Masters Degrees (Music Composition)

The MA Music Composition degree programme offers you the opportunity to investigate the interrelationships between your own practice and questions arising about knowledge in and through art, composition, and dissemination in performance. Aimed at graduates and practitioners in music composition, this MA will allow you to build a strong and increasingly confident practice through awareness and interaction with current contexts of professional practice and research.

Course detail

The MA Music Composition shares delivery of core curriculum regarding practice-led research methodology with parallel MA degrees in Applied Theatre, Theatre & Performance and Fine Arts. Whilst your focus will be on Music Composition, there will also be opportunities for cross-disciplinary study and collaborative practice.

The programme will provide you with the opportunity to develop your compositional practice and thinking, and provide you with a platform from which to disseminate your work.

The curriculum, which also supports awards at Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma levels, is uniquely designed and focused on developing artists' abilities and capacities for professional and academic innovation. We emphasise relationships between composition, reflection, practice and dissemination. Teaching, learning and research on the programme will enable discovery of the variety of ways in which composition, creation and dissemination in music composition has evolved into its present media and forms.

This degree enables students who already have some experience of music composition to expand their artistic horizons, develop their reflective abilities and expand their portfolio as thinking practitioners.

Format

- Practice, Reflection, Dissemination -

This strand, consisting of two 40-credit modules, is designed to enhance your abilities as a self-reflective practitioner. It recognises the deep interrelationship between composition, reflection and dissemination, in terms of the development of an artist's work and its function and operation within critical and public domains. You will be introduced to the variety of ways in which composition, creation, dissemination has evolved into its present media and forms. These modules will be primarily focused around your own practice, contextualised by examination of various key practitioners, modes or theories.

- Creativity & Knowledge -

This strand, consisting of two 20 credit modules, is designed to deepen your understanding of key interdisciplinary questions, concepts and methodologies in the arts.

• Creativity and Knowledge 1 invites you to interrogate a range of key themes relating to the relationship between art and the wider cultural, social, economic circumstances of its production and reception.

• Creativity and Knowledge 2 consists of investigation into concepts of practice-based research in the arts and the examination of the epistemological and ideological implications of the widening of traditional concepts of research that such developments entail.

This strand of modules is taught cross-disciplinarily with students on the MA programmes within Creative Practice.

- Masters Independent Project -

Together these taught elements lead MA candidates into the final Independent Project module, where you will undertake an extended period of supervised practice-based research which is expected to draw together and implement the resources provided earlier in the programme.

For information on how to apply, please see the following link:
https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/how-to-apply

Other sources of funding

Information on alternative sources of funding can be found here:
https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/student-services/money/funding-my-course/postgraduate-/postgraduate-funding-/

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Overview

The MA Composition at Maynooth University provides a supportive yet stimulating environment in which to develop your individual compositional style. The focus of the course is the creation of a professional portfolio of compositions, the production of which benefits from regular one-to-one tuition from the experienced composers in the Department of Music. Core modules in contemporary compositional technique and the study of works and writings of other composers help broaden your compositional focus and allow you to carve out your own voice in the exciting world of contemporary music. These activities are complimented by regular talks and consultations with visiting professional composers and opportunities for performance of your works with both visiting performers and student ensembles. Reflecting the diversity of new music today, you will be able to choose from a range of modules in our sister course, the MA in Creative Music Technologies.

See the website https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/music/our-courses/ma-music-composition

Course Structure

The course is taught over two semesters. There are 6 taught courses led by four of Ireland’s most experienced composers. The degree will culminate in a portfolio of original compositions, putting into practice and developing upon what is demonstrated throughout the course.

Career Options

Recent graduates have gone on to enjoy successful careers as composer (for media and art-music), arranger, performer/improviser, music copyist, arts management, essayist/critic, broadcasting amongst others. The skills developed in the MA in Composition are transferable to many areas of employment. For example, non-arts-based companies also look for creative, independent employees and their particular skillset. Key skills are developed throughout the course, such as:
- Identifying, analysing and solving problems;
- Prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action;
- Working independently and as a team;
- Communicating (both orally and in writing);
- Demonstrating confidence and motivation to start and finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress;
- Applying and exploiting information technology;
- Demonstrating critical evaluation of the outcomes of the professional practice;
- Reflecting on and evaluate one's own practice

Postgraduate options - The MA in Composition also prepares students for doctoral study in composition.

How To Apply

Online application only http://www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity

PAC Code
MHT56

The following information should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

Certified copies of all official transcripts of results for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed. Non-Maynooth University students are asked to provide two academic references and a copy of birth certificate or valid passport.

Find information on Scholarships here https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/study-maynooth/postgraduate-studies/fees-funding-scholarships

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Overview

The MA Composition at Maynooth University provides a supportive yet stimulating environment in which to develop your individual compositional style. The focus of the course is the creation of a professional portfolio of compositions, the production of which benefits from regular one-to-one tuition from the experienced composers in the Department of Music. Core modules in contemporary compositional technique and the study of works and writings of other composers help broaden your compositional focus and allow you to carve out your own voice in the exciting world of contemporary music. These activities are complimented by regular talks and consultations with visiting professional composers and opportunities for performance of your works with both visiting performers and student ensembles. Reflecting the diversity of new music today, you will be able to choose from a range of modules in our sister course, the MA in Creative Music Technologies.

