The BMus in Music is designed for students who wish to develop a deep understanding of music in the broadest sense whilst honing their specialist skills to professional standards. Staff with international reputations in performance, composition and musicology provide training that enables young musicians to fully exploit their talents. The degree includes studies in musicianship, harmony, music history and a range of associated skills that provide a well-rounded set of transferable skills such as problem-solving, communication and teamwork. This ensures that graduates in music are equally employable in graduate jobs as they are in musical careers.
The BMus degree was established in 1947 and over the last 70 years Queen's Music graduates have achieved a wide range of diverse careers and professional successes throughout the UK and internationally in both musical and non-musical careers.
Music highlights
World Class Facilities
Our Music Building was built at the same time as the main Queen's Lanyon Building. It was originally the Student's Union and Canteen.
We have the beautiful Harty Room concert hall, The Old McMordie Hall teaching room, a large Lecture Room, smaller teaching rooms, a basement full of practice rooms, 2 recording studios and social spaces for students to meet.
Performance Spaces
HARTY ROOM
With a splendid hammer-beam vaulted roof and warm acoustic, the Harty Room (seating 120) is situated within the Music building where the regular lunchtime recitals and evening concerts take place. It is also the main rehearsal space for choirs and orchestras at Queen’s. It houses two full- concert Steinway grand pianos, a double- manual harpsichord, fortepiano, chamber organ and many percussion instruments.
The Harty Room is also equipped with a large projector screen and audio PA system suitable for events such as concerts and seminars.
MCMORDIE HALL
This spacious room with colourful light beaming through its beautiful stained-glass window is one of two main lecturing spaces within the School of Music building. It also houses many of our early keyboard instruments, three small ones on the balcony and the heavier ones on the ground floor.
ELMWOOD HALL
This is a medium-sized concert hall, for a wide variety of musical events. The University Orchestra give two large- scale concerts there each year.
SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL
This is the University’s principal venue for orchestral concerts, conferences and exhibitions and it hosts the graduation ceremonies each June and December. The Whitla Hall also houses a Steinway concert grand and a magnificent three- manual organ by Compton, renovated by Hill, Norman and Beard.
The School benefits from strong industry partnerships including BBC NI, Ulster Orchestra, Opera NI, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, Michael Keeney, Cathedral Arts Festival, Moving on Music, Diatribe Records, DTS and Dolby.
We currently have a partnership with the Ulster Orchestra that means our performance classes are regularly co-mentored by Ulster Orchestra players. http://go.qub.ac.uk/PerformanceUOPartnership
Internationally Renowned Experts
Many of our staff are leading international experts in their fields of research. Additionally, the School employs a number Industry Fellows – internationally renowned professionals in their fields of composition, performance, song-writing, sound engineering and music production.
Each member of staff teaching on this course is listed on the next page with a link to their research profiles.
Professional Accreditations
The School is an Avid Learning Partner with certified instructors in both Media Composer video editing software and Pro Tools audio editing software.
Undergraduates at the school have the opportunity to be certified in editing and notations software used in both the Film and Audio Industries as an additional qualification outside their course. The cost of these courses ranges from £20 to £90 per course.
The school offers the following additional certifications:
MC101 | Media Composer Editing Essentials
MC110 | Media Composer Effects Essentials
PT101 | Pro Tools Fundamentals I
PT110 | Pro Tools Fundamentals II
PT130 | Pro Tools for Game Audio
PT201 | Pro Tools Production I
PT210M | Pro Tools Production II (Music Production)
SB101 | Sibelius Fundamentals I
SB110 | Sibelius Fundamentals II
https://www.avid.com/education/certification https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Discover/AvidTraining/
Student Experience
Northern Ireland has an exceptional track record for producing outstanding musical talent and has a unique identity within the global music industry. Belfast is the creative hub of the Northern Irish music industry and students on this programme will contribute to the vibrant musical life of both the University and the wider city. https://www.qub.ac.uk/student-blog/belfast-ni/belfast-night-out.html
Global Opportunities
Students may opt to spend a semester or a year studying abroad. The School has links with a number of international institutions including Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts Helsinki), University of Groningen, Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo do Porto (Instituto Politecnico do Porto), Université Français Rabelais Tours, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and Technological Educational Institute of Crete http://go.qub.ac.uk/Erasmus-StudyAbroad
Further Study Opportunities
Further study, including Master's programmes, is also an option; see the School website for further information. Graduates of this degree will be eligible to undertake the postgraduate study such as the MRes and PhD programmes. http://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-taught/arts-humanities-mres/
Student Experience
Students wishing to take modules in either solo or ensemble performance at Level 1 must first successfully pass an audition. Each student accepted onto a Level 1 performance module is awarded a generous performance bursary that covers the cost of all practical performance tuition. Performance bursaries are also provided to students taking performance modules at Levels 2 and 3.
World Class Facilities
The School is one of the largest and best equipped institutions in the UK working in the field of music and sound. Students have access to state-of-the-art audio resources including two dedicated computer suites, ten sound studios an equipment loan store and the world’s first Sonic Laboratory – a unique performance space capable of three-dimensional sound projection, all housed in the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC).
Since its founding in 2001, the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) has become a globally recognised institute for music-based practice and research, broadly conceived. SARC brings together researchers in composition, performance, musicology, computing for musical applications, acoustics and perception, sound recording, interaction design, broadcast, critical improvisation studies, sound art, aesthetics and media theory. It is a purpose designed building with a state-of-the-art Sonic Laboratory and multichannel studios was opened by Karlheinz Stockhausen in 2004 during the Sonorities Festival, which is hosted biennially by SARC. SARC also includes associate members based in computer engineering, anthropology, psychology and architecture who are involved in research collaborations and co-supervision of PhD students, to form a research environment with over 60 academics and postgraduate students.
SARC regularly hosts visiting artists and scholars and has ongoing research collaborations with international institutions including Stanford University, University of São Paulo, IRCAM, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, McGill University, Bach-Archiv Leipzig, Stony Brook University, Orpheus Institute and University of Oxford. SARC also has formal professional partnerships with high profile local artists and ensembles including the Ulster Orchestra, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble and Duke Special, of which the latter two are currently employed as Industry Professionals. The link below is a student-led video tour of the SARC building. http://go.qub.ac.uk/SARCtour
The Sonic Laboratory at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) could best be thought of as a 'cinema for the ear' - a specialist acoustic space designed to provide a unique and immersive listening experience - the auditory equivalent of an IMAX cinema. Forty-eight loudspeakers, strategically located, project and move sounds throughout the 360 degrees of the space, including above and underneath the audience. The Sonic Lab was designed with an acoustically transparent, modular grid floor suspended 4m above the basement level. No other auditorium for sonic art performance and experimentation currently exists with this revolutionary feature. The provision of this facility gives Northern Ireland a unique and pioneering role in a rapidly developing field.
The Sonic Lab is a flexible space used for teaching, public concerts, screenings, installations and for developing and implementing cutting edge research linked to the emerging creative industries. As an engineering research facility, the Sonic Laboratory provides unique opportunities to develop and test new ideas relating to virtual reality / augmented reality, immersive media, Dolby Atmos, loudspeaker design, music perception, musical interactions, new instrument design and sound engineering.
Specifications
AUDIO
• 48 loudspeakers across 4 levels: Basement (10), ground (12), mid-height (18) and over-head (8) consisting of Meyer and Genelec loudspeakers.
• Studer Vista 5 mixing console located at the rear of the lab - 72 mic/line inputs, 56 line outputs.
• DANTE audio connection to the Broadcast Studio in SARC.
• Adjacent Control Room equipped with AMS-NEVE DMC mixing console with PMC loudspeaker monitoring and Pro Tools HDX multitrack playback and recording system.
ACOUSTICS
48 acoustic absorbers which can be raised and lowered to alter the reverberation time of the space between 0.4 – 2.3 seconds. This allows the space to be configured to suit different performances,
recording situations, and testing environments.
