Music
Session musicianship is a specialist professional practice, focused on the craft of performing on recordings and in live productions for other artists rather than developing an independent artistic career as a performer. Session musicians are the backbone of the recording industry and live music production, contributing to albums, film scores, television productions, advertisements, and touring shows across every genre. At the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the BA Music (Session Musicianship) is a three-year full-time programme that develops and advances your skills as a musician while giving you a diverse range of performance opportunities to broaden your experience and repertoire.
The programme develops your instrumental or vocal technique to a high professional standard, alongside the specific skills that session work requires: the ability to read music accurately at sight, to realise parts quickly and reliably in studio and live settings, to adapt your playing style to different musical genres and production requirements, and to work efficiently under the time and budget pressures of professional recording sessions. Ensemble performance, sight-reading, improvisation, and the ability to work from chord charts, lead sheets, and notated parts are all central competencies. LIPA's connections to the music industry in Liverpool and beyond, and its reputation as one of the UK's leading performing arts schools, provide a professional context that enriches the training the programme offers.
Session musicians work in recording studios, live touring productions, broadcast and theatre orchestras, and the session pools that support advertising and film production. The work is typically freelance, with income built from a portfolio of regular clients and established professional relationships. LIPA graduates in session musicianship typically move into professional music careers quickly, using the networks and professional contacts built during the programme alongside their demonstrated musicianship.
Some graduates combine session work with teaching, composition, or music production. Others develop careers as live musicians in ensembles or touring productions. The programme develops the professional standard and versatility that sustained session work in a competitive industry demands.