See the website https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/music/our-courses/ma-music-composition-pt

Course Structure

The course is taught over two years. There are 6 taught courses led by four of Ireland’s most experienced composers. The degree will culminate in a portfolio of original compositions, putting into practice and developing upon what is demonstrated throughout the course.

Career Options

Recent graduates have gone on to enjoy successful careers as composer (for media and art-music), arranger, performer/improviser, music copyist, arts management, essayist/critic, broadcasting amongst others. The skills developed in the MA in Composition are transferable to many areas of employment. For example, non-arts-based companies also look for creative, independent employees and their particular skillset. Key skills are developed throughout the course, such as:
- Identifying, analysing and solving problems;
- Prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action;
- Working independently and as a team;
- Communicating (both orally and in writing);
- Demonstrating confidence and motivation to start and finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress;
- Applying and exploiting information technology;
- Demonstrating critical evaluation of the outcomes of the professional practice;
- Reflecting on and evaluate one's own practice

Postgraduate options - The MA in Composition also prepares students for doctoral study in composition.

How To Apply

Online application only http://www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity

PAC Code
MHT57

The following information should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

Certified copies of all official transcripts of results for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed. Non-Maynooth University students are asked to provide two academic references and a copy of birth certificate or valid passport.

Find information on Scholarships here https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/study-maynooth/postgraduate-studies/fees-funding-scholarships

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The course is available in Standard Track and in Special Track

Course Structure
Part 1 (Diploma):

In addition to the Principal Subject, in which the student specialises; up to three additional subjects can be studied. Total of 120 credits.

Part 2 (MA):

Normally consists of a dissertation, composition portfolio, or critical edition (in the area of the Principal Subject). Total of 60 credits.

Course description
Standard Track:

The course combines specialisation in one area (including Historical Musicology, Editorial Musicology, Composition, Solo Performance) with further training in up to three complimentary areas.

The range of choice on this course makes it one of the most flexible MA programmes in the UK. Students can make their education as broad or narrow as they wish. For those with a single-minded interest in one area specialised degrees are available.

The programme is divided into two parts: two semesters of taught study (Part I, 120 credits) and a substantial independent piece of work in the main area, produced over the summer (Part II, 60 credits).

Part 1 is centred on the Principal Subject module (WMM4044, 40 credits) in the student’s main area of interest. It lays the foundations of a Part 2 project in the same area. The following subjects are available:

Historical Musicology
Editorial Musicology
Ethnomusicology
Celtic Traditional Music
Music in Wales
Music and the Christian Church
Composition
Electroacoustic Composition
Composing Film Music
Studying Film Music
Solo Performance
Sacred Music Studies
Early Music
20th-/21st-century Music
WMP4052 Preparing for the Part 2 project (10 credits) acts as a bridge between Parts 1 and 2.

An additional 40 credits will be gained through submissions in other fields through either one Major Open Submission (WXM4046, 40 credits) or two Minor Open Submissions (WMP4047 and WMP4048, 20 credits each). Students can select from a number of subject areas, including, but not restricted to, those listed above. Additional offerings include modules in Arts Administration, Music in the Community, Ethnomusicology and Analysis.

Depending on the main area of specialism, students will attend a core module in musicology (WMP4041 Current Musicology, 30 credits) or composition (WMP4042 Contexts and Concepts in Composition, 30 credits). During these modules students will became familiar with up-to-date research and creative techniques and methodologies in the selected disciplines.

Subject-specific teaching is provided through a combination of individual tuition and seminar session in small groups. Within each of the chosen subject areas, students can identify their own projects, for which they will receive expert supervision.

Special Track:

The MA in Music (Special Track) allows students to specialise in any one of the following areas: Historical Musicology, Editorial Musicology, Celtic Traditional Music, Music in Wales, Studying Film Music.

All the training will be centred on the student’s main area, aided by a broader look at the methodological foundation of the discipline as a whole (through the core module in musicology).

The programme is divided into two parts: two semesters of taught study (Part 1, 120 credits) and a substantial independent piece of work in the main area, produced over the summer (Part 2, 60 credits).

Part 1 is centred on the Principal Subject module (WMM4045, 60 credits) in the student’s area of specialism. Another aspect of the same area will be explored in the Independent Special Study (WMP4049, 20 credits).

WMP4052 Preparing for the Part 2 project (10 credits) acts as a bridge between Parts 1 and 2.

Depending on the main area of specialism, students will attend a core module in musicology (WMP4041 Current Musicology, 30 credits) or composition (WMP4042 Contexts and Concepts in Composition, 30 credits). During these modules students will became familiar with up-to-date research and creative techniques and methodologies in the selected disciplines.

Subject-specific teaching is provided through a combination of individual tuition and seminar session in small groups. Within each of the chosen subject areas, students can identify their own projects, for which they will receive expert supervision.

