The aim of the MA in Musical Theatre course is to provide you with the advanced skills to prepare you for work in a diverse industry. The course reflects the varied nature of working in musical theatre; it will provide you with the opportunity to focus on professional practice, whilst enabling you to learn how to promote both yourself (as practitioner, academic and/or performer) and the work you create. More importantly, it creates an environment where you have to work collaboratively.
The MA in Musical Theatre provides you with the unique opportunity of a residency, designed to help you create, prepare and stage work in a theatre. Working closely with industry specialists, you will nurture the skills required to help you make a contribution to contemporary musical theatre. You will also foster flexible skills which can be applied to a wide range of career opportunities in the musical theatre industry and beyond, including; teamwork skills, problem solving, self-promotion, working to deadlines and critical thinking.
You will experience a wide variety of learning activities in Musical Theatre to ensure your professional development as an emerging practitioner in your chosen specialist areas. Contact hours are tailored to both full-time and part time delivery; part time delivery allows you to study alongside full-time employment.
Teaching and learning will normally take place in a variety of continually evolving contexts, including an appropriate balance of the following kinds of activity:
a) Workshops, rehearsals, productions, practical classes, laboratory or studio-based practice, screenings, lectures, discussions (both online and in class), seminars, and tutorials. You will be encouraged to apply your knowledge and understanding of critical theory to case studies within regional, national and international contexts;
b) Group and individual learning;
c) Residency in Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton with a view to creating an annual festival of musical theatre (especial relevance in enhancing your employability and ability to be enterprising)
d) There will be the opportunity to participate in and contribute to Musical Theatre West Midlands Writers’ Hub, regular monthly composer/writer hubs to showcase new writing.
Each semester students are invited to attend optional musical theatre productions in the local area and nationally. We suggest budgeting £100 for these trips if you wish to participate.
Most years, students take an optional international field trip to a major city of musical theatre production. Future visits may include New York, Washington D.C or Bochum, Germany. We suggest budgeting around £1000 for the trip if you wish to participate.
We continue to develop state of the art facilities which will greatly enhance your learning experience. Our state-of-the-art performing arts and learning centre; The Performance Hub, opened in 2011 and is the home for all of our performance courses. The hub features five performance studios with semi-sprung floors that are ideal for rehearsals and small performances. . The studios feature state of the art audio/visual equipment. As well as several music rehearsal rooms, The Performance Hub has recording facilities, with two computer suites equipped with iMacs running Protools, Logic, Cubase and Sibelius software and two recording studios with analogue and digital recording equipment. The university is proud to be an All Steinway School and home to 17 Steinway pianos, five of which are in rehearsal studio spaces. Our 108 seat Black Box Theatre is one of the most technically advanced small theatres in the country and is ideal for a range of performing arts activities.
We are a thriving department of research active academics in musical theatre, teaching is research led. Journals we have published in include Studies in Musical Theatre and Journal of Bisexuality; with forthcoming book chapters in Routledge’s Twenty First Century Musicals: From Stage to Screen (2017), Oxford Press’s The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical (2016) and Bloomsbury Methuen’s The Disney Musical on Stage and Screen: Critical Approaches from 'Snow White' to 'Frozen' (2017). We have presented our research nationally and internationally at leading conferences in the field.
Current research specialisms include: gender and racial politics in musical theatre of the 1960s, the film musical and the female spectator, subsidised revivals of the American canon, queer theory, reception theory, contemporary musicals and masculinity, the British musical.
Further Information
Dr Sarah Whitfield: Course Leader MA Musical Theatre, Senior Lecturer in Musical Theatre
BA (hons), MA, PGCHE, PhD, fHEA
Dramaturg, lyricist/librettist, director, theatre historian, education, course development.
Sarah Browne: Principal Lecturer in Musical Theatre, Head of Department of Music
BA (hons), MPhil, PGCE
Conducting, arranging, orchestral and vocal arrangements, musicology, vocal tuition, education, course development.
