stopping!

You had to pay attention, didn’t you!

As you become more skilled at a task, its demand for energy diminishes

A general law of least effort applies to cognitive (as well as physical) exertion

System 1 is always first!

“Most of the time what we do is what we do most of the time.” *

*Townsend, D.J., & Bever, T.G. (2001) Sentence Comprehension: The integration of habits and rules. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p. 2.

☺ Note how often you’re on autopilot

☺ Note how often you daydream

☺ Mind-wandering is the natural state of the brain

☺ You would rather be in this state

Despite this, we like to think/learn if the conditions are right (and it’s not too onerous)

One example

of how to get

a first class

degree with

honours…

Chunking

Human working memory can hold only a few items at a time. Psychologists used to think that its capacity was around seven items (plus or minus two), but later downsized even that estimate, and today believe it is closer to three or four.

Fortunately, the rest of the brain is equipped with a workaround for the bottleneck. It can package ideas into bigger and bigger units, which the psychologist George Miller dubbed chunks.

Each chunk, no matter how much information is packed inside it, occupies a single slot in working memory.

Test: 10 seconds to remember as many letters as you can…

G. A. Miller, (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review. 63 (2): 81–97.

Chunking

XCNNPHDFBICIADNAX

G. A. Miller, (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review. 63 (2): 81–97.

How did we do? Let’s go again…

Chunking

XCNNPhDFBICIA

DNAX Chunking is not just a

trick for improving memory; it’s the

lifeblood of higher intelligence.

More Chunking

☺ Think about compression. Once you know what it is, it occupies one slot in your working memory

☺ When you first learn about it though, compression seems fantastically complex:

→ Ratio→ Dynamic range→ Loud parts quieter, quiet parts louder→ Make up gain→ Side chaining→ Multiband compression→ Threshold

☺ You’ll know when you’ve nailed compression because you’ll no longer need to think

about it (system 1)

Success studying Music

The fact that you’re now interested in how your own brain

means you have an advantage from day 1

Popular Music course overview.

• Small group lectures

• Active Blended Learning

• Seminars

• Tutorials

• Online tutorials

• Workshops

• Independent and group study

• One-to-one supervisions

Entry criteria.

• A typical offer is around

• We may also accept Foundation diplomas or equivalent

• The Foundation Study Framework could be an option for you if you do not meet the tariff points required for, or if you are making a significant change in terms of the subject you would like to study.

• Age combined with professional experience may also be considered

Teaching style

Core modules

• Digital Audio Workstation 1 (Logic Pro X, Ableton 10, Native Instruments Komplete)

• Popular Music Studies 1 (genre, history, politics, gender, class, copyright, etc.)

• Performance 1 (high standards of performance and musicianship, gigs, opportunities)

• The Recording Studio (Pro Tools, Audient Console, mixing, microphones, critical listening)

• Cultural Theory 1 (philosophy, ideology, debate, reasoning, writing)

• Composition and Theory 1 (scales, harmony, rhythm, modes, notation, song writing)

Stage one.

Core modules

• Digital Audio Workstation 2 (synthesis, sampling, sound design)

• Popular Music Studies 2 (Protest music, globalisation, internet)

• Performance 2 (more advanced songbook, repertoire of songs, gigs)

• Professional Practice (Freelance work, self-employment, work experience)

• Performance with Technology (Ableton Live and Push, live implementation of technology)

• Composition and Theory 2 (advanced harmony, genre, rhythm, melody etc.)

• Cultural Theory 2 (philosophy, ideology, debate, reasoning, writing)

Stage Two.

Stage Three.

Core modules (choose your pathway)

• Professional Project (open project – make an EP, organise events…)

• Popular Music Dissertation (10 000 words of academic research)

• Pop and the State (Politics, protest, copyright, internet)

• Avant Pop: Experiments in Modern Music (serialism, avant-garde, music and philosophy)

• Music and Sound Design for Media (sound design for gaming, movies, media; Foley)

• Performance 3 (definitive repertoire, performance, professional bands)

• Advanced Recording and Production (professional recording skills)

• Music Education (teaching, learning, brain, work experience)

Foundation StudyFramework.The Foundation Study Framework at the University of

Northampton is an opportunity for you to successfully study

a four-year version of the three-year degree without the

standard entry qualifications, whilst gaining critical study skills.

We also offer a third year top-up option for those who have completed an HND in Music (or equivalent).

Top up.

Joint honours.

For 2020 entry can be taken with:

A B C D

Advertising Education Studies Business Accounting

Economics English Drama Business Entrepreneurship

History Law Education Studies Criminology

Popular Music Marketing Management Events Management Human Geography

Psychology Creative Film, Television and Digital Media

Production

Film and Screen Studies Human Resource Management

International Tourism Management

Sport Studies Health Studies International Politics

International Development Management Multimedia Journalism

Sociology Applied Social Care

Teacher / Lecturer

Freelancer

Music Journalism

Sound Designer YouTuber / Online

Composer

Musician

Live Sound Engineer Music Producer Media Sound

Film / TV / Ads

Careers.

Combinations of the above

Personal Tutor.

• You will be allocated a personal tutor at the start of the year

• They are there to help you with every aspect of university life

• They’ll be in touch at various point in the academic year

• You can arrange to meet them at any time

Money Matters.

• A range of scholarships and bursaries to support you

• Financial Guidance Team on hand to help you with any money queries from student loans to financial hardship, and budgeting to loans

Accommodation.

• Halls of Residence on campus, in the town centre and BoughtonGreen Road

• Private Sector Officer to give advice and guidance if you’re looking to go into private sector accommodation

Health.

• Doctor’s surgery on campus

• Counselling and Mental Health Team

• Additional Needs and Disability Support (ASSIST)

• Residential Life Team are there to support and advise students living in halls

Support.

We are here for you.

Thank you.Any questions?

32.

Contact: study@northampton.ac.uk

mailto:study@northampton.ac.uk?subject=Subject presentation - any questions