VISUAL
Large 7 meter-wide retractable acoustically-permeable screen with high definition video projection.
LIGHTING
LED powered lighting system - Avolites Titan Mobile console controlling 6 x moving head lights, and 28 x LED Par fixtures. http://go.qub.ac.uk/Sonic-Lab
Internationally Renowned Experts
Each term we run a series of research seminars and lunchtime concerts with guest speakers/performers joining us from around the world. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/events/
Student Experience
The Music Department at Queen's is a very welcoming and friendly department. Even though we work across two buildings, both are good venues for a sociable and relaxed student experience. http://go.qub.ac.uk/MusicatQueens
Student Testimonials
The best thing about the BMus course is the freedom to build each year around your own interests. All of the staff in the department are second to none in their areas and they truly care about helping you to develop your relationship with music. From the connected industry professionals to the office staff, the department is really like one big family and the best support network you could ask for. You will leave the course with strong professional and personal connections and confidence in your own musical style and ability.
Amy Murray
“As a final year music student , I can definitely say that I am going to miss the University experience here at Queen’s. The music department at Queen’s has a vibrant, exciting atmosphere. The staff and student relationship is quite unique, and the lecturers offer exceptional support during the three years of the degree. Ranging from electronic and experimental music in Sonic Arts Research Centre, to Traditional Irish Music and classical performance in the School of Music, Queen’s has something to offer everyone in music.”
Sarah Ponsonby Brument, BMus Student
To view a presentation on this course please go to http://go.qub.ac.uk/BMustalk. The BMus is the broadest and most flexible of our music degrees. It offers freedom for students to choose the areas they would like to specialise in, such as: Solo Performance, Composition, Musicology, Recording Practices and Ensemble Performance, along with Arts Management, Song Writing and Traditional Irish Music.
Level 1
Students are introduced to a number of core areas of musical study in five core modules at Level 1, introducing the key concepts in Music. They will also develop critical and writing skills necessary in order to make the transition to studying at university level. There is one further optional module, which can be chosen from a wide range.
Level 2
The second year includes two core modules in analysis and critical writing skills, plus four optional modules. At this stage there is considerable flexibility and freedom for students to choose the areas they would like to specialise in, building on the knowledge and skills gained at stage 1 and exploring areas of interest.
Level 3
At Level 3, students are required to take one core module in a choice of music history subject, plus select five more from a wide range of optional modules rooted in staff research expertise. Students can also elect to take a work based learning module.
6 (hours maximum) hours of practical classes, workshops or seminars each week
Personal Study
24 (hours maximum) 22–24 hours studying and revising in your own time each week, including guided study, composition, instrumental tuition, performance rehearsal, online activities, etc.
Large Group Teaching
6 (hours maximum) hours of lectures
Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial
2 (hours maximum) hours of tutorials (or later, project supervision) each week
Learning and Teaching
Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this courses are:
E-Learning technologies
Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: interactive group workshops; podcasts and interactive web-based learning activities; on-line assessment; opportunities to use software applications associated with design in practicals and project-based work etc.
Lectures
Introduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers).
Personal Tutor
Undergraduates are allocated a Personal Tutor during Stages 1 and 2 who meets with them regularly during the year to support their academic development.
Practicals
Provide opportunities for the development of technical skills and the application of theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts.
Self-directed study
This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, performance practice, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback and assignment research and preparation is carried out.
Supervised projects
In final year, all students take a ‘Professional Practice’ module which provides the opportunity to develop a body of artistic work in a professional context. Each individual or group will be assigned a member of staff to act as a mentor. Mentors and students will meet fortnightly to review work in progress and to discuss practical concerns.
Work placements
Students have the opportunity to undertake a work placement in Year 3. This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity.
Assessment
Details of assessments associated with this course are outlined below:
The way in which you are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Many Music modules are assessed solely through practical project work, continuous assessment or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Module Outline Document which is provided to all students at the beginning of each teaching semester.
Feedback
As students’ progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:
Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
Placement employer comments or references
Online or emailed comment.
General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.
Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.
Facilities
The Music Department at Queen’s is one of the best equipped in the UK. Our music degrees are housed in two striking buildings: the elegant, historical Music building and the world-leading Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC). SARC contains the unique Sonic Lab, a concert hall with variable acoustics and facilities for immersion in 360º sound. The Music building houses the Harty Room, a concert hall that is regularly used for public performances. The department also houses state of the art recording studios (for both ‘pop’ and ‘classical’ music), plus studios for surround sound and post production. There are also a large number of practice rooms, including three acoustically isolated rooms, and three suites of iMac computers.
Situated in the Main Site Tower basement are a suite of four band rooms - three performance and one control room for recording. All the rooms are linked together to allow studio quality audio recordings. Check out the link for a full list of equipment provided in these rooms.
The school also has facilities for organists and pianists, including an extensive range of early keyboard instruments, orchestral instruments and percussion instruments. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Discover/facilities/PracticeRoomsandinstruments/
The School is one of the largest and best-equipped institutions in the UK working in the field of music and sound. Students have access to state-of-the-art audio resources including:
The Sonic Lab: a unique performance space with variable acoustics, an acoustically transparent grid floor and 48 studio quality loudspeakers to facilitate three dimensional sound projection. The Sonic Lab is capable of projecting multichannel audio in a range of spatial formats including ambisonics and Dolby Atmos.
The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.
This module gives an introduction – historical, cultural and analytical – to western art music of the Early, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods.
Learning Outcomes
To give students an understanding of a variety of key repertoires within their historical and cultural contexts; to provide students with a clear, chronological account of developments in music.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS:
Students will:
(i) Synthesise information from a number of both musical and musicological sources.
(ii) Presentation information in essay form.
(iii) Assess sometimes conflicting arguments.
(iv) Assess statistical information.
(v) Learn to appreciate creative and artistic development.
(vi) Listen critically.
(vii) Identify musical forms and compositional processes.
(viii) Reflect on learning in journal format
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vi) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
The goal of this module is to provide an introduction to music from an 'educated' perspective: that is, an awareness of music as an art-form as it is practised in contemporary culture. This outlook would primarily relate to Western Culture, but would include an exploration of music in non-Western cultures - for instance, India and the Middle East. The relevance of historical practices as they relate to contemporary thinking would also be explored. Within Western Music, students would explore the vast range of musical practices ranging from music, which is intended to fuel consumerism (in which case a lecture would analyse music in advertisements) to mass market music (rock or film music) to the 'classical' tradition and its contemporary proliferation. The relationship of music and society would be a key component of the study and students would not only examine the influence of political thinking on the music of composers such as Finnissy, but would also look at the cultural significance of moments such as Jimi Hendrix's performance at Woodstock.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module students will be able to:
• Understand the importance of listening to music from an educated perspective
• Understand the relationship between musical developments and wider trends within culture and society
• Understand the range of contemporary musical practices
• Understand the relationship between historical and contemporary practices
• Utilise this understanding in their own work
Skills
• Problem solving
• Communication
• Time Management
• Leadership
• Teamwork (social intelligence)
• Abstraction of thought
• Imagination
• Self-expression (emotional intelligence)
• Self-reliance
• Reflection
• Editing
• Proofreading
• Formatting
• Plotting outcomes
• Prioritisation
• Evaluating success
• Resource management
• Making decisions
• Independent thought
The goal of this module is to provide training in essential practical musical skills with particular emphasis on musical composition. The compositional process is explored across a wide range of practices including the use of traditional notation, graphic scores, studio assisted composition, improvisation and performance. Various compositional strategies will be explored and developed through weekly assignments. These assignments may contribute practically or conceptually to a final composition project which will be submitted in score, or performed and/or recorded at the end of the module.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module students will be able to:
• Generate, manipulate and organise musical materials
• Manage people, musical resources, formal schemes, and symbolic musical representations
• Utilise strategies for productivity in speculative musical practice, and apply these strategies beyond immediately musical contexts
Skills
The module will stress transferable skills involving processes of discrimination, selection, organisation, recontextualisation, performance and strategic thought. Critical evaluation, resourcefulness, imagination, collaborative making and individual motivation will be enhanced by participatory, hands-on learning.