James Lovelock: Lecturer in Musical Theatre
BMus (hons), MPhil, PGCE
Composer, lyricist/librettist, director, dramaturg, vocal coach, improvised musical, musicology,
Upon completion of the course you may consider a number of potential employment routes, depending on the path chosen. These may include, but are not limited to, for example; writer/composer/choreographer or musical director, teacher or workshop facilitator, marketing administrator, or work in production and promotion. Alternatively, you may also consider further study at doctorate level.
Graduates of the MA in Musical Theatre will exhibit;
• a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of musical theatre practice
• a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship
• originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in musical theatre
• conceptual understanding that enables the student:
- to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in musical theatre
- to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.
This Masters develops your technical and interpretive abilities as a performer, informed by an understanding of style, genre, context and interpretation, as well as historical and theoretical issues relevant to your specialist repertoire.
You have the opportunity to engage with a range of different musical styles, and to develop those practical and intellectual skills that can make you a better informed and more accomplished performer.
You receive significant amounts of one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition from expert performers, and participate in yearly masterclasses with distinguished international performers and teachers.
You develop your individual specialist skills to a high technical and artistic standard, while also developing intellectual and team-working skills, and you have the opportunity to perform with a variety of departmental ensembles, including Goldsmiths’ Sinfonia.
The programme offers an extensive list of elective modules that encompass historical study and the latest performance-based technologies.
The pathway is particularly suitable for those hoping to develop a career as a professional solo or chamber musician, or to develop performance skills before entering teaching, or as preparation for PhD research in performance practice.
It appeals to and can accommodate many different types of performer, whether your interests are in Classical or Romantic repertoire, or contemporary music.
Core modules
Option modules
You choose two modules from a selection that currently includes:
Recital
The programme is designed to develop your practical skills as a musical performer to a high level.
The programme provides you with a secure technical and intellectual base on which you can build a career as a professional musician, or enhance your understanding and enjoyment of musical performance.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
This flexible programme will allow you to expand your repertoire and hone your skills as a performer; whilst you can focus entirely upon performance-based modules if you prefer, there are also options in other areas of musical study should you wish to explore those. This 120-credit programme is a smaller version of the 180-credit MMus Performance programme, and can be studied over 1 year full time, or 2 years part time.
You’ll work with our experienced and talented specialist teachers to develop your repertoire. You’ll learn to interpret music sensitively, injecting your own personality without neglecting the historical style of each work. Not only will you perform regularly throughout the year, but you’ll work towards your own recitals and work on your own solo or ensemble project.
To put your performance into context, you’ll also have a choice of optional modules offered across the School of Music to explore how performance can shape and be shaped by other forms of musical research and practice.
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.
Alternatively, you could choose to study for an MMus Performance qualification over 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time.
The performance modules will allow you to develop your performance skills in different contexts. Supported by instrumental or vocal lessons with a specialist teacher, you’ll take part in regular performance classes to develop your repertoire.
As well as the potential to focus on a single concerto, song-cycle or extended work of 20-30 minutes, you can prepare for a final recital of 40-50 minutes that you will perform near the end of the programme. Applied Performance Studies will allow you to prepare and deliver a solo or ensemble project, and reflect upon the process in a written commentary.
You’ll also have the chance to expand your studies if you wish. The Professional Studies module builds your understanding of research methods in music, and you can also choose from optional modules offered across the School of Music, allowing you to explore musicology, composition, psychology of music, aesthetics and more.
If you choose to study part time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
If you opt for the MMus Performance qualification, you’ll take more modules overall.
Optional modules
For more information on typical modules, read Performance PGDip Full Time in the course catalogue
For more information on typical modules, read Performance PGDip Part Time in the course catalogue
You’ll take instrumental and vocal lessons with our specialist teachers. However, lessons can be organised with teachers from the surrounding area such as Opera North and the Royal Northern College of Music by individual arrangement.
Read about our instrumental and vocal teachers on our opportunities page.
