BCMCR Event Series – BCMCR Undergraduate Research Showcase

BCMCR invites you to the research event ‘BCMCR Undergraduate Research Showcase’.

Date: 14 May 2025 | Time: 16:00PM – 18:00PM UK TIME

Place: Parkside Building, P131 and Online via Teams

Tickets Available: In-Person/Online

If you are interested in attending this event, please click ‘join the guestlist’ to reserve a ticket.

This will be a hybrid event – for those who will be on campus please join us in P131, where light refreshments will be served. Alternatively, please sign up to ensure you receive the link for MS Teams.

Please also be aware that this event is INTERNAL ONLY.

Event Bio:

Following on from the success of last year’s event, we are delighted to once again invite several undergraduate students from the College of English and Media to share their dissertation research with us in this year’s Undergraduate Research Showcase. They will discuss their individual projects, providing potential new insights into research, and we hope this event will highlight the bright future of research at Birmingham City University. The event will run for one hour followed by a 30-minute Q&A session, with the remaining 30 minutes for post-event socialising.

Presenter Bios:

Lily Harris, BA (Hons) Music Industries – Mental Health and Touring, dissertation
“I’m Lily and I study Music Industries. Throughout the duration of the course, I have solidified my passion for Live Music and hope to go into tour management post-graduation. During my studies, I have put on my own live event and have volunteered for music festivals which has been so beneficial as experience in the live music industry.
My major project focuses on the prevalence of mental health issues in the touring industry and the stressors involved that contribute to this. Making use of semi-structured interviews, my research concludes the need for change in the industry to combat the mental health crisis.”

Cara Pover, BA (Hons) Media and Communications – Impacts and Implications of Corporate Pride Campaigns, dissertation
“I’m Cara and I study Media and Communications at BCU. I’m pursuing a career in the PR industry, and I have begun building experience in the field. I completed a placement at Stir PR, where I gained hands on insight into agency life, and I have an upcoming placement with Live Nation after graduation to further immerse myself in the industry.
My Major Project explores the impacts and implications of corporate Pride campaigns. My research critically examines themes such as rainbow capitalism, corporate activism, heteronormativity, and LGBT history. I conducted two focus groups to better my understanding of perception and responses to pride campaigns. Drawing from this data, I analysed the growing scepticism towards the LGBT movement and the regressive political climate. My research also highlights issues of selected representation and the binary structures within mainstream Pride campaigns, that often marginalise trans and bisexual people. While online discourse around Pride related initiatives is extensive, there is limited scholarly work focused specifically on this topic, my research offers new data contributing to the cultural and social significance of Pride-related initiatives, to help fill that gap.”

Malaika Mwande, BA (Hons) Media Production – Globalised Genres: Afrobeats Scenes in the UK and Beyond, hybrid – dissertation and a series of zines
“My name is Malaika Mwande, I study Media Production. After University I plan to study music management as a postgraduate degree and hopefully become an Artist manager, doing DJ-ing alongside that.

My project explores how participants in the UK Afrobeats music scene interpret the influence of the genre on globalised popular music genres. It will explore the development, sound and cultural significance of Afrobeats specifically within the UK. This study seeks to understand how UK-based Afrobeats artists, dancers, DJ’s and fans perceive and integrate elements from genres such as HipHop, R&B, and electronic music. With the use of interviews and series of zines to accompany this dissertation, the research investigates how Afrobeats has developed over time to cater to its UK audiences, and how those within the UK scene have reacted and developed with this whilst also exploring how this has helped the genre go global. By focussing on the perspectives of key participants within the scene, this dissertation provides insight into how the hybridization of musical styles, challenges traditional values and contributes to the evolution of global genres. The findings emphasise the dynamic relationship between local and global trends in shaping musical identity and artistic expression within the UK Afrobeats community.”

Thomas Lees, BA (Hons) Music Industries – The New Keyboard: On AI, Music and Creativity, hybrid – dissertation and a series of video essays
“My name is Tommy Lees. I’m a final year student, on the Music Industries course. The course is quite broad in what it covers: everything from cultural theories, to economics of live/ recorded music, but the main point of focus for me has been disruptive technological advancements within the industry. What initially drew me to music was composition and creation itself. I never saw myself as a natural night-time economist, but cultural research and creativity through music creation, filming and video editing were skills I honed throughout my childhood, and further alongside others throughout my time at University. Throughout my three years, AI has advanced rapidly, and that’s been great for a number of subject areas. However, one particular area of public scrutiny has been AI-based creativity, especially arts.
What often draws commercial appeal for the arts is the human stories behind it, and these traits are made all the more captive via assisted AI tools, that allow creative people with lesser budgets to display their ideas with higher mixing prowess. Generative AI companies, however, namely Suno and Udio, have used controversial, and perhaps (depending how certain lawsuits between themselves and music publishing companies go), illegal practices. I explore the future implications for the industry amongst professionals tackling AI policy, musicians and sound engineers. My project portion has been created into a more accessible form, in a 2-part video mini-series titled “The New Keyboard.” I hope the creativity on display captivates you and perhaps introduced you to a topic you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.”