Compulsory modules:

Standard Track

Principal Subject, to be chosen from the published list for that Academic Year (40 Credits). Study areas currently offered are: Historical Musicology, Editorial Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Celtic Traditional Music, Music in Wales, Music and the Christian Church, Composition, Electroacoustic composition / Sonic arts, Composing Film Music, Studying Film Music, Solo Performance, Music in the Community, Sacred Music Studies, Early Music, 20th-/21st-century Music.
Compulsory Core Module: either Current Musicology (for musicologists) or Concepts of Composition (for composers) (depending on the Principal Subject) (30 Credits).
Open submissions: to be chosen from the optional modules (40 credits).
Preparing for the Part Two Project (10 credits).
(Total of 120 credits)

Special Track

Principal Subject, to be chosen from the published list for that Academic Year (60 Credits). Study areas currently offered: Historical Musicology; Editorial Musicology; Music in the Christian Church; Celtic Traditional Music; Music in Wales; Studying Film Music).
Compulsory Core Module: either Current Musicology (for musicologists) or Concepts of Composition (for composers) (depending on the Principal Subject) (30 Credits).
Independent Special Study (must be in the same area as the Principal Subject) (20 credits)
Preparing for the Part Two Project (10 credits)
(Total of 120 credits)

Optional modules:

Standard Track

Open Submissions (40 or 20 credits) may be chosen in any of the following study areas (but have to be different from the Principal Subject): Historical Musicology; Editorial Musicology; Ethnomusicology; Celtic Traditional Music; Music in Wales; Music and the Christian Church; Composition; Electroacoustic Composition / Sonic Arts; Composing Film Music; Studying Film Music; Solo Performance; Sacred Music Studies; Early Music; 20th-/21st-century Music; Analysis, Arts Administration, Music Studio Techniques, Popular Music Studies, Techniques and Practice of Instrumental or Vocal Teaching (20 credits only), Performance Practice (20 credits only), Music for Instruments and Electronics (20 credits only), Supporting Studies (20 credits only), ELCOS Language Skills (20 credits, international students only.ded study (e.g. portfolio of compositions, performance recital).

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The course (Standard Track) allows students to specialise in music after 1900. Typically students this area will be approached through a combination of different angles, such as historical musicology, analysis, performance and composition.

This will be aided by a broader look at techniques, methodologies and approaches (through the core module in either Composition or Musicology).

The programme is divided into two parts: two semesters of taught study (Part 1, 120 credits) and a substantial independent piece of work in the main area, produced over the summer (Part 2, 60 credits).

Part 1 is centred on the Principal Subject module (WMM4044, 40 credits) in 20th-/21st-Century Music. It lays the foundations of a Part 2 project in the same area.

WMP4052: Preparing for the Part 2 project (10 credits) acts as a bridge between Parts 1 and 2.

An additional 40 credits will be gained through submissions in other fields through either one Major Open Submission (WXM4046, 40 credits) or two Minor Open Submissions (WMP4047 and WMP4048, 20 credits each). Students can select from a number of subject areas related to music after 1900, including:

Historical Musicology
Editorial Musicology
Ethnomusicology
Music in Wales
Music and the Christian Church
Composition
Electroacoustic Composition / Sonic Arts
Composing Film Music
Studying Film Music
Solo Performance
Performance / Composition with Live Electronics
Sacred Music Studies
Analysis
Arts Administration
Music Studio Techniques
Popular Music Studies
Course Structure
Part 1 (Diploma):

In addition to the Principal Subject, in which the student specialises; up to three additional subjects (with a focus on music after 1900) can be studied.

(Total of 120 credits)

Part 2 (MA):

Normally consists of a dissertation or critical edition.

(60 credits)

Compulsory modules:

Standard Track

Principal Subject: 20th-/21st-Century Music (40 Credits).
Compulsory Core Module: Current Musicology (30 credits)
Open submission: to be chosen from the optional modules (40 credits)
Preparing for the Part Two Project (10 credits)
(Total of 120 credits)

Special Track

Principal Subject: 20th-/21st-Century Music (60 Credits)
Compulsory Core Module: either Current Musicology (for musicologists) or Concepts of Composition (for composers) (30 credits)
Independent Special Study (must be in the same area as the Principal Subject) (20 credits)
Preparing for the Part Two Project (10 credits)
(Total of 120 credits)

Optional modules:

Standard Track

Open Submissions (40 or 20 credits) are chosen from the following areas (with emphasis on music after 1900):

Historical Musicology, Editorial Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Music in Wales, Music and the Christian Church, Composition, Electroacoustic Composition / Sonic Arts, Composing Film Music, Studying Film Music, Solo Performance, Sacred Music Studies, Analysis, Arts Administration, Music Studio Techniques, Popular Music Studies, ELCOS Language Skills (20 credits, international students only)

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The flexible modular structure of our taught MA programme allows students to focus on a chosen area of specialism but simultaneously facilitates exploration of a wide range of research areas relating to music. It will provide an excellent foundation for undertaking postgraduate research at doctoral level, but will also benefit the professional development of musicians intending to pursue careers in teaching, arts administration, broadcasting, and other domains.

Students on the Taught MA programme join a vibrant international postgraduate community and study with scholars, composers, and performers who have achieved international recognition in their fields. The Music Department has been ranked in the top three music departments nationally in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 and the Complete University Guide 2016.

The MA Music programme will normally facilitate study of the following areas of specialism:
-Musicology
-Ethnomusicology
-Composition (acoustic and electro-acoustic)
-Performance

In addition, other options typically available have included:
-British Music
-Indian Music
-Music, Mind, and Culture
-World Music Analysis
-Audiovisual Documentation and Analysis
-Choral conducting (with special focus on Anglican church music)

Programme structure

Students will choose modules from sections A, B, C, and D below:

A. Major project, weighted at 60 credits (a dissertation, a public recital, or a portfolio of compositions/orchestrations and arrangements – depending on your chosen area of specialism)

B. A 30-credit module linked to your chosen area of specialism

C. Two compulsory core 30-credit modules embedding research training and engaging with major intellectual issues attendant on all subject areas

D. An additional 30 credits of Music undergraduate modules/selected undergraduate OR postgraduate modules offered by another department OR another related specialism-specific module from list B, subject to approval of the Board of Studies in Music.

