Masters Degrees (Music Psychology)

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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The Music Education MA will introduce students to research and research-informed practice at the forefront of music education. The programme will provide tools for interrogating musical and educational assumptions, values and practices. It will help students to expand their understanding of effective music teaching, evaluation and assessment across the lifespan.

Degree information

Undertaking the Music Education MA programme will allow students to develop their critical thinking and ability to interrogate current educational research, literature and practice in the overarching fields of music and music education. They will also have the opportunity to pursue specialist lines of enquiry that are related to their own professional and/or academic interests, working alongside prominent academics in the field.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), and either two optional modules (60 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits), or three optional modules (90 credits) and a report (30 credits).

Core modules - the two core modules are founded on three strands in the study of music education: philosophy, psychology and sociology. These include historically-significant and cutting-edge contemporary approaches, theories and philosophies across a wide range of topics.
-Disciplines of Music and Music Education Part I
-Disciplines of Music and Music Education Part II

Optional modules - the Critical Studies in Music Pedagogy and Practice module examines past and present music education research and practice across a range of social and cultural contexts. Music Technology in Education provides students with opportunities to engage with published commentary and also develop practical skills. Choral Conducting, Leadership and Communication develops the skills of effective choral conducting and rehearsing in educational contexts. Students choose from a range including:
-Critical Studies Music and Music Education
-Choral Conducting Leadership and Communication
-Music Technology in Education

Please note: at the programme leader's discretion, a student might be able to import a maximum of 60 credits.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project, which culminates in a 20,000-word dissertation or 10,000-word report.

Teaching and learning
The main mode of delivery is through a combination of weekly lectures and seminars. There are ten-week lecture courses for the two core modules, and also for Critical Studies in Music Pedagogy and Practice (optional module), with sessions held in the evenings at the UCL Institute of Education. However, the Choral Conducting Leadership and Communication optional module takes place over five full days at the UCL Institute, as well as through additional student-led sessions. Students are also required to engage actively with UCL's online learning environments across the programme. The Music Technology in Education optional module is delivered online. All students are entitled to face-to-face tutorials with their allocated tutors.

Assessment is predominantly through a written assignment for each taught module.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working as:
-Advocates for the arts.
-Arts, health and wellbeing therapists.
-Composers.
-Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers.
-Freelance music teachers.
-Further Education lecturers.
-Music education hub managers.
-Music teachers in primary and secondary schools.
-Performers.
-Primary music co-ordinators.
-Producers.
-University lecturers.

Top career destinations for this degree
-Primary School Class Teacher (Music), Starks Field Primary School.
-Secondary School Teacher (Head of Music Department), Pimlico Academy.
-Secondary School Teacher (Music), Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls.
-Secondary School Teacher (Music), Old Palace of John Whitgift School.
-PGCE Secondary Teaching (Music), Middlesex University.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Music Education MA at UCL is the only postgraduate programme of its type in the UK, and one of the largest recruiting in the world, that is dedicated to music education.

The programme is taught by leading academics with current and extensive expertise in externally-funded research. Research and publications from our lecturers has significant impact on educational policy and practice both in the UK and internationally. This informs learning and teaching on the programme whilst fostering the development of a research-based culture. Many of our students pursue further study at doctoral and post-doctoral level.

Our programme meets the needs of a wide range of professionals from across the international communities of music and music education. Our alumni have been and continue to be leading figures in education worldwide.

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The MSc in Music, Mind and Brain is a truly interdisciplinary programme that attracts students from diverse backgrounds who want to complement their knowledge on music research, neuroscience or cognitive psychology. This unique programme combines music psychology with neuroscience, focusing on both the biological and cognitive aspects of musical behaviour- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/msc-music-mind-brain/

The MSc in Music, Mind and Brain (MMB) is highly interdisciplinary and draws on expertise from leading figures in the field, in areas ranging from music cognition, cognitive neuroscience, computational modelling, music education and music therapy.

As a student on the MSc, you will learn about topics in music psychology (from perception to cognition) and the cognitive neuroscience of music, and will acquire all the necessary skills to pursue your own high-quality research.