Harmonic series; consonance; modes, scales and triads; tonic and dominant; predominant chords; other common progressions; inessential notes; modulation; texture and harmonic rhythm. These areas will be studied through a variety of styles from the 18th to early 19th centuries, including Bach chorales, German Lied, piano music and string quartet.
Learning Outcomes
The working knowledge of the rudiments of music, tonal harmony and analytical vocabulary.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop:
(i) The understanding of the working of tonal harmony.
(ii) The ability to recognise particular procedures in varying contexts.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence and negotiate.
(iii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
This module will provide an introduction to the nature of sound, its properties and propagation and the tools used to professionally record sound and edit the resulting audio signals. Students will learn about the nature of sound, representation of sound as analogue and digital audio signals; microphone design and usage; the lines and interconnections used for distributing audio signals; and basic timbral and dynamic signal processing. Students will also gain practical experience of using professional microphones and portable recorders to make interior and exterior source recordings, and digital audio workstations for audio editing and balancing.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able:
(i) To operate a portable audio recording device and audio recording hardware in a studio context
(ii) To record speech and musical sound sources monophonically to broadcast quality standard
(iii) To edit speech and musical content in a digital audio workstation environment
(iv) To successfully troubleshoot issues with audio signal flow
Skills
(i) Numeracy and information and communication technology.
(ii) Creative thinking and problem solving.
(iii) Operation of hardware and software for creative studio applications.
(iv) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(v) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(vi) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(vii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(viii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(ix) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(x) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(xi) Apply and exploit information technology.
The module provides an introduction to basic techniques, including notation, involved in contemporary classical composition. These are explored both through study of music from the recent and distant past, and through the working of simple weekly exercises.
Learning Outcomes
The module provides for the student a transition from the simple traditional exercises of the school syllabus to a more personal approach to composition.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Learn to work with simple musical materials.
(ii) Learn to perfect intricate musical notation.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(iv) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vi) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vii) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
The module will introduce students to the principles of film form, narrative, styles and methodologies of film criticism. It will concentrate on American and British cinema and the examples drawn from these two very different cinematic industries will help increase and broaden knowledge of film and cinema, audiences and industries.
Learning Outcomes
The objectives of the module are to introduce students to key ideas and approaches in film history and criticism.
This module is a core element for the BA in Music Performance and will also be taken by almost all BMus students. The module focuses on the study of solo performance and is open to musicians (vocal and instrumental) from all performance traditions. Teaching is a combination of one-on-one tuition by specialist university tutors and a weekly performance class.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module students will be able to:
1. Give competent performances of music in their chosen specialism
2. Demonstrate good stagecraft
3. Exhibit technical attainment commensurate with Level 1
4. Demonstrate the capacity to perform to an audience
Anthropologists have analysed how people with different cultures' express themselves in a variety of ways through sound, text and image. Who is involved in specific expressive practices, who controls these practices, and which media are emphasised by different groups? Can textual, verbal, musical and material forms of expression be communicated across cultural boundaries? How do processes of cultural translation affect their meaning and impact on different lifeworlds? In this module, we will explore performative genres including musical activities and rituals; language-based forms of expression and processes of visual and material expression around artworks, objects and film documentation.
Learning Outcomes
Students should have acquired a basic understanding of key issues relating to the performative dimensions of cultural expression through a comparative analysis of ethnographic studies pertaining to sound, text and image. Students should be able to discuss how anthropology has approached expressive cultures and understand a range of cultural differences between themselves and others in this arena. The module should prepare them for further study in the fields of performative, textual and visual analysis.
Skills
Students should develop skills in literacy; oral communication; the organisation of logical arguments; effective presentation of written work; critical reflection on their own cultural assumptions and biases; and teamwork.
This course will provide the base of technical skills and concepts required to work with sound successfully and efficiently in a technological environment. Core elements of sound synthesis, acoustics, and auditory perception will be presented in a minimally technical fashion to give all students the key concepts and terminology required to discuss music technology for the purpose of analysis and creative practice.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module you will: (1) understand common visualisations of sound (waveforms and spectra), (2) have an overview of sound in technology, from generation, to propagation, to perception (3) be able to develop a piece of academic writing, (4) be able to engage with computer-based applications to demonstrate practical aspects of the fundamentals of sound.
Skills
Music and sound analytical skills. Academic writing skills. Computer-based application of these skills applied to creative work. Problem solving with code-based music production. Critical reflection skills.
This module is suited to musicians wishing to perform in ensembles working in and across traditional, pop, jazz, folk, classical, rock, electronic, improvisational, and experimental performance. Ensemble Performance I entails a regular workshop, group lessons with performance tutors, group rehearsals, and attendance at concerts and seminars.
Learning Outcomes
You will be able to work in group situations, develop musical concepts and realise performances. You will be able to contextualise and critically reflect on your own work and the work of others.
Skills
(i) Critical evaluation and reflection, performance practice, and innovative approaches to improvisation.
(ii) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(iii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iv) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(v) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(ix) Apply and exploit information technology.
(x) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
The study of the Classical idiom through analysis of selected chamber and piano music by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert. The course will define the basic elements of Classical harmonic language and deal also with longer-range formal thinking.
Learning Outcomes
Students should acquire a working knowledge of the harmonic idiom, textures and structural thought of the music of the Classical era.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop the skills of:
(i) Precise observation.
(ii) Discrimination between surface detail and more fundamental procedures.
(iii) Identification of Classical harmonies.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
Lectures will offer case studies that illustrate how the fame of a person or a creative work can be manifested and measured in different cultural and temporal contexts. Assessments develop writing, critical, research, and bibliographical skills. Students select a person or work to research. For the first project, students develop and present a bibliography on their chosen subject using electronic resources and a standard bibliographical method; included is a report that outlines their research technique and evaluates the results of the searches. Students will develop writing and critical skills through a critical review of a book related to their chosen subject. For the final project students will write a blog post on their chosen subject.
Learning Outcomes
Students will learn how to write clear and fluid prose, directing their assessed work to specific purposes and identified audiences. Students will develop skills which will make them more effective critics (of musical performances and written texts in different formats). Students will learn how to source bibliography and develop an awareness of professional standards for its presentation.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Develop critical skills as applied to listening, reading and writing.
(ii) Develop writing skills, directed towards different formats and specific audiences.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vi) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(vii) Apply and exploit information technology.
(viii) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
The nature of broadcasting is changing. Online platforms, emerging modes of distribution and new digital technologies are re-wiring established media cultures, transforming traditional media production and distribution systems and introducing new media networks (internet, mobile devices). This module explores aspects of this techno-cultural transformation, through both a practical exploration of the form and by considering critical debates exploring the power, force, significance and form of a series of new media texts, artefacts and systems.
The module situates practices in an environment that is ceaselessly evolving and explores new technologies such as virtual reality, immersive media and interactive documentary. This module offers a practical introduction to a range of software authoring tools widely used within the media and an exploration of disruptive new technologies as they emerge.
Learning Outcomes
On completing this module, students should have acquired and be able to demonstrate:
1. Critical awareness of how broadcast is evolving and of digital media systems as innovative cultural forms;
2. Systematic understanding of current debates in the field of new media around aesthetics, use, distribution, medium theory and form;
3. Comprehensive understanding of debates around technology, culture and determinism;
4. Critical evaluation of interactive media practice;
5. Applied Experience and engagement through practice in the area.
Skills
The module will equip students with the necessary production skills and theoretical frameworks to explore and deliver projects that move away from linear production processes. This grounding will provide students with basic authoring skills, it will give them the capacity to develop their skills in line with emerging broadcasting and media production techniques and will equip them to think critically about the forms and contents of contemporary media systems and media systems that originate online and reside natively on the web.