You’ll also attend seminars and tutorials. However, independent study is crucial, allowing you to hone your skills and explore your own creative approaches to performance.
Your performances will largely be assessed through your recitals, and you’ll also submit programme notes for each recital that you complete. Depending upon your module choices, other modules may also assess you on project work, bibliographical exercises, essays and presentations. Optional modules may also use specialist tasks such as compositions or critical editions.
This programme will allow you to develop as a performer, improve your musical knowledge and gain critical, research and communication skills.
Graduates have pursued a range of careers in orchestral playing, solo performance, instrumental teaching, and arts administration. Several have also pursued further study at conservatoires in the UK and abroad, or research degrees at Leeds and other institutions.
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.
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.
This unique MA will enhance your critical understanding of the musical theatre as a popular entertainment genre.
It will help you to sharpen your practical skills as a creative artist. On a practical level, it will assist you in working as a freelance writer, composer or producer of musical theatre.
The MA focuses on the dramaturgy of the musical as a key factor in the future development of the genre.
Expert professionals are regularly employed as visiting tutors, to maintain direct links with the industry.
You follow one of the two pathways as either:
You undertake an analytic case study of a musical or production, a placement project and dissertation (producers), and a creative project involving either book and lyrics or music for a short original musical (writers and composers). Producers share some classes with students on the MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy.
You undertake an analytic case study of a musical or production, a placement project and dissertation (producers), and a creative project involving either book and lyrics or music for a short original musical (writers and composers). Producers share some classes with the MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy.
You elect to follow one of two pathways on the programme – Producers, or Writers and Composers. In each case, the programme involves five separate modules:
1. Genre study – autumn and spring terms, both pathways.
This module runs for 20 weeks. It begins in autumn with an historical survey of the development of the American musical, from ‘Showboat’ (1927) to ‘Sweeney Todd’ (1979). It continues in the spring term with a look at new forms of musical theatre that have resulted from the fragmentation of the classic tradition of ‘book’ musicals, with the innovation of the ‘concept’ musical, the impact of rock musicals, the ‘invasion’ of Broadway by the British ‘megamusical’ and the subsequent globalisation of the market by Cameron Macintosh and Disney.
2. Case study – autumn and spring terms, both pathways.
This module involves a 15-week introduction to the different structural components (book, music, lyrics, choreography, scenography) and industrial factors (producers, marketing, technology, conomics)
determining the production of musicals today. The module is taught by a range of professional and academic experts with a variety of different perspectives on the subject.
3. Shared complementary/contextual module 1 – autumn term.
Students choose one of these modules:
4. Shared complementary/contextual module 2, - ‘Musical Theatre and Society’
5. Creative project/dissertation – spring and summer terms, both pathways.
Genre study is assessed by two 3,000-word essays; the case study is assessed by means of a 4,000-word essay. The nature and form of creative projects, dissertations and research/placement projects are agreed with the Module Convenor during the programme.
You will develop a critical understanding of the collaborative processes involved in the creation of musical theatre in the UK and USA.
Composers and librettists/lyricists will achieve an enhanced ability to engage with the integration of dramaturgical and musical components of musical theatre writing, and a comprehension of the various factors involved in working within the industry.
Producers will acquire an overall perspective on the industrial and organisational factors involved in musical theatre production, including methods of theatre marketing, systems of arts funding and policy, and a working knowledge of the strategies involved in producing a small-scale musical.
Producers will also develop skills of leadership and teamwork and the ability to develop and critique their own approaches to working in musical theatre production.
Typical careers for graduates of this MA include:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
This challenging programme will allow you to expand your repertoire and hone your skills as a performer, while giving you the confidence to apply critical approaches to the study of music and its performance.
You’ll work with our experienced and talented specialist teachers to develop your repertoire. You’ll learn to interpret music sensitively, injecting your own personality without neglecting the historical style of each work. Not only will you perform regularly throughout the year, but you’ll work towards your own recitals and work on your own solo or ensemble project.