The programme benefits from good links with institutions such as the Institute of Education, the Royal College of Music, and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Teaching staff

Programme director Dr Daniel Müllensiefen and deputy directors Prof Lauren Stewart and Dr Maria Herrojo-Ruiz are joined by an expert teaching faculty, all of whom have international profiles within the fields of music psychology and/or the neuroscience of music.

Our Eminent Invited Speaker Series brings world-leading researchers to Goldsmiths to present their latest research to our students.

What kind of project can I do?

We offer a range of research projects, drawing on a variety of approaches: behavioural, computational, neuroscientific. Students are also invited to propose a project of their own choice, providing appropriate supervision can be offered.

If a student has a contact with an external supervisor, it may be possible to arrange for project supervision outside Goldsmiths with the involvement of a faculty member as co-supervisor. Examples of previous projects include:

Exploring Absolute Pitch in Children and Young People with Visual Impairment
An fMRI Study Investigating how Music Impacts on the Perception of Emotion
The Influence of Native Language on Rhythmic Grouping
Neural Correlates of Melodic Expectancy

Further information

This journal article from Psychomusicology outlines the focus and contents of the programme.

Keep up to date with our research via our facebook page.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Val West.

Research Skills (15 credits)

This module provides you with the core skills needed to become a successful researcher. This is achieved via two complementary strands; the first strand covers fundamental research skills: seminars on bibliographic searching, essay writing, research report writing, oral presentation skills and career planning and lab sessions in which students conduct, analyse and write up an experiment from the field of music psychology. The second strand exposes students to cutting edge research in the field of music cognition and neuroscience via the Eminent Speaker Series and involves the opportunity to produce a collaborative report from the series for the Music, Mind and brain blog.

Research Project (60 credits)

This module provides you with the chance to design and pursue a substantial, independent research project on a topic of their choosing, with expert input from a nominated supervisor. You will be offered a selection of possible projects but are also encouraged to generate their own ideas. External supervision may also possible, in cases where students have links to outside institutions. As well as producing a written dissertation, you will have take produce and present a poster of your work to classmates and teachers from the programme.

Assessment

Written examinations; written coursework (essays); oral presentations; research dissertation.

Careers

The programme will appeal to you if you are interested in pursuing doctoral research in this area or if you are already a music professional wishing to approach music scientifically.

Graduates from the Music, Mind and Brain programme have gone on to work in one of the following areas:

-Academia: Either pursuing a PhD, working in research position or engaged with university-level teaching
-Music and media industry
-Music practitioner or performer
-Music teacher

Other careers that would be informed by this programme include music therapy, neuro-rehabilitation, music consultancy and music and advertising.

Other entry requirements

IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.5 in the written test and no individual test lower than 6.0).

Funding

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

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Overview

This programme focusses the creative, historical, critical, technical, and performative aspects of electronic and computer music, emphasising the many ways in which technology and musical practice influence each other.

You’ll engage with current thinking and practice in areas including experimental electronic music, sound synthesis, electrical and electronic musical instruments, signal processing, technologically-mediated approaches to composition, live electronic music, interfaces and interactivity, sound spatialisation, electronic music in the museum, and more. You’ll also learn to place these developments within the aesthetic, critical, cultural and historical context of electronic music and music technology.

A distinctive feature of this programme is the balance it strikes between creative practice, technical skills and theory, and critical/cultural/historic context in electronic and computer music.

Electronic and computer music is a broad and exciting field of research, and you’ll learn from an academic team with a strong presence in the international computer music, sonic arts, and electronic music research communities. It’s a great opportunity for musicians, creative professionals, educators, scientists, or artists who are interested in the integration of music and technology to collaborate across disciplines in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.

The degree is also available to study part-time over 24 months. The part-time MA may be of special interest to those who are working in related fields as part of their career development.

Facilities and Resources

We have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, a lab for studying the psychology of music and studios for sound recording, software development and computer music composition.

We also have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.

Course Content

You’ll work on your own practice from the beginning of the programme. A core module will allow you to complete different electronic and computer music exercises using a range of frameworks, while another will introduce you to the development of electronic and computer music and the current state of the art form. You’ll consider the people, institutions, innovations, repertoires, and critical perspectives that continue to shape electronic and computer music.