Experimental Popular Musics will discuss varied topics including experimental pop music cultures, disco culture, as well as techno and electronic dance music cultures.
Learning Outcomes
The course aims to (1) revisit the social reciprocity between music and everyday life, (2) examine the role of social discourses and practices in constituting a musical experience, and vice versa, (3) reflect on the social nexus, economy and technology of music production and consumption, and (4) develop an understanding of music as culture and as a social force of producing, representing and shifting both individual and collective identities.
Skills
(1) Critical listening, (2) Critical reading and writing, (3) Intellectual and cultural awareness, (4) Finding and communicating creative solutions, (5) Team work, (6) Organisation and collaboration, (7) Leadership and initiative.
This module will focus on the development of practical skills in the areas of software and hardware design and prototyping for artistic applications. The module will begin by introducing Max/MSP and Arduino prototyping environments along with an overview of common sensors and actuators. Students will work in small groups to produce a digital musical instrument or an interactive installation. These projects will progress from brainstorms to physical sketches to functioning prototypes, all of which will be evaluated through group critique led by the module convenor. The module draws on "maker" and "DIY" cultural practices, discussion of which will provide artistic context for both instrument and installation designs.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module you will:
(1) develop competency in computer programming for artistic applications
(2) understand the fundamentals of synthesizing and processing sound with the computer
(3) understand the fundamentals of physical computing in relation to artistic interaction
(4) be able to design basic artistic interactions through digital means.
Skills
(i) Numeracy and information and communication technology.
(ii) Creative thinking and problem solving.
(iii) Operation of hardware and software for creative applications.
(iv) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(v) Computer and microcontrollers programming.,
(vi) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway
(vii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(viii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(ix) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(x) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(xi) Apply and exploit the above skills in creative and artistic contexts.
This module introduces sound design in the context of audio-visual production. Students will be exposed to both theoretical and practical aspects of design and audio-vision. Lectures will introduce concepts to be applied in the analysis of sound design in film and animation works. Students will be asked to develop critical strategies for analysis and to produce a soundtrack for a given film/video excerpt.
Learning Outcomes
Students should be able:
(i) To appreciate and understand sound design.
(ii) To gain insight into editing strategies used in filmmaking.
(iii) To expand on our understanding of the soundscape.
(iv) To develop a language and body of references for the discussion of sound design.
Skills
(i) Creative thinking and problem solving.
(ii) Familiarisation with theories of design.
(iii) Understanding of basic sound design terminology and strategies.
(iv) Development of a vocabulary for audio-visual analysis.
(v) Sophisticated understanding of the role of sound in film.
(vi) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(vii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(viii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(ix) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(x) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(xi) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(xii) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
The module focuses on the consolidation of technical skills in composition and on the development of an individual approach to composition. The module is aimed both at students who wish to progress to a Year 3 portfolio, and those who wish to gain further experience of composition-based skills that may be utilised elsewhere (teaching, arranging, media, etc)
Learning Outcomes
The module gives a deeper insight into compositional activity, both through study of existing work and in the application of technique learned. There is also some opportunity for practical experimentation through workshops.
Skills
The student acquires intellectual confidence through the decision-making involved in original composition, and applied skills through meeting the demanding standards of presentation required in practical contexts..
• Songwriting nuts and bolts
• Recording Techniques/ Using the studio for writing
• Creativity with Sounds and Technology
• Creative Writing
• Crossing art forms
• Visiting songwriters
• Building portfolio
• Fortnightly assessments
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able:
(i) To apply a range of compositional and lyrical techniques to individual song-writing
(ii) To critically evaluate existing repertoire and learn from the song-writing of others
(iii) To demonstrate creativity in the use of technology and sounds in song-writing
(iv) To use the studio as a tool in song-writing
(v) To engage in crossing art forms in the song-writing process
(vi) To engage in the process of registering, marketing and publishing original songs
On completion of this module students will be able:
(i) To apply a range of compositional and lyrical techniques to individual song-writing
(ii) To critically evaluate existing repertoire and learn from the song-writing of others
(iii) To demonstrate creativity in the use of technology and sounds in song-writing
(iv) To use the studio as a tool in song-writing
(v) To engage in crossing art forms in the song-writing process
(vi) To engage in the process of registering, marketing and publishing original songs
On completion of this module students will be able:
(i) To apply a range of compositional and lyrical techniques to individual song-writing
(ii) To critically evaluate existing repertoire and learn from the song-writing of others
(iii) To demonstrate creativity in the use of technology and sounds in song-writing
(iv) To use the studio as a tool in song-writing
(v) To engage in crossing art forms in the song-writing process
(vi) To engage in the process of registering, marketing and publishing original songs
Skills
Students will:
(i) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ii) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, moral and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(iii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(iv) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(v) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module involves basic electronics theory, programming and communication. Using sensor technologies to control musical software through movement and actions beyond the keyboard/mouse and existing commercial controllers. You will create and build your own instrument or hardware controller for music making.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to: read and create circuit diagrams; design and build sensing, signal conditioning and amplification circuits; program a microcontroller for input, output, communication, signal conditioning and feedback control; modify exiting electronic devices to make music; design and implement interactive games or music making systems.
Skills
(i) Analysis and design of circuits using symbolic notation
(ii) Assembly of electronic circuits through soldering, breadboarding
(iii) Rapid prototyping through programming of embedded devices
(iv) Modification, exploitation and extension of existing hardware devices for music making
(v) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(vi) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(vii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(viii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(ix) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(x) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern tehnology.
(xi) Apply and exploit information technology.
(xii) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xiii) Relect on and evaluate their own practice.
Principles of Business in Arts, Cultural and Creative Industries
Overview
This course is designed for Stage 2 students in all Creative Arts disciplines (Drama, Film & Broadcast, Music & Sonic Arts) to introduce and explore key elements in the ‘business’ of creative work: the planning, management and delivery of cultural and creative projects, events and/or activities. As part of an interdisciplinary class and with elements of independent group work throughout, students will share their knowledge from their own programmes and gain new insights to the crossover of skills and opportunities and the benefits of multidisciplinary teams.
The course runs in two parts. The first half of the course will introduce students to the unique planning and delivery challenges of cultural and creative work with students’ active engagement in observing or putting the theory into real-life practice. In the second half, students will work through one of two options (subject to availability): to work in teams to enhance, deliver and evaluate a programmed event or activity with a cultural business; or to undertake independent field research in the development of an event or activity proposal for a cultural business.
Assessment will be principally based on reflexive journaling and some practical assessment of their participation (the production of a short-form report or plan).
Part 1 will be delivered mainly through classroom lectures, seminars and discussions on the different functions of management and planning in the arts, cultural and creative industries.
Part 2
Subject to availability in any given year, students will choose one of two strands for Part 2 of the programme. Activities offered in these strands each year will be selected in discussion between Subject Leads of Creative Arts and relevant staff in creative centres on campus, enabling students to access contemporary events and knowledge relevant to their studies.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:
1. Recognise common features and approaches to planning and delivery of arts, cultural and creative activities, events or projects
2. Express improved understanding of the industry context of their chosen discipline, recognising influences, norms and constraints on creative and cultural business
3. Articulate how increased understanding of creative business might influence their own creative or industry practice, their future study and professional development.
4. Understand the collaborative and team-based nature of arts, cultural and creative industries planning and delivery.
Skills
The completion of this course will support the following skills:
• Reflective & reflexive thinking
• Evaluation and observation
• Report and/or proposal writing
• Practical skills in event/project management/planning
• Teamwork and collaborative working
This module explores the theory and practice of multi-track sound recording, editing, mixing and mastering. Students are introduced to a wide range of close microphone techniques used for the multitrack recording of ‘pop’ music. Students gain practical experience of the recording and mixing processes working alongside School based performance ensembles. Students also develop their technical listening skills using online soundbanks that focus on microphone placement for a range of sound sources. Additional topics covered include microphone design, ‘producing’ a pop music recording session, performance refinement and the mastering process.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able:
(i) To use a range of multitrack recording techniques for recording 'Pop' music
(ii) To operate industry standard DAW environments including software and associated control surfaces
(iii) To mix and master multitrack recordings to professional standard
(iv) To critically evaluate the recording techniques applied in commercial 'pop' recordings
Skills
(i) Numeracy, creative thinking and problem solving.
