Research and innovation

School celebrates success at REF 2021

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School of Music pianos in the Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall. The piano and seat are positioned in front of blue velvet drapes.

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Our research

The School of Music at Leeds represents one of the largest collections of music researchers in the UK. Our primary research aim is to explore the interaction of music with people, cultures and technologies, and disseminate knowledge created through this work to advocate for the historic and continued significance of music in society.

Our research expertise includes the cultural and historical study of music, music analysis, aesthetics, composition, music technology, music psychology, music and wellbeing, and music pedagogy. Researchers in the School come from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds and employ diverse methodological approaches. The School supports the development of excellent disciplinary research but simultaneously appreciates that alongside deep disciplinary expertise, pressing global challenges require international and multidisciplinary approaches.

The quality of our research, and the funding it attracts, means we are able to invest in excellent facilities and academic staff who are actively engaged in research.

Research clusters

Our four research clusters provide a creative academic context for postgraduate research supervision, collaborative research and impact building, representing key themes within our research

Music as Culture

Our research explores a rich variety of musicology from the seventeenth century to the present day.

Research projects

Our research projects explore a wide range of contemporary issues within the music industry, working with partners on a global scale.

Centre for Practice Research in the Arts

The Centre for Practice Research in the Arts (CePRA) brings together practitioner-researchers from across the arts disciplines whose work employs practice research methodologies.

More on Centre for Practice Research in the Arts

Music Psychology at Leeds

We are leaders in the field of music psychology. Our research investigates areas including musical imagery, creativity, preferences, audiences, development, identity and listening behaviours. We explore the intersections between music and wellbeing and undertake real-world research into the impact of music on physical and mental health. Our researchers actively collaborate with organisations as diverse as Opera North, the Science Museum and the National Health Service.

Impact and Engagement

We produce individual, collaborative and interdisciplinary research that generates impact in a broad range of real-world, academic and non-academic contexts.

Our research explores the interaction of music with people, cultures and technologies and seeks to advocate for the historic and continued significance of music in society.

Our work, at local, national and global scale, supports a variety of cultural, social, educational and charitable organisations and we are committed to bringing benefit to those with whom we collaborate.

In addition to opportunities for engagement presented by our ongoing research projects, we offer extensive public engagement opportunities through our Music Research Seminars, Public Lecture Series and International Concert Series programmes.

Student using a synthesiser during a workshop in the School of Music's Multimedia Cluster.

Music Research Seminars

A wide-ranging programme of Research Seminars, featuring invited guest speakers and staff, covering a broad view of current musicology and interdisciplinary research, including composition and technology; music and social sciences; music management; new approaches to music history; music psychology; and performance (analysis, history, pedagogy, practice).

Postdoctoral opportunities

The School of Music supports applications for British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and other schemes as they are announced.