Throughout the year your knowledge and skills will be underpinned by Professional Studies, a module which introduces you to research methods in music and allows you to build important skills. You’ll also put this into practice with your major project, where you’ll research, plan and document an independent project on a related topic of your choice.

Outside of the field of electronic and computer music, you’ll also choose an optional module from those offered across the School of Music. You could study psychology of music, aesthetic theory or editing, or if you have some experience of composing or performing you could even continue with these.

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Get professional training in music therapy on our internationally recognised Master’s course. When you graduate, you’ll be qualified to work as a music therapist in the UK and overseas, and eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK.

Overview

If you’re an experienced musician and want to put your skills to use supporting children and adults with additional needs, our emphasis on clinical placements will prepare you for a rewarding career.

Through lectures, practical workshops, case discussions and theoretical studies, we’ll introduce you to the most recent, effective music therapy approaches. You’ll reflect on your own practice in our clinical supervision group discussions, supported by regular individual tutorials.

In the UK there are two central elements of music therapy: the use of improvised and pre-composed music; and the significance given to the relationship between client and therapist. These principles will underpin your training. Our experiential teaching includes: development of your improvisation skills; focused work on your first instrument; keyboard, single line instrument and voice; music therapy theory and links to practice; block clinical placements in at least two fields, including community settings, schools, hospitals and hospices; and experience in multidisciplinary teams.

Your training will take place in our new state-of-the-art Music Therapy Centre and Clinic, where you’ll often study with MA Dramatherapy students. All our students go on supervised clinical placements, preparing you for employment in many different settings.

Throughout the course you'll be supported by our team of qualified music therapists, who have a strong reputation for research. In 2013 we appointed Jörg Fachner as Professor of Music, Mind and the Brain, to further develop our research activities. One of our course tutors, Professor Amelia Oldfield, was recently awarded the first ever Clinical Impact Award by the World Federation of Music Therapists. And in 2014, our music, dramatherapy and performing arts research was acknowledged as 'world-leading' in the UK Government's Research Excellence Framework.

Teaching times: two days a week plus two days on a clinical placement (Year 1). One day a week on campus plus a placement of least one day a week (Year 2).

Careers

As a qualified music therapist you’ll be able to work in many different areas including the NHS, hospices, social services, the education sector and the voluntary sector. The NHS Agenda for Change has led to improved career paths for music therapists at levels similar to, or higher than, those of other allied health professions.

You may also choose to work privately, or on a freelance basis, with a client base including adults and children with learning difficulties, mental health problems, and other special needs.

Successful completion of this course will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council, a legal requirement for music therapists in the UK. Your qualification should also be recognised around the world.

You’ll benefit from our links with the British Association for Music Therapy and other allied health professions; Professor Helen Odell-Miller, for example, advises at government level for the profession. You’ll also be able to forge links with practitioners such as psychotherapists, arts therapists and psychiatrists.

Modules

Year one:
• Music Therapy Practical and Clinical Skills
• Music Therapy and Dramatherapy Multi-Disciplinary Theoretical Studies
• Clinical Placements and Experiential Development (1)

Year two
• Clinical Placements and Experiential Development (2)
• MA Therapies Major Project

Assessment

You’ll demonstrate your learning in a number of ways, including essays, live presentations and practical tasks such as clinical improvisation and composition. You’ll also undertake some self-analysis and reflection with your personal tutor.

Half-way through the course, your progress and process towards becoming a music therapist will be assessed by an examiner. Your final piece of written work will be a Major Project, which involves clinical evaluation. Meanwhile, in your final oral assessment you’ll present a piece of clinical work to two examiners, who will assess your overall clinical skills and readiness to practice.

One of our modules touches on dramatherapy and covers content from our MA Dramatherapy, as well as the Music Therapy course. Where techniques and approaches are specific to each profession you’ll be taught separately but on more generic subjects, such as psychoanalytic studies, psychiatry and psychology, you’ll benefit from working together.

Specialist facilities

You'll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. We have a large range of musical instruments, specifically chosen for clinical work, and high-quality recording and videoing equipment in the therapy rooms.

You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms.

Our Cambridge campus also houses the Mumford Theatre, a full-size venue for professional touring companies.

Research

Our music therapy staff members are internationally renowned researchers and consultants and our research is recognised as world-leading. We hold regular international conferences and support a vigorous community of research students.