To put your performance into context, you’ll also have a choice of optional modules offered across the School of Music. You could study composition, musicology, aesthetics, psychology of music and more to explore how performance can shape and be shaped by other forms of musical research and practice.
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.
You could also choose to study for a Postgraduate Diploma qualification over 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time.
Core modules that run throughout the year will allow you to develop your performance skills in different contexts. Supported by instrumental or vocal lessons with a specialist teacher, you’ll take part in regular performance classes to develop your repertoire.
As well as focusing on a single concerto, song-cycle or extended work of 20-30 minutes, you’ll prepare for a final recital of 40-50 minutes that you’ll perform near the end of the programme. In addition, you’ll prepare for a solo or ensemble project and reflect on the process of preparing and then giving a performance.
You’ll also have the chance to expand your studies. The core Professional Studies module will build your understanding of research methods in music to equip you with a broader range of skills. Then you’ll choose from the optional modules offered across the School of Music, allowing you to explore musicology, composition, psychology of music, aesthetics and more.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
If you opt for the PGDip qualification, you’ll take fewer modules overall.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
For more information on typical modules, read Performance MMus Full Time in the course catalogue
For more information on typical modules, read Performance MMus Part Time in the course catalogue
You’ll take instrumental and vocal lessons with our specialist teachers. However, lessons can be organised with teachers from the surrounding area such as Opera North and the Royal Northern College of Music by individual arrangement.
Read about our instrumental and vocal teachers on our opportunities page.
You’ll also attend seminars and tutorials. However, independent study is crucial, allowing you to hone your skills and explore your own creative approaches to performance.
Your performance will largely be assessed through your recitals, and you’ll also submit programme notes for each recital you complete. Other modules may also assess you on project work, bibliographical exercises, essays and presentations. Optional modules may use specialist tasks such as compositions or critical editions.
This programme will allow you to develop as a performer, improve your musical knowledge and gain critical, research and communication skills.
Graduates have pursued a range of careers in orchestral playing, solo performance, instrumental teaching, and arts administration. Several have also pursued further study at conservatoires in the UK and abroad, or research degrees at Leeds and other institutions.
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.
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.
Already a strong musical performer, but looking to further your qualifications towards a career in performance and/or teaching? This course is ideal if you're looking to further your performance skills in the intellectual and creative environment of a university, rather than a conservatoire.
You will be able to study individually either with our excellent Royal Holloway-affiliated performance teachers, or an external teacher of your choice, subject to agreement with the Music department.
You will work towards a final recital performance, with the support of group seminars and individual tuition on your instrument or voice. You'll also be able to take two courses from the MMus Advanced Musical Studies syllabus.
Core modules
Optional modules
In addition to these mandatory course units there are a number of optional course units available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course units that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new units may be offered or existing units may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
You will take two from the following:
Formative assessment will be provided during the programme, in the context of one-to-one performance tuition and seminars, as well as classes and individual tutorials.
Summative assessment will be made of the final recital, and of further submissions as part of the electives (a combination of further performances and written work).
Our recent graduates have gone into careers as music teachers, composers and musicians. Others have gone into PhD studies at Royal Holloway or other leading universities, and then into academic careers, with some working in the highest-rated research departments in the country.
Many Royal Holloway alumni are now making careers as professional musicians and composers, including:
Our MMus programme is distinctive in its range of musicological, compositional and performance-based elements.
You will benefit from the diversity of our research strengths, numerous ensemble performance opportunities and expertise in a range of musical fields, including contemporary music for the concert hall, popular music, film music, opera, acoustic, electronic and computer-generated music.
The Performance pathway of the MMus Music programme will develop your professional expertise on your instrument/voice within the context of the range of departmental opportunities for performance.
You will be tutored and assessed on one instrument (or voice) by visiting professionals of national and international standing who will guide you in consolidating and developing your technique, repertoire, knowledge and interpretative insight.
