Music Academic Partnership: MAP

MAP is a ground-breaking collaboration between educational institutions and the membership of UK Music. Its focus is on linking industry and academia more effectively to: nurture collaborative projects such as research and careers events; inform and engage with the next generation of industry professionals; develop expert knowledge-base to feed into education & skills policy work, and; provide individuals who want to build careers out of their passion for music with extra opportunities.

Businesses in today’s modern industry are looking for an extremely qualified and skilled workforce to support music talent. Our MAP partners work hard to ensure their students are ready for a career in the music industry.

MAP is designed to maximise the relationship between the industry and the educational institutions involved. UK Music provides links and experiences that will helping the employability of the students enrolled in those institutions. Our MAP partners are future-proofing the music industry by ensuring new entrants have the right mix of experience and skills needed.

MAP Website

The Music Academic Partnership now has it’s own dedicated website: musicacademicpartnership.org

The website has information on all the members, information about becoming a member, news on events and great education resources.

MAP Institutions

Benefits of MAP to academic institutions and students

Help educational institutions attract the brightest and best UK and international students, by demonstrating their close ties with the music industry
Help ensure graduates are more employable in the music industry by offering them opportunities to participate in the industry ‘in action’
Provide a platform for world-class collaborative research projects to address pertinent industry issues
Provide a network to share ideas and communicate at a national and international policy level
Help young people wishing to pursue a career in the music industry decide which courses and institution best suits their needs
Reap the wider benefits of a long-term partnership between the music industry and educational institutions

What’s On The MAP? Blog Series

What’s On The MAP? is a blog series looking at the partners that make up UK Music’s ground-breaking Music Academic Partneship.

UK Music Director of Education & Skills Dr Oliver Morris takes a closer at what each of our academic partner is offering students, how they adapted with the pandemic, and other key trends and issues.

MAP Talent Pipeline Tour

The MAP Tour aims to engage and inspire the talent of the future and encourage individuals from all backgrounds and with a range of interests and skills to aim to work in – and for – the music industry. The tour visits all of UK Music’s academic partners, with a fantastic line-up of industry speakers. Events took place online during the pandemic.

Outstanding MAP Graduate Awards

MAP institutions have the opportunity to nominate up to two graduates each for their outstanding contribution to music. This could be in (but not limited to) any of the following areas: research, recording, performance, general musical life of the institution, wider musical life of the city / area, business success or their community work. The nominations are judged by UK Music’s Skills Programme Board and look at their university career, their career following graduation and potential to make an impact in the future. This is an annual award to identify and recognise some of the most dynamic and successful individuals to come through MAP institutions.

The award celebrates the outstanding contribution of MAP graduates and also MAP institutions to music.

MAP Collaborative Research

The Music Academic Partnership (MAP) between UK Music and 10 academic institutions creates an exciting opportunity for industry and academia to collaborate on new, industry-relevant research.

Through the UK Music membership, we have privileged access to data and expertise spanning the breadth of the music industry. Our academic partners bring the highest analytical and methodological rigour to bear across faculties and disciplines. By joining forces, we can break new ground in research excellence.

Music is intrinsic to the UK’s identity and to its global reputation. Yet there are big gaps in the evidence base documenting the dynamic factors at play that affect creative individuals and companies at the heart of UK’s creative base.

Our shared ambition is to pursue areas of enquiry that push back the frontiers in our understanding of the changing relationship between music and consumers, our culture, and the wider economy.