Example: MA with specialism in Musicology

A. A 12,000-word dissertation on a musicological topic weighted at 60 credits

B. 30-credit module ‘Contemporary Musicology’

C. Compulsory core 30-credit modules, ‘Core Research Seminars’ and ‘Research Methods and Resources’

D. 30 credits of Music undergraduate modules/selected undergraduate OR postgraduate modules offered by another department OR another related specialism-specific module from list B

Core Modules

-Research Methods and Resources
-Core Research Seminars

And The following specialism-specific modules will be offered every year:
-Contemporary Musicology
-Ethnomusicology in Practice and Theory
-Compositional Techniques
-Music Performance

Optional Modules

Optional modules in previous years have included:
-British Music
-Music Analysis
-Practice and Theory of Choral Conducting
-Advanced Organ Studies
-Electronic Music
-Orchestration and Arranging
-Indian Music
-World Music Analysis
-Music, Mind, and Culture
-Audiovisual Documentation and Analysis

Learning and Teaching

The programme is delivered through a mixture of seminars, practical sessions and one to one supervision. Seminars provide opportunities for students to discuss and debate particular issues, and to present their own original work, informed by the knowledge that they have gained through independent study outside the programme’s formal contact hours. Practical sessions in areas such as studio or field recording techniques help to prepare students for their own independent work.

All students must undertake an independent project (dissertation,composition portfolio, or performance), which is developed with the help of one-to-one expert supervision. Finally, optional modules can be drawn from the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of Music or of other departments –these free-choice modules may involve other forms of staff-student contact, depending on the subject area. The Department actively promotes interdisciplinary approaches to the study of music and students are encouraged to engage with other disciplines in the humanities and sciences.

The contact hours experienced by each individual student will vary considerably, given a high degree of flexibility in the programme. Students will typically attend between 2 and 4 hours of seminars per week in term time, as well as additional practical sessions as appropriate. Individual supervision of dissertations, performance projects and composition portfolios amounts to an average of 6 hours spread over over the second and third terms.

Outside timetabled contact hours, students are also expected to attend research seminars, both student-led and those involving staff or guest academic speakers (typically 1-2 hrs each week). They must also undertake their own independent study to prepare for their classes and assessments, to broaden their subject knowledge and to prepare their dissertations or portfolios. Students are encouraged, as an integral part of their studies, to take advantage of other opportunities including participating in performance opportunities (including staff-led ensembles) and attending research and composition seminars, some of which are organised in conjunction with university research institutes.

There is a busy programme of musical performance, both within and outside the music department, which complements students’ academic programme by providing opportunities both to listen to and to perform a wide variety of music. The many musical ensembles to which students can contribute includes both independent societies (including orchestras, choirs, opera and musical theatre as well as a Javanese gamelan) and department-run ensembles such as the New Music Ensemble and Korean percussion group.

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The MA in Music offers advanced training in either musicology or composition. The modular structure allows students to pursue a broad generalist programme or to specialise in a particular area of their choice. Within the field of musicology, students can slant their studies towards one or several of the following: music in nineteenth-century culture, opera studies, popular music studies or film music. The composition pathway, meanwhile, provides a practice-based contemporary composition curriculum that encourages students to push the boundaries of their practice and develop a voice as an engaged and creative composer.

This course is unusual in combining a rigorous academic education with the opportunity to acquire vocational skills through our innovative Professional Experience module. Students take up work placements with a wide range of external arts organisations or undertake a project with one of our specialist research units. The course therefore offers rich opportunities for career development and can pave the way for further study at PhD level if so required.

Why choose this course?

-The flexible structure of the MA Music allows you to tailor the course to your particular interests. The course is one of very few Music MAs in the UK to offer professional experience as part of the course; you can undertake a work placement with an external organisation such as a radio station, opera house, museum, music publisher, magazine, concert promoter or school. Alternatively, you can undertake a project with one of our specialist research units. Recent students, for example, worked at the Handel-Hendrix House Museum, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Audiograft festival.

The course is taught by experts who are internationally renowned in their fields. Our research informs the content and methodology of our modules, ensuring that teaching is at the cutting edge of the discipline. Following REF 2014 Music has been singled out as an area of particular research strength within the University.Our staff disseminate their research to wider audiences via appearances on BBC Radio 3, articles in the national press and talks for major performing organisations. The activities of our research units in opera (OBERTO), popular music (PMRU), or sonic art (SARU) complement the programme of formal study. MA students can contribute to the research units' activities, for instance by participating in listening groups and helping to organise study days and conferences. Student composers have an opportunity to showcase their work through the annual Audiograft festival. Opera students go on a field trip to hear a live opera, usually in London.

Oxford is a fabulous city in which to study music, with a very lively concert scene and excellent research facilities. You will have access to the world-famous Bodleian Library and the new Brookes library also offers substantial collections centring on the specialist areas of the MA.

The course provides an excellent foundation for doctoral study for those who wish to continue into a career in academia.

This course in detail

Students studying for the MA/PG Dip in Music are required to complete the following compulsory modules* (30 credits):
-Research Skills and Applied Research
-Professional Experience

MA students are also required to complete the following (60 credits):
-Dissertation / Major Project

You will then take two of the following modules depending on your chosen specialism (30 credits each):
Composition Pathway
-Approaches to Experimental Composition and Sound Arts
-Electroacoustic and Live Electronic Composition

Musicology pathway
-Advanced Musicology 1: 19th-Century Music Studies
-Advanced Musicology 1: Film Music Studies
-Advanced Musicology 2: Popular Music Studies
-Advanced Musicology 2:Opera Studies

*As our courses are reviewed regularly for quality assurance purposes, course content and module choices may change from the details given here.