(ii) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action
(iii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iv) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(v) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(ix) Demonstrate critical evaluation outcomes of professional practice.
(x) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module introduces key themes in music psychology. These include models and experimental data relating to music cognition and perceptual processing; auditory neuroscience and the neuropsychology of music; developmental music psychology; empirical and experimental studies regarding the function and role of emotion in music; and applications of music in therapeutic, medical and commercial contexts. Additionally the module provides an introduction to psychological research methodology and the critical-analytical thinking employed in the behavioural sciences.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the existing theoretical accounts of musical perception, processing and action. Students will be able to apply psychological methods to novel music-related questions. Students will understand the relationship between published science and how it is presented in the media. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of psychological concepts applied to music and bring psychological, critical thinking to bear on issues relevant to music production and creative technologies.
Skills
(i) Develop facility to review, critically evaluate and synthesise a body of psychological knowledge related to music and sonic arts.
(ii) Engage in processes of reflective scientific, psychological thinking.
(iii) Writing and communication skills related to production of an assignment which evidences ability to engage in critical analysis of relevant literature.
(iv) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(v) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(vi) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(vii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(viii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
The module explores, through practice, collaborative improvisation practice, with recourse, where appropriate, to exploration of more individual modes of improvised conduct which contribute to collaborative music making.
Through weekly practical playing workshops, students will learn improvisation through refinement of aural skills, memory skills, musicianship, collaborative music making, extended vocal and instrumental techniques and interdisciplinary collaborations.
This module will focus on improving self-confidence, creativity, cooperation skills, and transferable performance skills.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module students will have developed, through exploring in practice, an insight into a variety of improvisational practices. Students will have developed a closer connection to their instrument musically and technically. They will have learnt to be more confident and creative, reducing stage fright as well as improving listening, social and ensemble skills.
They will have a better understanding of the connection between aspects of composition and performance.
They will have developed an ability to improvise using improved aural skills.
Students will have improved their playing style and instrumental/vocal technique and become more natural and spontaneous performers.
Skills
Listening, ensemble playing and thinking, collaborative music making, improvising, performance skills
The course teaches the wide range of skills needed to make editions of music from original manuscripts and printed sources of the 15th and 16th centuries. The module also includes a lecture on 14th/15th/early 16th century music for context. Students are taught to read early handwriting, to transcribe mensural notation and instrumental tablatures and to acquire facility in the techniques of editing.
Learning Outcomes
To achieve a good functional standard in the main technical aspects of editing. To deepen awareness of musical styles and genres of the period through close contact with the music.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop:
(i) The ability to read and interpret original scores
(ii) Clarity and accuracy in the presentation of editions
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, moral and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly
(vi) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vii) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology
This module is aimed at students who want to develop core skills in sound manipulation and composition practice. The module will examine a range of issues in order to provide a grounding in electroacoustic music.
The module takes a practice-based approach embedded in workshop sessions introducing students to repertoire, techniques and strategies related to the two assessed practical projects and a student led seminar presentation.
During the module students will be introduced to techniques and strategies for manipulating sound both off-line and in real-time in the Max/MSP environment. Other software packages (Pro Tools, Soundhack, AudioSculpt/Spear) will be used for editing, mixing and processing as appropriate. Students will also be working with bespoke recording techniques, microphones and loudspeaker setups.
Learning Outcomes
You'll learn how to process and develop musical materials and address aspects of language and structure in your composition work and at the end of the module you will have 1) developed key skills for abstracting and developing new sounds from source materials, 2) developed and enhanced your approach to problem-solving, 3) expanded your understanding and appreciation of electroacoustic music, 4) developed your approach to electroacoustic composition, 5) developed a language and body of references for the discussion of electroacoustic music.
Skills
(i) Criticise and analyse your own composition and the work of others.
(ii) Creatively approach issues of structure, transformation and musical development.
(iii) Present your ideas and thoughts in front of others.
(iv) Identify technical problems in a sound processing technique.
(v) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(vi) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgment).
(vii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(viii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ix) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(x) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
Instruction in 1st study solo performance (instrument or voice). Attendance at and participation in the weekly performance platform. Attendance at weekly concerts, and at masterclasses and workshops throughout the year. Attendance at tutorials as timetabled.
Learning Outcomes
Students will develop advanced technical and interpretative skills in performance at a level equivalent to externally awarded teaching diplomas (such as the LRSM)
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will learn:
(i) The ability to perform as a soloist.
(ii) To develop technical and interpretative proficiency through private practice.
(iii) To evaluate and learn from the performance of others.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ii) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, moral and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(iii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(iv) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(v) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module is suited to advanced musicians with experience of performing in ensembles working in and across traditional, pop, jazz, folk, classical, rock, electronic, improvisational and experimental performance. Ensemble Performance II entails a three-hour weekly workshop (fortnightly in semester 2), studio recording sessions, group and individual lessons with performance tutors and attendance at concerts and seminars.
Learning Outcomes
You will be able to work in group situations, develop advanced musical concepts and realise performances that are of a standard suitable for the public domain. You will be able to contextualise and critically reflect on your own work and the work of others.
Skills
Skills
(i) Critical evaluation and reflection, performance practice and innovative approaches to improvisation.
(ii) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(iii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iv) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(v) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(viii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(ix) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant information technology.
(x) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module will develop technical and editorial skills in radio and podcast production. Students will explore the contexts of public service broadcasting formats (such as those offered by BBC) as well as the podcast landscape and commercial and community radio platforms.
This module will introduce varying genres of radio broadcasting and podcasting - feature documentary genre, speech based discussion formats, radio drama and other non-fiction based programme making idioms.
Through a series of practical activities, this module will explore a range of skills involved in radio and podcast production including writing, using the voice, show-producing and audio engineering.
Opportunities to develop an original programme or podcast idea will culminate in a group radio project conducted in a live studio setting. Students will be encouraged to engage with local communities to generate ideas that connect with their audience and the wider world around them.
Learning Outcomes
1. Prepare and present a pitch for a radio programme or a podcast.
2. Conceive, develop and design a radio programme or podcast for delivery.
3. Produce a live radio broadcast featuring in-studio discussion or an equivalent podcast.
4. Effectively use the voice in a radio/podcast presentation context.
5. Use audio equipment to effectively record content for radio/audio podcast and engineer audio for a live broadcast.
6. Acquire advanced knowledge of radio and audio production techniques and the ability to create compelling radio and podcast segments.
Skills
1. Advancing audio production and post production skills
2. Live radio studio and podcast engineering skills
3. Enhanced writing skills for radio and podcast
4. Live radio and podcast production experience
5. A greater appreciate of the various roles of industry professionals
6. An enhanced knowledge of radio and audio formats and their impact on society
This module provides an opportunity for student to utilise disciplinary skills in a work-based environment within the context of reflective practice. Students will negotiate suitable placements in consultation with their academic supervisor and participate in a programme of related classes and events. Simulated work-based projects in which students work in groups with the support of the university’s Enterprise Unit in the Students’ Union are also possible.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should have:
Increased ability to relate academic theory to the work environment
A developed understanding of the organisational culture, policies and processes
The ability to reflexively and critically evaluate their own learning from the placement
An appreciation of enterprise and innnovation
Enhanced career knowledge
Skills
Employability skills, including effective communication, teamworking and problem-solving.