The two compulsory research training modules are followed by a combination of specialism-related modules and optional modules. Having completed the Postgraduate Diploma stage of the programme, you will progress to Masters stage and submit a folio of your work.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time students must study at least two taught technical modules per academic year.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The School welcomes applications from students who wish to undertake one module of study from the Masters programme.
Potential applicants may make an appointment for an informal interview with the Programme Director if practicable. All applicants will be asked either to submit a sample of written work, a DVD of their performance, or samples of their compositional work, or to sit an audition depending on their chosen specialism.
Our work achieves wide international circulation, both through established scholarly channels and, distinctively, through broadcast media (such as BBC TV, Channel 4, BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and National Public Radio in the USA). School staff are much in demand for pre-concert talks at venues such as London’s South Bank and Barbican centres.
The research environment at Surrey is sustained by open discussion and debate, and through the regular airing of work-in- progress. Our work is strengthened by the ready input of our peers and research students at various stages allowing collective engagement to foster innovation.
The MMus (Performance) programme aims to provide students with a high quality education in the creative, re-creative, technical, critical, vocational and academic areas of the subject. It aims to provide students with the necessary skills, techniques and methodologies to work at an advanced level with an critical awareness of the discipline.
The programme aims to reflect current developments within the theory and practice of music performance and, in so doing, to educate students so that they may work confidently and constructively within the musical culture of the present.
The programme aims to offer the necessary preparation for students wishing to undertake doctoral level study in practice-based areas.
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Professional practical skills
Key / transferable skills
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
The MMus Music degree is aimed at successful graduates from Music or Popular Music courses who possess particular interests and strengths in the following areas:
Study at Masters’ level in Music will offer you a dual emphasis in Music Performance and Music Performance Studies, aiming to develop your knowledge and critical awareness of current trends and opportunities in the professional practice of music and musical performance.
You will study a range of modules including Performing Music, Professional Practice and Shaping Music in Performance, combined with elements of Research Methods and Independent Study.
You will demonstrate self-direction and autonomy in defining your relationship to the broad field of performance while continuing to advance your understanding and skills. These will inform your final Project that will act as a summation of all that you will have achieved.
The MMus in Music has a strong focus on practical performance-based work as well as equipping you with the analytical and writing skills that are relevant to the Music Industry and pedagogy.
You will be encouraged and be able to focus on issues of technique in the performance and interpretation of music from both practical and theoretical perspectives, enabling you to analyse and reflect on your preferred approach and cultural ‘take’. The application and development of your interests and skills will ultimately determine the precise nature of your degree and its usefulness to you as a practising musician, teacher, researcher, etc.
The University of Wolverhampton continues to develop state of the art facilities to greatly enhance your learning experience. The Performance Hub, opened in 2011, has a diverse range of fully equipped music teaching, performance and practice rooms (accommodating single person to large band / ensemble), two high-end professional recording studios, and two bespoke technology suites boasting sixty Apple iMacs running industry standard software including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Max, Pure Data and SuperCollider.
Our two recording studios offer the perfect blend of digital and analogue technologies giving students the opportunity to combine classic analogue recording technique with the flexibility and reliability digital technology provides. As well as a dedicated live room each for recording, for increased flexibility and choice of room acoustic, any of the music rehearsal rooms surrounding each studio can also be patched into the studio's control room.
The course will equip teachers, performers and music graduates with a diverse range of skills and the experience to enhance their career prospects. You will develop practical, critical, analytical and research skills from studying a broad spectrum of repertoire and literature.
You will acquire transferable skills relevant for pursuing a research degree and a range of employment opportunities in areas such as the professional music industry, education (secondary/FE), music retail, community music, self-employment, freelance performing, arts administration, research assistantships/studentships, and employment in HE institutions.
At the end of this course you, the student, will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of a variety of topical viewpoints in music performance, pedagogy and musicology, taking an independent and holistic perspective.
2. Develop analytical, critical, evaluative and creative skills appropriate to performing musicians, music teachers or academics, through a selection of appropriate methodologies and technologies.
3. Apply techniques of critical discourse relating musical text to sounding performance through a systematic understanding of historical, compositional, sociological, musicological, philosophical and literary theories.