Teaching and learning

The MA in Music is taught through a combination of seminars, tutorials and skills-based workshops. Those taking a work placement will also receive mentoring and formative feedback from an individual at the placement organisation.

During your time here you will engage in lively discussions and original research. We aim to give you an in-depth understanding of recent critical debates, scholarship and practice in your chosen field, as well as to broaden your knowledge of musical repertoire.

Our pathways are original, exciting and flexible and one of the most striking features of the Music Department is its breadth of subject expertise. All staff members in Music are actively engaged in research and we have published our work in top journals and with the most highly respected publishers: our research in popular music, opera and sonic art was identified as 'world-leading' in the 2014 REF.

You will have an opportunity to work closely with staff members not only through the course modules but also through our specialist research units in popular music, opera and sonic art. Membership of these units allows you to attend conferences, workshops and talks by visiting speakers that will complement your formal studies.

Careers and professional development

Having an MA will make you stand out from the crowd, whether you are joining the course straight after graduating from undergraduate study or returning to study after a break of several years.

Our MA will provide you with the skills and knowledge to embark upon a career in music or to improve your current position. The transferable skills you acquire through studying for an MA in Music can also lead to careers in many other sectors, including management, law, journalism, media and the heritage industry.

Career destinations of our recent graduates include:
-Professional composition
-Performance
-Sound engineering
-Arts administration
-HE administration
-Teaching (secondary and FE)
-Retail management
-Youth work

Our programme provides the necessary research training for doctoral work and many MA students continue on into further research and pursue careers in academia. Our students have an excellent success rate in securing funded PhD places.

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The Music MA is a flexible programme designed to cater for those with a wide range of interests and specialisms. It is conceived as a 'next step' after the undergraduate degree, either as a stepping stone to research, as a qualification for teaching in the FE sector or simply to satisfy a thirst for development. There are 12 specialist pathways that you can choose from; each includes a range of core and optional taught modules and you will complete the course with a dissertation, recital or composition portfolio.

Pathways

Music MA: British Music Studies pathway
Music MA: Choral Conducting pathway
Music MA: Critical Musicology pathway
Music MA: Early Music pathway
Music MA: Electroacoustic composition/sonic art pathway
Music MA: Global Popular Musics pathway
Music MA: Instrumental/Vocal Composition pathway
Music MA: Mixed Composition pathway
Music MA: Open Pathway with Performance
Music MA: Open Pathway without Performance
Music MA: Performance pathway
Music MA: Performance Practice pathway)

About the School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

The School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music brings together a number of internationally renowned departments to offer an extensive portfolio of innovative and interdisciplinary programmes in an exciting and creative environment, underpinned by a vibrant research culture.

We received outstanding results across the School in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, with at least 75% of our research judged to be ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ across all subject areas.

The Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies is located in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which houses the Barber Institute gallery and an exceptional Fine Art Library. The Department of Music is based in the Bramall Music Building, with state-of-the-art facilities including the 450-seat Elgar Concert Hall, a suite dedicated to the study and performance of early music, five electroacoustic studios and a large rehearsal room. We also have one of the best music libraries in the country, with special collections including materials on 20th-century English music, Baroque music and an extensive microfilm collection.

In addition to housing one of the UK’s largest groups of internationally renowned researchers in the national cultures of Europe, the Department of Modern Languages also hosts a Language and Media Resource Centre which specifically supports language learning through the latest interactive learning technology. We have a vibrant, international postgraduate community and offer excellent study and research opportunities in a supportive working environment.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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A rigorously demanding course, the MMus degree offers an opportunity to develop your musicianship and academic skills to a very high level in a range of subject areas.

The course allows students to study a broad range of topics and disciplines in music and musicology, including practical disciplines in Performance, Composition, and Conducting, and research in areas such as Music Psychology, Music Education, Music Arts and Health, Historical Musicology and Contemporary Musicology. Whether you are hoping to enhance your understanding of music for a future research or professional career, the modules offered in this course will equip you for further study and professional life.

Visit the website: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/study-here/courses/postgraduate/master-of-music.aspx

Course detail

The programme offers you the opportunity to enhance your musical, compositional, performance, analytical, critical and research skills. In addition, you will apply these skills to your individual areas of interest in specific optional modules in written and practical disciplines. The choices of independent study modules mean that you will develop your performance, composition, conducting or research to MMus level whilst enhancing your knowledge of the wider field and contextualising your work within your chosen discipline.

The School of Music and Performing Arts is a community of more than 600 students from foundation to doctorate level, dedicated to creating and recreating music, dance and drama; all contributing to the musical and performing arts life of the University, the city of Canterbury and the wider community in the south east of England. This vibrant community offers exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration as well as more specialised subject­specific work. The degree is offered either as a one year full­time, or two year part­time course.

The taught sessions usually take place on one day of the week (usually Thursday), allowing you to continue with part-time work alongside your studies if you wish.