This module explores the practice of recording 'classical' or acoustic music performances using stereo microphone technique and mixing multitrack music recordings for surround sound production. Additionally, the module examines a range of audio recording and reproduction formats for consumer and professional use. Topics covered include sound localisation stereo microphone technique, the 5.1/7.1 surround sound delivery systems, and analogue and digital audio reproduction formats.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
i) record and edit 'classical' music using a range of stereo microphone techniques
ii) critically evaluate different stereo microphone techniques applied in commercial 'classical' recordings
iii) mix multitrack music recordings for surround sound presentation
iv) describe how audio signals are stored and reproduced in a range of professional and consumer analogue and digital media.
Skills
(i) Numeracy, creative thinking and problem solving.
(ii) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(iii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iv) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(v) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(ix) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(x) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module explores the craft of scoring for screen and new media. Students build on previous experience of composing instrumental and/or acousmatic music and learn how to creatively establish coherent audio-visual relationships in music. Students will gain knowledge, understanding and practical experience of screen scoring techniques including ‘reading’ the media, continuity and contrast, ‘spotting’, underscoring a scene, optimal cue durations, and managing transitions and pacing. The role of technology in scoring for screen is also explored and students are provided with access to a range of professional electronic and instrumental sample libraries for realising practical work.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
(i) critically evaluate the dramatic intent of a scene
(ii) understand how to support or heighten the dramatic impact of a scene through sound and/or music
(iii) utilise technological resources to construct electronically scored screen ‘cues’
(iv) utilise technological resources to emulate orchestrally scored screen ‘cues’
Skills
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(iv) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vi) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vii) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
From national anthems to Hip-Hop, and from K-Pop to the Proms, music is a means of performing and contesting power. Drawing on perspectives from ethnomusicology, sound studies, and the anthropology of music, this module provides students with the opportunity to work intensively on a series of topics related to music, power, and conflict in both historical and contemporary contexts. We will explore a range of key themes, including sounds of protest and resistance; music, conflict, and reconciliation; and the performance of race and gender. This will be carried out through interactive class sessions and innovative assignments, as well as listening to and reflecting upon music itself. As anthropologists, we are less concerned about the ‘notes on the page’. Instead, we will focus on music as a social and cultural practice, as a site of contestation, and a source for ways of (re)imagining, (re)conceptualising and (re)organising society.
In this module, we will use music as a window into the lives of others (and ourselves), which will help us understand different social, cultural, and political agendas and the issues that matter most to people in society. In so doing, we will grapple with a range of questions, including: how does music reflect the cultures that produce it? How is music used to represent a nation or group of people? Can music play a role in conflict transformation? How does musical performance intersect with identity? Can music be used as a tool for social justice? Should some music be banned? Does music need to be decolonised? Our classes will engage with diverse case studies such as: western classical music and the legacy of white supremacy; musical populism in Latin America; nationalism and identity politics in the Eurovision song contest; soundscapes of torture and detainment; and rap, drill, and moral panic.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students will:
• understand anthropological and ethnomusicological theory associated with the study of music and humanly organised sound(s)
• be able to identify and critically assess a variety of music and sound cultures
• understand how performance and aesthetics impacts the construction of sociocultural identities and political circumstances
• have written critical texts engaging with academic and popular debates about diverse music and sound scenes
present work in a variety of formats, including a synthesis of class readings and discussions, oral presentations, and a well-crafted research paper that demonstrates a firm understanding of the connections between music, power, and conflict.
Skills
By the end of the module, students should have developed the following key skills:
Generic
• Effective presentation of written work at a level appropriate to the year of studies.
• Competency in presenting orally findings from readings and primary research.
• The ability to research both independently and as part of groups.
Module-Specific
• have created and curated a digital playlist on a topic related to music, power, and conflict
• have written an ethnographic vignette on the use of sound as a creative practice
• have written critical texts engaging with academic and popular debates about diverse music and sound scenes
This module focuses on the methods required to answer novel questions about the perception of sound, using specialised experiment design and literature-based scholarship. The module explores key topics in auditory perception (how our senses work, pitch, loudness, timbre, spatialisation, auditory scene analysis, masking, speech perception and deafness) with an emphasis on how we know what we know about auditory perception in order to tackle psychoacoustical questions that have not yet been answered.
Learning Outcomes
i) Outline a specialist psychoacoustics topic in some depth
ii) Draw on general knowledge of auditory perception and digital-signal processing
iii) Use a programming language to generate psychoacoustics-grade auditory stimuli
iv) Solve key problems in digital signal processing
Skills
i) Mathematical manipulation
ii) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action
iii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement)
iv) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway
v) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence
vi) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability/flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress
vii) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology
viii) Apply and exploit information technology
ix) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice
x) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice
Bringing the entire cohort into a single class setting for the first time since Level 1, the module uses interdisciplinary methods to explore a range of significant sociocultural themes and their instantiation in varied musical practices. These themes include sexuality, identity, mortality, consciousness and otherness. Exploring music through a range of filters, ranging from structuralist commentary to mystical hermeneutics to feminist musicology, the module will offer students the opportunity to understand music from the perspective of the most recent theoretical understanding; to further their listening and explore unfamiliar musics in a stimulating manner; and to engage in novel assessment practices that will heighten their professional skills at the moment when they prepare to enter the workplace.
Lecture topics will include:
Music in Culture. Otherness and Orientalism.
Sex, Joy and Transcendence in Messiaen
Sexualities in Pop/Rock
Death in 19th Century Romantic Repertoire
Themes of Violence and Gore in Metal
Improvisation: Social and Cultural Practice
Berlioz, Psychedelia and Disco Biscuits: Drugs and Music
God in The Cathedral of Music: 18th Century Music
Song in Northern Irish Troubles
Beethoven, Flamenco and Cat Stevens: Islamic influence on Western Music
Learning Outcomes
As a result of completing this module, students should be able to understand the nature of the interaction between sociocultural concepts/practices and their instantiation in musical (and by extension cultural) artefacts. They should be able to apply this knowledge to real-world situations and articulate how their knowledge of musical/cultural practice has impacted upon their conception of musical behaviour in society. They should be able to understand the importance of cross-cultural understanding, particularly on a global level, and discuss creative ideas in a variety of formal settings.
Skills
Problem solving
Communication
Time Management
Leadership
Teamwork (social intelligence)
Abstraction of thought
Imagination
Self-expression (emotional intelligence)
Self-reliance
Reflection
Editing
Proofreading
Formatting
Plotting outcomes
Prioritisation
Evaluating success
Resource management
Making decisions
Independent thought
This module will discuss the role of music in cultural narratives of healing since the antiquity and the applications of music and music technology in medicine and health sciences. The course will draw on the fields of music and medical humanities, neuroscience and neuropsychology, music psychology and music therapy, and music technology and health sciences. Topics may include music and the human body and mind; histories of music and sound therapies; music and sound in cultural narratives of healing; music and health technologies in the contexts of stroke, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s disease and autism spectrum disorder; and music, pandemics, and public health.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module students will be able to: 1. Think critically about the role of music in contemporary society, and in relation to concepts and methods for individual and collective wellbeing.
2. Consider and situate music within the web of interdisciplinary research and art, and within the cross-disciplinary network of arts and sciences.
3. Reflect on both scholarly and applied aspects of music.
Skills
1. Critical thinking and listening
2. Expanded study on music humanities
3. Evaluation of interdisciplinary fields and sources
4. Research project development
5. Essay writing
6. Application of ideas to other modules and work placement
Politics in Popular Song from the French Revolution to Punk
Overview
This module will look at how music and song have functioned as vehicles for promoting political ideas or as reflectors of cultural philosophies or developments. Themes include: The expression of democracy in the Enlightenment; “Utility songs” in 19th-century revolutionary movements; Berlin Cabaret communication techniques; Eisler’s political song theory; song in Opera of our Time and Epic Theatre; American Civil Rights protest song; politics of folk; the 1960s, youth and counter culture; postmodernism, gender-crossing and pop as artifice; late-1970s punk rock; protest pop in the Thatcher years; techno from Kraftwerk to the Love Parade; 1990s hedonism and rejection of ideology.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will acquire:
• knowledge and understanding of musical and performance techniques used by popular song in the communication of ideas to an audience;
• knowledge and understanding of theories regarding the relationship between politics and music
• knowledge and understanding of the political and historical background to trends and developments in popular music.