***This course has now reached full capacity for September 2016 but we are now accepting applications for September 2017***

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About the course

This course is the longest established masters in music psychology in the UK, and a collaboration with the Department of Psychology. Our tutors – Nikki Dibben, Stephanie Pitts, Vicki Rowe, Renee Timmers and Victoria Williamson – have been published widely in music psychology and education. This course allows you to use psychological methods and theory to interpret and understand musical behaviours, sounds and ideas. You will be introduced to a range of areas including music cognition and neuroscience, musical development, music in everyday life, and musical performance.

You may specialise within an area through a written dissertation, and the pursuit of original research, generally including experimental or observational empirical investigation. Students may also take cognitive neuroscience modules within the Department of Psychology.

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.

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

University and faculty funding is available each year. The closing date for applications is mid-January. The department has a number of studentships available for our strongest candidates. The closing date for these is the end of April. You can also apply for a small grant to support your postgraduate research project.

Course content

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

Teaching and assessment

You’ll learn through seminars, laboratory-based demonstrations and individual tutorials. The taught programme is continuously assessed through 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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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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This unique three-year part-time Master's course can lead to registration as a music therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It also provides a popular route for international students looking to develop their qualifications.

It is open to capable musicians - from recent graduates to experienced professionals, or to music therapists with a postgraduate diploma looking to add to their skills and knowledge who can access a progression route. Even if you don't have a first degree in music, we still encourage you to apply provided you can demonstrate a capacity to write and think at Master's level. All candidates will need an intuitive and communicative musical presence on at least one instrument or voice, plus the ability to provide harmonic support using, for example, piano, keyboard or guitar.

Key benefits

This course is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Course detail

There is an underlying humanistic and music-centred philosophy to the course, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning. We take a 'lifespan' approach, focusing on children and adolescents in the first year, and adults in the second year. In the third year, we focus on more complex areas of work, with both children and adults, such as work in palliative care or the prison and probation services.

The course equips you with the clinical, theoretical and practical skills required to enter the music therapy profession. Successful graduates will be able to work in the NHS, education, social services, for the voluntary sector, charities, within prisons, or set up their own practice.

The part-time, flexible nature of the course means you can fit Master's level studies around paid employment, and build or enhance your career in the process.

Course tutors, and teaching and research staff from across the department have excellent links with healthcare, community and education providers, and we regularly welcome visiting lecturers from these areas.

Personal development

Personal development runs throughout the course, and you must be prepared to undertake what may sometimes be challenging and rigorous explorations of your professional and personal issues and influences - excellent preparation for a music therapist. During the course, we ask you to be in confidential personal therapy with a suitably qualified therapist, for example, a creative arts therapist, a counsellor or psychotherapist. The number of hours is not specified, but the Health Professions Council requires you to have had substantive and sustained experience of personal therapy during the three years of the course (40 to 60 hours is recommended). Please note, this cost is not included in the programme fee.

There is also a counselling component within the professional practice modules. You will experience a music therapy training group facilitated by external music therapists. You will need to set aside regular time, beyond personal therapy and attending taught sessions, for reflection and study.

Year 1

• Music Therapy Professional Practice with Children and Young People
• Music Therapy Theory and Child Development

Year 2

• Music Therapy Professional Practice and Skills with Adults
• Music Therapy Theory and Practice in Adult Settings
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

Year 3

• Music Therapy Advanced Professional Practice
• Dissertation in Psychology

Format

Teaching is based on lectures and seminars, small group practical sessions and individual tutorials. There is a strong experiential basis to the course, which is led by a team of experienced music therapists and complemented by visiting specialists from a range of related professions.

The course is highly flexible and attracts a diverse demographic, with musicians from many backgrounds - this allows for valuable peer-learning opportunities.

Assessment

We assess your work and progress through written essays, practice portfolios and viva presentations each year, and also one research exam, a microanalysis, a music practical and a research portfolio.

Careers / Further study

Completing the MA Music Therapy allows you to register with the HCPC, and start practising as a fully qualified music therapist.