Suitability

The Master of Music programme aims to produce graduates who are accomplished and confident musicians and/or musicologists, who are able to work at a professional level within their specialist fields of study and who are prepared for further study at PhD level. The programme will develop your technical, conceptual and critical skills which will allow you to engage with music and musicology in a sophisticated and insightful way. The curriculum is designed to allow you to pursue specialist fields of study to an advanced level, including undertaking an extensive independent project or dissertation of your choosing, while developing a keen sense of context for those fields within the broader discipline of music.

Because the majority of teaching happens on just one day of the week (usually Thursday), the course is ideal for students who wish to continue working alongside their studies.

Content

Within the course, you'll take modules to a total of 180 credits.

You'll choose from one of the following individual study areas (60 credits each):
• Performance (solo instrumental or vocal performance)
• Conducting
• Composition/Creative Audio (e.g., acoustic composition, electroacoustic composition, popular song writing, sound art)
• Research Project in a chosen area of musicology (e.g., music psychology, music education, music and health, historical musicology, contemporary musicology)

You have four core modules to complete (4 x 20 credits):
• Research Methods
• Analysis
• Contextual Studies
• Criticism

And then you choose one each from the following pairs of optional modules (2 x 20 credits):
• Aesthetics OR Music Psychology and Health
• Performance Project OR Creative Project

Format

Your specialist field of study will be tackled primarily through independent learning, supported by either tutorials or instrumental or conducting lessons as appropriate. Students undertaking independent study in similar disciplines will meet for workshops and seminars during the year as they develop their work.

Supporting this, critical and contextual awareness will be explicitly developed through core modules, which are delivered through seminars that may be student-led. The option modules allow students to explore highly specific areas of music and musicology, through lecture- and seminar-based teaching, and to undertake projects within their own interests through seminars and workshop-based learning.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a wide range of assignments throughout the programme. These include musical performance, composition portfolios, written work, research posters, presentations and learning journals, and will be specific to the disciplines and modules that you choose to study.

The independent study modules will be assessed through a major project in each, with performance and conducting assessed through a recital, composition through a portfolio, and research project through a dissertation.

What can I do next?

Graduates of the MMus course typically go on to a range of careers which have included portfolio careers in music, performance and composition, working in a professional studio, music education and music research at PhD level.

How to apply

For information on how to apply, please follow this link: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/study-here/how-to-apply/how-to-apply.aspx

Funding

-Masters Loans-

From 2016/17 government loans of up to £10,000 are available for postgraduate Masters study. The loans will be paid directly to students by the Student Loans Company and will be subject to both personal and course eligibility criteria.

For more information available here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/study-here/funding-your-degree/funding-your-postgraduate-degree.aspx

-2017/18 Entry Financial Support-

Information on alternative funding sources is available here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/study-here/funding-your-degree/2017-18-entry-financial-support.aspx

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The Master of Music Studies (Composition) is a three-semester coursework degree that focusses on the acquisition of high-level composition technique. It provides the opportunity for those interested in composition, or with a background in composition, to develop their compositional style, technique and ideas within a rigorous musical environment.

The Master of Music Studies degree is based entirely upon coursework components that enable you to gain practical skills in composition. You have weekly composition lessons with a tutor and will take part in a specific composition class geared towards this degree. Composition skills you will acquire in this degree include the areas of compositional style, instrumentation, technology, performance genres and technique.

The Master of Music Studies also provides for the acquisition of skills useful to life as a professional composer, such as conducting, sound recording, research skills and concert curation. You will work on a weekly basis with student performers in the first two semesters, allowing you to try out new ideas and hear them immediately translated into sound.

There are no genre restrictions or guidelines as to music that students may create in this degree: this is negotiated between each student and their tutor. High-level notation and music theory skills are strongly recommended.

In contrast to the Master of Music (Composition) degree, composers in the Master of Music Studies degree are not required to write a thesis or dissertation. The Master of Music Studies (Composition) degree contains a greater degree of practical coursework components specifically relating to composition.

To ask a question about this course, visit http://sydney.edu.au/internationaloffice/

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Writing music for the moving image requires a unique combination of technical and creative skills. You will gain a solid grounding in the theories, techniques and practices essential for contemporary film and television music production.

You will work with award-winning composers from the film and television industry on real-life projects. After developing your composition skills in a range of genres, you will also have the chance to work with colleagues from other media courses to develop your portfolio of work.

You will have access to a suite of high-quality professional music studios approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.

We also have links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations as well as our very own Northern Film School, ensuring you have plenty of opportunities to sharpen your practical skills.

- Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.

Visit the website http://courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/musicmovingimage_ma

Mature Applicants

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu.

If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website (http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/recognition-of-prior-learning.htm).

Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.

Careers

Your course will give you the skills you need to help you create high-quality music for the moving image, film, television and media industries.

- Television Music Composer
- Film Score Composer
- Music Technologist

Careers advice: The dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit the careers site - https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/employability/jobs-careers-support.htm

Course Benefits

You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios, approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.

We have links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, as well as our very own Northern Film School, which ensures that you get the most from your course. We also provide regular visiting speakers from the music and film industries and a highly-skilled and experienced teaching team.

Core Modules

Collaborative Practice
Experience the collaborative working environment and develop your skills in fulfilling complex briefs.

Composing to Picture
Address the challenges of producing music for the moving image.

Film Music Analysis
Develop analysis techniques to enhance your understanding of historical, musical, stylistic and functional developments in film music.

Creative Sound Design
Gain the knowledge and skills you need to develop audio-based artefacts in the fields of electro-acoustic music, sonic art and sound design.