Skills
On successful completion of this module, students
will have acquired the skills to investigate and understand issues to do with the relationship between politics and popular music;
will have increased their skills in reading secondary literature and applying knowledge of it in their research for the assigned work;
will have acquired skills in developing ideas, applying theoretical concepts, constructing arguments and showing the capacity to present them in appropriate ways.
Will have developed communication skills in a variety of oral, written and visual media.
The Politics of Performance: From Negotiation to Display
Overview
This module brings together the ecological, sensorial and political relations of performance in comparative analyses of intercultural practices from around the globe. We will explore how human and other-than-human aspects of sound, image and movement generate various modalities of ‘attunement’ between oneself and one’s environment to inform a politics of performance. By attending to the particularities of sound, voice, affect, reaction and resonance, we will analyse differentiated ‘atmospherics’ (Eisenlohr 2011) of negotiation, display and contestation. We will then examine how the politics of sound, image and movement give rise to expressions of resistance, resilience and reconciliation. Central to critically engaged performativity is a diversity of environments, environmental change and the ecological relations that they entail. Taking space, place and the effects of climate change seriously, we will further examine how the politics of being and belonging stem from different ways of knowing, sensing and performing self, other and the ‘other-than-human’ in these environments. Using a series of key settings, the module will reveal the political effects of sound, language, voice, positionality and performativity.
Some case studies that will exemplify this environmental and performative politics include i). an analysis of indigenous protest and resistance in song, theatre and public display, focusing on processes of fragmentation, recombination and reclamation; ii). art as a process of reconciliation, negotiation and spectacle, foregrounding identities, rights and policy agendas; iii). political imagery e.g. street art and graffiti; and iv). improvisatory music-making in refugee camps and conflict zones, addressing tension, liminality and resilience. Finally, the module will take into account the ongoing effects of Covid19 as artists and performers reposition their voices in a digitally interconnected world. We will examine how expanding technologies are transforming the power of performance and reshaping how processes of creativity are politically motivated and communicated.
Learning Outcomes
We will be using informal self and group assessment methods during the module to monitor learning outcomes and to reflect on the development of conceptual skills of the following:
• Knowledge of key approaches to the anthropology of the senses, the anthropology of music, arts and performance and music in peacebuilding.
• Ability to discuss critically the importance of multi-sensoriality and performativity in case studies from different cultural contexts.
• Knowledge of the role of performance, poetics in protest, politics, nationalism and expressions of Indigenous rights.
• Ability to work critically with central concepts in the politics of performance.
• Ability to analyse the relationship between different arts/performance genres across distinct performative arenas, e.g. parliamentary, theatrical, ritual and staged events.
• Competence in dealing with issues of cultural diversity in academia.
Skills
• Ability to analyse performative issues and their political implications through relevant anthropological and ethnomusicological frameworks.
• Ability to research and critically analyse a range of information sources effectively.
• Demonstrate skills development in conducting music and arts research online.
• Ability to express anthropological ideas clearly and logically.
• Ability to debate and defend arguments.
• Ability to work with other students in groups.
• Experience in musical participation and reflection.
This module is suited to students performing in all genres. The module entails individual lessons with a performance tutor and weekly attendance at performance Seminar. Students are additionally required to attend weekly Thursday lunchtime concerts, and should make every effort to participate in workshops and masterclasses with visiting artists offered throughout the year. Students are strongly encouraged to get involved in ensembles at Queen's.
Learning Outcomes
To perform in public to an outstanding standard.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Develop the disciplines of practice, private study, communication and presentation skills.
(ii) Develop technical assurance and interpretative and critical facility across a programme of professional length.
(iii) Acquire the ability to complement and support another performer.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ii) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, moral and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(iii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(iv) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(v) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
A dissertation, of up to 5,000 words, on a subject approved by the pathway committee. Students receive individual supervision and attend the School's research/composition seminar and a series of study skills sessions. Two pieces of coursework will comprise 10% of the final mark. The dissertation should offer a coherent and critically sound account of its topic. Students must submit a proposal by the start of the academic year.
Learning Outcomes
To shed light on the chosen subject, either through the presentation of previously unknown facts or material, or through the application of independent critical skills.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop:
(i) The ability to work unaided and to show initiative.
(ii) Basic research and/or analytical skills.
(iii) The ability to construct a reasoned argument and to exercise critical faculties.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify and analyse problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals.
(ii) Work with information, handle diverse data, draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable KEY SKILLS, eg, the ability to communicate (both orally and in writing).
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity and cultural and ethical awareness.
(vi) Be able and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Show motivation to start and finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, decision-making, the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology.
Traditional Irish Music: Form, Style and Development
Overview
This course is about the formal and stylistic characteristics of Irish traditional music and song. It explores the styles which have evolved on various instruments, the regional variations in styles, and some of the main aesthetic developments within the tradition since the early twentieth century. The styles of pipes, fiddle players, and singers are examined in detail in successive lectures. The course then examines the major aesthetic changes that have taken place over that last century: the introduction of new instruments, the increasing sophistication of ensemble performance and harmonic texture, and the resurgence in composition in the second half of the twentieth century.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you should understand the formal and stylistic limitations that characterize traditional Irish music and the variety of approaches that have been successfully incorporated into the tradition. You will have a detailed understanding of the stylistic techniques developed in particular regions of Ireland and on specific instruments, especially the pipes, fiddle, and voice. You will also have developed an understanding of the compositional process in Irish traditional music, and the characteristic styles of arrangement that have developed in the twentieth century.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop:
(i) Critical tools for structural listening.
(ii) Stylistic appreciation of a particular genre of music.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation, creativity, initiative, and the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology.
(ix) Be aware of organisational culture, policies and processes.
(x) Understand basic financial and commercial principles.
(xi) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xii) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module is suited to students performing in all genres. The module entails individual lessons with a performance tutor and weekly attendance at Performance Seminar. Students are additionally required to attend weekly Thursday lunchtime concerts, and should make every effort to participate in workshops and masterclasses with visiting artists offered throughout the year. Students are strongly encouraged to get involved in ensembles at Queen's.
Learning Outcomes
To perform in public to a high standard.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Develop the disciplines of practice, private study, communication and presentation skills;
(ii) Develop technical assurance and interpretative and critical facility across a programme of professional length.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ii) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, moral and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(iii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(iv) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(v) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(vi) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.
This module exists to accommodate students whose module choice was dropped due to insufficient enrolment, or, in exceptional circumstances, where the student wants to pursue an independent project which does not suit the Special Project learning outcome (a single piece of independent research). In all cases, approval from the prospective tutor should be obtained. The student and supervisor(s) agree on an assessment package; the student is then given appropriate support through tutorials to execute the elements of assessment.
Learning Outcomes
To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a particular topic at level 3 standard, through an assessment package agreed with the tutor.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop skills in:
(i) Bibliography.
(ii) IT.
(iii) Historical research.
(iv) Analysis.
(v) Presentation.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify and analyse problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals.
(ii) Work with information, handle diverse data, draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable KEY SKILLS, eg, the ability to communicate (both orally and in writing).
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity, cultural and ethical awareness and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(vi) Be able and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Show motivation to start and finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, decision-making, the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology.
(ix) Understand how businesses operate.
(x) Be aware of organisational culture, policies and processes.
(xi) Understand basic financial and commercial principles.
(xii) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xiii) Be able to work in group and individually-led situations, to develop musical concepts and realise performances.
(xiv) Be able to critically reflect on your own work and the work of others.