Opportunities for Master's-qualified music therapists are diverse. Previous students have gone on to practice as HCPC-registered music therapists sometimes alongside other musical work such as performing and teaching and also apply their knowledge and expertise to positions in healthcare and education. Our links with music therapy experts and practitioners give excellent insights into future careers, and part of the course is geared towards helping you find placements, attract employers or set up your own practice.

You will need to submit all written work electronically and have access to the internet. You will also need your own recording equipment for use on placement.

How to apply

Information on applications can be found at the following link: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/study/applyingtouwebristol/postgraduateapplications.aspx

Funding

- New Postgraduate Master's loans for 2016/17 academic year –

The government are introducing a master’s loan scheme, whereby master’s students under 60 can access a loan of up to £10,000 as a contribution towards the cost of their study. This is part of the government’s long-term commitment to enhance support for postgraduate study.

Scholarships and other sources of funding are also available.

More information can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/feesandfunding/fundingandscholarships/postgraduatefunding.aspx

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This course is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of both current and prospective music educators. It provides a unique opportunity for students from all over the world to investigate the UK system of music education, consider major issues in international music education research and undertake a comparative study of music education practices across different cultures.

Key features
-You can tailor the course to your own interests by selecting one option module from a wide range of music topics.
-The core modules will develop your research, project planning and development skills in preparation for your major project, and you will receive guidance from a specialist tutor.
-The curriculum is enriched by our eclectic view of musical styles and genres, exploiting the diversity of a repertoire that encompasses Western classical music, popular and world musics.

What will you study?

You will develop and implement a musical project within an educational environment and undertake a substantial research project on a topic of your choice. Alongside this core study, which encompasses key research issues in music as well as in music education, you can choose from a variety of option modules and develop new skills to exploit in your own teaching.

You will have the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills as a practitioner by devising, delivering and evaluating a music education project. As part of the broader musical community, you will be able to further enhance your performance skills by participating in some of the many University ensembles.

Assessment

Assessment includes essays, critiques, position papers, practical projects, presentations, research papers and a dissertation.

Course structure

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Core modules
-Constructing Music Education in the UK
-International Music Education: Psychology, Culture and Philosophy
-Major Project
-Researching Music

Optional modules
-Advanced Production of Popular Music
-Composing and Marketing Popular Music
-Critical Reflection on Musical Performance
-Special Study: Arranging and Scoring
-Techniques and Technology for Composing for Film and Television
-Current Debates in Music Education
-Jazz Studies
-Performance Studies
-Live Performance Technologies
-The Psychology of Music
-The Studio Musician

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Summary

Become a qualified music therapist to facilitate people’s move towards well-being through specific therapeutic aims using a primarily non-verbal relationship in music. Music Therapy as practised in Great Britain is largely based on improvisation, the music being the shared, and the spontaneous creation of client and therapist.

The Music Therapy programme offers training for competent, practising musicians to become therapists, bringing together their skills, education and other life experiences. On completion of the training, graduates are eligible to apply to the HCPC for registration, with the ability and flexibility to practice within the NHS, Social Services, education or private sector.

Essential to music therapy is the relationship between client and therapist. At Roehampton we have chosen to base our Music Therapy training programme on the use of psychoanalytic ideas to inform our understanding of the therapy process and the ways the client works with the environment, the therapist and the music. Broader theories and ways of working are also studied in order to equip students to meet a range of clinical need. Other styles of music, including song writing, the use of technology and pre-composed music are also used as appropriate to the need of the individual.

The course emphasises your emotional development as a practitioner, together with clinical exploration through critical enquiry. In addition to this, students must be prepared to enter mandatory individual personal therapy for one year of the training.

Music Therapists work within a wide range of clinical settings, individual and group work. They work with people of all ages; from infants and young children through to elderly adults. Music therapy can benefit people with a wide range of difficulties or challenges, including mental health problems, learning disabilities and autism, dementia and neurology, as well as people experiencing serious illness such as cancer or those who have experienced trauma.

Content

The programme aims to encourage a critical and evaluative approach to both theory and practice in music therapy. It is designed to prepare students for work with children and adults with a range of disabilities and illnesses, and placements usually include work with children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and Asperger’s syndrome and mental health problems.

