22 July 2022
Liverpool, City of Music
Here in Liverpool, a port city on the north-west coast of England, statues of the Beatles provide an obvious example of the city’s association with music. Perhaps the world’s most famous band, the Beatles, helped to build Liverpool’s global reputation as a music city. Yet the city’s character and culture have always been closely associated with music. Today Liverpool continues to host numerous music festivals and venues. It has a thriving music culture and heritage industry and is a popular destination for music tourism.
This three week course will focus on Liverpool in order to explore the idea of a music city – considering how cities enable music to thrive, and in turn how something as intangible as music can help cities to develop; culturally, economically and socially.
Course leader
Dr. Paul Kiddy and Taran Harris
Course aim
The following is indicative of the topics that will be considered on the module:
1. The ‘Mersey sound’ or the ‘Liverpool sound’ – how did this evolve and establish itself, and the implications of this for current musical practice in the city.
2. Music scenes and music places in Liverpool – their economic and social impact.
3. Reputation and influence – how is Liverpool understood as a music city, nationally and globally.
4. Documenting Liverpool’s musical history – archives and museums – how is music represented within broader narratives about the city, and what sources are available for investigating Liverpool’s musical past?
5. Music tourism in Liverpool – in what ways are visitors to the city invited to engage with its musical heritage?
Credits info
5 EC
Credits are equivalent to 2.5 ECTS
Fee info
GBP 0: Module must be taken as part of a Week 4-6 or Week 1-6 International Summer School programme, so no individual module prices are available.