4. Explore, develop and refine problem-solving techniques for music performance, from the technical to the expressive, in a wide range of performance environments and situations.
5. Analyse features of style in performance and synthesise and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources to arrive at valid concepts of authenticity and artifice.
6. Exercise personal autonomy in learning and performance situations through effective self-management, working in both individual and team scenarios.
The MMus in Popular Music Performance is a vibrant postgraduate course which combines the development of advanced performance, musicianship and instrumental talents with innovative academic skills.
The course encourages you to develop the highest levels of instrumental expertise, performance abilities, academic research and critical reasoning skills. You’ll also explore your leadership and musical management skills via the role of musical director of an ensemble, culminating in a performance of challenging original and existing repertoire.
This one-year (full-time), or two-year (part-time), course is aimed at individuals who wish to continue their studies after having already successfully completed an undergraduate music programme. The course also attracts those who already have a vast amount of industry experience and are keen to accomplish an even greater mastery of their instrument.
Across your learning, you’ll further develop your instrumental and musicianship skills, focusing on your personal relationship with your instrument and the extension of your technical ability, while exploring your role as a performer in both live and studio environments. This is delivered using a variety of modes of study, including one-to-one lessons, small-group ensemble classes and lectures, and private and group tutorials.
As a postgraduate student, you’ll enhance your professional development by operating autonomously and engaging in self-directed study, but with guidance and support from members of ICMP’s experienced professional faculty.
The course encourages you to identify your own personal learning requirements, select your essential resources, and then design and implement a plan for achieving them. You can choose from one of three optional modules, which include an investigation of a performance tradition, the use of music in health and wellbeing, and the cultural and philosophical aspects of music.
All MMus students are required to undertake a significant research project which leads to the production of a significant body of work for recital and a dissertation. You’ll receive highly personalised instrumental and dissertation supervision from a mentor of your choice within our faculty which comprises a number of celebrated PhD recipients and music academics.
Over the duration of the course, there will be many opportunities to work alongside like-minded creative musicians across all ICMP disciplines and you’ll be encouraged to collaborate both inside and outside of the MMus curriculum.
All MMus students have access to London’s Tileyard Studios – the UK’s largest professional music community – studying classes there, using the facilities for free and attending networking events. You’ll also benefit from a regular schedule of visiting lecturers who’ll discuss their different approaches, philosophies and ideas with you, including musicians, academics and guests from the wider creative industries.
As an MMus student, you’ll have direct access to our amazing facilities with industry-standard hardware, software and instruments, including a 24-track recording studio, multiple Mac labs and dedicated performance spaces which can all be booked free-of-charge outside of class hours, seven days a week. Postgraduate students also have access to studio and writing spaces at Tileyard Studios. You’ll also enjoy access to a range of UEL facilities, including the 24/7 multimedia libraries, with over 300,000 books, journals, audio-visual resources and archives, 500 electronic books and 25,000 electronic journals and databases.
ICMP's MMus course will take you on a journey that will change the way you think about yourself as a musician and, ultimately, as a person. You’ll graduate with the skills, self-reliance and motivation needed to build and sustain a successful portfolio career as a talented music professional – whichever path you decide to take.
Core Credit Modules
Optional Modules
Student choose one of the following optional modules:
Successful completion of the MMus Popular Music Performance programme at ICMP leads to the award of Master of Music by the University of East London.
Successful entry on to this Guildford School of Acting (GSA) programme means you will be part of a carefully selected and committed ensemble of performers-in-training, equipped with the necessary self-discipline and motivation to master new skills and refine existing capabilities.
GSA is one of the UK’s leading accredited drama schools, providing dedicated conservatoire training within a purpose built environment on the University of Surrey campus.
We place a very strong emphasis on the practical acquisition of technical skills together with a dedicated focus on professional development, and provide opportunities to combine these skills into musical theatre rehearsal projects and public performances.