After visits to a variety of workplaces which offer music therapy, you will undertake individual and group work in two contrasting settings over six months, January to June (first placement) and September to February/March (second placement).These clinical placements will provide you with music therapy work experience alongside qualified Music Therapists. You will also participate in an experiential group, which gives you an opportunity to develop your own self-awareness and examine personal and group dynamics through verbal and musical processes. In addition, it is a requirement for you to find and fund personal individual therapy outside the course.

Key areas of study include human development and growth and the clinical context for music therapy, clinical improvisation, observational studies, music therapy theory, clinical case work and supervision, introduction to research and your dissertation. Personal development and reflection on this is central throughout the programme.

We also offer introductory courses that provide a useful background to those working in related professions or anyone simply wishing to find out more about the work. No particular level of musical competence is required.

For detailed information about Roehampton's MA Music Therapy, please download and read the information pack by clicking on the 'specific entry requirements' link on the course page.

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This course will enable you to study popular music from a practical perspective with an emphasis on music production and songwriting. For your final major project you will focus on composition and production within the popular music genre, producing an extended professional-quality album of your popular music compositions/covers.

Key features
-The wide selection of option modules allows you to tailor the course to your interests.
-Several members of staff are engaged practically with the professional production of popular music. You will also have the chance to attend masterclasses and workshops run by national and international producers, performers and composers - such as Youth, Gavin Greenaway, Rick Astley and Steve Martland.
-We have five, state-of-the-art recording studios, including one with a large live room used for professional recordings. We also have two computer laboratories containing iMacs with full music software for sequencing and processing.
-Lunchtime concerts, involving students or visiting artists, take place throughout the year.

What will you study?

You will focus on the production of current popular music, creating and recording tracks using the University's high-quality recording facilities.

You will also explore the composition of popular music, recording techniques and the marketing of popular music. In addition, you will widen your musical knowledge and experience by choosing one option module from an extensive range, including those covering sound design, ensemble performance and composing for film and TV.

Assessment

Coursework, essays, compositions, productions, and major recording project.

Course structure

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Core modules
-Advanced Production of Popular Music
-Composing and Marketing Popular Music
-Major Project
-Researching Music

Optional modules
-Constructing Music Education in the UK
-Critical Reflection on Musical Performance
-International Music Education: Psychology, Culture and Philosophy
-Special Study: Arranging and Scoring
-Techniques and Technology for Composing for Film and Television
-Current Debates in Music Education
-Jazz Studies
-Live Performance Technologies
-Performance Studies
-The Psychology of Music
-The Studio Musician

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The Department of Arts Education and Physical Education in association with the Department of Music offer this specialised MA degree in Music Education. The degree involves an exploration of music teaching and learning processes from a range of social science perspectives and involves interdisciplinary studies in Education, Music and other related fields.

Who the course is for?

Anyone with an interest in music education including:

• Teachers (at primary, post-primary and music school/college levels)
• Policymakers
• Community/outreach workers
• Curriculum support personnel
• Professional/community musicians

What is the programme?

Taught modules will include guided studies in the following areas:
• Foundation Disciplines of Music Education
• Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Music Education
• Theories of Music Performance
• Psychology of Music
• Creativity and Music
• Music and Culture
• Developmental Theories of Music
• Sociological Perspectives on Music Education
• Principles and Practices of Research in Education
• Conceptions of Music Education
• Critical Perspectives on Music Teaching Methodologies
• Programme and Curriculum Design for Music
• Assessment and Evaluation in Music Education
The MA programme includes a student-directed Practicum module that caters for the professional and artistic interests of course participants.

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Music is a vital form of cultural expression that shapes and is shaped by society around it. This programme allows you to study the critical theories and perspectives that have influenced the way we study music – how it is composed and performed as well as the role it plays in different communities.

Core modules will allow you to explore issues in musicology such as race, class, gender, sexuality, popular music and mass culture, as well as how music has been received and interpreted and how musical ‘canons’ are formed. You’ll also develop your understanding of research methods in musicology, and have the chance to gain knowledge of aesthetic theory or editing and archival studies, allowing you to balance critical and applied forms of musicology.

In addition, you’ll choose from optional modules from across the School of Music allowing you to focus on topics that interest you, from performance or electronic and computer music to composition and psychology of music.

We have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, a lab for studying the psychology of music and studios for sound recording, software development and computer music composition. The Special Collections housed in our beautiful Brotherton Library contain significant collections of music manuscripts, rare printed music and letters from composers and critics to help inform your work.