Research Practice
Examine the methods and skills which are required in order to carry out research into the ideas and practice of music technology.

Sound, Music & Image
Evaluate the relationships between sound, music and image, and devise and create examples of audio-visual media to a professional standard.

The Major Individual Project
This major project gives you the opportunity to engage in research and advanced practice in an area of your own choosing.

Negotiated Skills Development
Work closely with your tutors, researching and applying current theory and practice alongside a learning plan that meets your own aims and objectives.

Electro-acoustic Music
Explore the techniques and methods employed in electroacoustic composition and use those techniques and methods to create an original composition.

Orchestration Arrangement & Programming
Study contemporary approaches to orchestration and arrangement of music for the moving image and create scores and MIDI realisations to a professional standard.

Facilities

- Music Studios
"Being able to work in such good facilities gave me a buzz – I loved working in the studios." Piers Aggett of chart-topping, MOBO award-winning Rudimental

- Library
Our libraries are two of the only university libraries in the UK open 24/7 every day of the year. However you like to study, the libraries have got you covered with group study, silent study, extensive e-learning resources and PC suites.

- Headingley Campus
Our historic Headingley Campus is set in 100 acres of parkland with easy access to Leeds city centre.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/postgraduate/how-to-apply/

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This Diploma is a Pre-Masters programme aimed at postgraduate students who need a year to develop or consolidate their language skills in academic English, to develop additional music skills (theoretical or practical)- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/diploma-music/

You'll also have the opportunity to familiarise yourself both with ways of working in British academic culture and in the standards required at Masters degree level.

You can take it as a self-standing Diploma or as an ideal preparation for further postgraduate study. The Graduate Diploma in Music is designed to lead on to the MA and MMus programmes in the Department of Music at Goldsmiths.

You can choose to specialise in an area of music that interests you, whether it be music performance, composition or musicology (including ethnomusicology, popular music studies, historical musicology or contemporary music studies).

- Progression
If you wish to go on to study either at Goldsmiths or elsewhere in Britain you'll be given help and support in finding an appropriate programme.

Successful completion at the required level will guarantee you a place on a relevant Masters degree programme in the Department of Music at Goldsmiths, as well as some of the other Masters programmes at Goldsmiths.

See the website http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/diploma-music/

Overview

Half of the programme is made up of English for Academic Purposes modules, concentrating on different areas of language development:
- Academic Writing and Grammar Development
- Academic Listening and Speaking

The other half of the programme is taught in the Music Department. You choose three music modules from a list of options in different areas of music study, including theoretical music studies, performance and composition.

You will have a personal tutor and will receive support in researching and considering various MA degree options for your future studies.

Assessment

Continuous assessment includes regular seminar presentations and researched essays. There will also be written, listening and oral examinations. For those students who choose music performance and composition options, assessments will include a recital and a portfolio of creative work.

Department: Music

From opera to electronica, and from Errollyn Wallen to James Blake, music studies at Goldsmiths are unique and different. Firmly rooted in the 21st century, our programmes entwine academic with practice-based study, and historical with contemporary repertories.

- Performance opportunities
We’re committed to high quality, ambitious and innovative performance, and we have a wide range of ensembles that you can join, including:
- Goldsmiths Sinfonia
- Chamber Choir
- Contemporary Music Ensemble
- Lunchtime and evening recitals
- Music Collective
- Studio Laptop Ensemble
- Goldsmiths Vocal Ensemble
- Plus student-led ensembles: Chamber Orchestra, New Music Ensemble, Big Band and Film Orchestra

These culminate in our end-of-year degree show and public music festival PureGold, which in recent years has launched at London’s Southbank Centre.

- Facilities
We have excellent rehearsal and performance facilities including:
- Goldsmiths Music Studios
- Electronic Music Studio
- Sonics Interactive Multimedia Laboratory
- Council Chamber (with its Steinway Model D)
- Two suites of practice rooms

Skills & Careers

This programme will develop your skills in:
- Critical reasoning
- Textual interpretation
- Oral and written communication

Successful completion at the required level will guarantee you a place on a relevant Goldsmiths degree programme.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/apply/

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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The Master of Music in Theory is a 30 credit master’s degree preparing the student for a career in the field of music theory and for further graduate studies at the doctoral level.

Learning Outcomes

Composition technique: students will compose music that is expressive, demonstrating the proper techniques in, and related to, the production of a professional-level composition.

Presentation of live compositions: students will present new works for live performers that are well-prepared, demonstrating a high level of individual preparation through engaging in proper rehearsal and performance techniques with collaborating performers.

Electro-acoustic composition technique: students will create new electro-acoustic works that demonstrate skill at executing works that rely on technology.

Score preparation: students will produce musical scores that are professionally notated, and should in all cases be clear, complete, free of errors, and should show attention to detail, including an informative program note for the audience.

Writing about music: students will write analytic papers that are clear and compelling, with proper use of terminology and conventions of musical writing; analysis will display critical listening and thinking skills, and demonstrate knowledge of diverse approaches to music theory and analysis.

Curriculum

Master of Music in Music Theory/Composition students are required to take:

• Composition
• Computer Music
• Form
• Orchestration
• Counterpoint
• Electives in Music History and Music Theory/Composition

Depending on their area of concentration, MM students prepare either a masters thesis (advanced research paper) or a large-scale composition under the supervision of their advisor. Recent MM thesis papers have studied the works of Stravinsky and Bernstein. Recent MM thesis compositions have been written and given their world premieres at WCU, scored for large percussion ensemble, orchestra, and concert band. Graduates from the MM in Theory/Composition program have gone on for more advanced study in composition and/or theory at the doctoral level. Most students from these programs aspire to become college-level instructors, while others have gone on to become freelance composers and arrangers.