The programme is intensive and specifically designed to equip participants in the ‘triple-threat’ disciplines of acting, singing, dancing.
Seminars in contextual and theoretical studies are taken together with masterclasses led by industry professionals in audition technique and repertoire.
These skills are integrated through project work which includes a devised project, a final public production led by a production team of industry professionals, and a West End Showcase.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Professional practical skills
Key / transferable skills
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
As a vocational training in instrumental or vocal performance skills, in orchestral performance skills, or in skills relevant to a development of musical theatre performance, the Advanced Performance programme is intended as a preparation for employment or further advanced training at postgraduate level.
This one year programme can be taken as either a non credit bearing Advanced Performance Course, or as a Postgraduate Certificate in Performance. All students focus their study on a specialist area of instrumental, vocal, orchestral, or musical theatre work. In particular the programme offers orchestral players an opportunity to engage in a course of study offering significant levels of orchestral rehearsal and performance experience.
Students following the Postgraduate Certificate in Performance will additionally take modules in Performance Portfolio and Lecture Recital.
The London College of Music's postgraduate course in Performance offers a generous allowance of one-to-one instrumental tuition with internationally renowned recitalists. The course provides a range of fascinating modules that support and extend practical musicianship.
You can also benefit from London College of Music's (LCM) weekly Postgraduate Research Seminars and Composition Workshops, which offer great opportunities to learn new skills and network with students from other postgraduate courses. LCM also has several large ensembles, including the LCM Sinfonia, LCM Big Band, LCM Choir, and LCM Glee Choir, which students are able to participate in.
The MMus course focuses on developing your musical performance at an advanced level. You will benefit from: one-to-one tuition with our instrumental teaching staff (all are internationally acclaimed recitalists); playing and learning with other students in workshops and masterclasses; and taking part in LCM's lively musical environment.
The course explores a wide range of 20th Century music and performance styles and you will be encouraged to develop your own. It places particular emphasis on developing critical thinking and listening skills and aims to give you an understanding of, and the opportunity to experiment with a broad range of performance styles.
Graduates will leave the course more confident performers and better informed all-round musicians, having gained musical insight and transferable skills including being able to evaluate situations, engage in professional dialogue and work effectively with others. Graduates will most likely pursue a career as a professional performing musician.
Successful graduates may be eligible to study an LCM Doctor of Music (DMus).
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
The Popular Music Performance course is designed to address the practical, academic and professional needs of contemporary musicians, and welcomes students from all genres.
Our postgraduate music performance courses offer substantial one-to-one instrumental tuition, with recitalists of international renown. They comprise fascinating and engaging modules that support and extend your practical musicianship and academic skills.
London College of Music's (LCM) regular Composition Workshops and Masterclasses offer great opportunities to learn new skills and network with students from other postgraduate courses. You can also benefit from being part of the vibrant LCM community with regular performance opportunities at LCM Sessions gigs, hosted by Popular Music students, and are encouraged to join in with musical activities throughout the LCM. The college runs several large ensembles including Pop and Gospel Choir, LCM Sinfonia, LCM Big Band, LCM Choir, and LCM Glee Choir, which students are able to participate in.
This course provides specialist training for drummers, vocalists, guitarists, bassists and keyboard players that reflects the needs of today’s music industry.
The course is taught by postgraduate tutors from the London College of Music, all of whom are active professional musicians of the highest standard.
It combines technical and stylistic performance tuition through one-to-one lessons, as well as group sessions with other students from across the postgraduate community, to ensure an enhanced learning experience and the opportunity to network with like-minded artists.
The course runs throughout each calendar year.
Plus one option from:
You will have the opportunity to develop your technical and creative performance skills through a programme of one-to-one tuition supported by group-based lectures, seminars and workshops.
There is also an exciting masterclass programme which provides students with the opportunity to engage with leading practitioners from across all areas of the music industry - performance, production and songwriting.
Graduates will likely pursue a career as a professional performing musician.
The degree might lead to further academic study, including DMus or MPhil/ PhD.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