We also have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.

Course content

You’ll study core modules that develop your understanding of both critical and applied forms of musicology. One of these will allow you to explore issues and topics that have emerged in the past few decades – questions of race, gender, politics, deconstruction and more. You’ll also choose one or two from a cluster of optional modules, giving you an insight into editing and archival studies or introducing you to aesthetic theory.

In addition, you’ll have the chance to pursue another area of musical interest when you select from a range of optional modules. Whether you’re interested in computer music or psychology of music, or you want to continue to improve your performance or composition skills, you can pick one module allowing you to gain specialist knowledge in a field outside of musicology.

Throughout the year you’ll study a core module that develops your knowledge of research methods in music and musicology, laying the foundations for the rest of your studies. You’ll also be able to put the research skills you gain into practice if you choose to do a dissertation by the end of the programme – an independently researched project on a topic of your choice. Alternatively, you can complete a major editorial project, producing an extended edition of professional standard based on original musical sources.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

You’ll study the two core modules below and then choose either - the Dissertation (60 credits) or - the Editorial Project module (60 credits).

• Professional Studies 30 credits
• Issues in Critical Musicology 30 credits

Optional modules

Then you’ll choose one or two from the three musicology modules below, and one more from the full list of optional modules offered across the School of Music.

• Individual Project 30 credits
• Short Dissertation 30 credits
• Dissertation 60 credits
• Composition Studies 30 credits
• Instrumental or Vocal Recital 30 credits
• Concerto/Song-Cycle/Extended Work 30 credits
• Applied Performance Studies 30 credits
• Editing and Archival Studies 30 credits
• Short Editorial Project 30 credits
• Editorial Project 60 credits
• Aesthetic Theory 30 credits
• Computer Music Practice 30 credits
• Computer Music Contexts 30 credits
• Case Studies in the Applied Psychology of Music 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Critical and Applied Musicology MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Critical and Applied Musicology MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods including seminars and tutorials, as well as vocal/instrumental lessons with our expert tutors. We’re also making more and more use of online learning. However, private study is also integral to this programme, allowing you to pursue your interests more closely and develop research and critical skills.

Assessment

To help you build diverse skills, we also assess you using different methods depending on the modules you choose. These could include presentations, essays, literature reviews, recitals and performances or project work; however, optional modules may also use alternative methods such as recitals and composition portfolios.

Career opportunities

This programme will give you in-depth subject knowledge, as well as specialist knowledge and skills in a different aspect of music studies to broaden your understanding. It will also allow you to gain key research, critical and communication skills that are in demand in a wide range of industries and sectors.

Graduates from the programme move on to a variety of careers. Recent graduates have entered areas such as arts management, librarianship, recruitment, and freelance teaching and performance. Many graduates go on to further study at PhD level in the UK and USA.

We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music boasts a unique Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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The Master of Music (Applied Research in Music Performance) may be undertaken over two years full-time or four years part-time and offers candidates broad opportunities for interdisciplinary research at the Conservatorium in the areas of music performance, including psychology of music, music perception and acoustics.

The aim is to provide training and supervision to students undertaking research into physiological, psychological, sociological, organisational, economic, industrial, perceptual, acoustic or other interdisciplinary aspects of music performance. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music encourages interdisciplinary approaches to research into music performance and, where appropriate, fosters links with the music profession and arts industry with the aim of promoting excellence in music performance.

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

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The Sydney Conservatorium of Music places a high emphasis on its research activity. We have a vibrant and diverse community of staff and students, many of whom enjoy exceptional careers worldwide as both performers and scholars in the finest musical company.

The Master of Music (Music Education) is a two year full-time or four year part-time degree which aims to foster research skill development in areas of music education through research seminars and the writing of a thesis.

The first stream of study is a semester based series of two seminar topics selected from a range of fields relevant to music teaching and learning, including: Foundations of Music Education; Comparative Music Education; Curriculum Design; Technology in Music Education; Multicultural Studies; Sociology of Music Education; Musical Ability and Psychology of Music. A concurrent research stream provides instruction in research methodology and underpins the writing of a thesis, which is the major component of the degree.

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

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