All degree requirements must be completed within six years. A single one-year extension may be granted for cause.

Candidates must demonstrate sufficient pianistic ability, sight singing, and aural perception to meet demands of program.

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About the course

This distance learning course combines an annual residential week in Sheffield with longer periods of internet-supported study. Traditional and world musics and their associated cultures are studied through practical methods such as fieldwork, direct participation in music-making as well as library research and theoretical interpretation. Students gain both a deeper knowledge of the music and a set of skills for discovering and communicating new knowledge about music. The course attracts students from across the world and is ideal for musicians, educators and enthusiasts who want to know more about traditional and world musics, and about ways of studying and understanding music in its social and cultural context.

The course shares modules with our MA in World Music Studies and the MA in Traditional Music of the British Isles giving students the opportunity to specialise in an area of their choice and take advantage of Sheffield’s position as a major hub of both English and ‘Celtic’ musical activity to pursue in-depth studies on British and Irish traditional musics.

About us

Music at Sheffield attracts world-leading academics and musicians working in a wide range of specialist fields. This is reflected in the diversity of the MA programmes we offer, both on campus and by distance learning. Our courses are taught by experts and backed by world-class research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 84 per cent of our work was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.

We are influential in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, music technology, music management and psychology of music. Our MA programmes allow students to take advantage of the department’s distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and to be part of a strong postgraduate community by taking modules from other specialist areas. Our three research centres, Music, Mind, Machine; Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre, and Music and Wellbeing provide a hub for research collaborations in music psychology and audience research.

Performance is an important part of our work. You will have the chance to participate in orchestras, music theatre, contemporary music, folk and world traditions. We have strong links with the community, giving you the chance to volunteer with local arts organisations.

Your career

Our graduates are employed by universities, colleges, concert agencies and music promoters. Many work in education; others are performers in various genres, in the UK and abroad. Some work in recording studios.

A number of graduates from our Masters programmes develop their research interests further and continue on to PhD study. Visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/research-degrees

Studios and equipment

We have a postgraduate research suite and several studios for advanced compositional work, software development, sound recording, laboratory and field experimentation, transcription, music notation and other research applications. You will have access to scores, books, periodicals, recordings and online resources.

Through a series of graduate study days you will be able to use the tools for digital recording, video and film. We also have excellent practice facilities and collections of historical and world music instruments.

Our team of professional musicians bring performance expertise to the department – including clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Inja Davidovic, jazz guitarist Ronan McCullagh and North Indian tabla and santoor performer John Ball.

Funding

The University offers a range of scholarships and funding for the brightest students and the Department of Music offers a number of studentships for the strongest candidates. Small grants are also available to support postgraduate research project.
For more information about funding opportunities including application deadlines visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/funding

Find information about scholarships and funding for international students at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/scholarships

Course tutors

Our tutors Nikki Dibben, Stephanie Pitts, Vicki Rowe, Renee Timmers and Victoria Williamson are renown for their expertise in the field and have been published widely in music psychology and education.

Course content

See http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/taught

Teaching and assessment

Much of the course is taught online in online discussions and tutorial groups, email and telephone tutorials. You’ll also attend lectures and seminars at annual residentials and optional study days. Assessments take a variety of forms such as reports and essays. They are usually individual assessments, even if they concern the processes and outcomes of group work.

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Study areas currently offered:

Composition; Electroacoustic Composition; Composing Film Music
The course (Special Track) allows students to specialise in any one of area of composition, including Electro-acoustic Composition, Sonic Art and Composing for Film.

All the training will be centred on the student’s main area, aided by a broader look at compositional techniques and approaches as a whole (through the core module in Composition).

The programme is divided into two parts: two semesters of taught study (Part 1, 120 credits) and a substantial independent piece of work in the main area, produced over the summer (Part 2, 60 credits).

Part 1 is centred on the Principal Subject module (WMM4045, 60 credits) in a chosen area of composition. Another aspect of the same area or a different approach to composition will be explored in the Independent Special Study (WMP4049, 20 credits).

WMP4052 Preparing for the Part 2 project (10 credits) acts as a bridge between Parts 1 and 2.

Additionally students will attend a core module in composition (WMP4042 Contexts and Concepts in Composition, 30 credits). During these modules students will became familiar with up-to-date research and creative techniques and methodologies in the selected disciplines.

Subject-specific teaching is provided through a combination of individual tuition and seminar session in small groups. Within each of the chosen subject areas, students can identify their own projects, for which they will receive expert supervision.

Course Structure
Part 1 (Diploma):

Focuses on studies in composition and/or electroacoustic composition and/or sonic art.

(Total of 120 credits)

Part 2 (MMus):

Consists of a portfolio comprising at least one substantial composition (with or without electroacoustics) or work of sonic art.

(Total of 60 credits)

Compulsory modules:

Principal Subject Module: either Composition, Electroacoustic Composition / Sonic Arts or Composing for Film (60 credits)
Compulsory Core Module: Concepts of Composition (30 credits)
Preparing for the Part Two Project (10 credits)
(Total 120 credits)

Optional modules:

Independent Special Study in either Composition, Composing for Film or Electroacoustic Composition / Sonic Arts (20 credits)

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