A dissertation, of up to 10,000 words, on a subject approved by the pathway committee. Students receive individual supervision and attend the School's research /composition seminars and a series of study skills sessions. Coursework will comprise 15% of the final mark. The dissertation should offer a coherent and original account of its topic.
Learning Outcomes
To shed light on the chosen subject, either through the presentation of previously unknown facts or material, or through an original interpretation of existing knowledge.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop:
(i) The ability to work unaided and to show initiative.
(ii) Basic research and/or analytical skills.
(iii) The ability to construct a reasoned argument and to exercise critical faculties.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify and analyse problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals.
(ii) Work with information, handle diverse data, draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills, eg, the ability to communicate (both orally and in writing).
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity and cultural and ethical awareness.
(vi) Be able and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Show motivation to start and finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, decision-making, the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology.
This module provides students with advanced sound design and audio post production skills for working with film, television, and new media content. Students will learn about location sound recording and audio post production workflows and gain practical experience of editing and mixing sound to picture to broadcast specifications. Topics covered include location recording and dialogue editing strategies, ADR session workflow, Foley session recording, mixing to picture and output mix formats.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
(i) edit location dialogue to picture
(ii) record and edit replacement dialogue to picture
(iii) record, synthesis and edit appropriate ‘atmos’, foley and sound effects
(iv) mix audio to picture to standard broadcast specifications
Skills
(i) Numeracy and information and communication technology.
(ii) Creative thinking and problem solving.
(iii) Operation of hardware and software for creative studio applications.
(iv) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(v) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(vi) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(vii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(viii) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(ix) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(x) Demonstrate the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
(xi) Apply and exploit information technology.
This module will cover the analysis and practice of electroacoustic composition.
Learning Outcomes
You'll learn how to process and develop musical materials and address aspects of language and structure in your composition work.
Skills
(i) Criticise and analyse your own composition and the work of others.
(ii) Creatively approach issues of structure, transformation and musical development.
(iii) Present your ideas and thoughts in front of others.
(iv) Identify technical problems in a sound processing technique.
(v) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(vi) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(vii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(viii) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(ix) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to uphold the values of lifelong learning and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(x) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
In this module the student who has developed awareness of compositional technique through the preceding modules has the chance to work on original compositions under the supervision of the tutor. The module requires the student to plan and produce original works in a limited time-span, and to attend workshops on pieces written by the class. These alternate with a series of fortnightly 'Continuities in Music' seminars, analysing how modern composers (Stravinsky, Skryabin, Boulez, Lutoslawski, Debussy) sustain opening musical arguments.
Learning Outcomes
The module allows a student to apply the more regulated study of Composition 1 and 2 in planning original compositions, developing a personal style and working according to a clearly defined time-schedule in producing a portfolio.
Skills
The student has responsibility for planning and executing original works - a test of imagination, technical skill and organization of time.
This module offers the chance to engage in depth with two major eighteenth-century works: Bach's Well-tempered Clavier and Mozart's late comic opera Così fan tutte. It will include the study of original sources, performance practice and theatrical staging. A wide range of choices will be available for both projects, to allow performers and those with historical interests alike to undertake specialist study.
Learning Outcomes
To develop an appreciation of Mozart's operatic output.
Skills
SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS
Students will develop the ability:
To gather, assess and relate information from diverse sources.
KEY SKILLS
Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence and negotiate.
(v) Demonstrate confidence and motivation to start and to finish the job, adaptability / flexibility, creativity, initiative, leadership, decision-making, negotiating and the ability to cope with stress.
(vi) Apply and exploit information technology.
(vii) Be aware of organisational culture, policies and processes.
Where A-level Music is not offered then A-level grades BBB plus Grade VIII Theory of Music (ABRSM, Trinity-Guildhall or LCM (not Popular Music Theory)) would be acceptable. AS-level Music is not acceptable in lieu of A-level Music.
A maximum of one BTEC/OCR Single Award or AQA Extended Certificate will be accepted as part of an applicant's portfolio of qualifications with a Distinction* being equated to a grade A at A-level and a Distinction being equated to a grade B at A-level.
Irish leaving certificate requirements
H3H3H3H3H4H4/H3H3H3H3H3 including Higher Level grade H3 in Music.
Where Higher Level Music is not offered then grades H3H3H3H3H4H4/H3H3H3H3H3 plus grade VIII Theory of Music (ABRSM,Trinity-Guildhall or LCM (not Popular Music Theory)) would be acceptable.
Access Course
Certificate in Foundation Studies in Music with an average of 65%.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
32 points overall, including 6,5,5 at Higher Level, including Music
BTEC Level 3 Extended/National Extended Diploma
QCF BTEC Extended Diploma (180 credits at Level 3) with overall grades DDD (Extended Diploma must be relevant)
RQF Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma (1080 Guided Learning Hours (GLH)) is not accepted for entry to the BMus due to insufficient compatibility however applicants offering this qualification may wish to consider our BA programmes in Music Performance (W310), Music and Sound Design (W371) or Music and Audio Production (W374).
Graduate
A minimum of a 2:2 Honours Degree, provided any subject requirement is also met
Further information
If an applicant has successfully completed a Grade VIII Practical Music examination this may be taken into account in August when deciding borderline cases. Applicants should indicate in the 'education' section of the UCAS application if they have, or intend to complete, a Grade VIII Practical examination, specifying the instrument and the awarding body.
Note
All applicants must have GCSE English Language grade C/4 or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.
How we choose our students
Applications are dealt with centrally by the Admissions and Access Service rather than by individual University Schools. Once your on-line form has been processed by UCAS and forwarded to Queen's, an acknowledgement is normally sent within two weeks of its receipt at the University.
Selection is on the basis of the information provided on your UCAS form. Decisions are made on an ongoing basis and will be notified to you via UCAS.
For last year's intake, applicants for the BMus offering A-level/BTEC Level 3 qualifications must have had, or been able to achieve, a minimum of five GCSE passes at grade C/4 or better (to include English Language). Performance in any AS or A-level examinations already completed would also have been taken into account and the Selector checks that any specific entry requirements in terms of GCSE and/or A-level subjects can be fulfilled.
For applicants offering Irish Leaving Certificate, please note that performance at Irish Junior Certificate (IJC) is taken into account. For last year’s entry applicants for this degree must have had, a minimum of 5 IJC grades C/Merit. The Selector also checks that any specific entry requirements in terms of Leaving Certificate subjects can be satisfied.
Offers are normally made on the basis of three A-levels. Two subjects at A-level plus two at AS would also be considered. The offer for repeat candidates is set in terms of three A-levels and may be one grade higher than for first time applicants. Grades may be held from the previous year.
Applicants offering two A-levels and one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent qualification), or one A-level and a BTEC Diploma/National Diploma (or equivalent qualification) will also be considered. Offers will be made in terms of the overall BTEC grade(s) awarded. Please note that a maximum of one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent) will be counted as part of an applicant’s portfolio of qualifications. The normal GCSE profile will be expected.
Applicants offering other qualifications, such as relevant Higher National Certificates and Diplomas, will also be considered.
For applicants offering an HNC in Music, the current requirements are successful completion of this HNC with 8 Merits. For those offering a Higher National Diploma, some flexibility may be allowed in terms of GCSE profile but, to be eligible for an offer, the grades obtained in the first year of the HND must allow the overall offer to be achievable. A relevant HND in Music is required and offers for Stage 1 entry are currently conditional on successful completion of this HND with 9 Merits and 7 Passes overall. Applicants with sufficiently high grades in the first year of a relevant HND in Music may be considered for entry to Stage 2 and, where offers are made, these are currently conditional on successful completion of this HND with 12 Merits and 4 Passes overall, with Merits in specified units.
The information provided in the personal statement section and the academic reference together with predicted grades are noted but, in the case of the BMus degree, these are not the final deciding factors in whether or not a conditional offer can be made. However, they may be reconsidered in a tie break situation in August.
A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking would not normally be considered as part of a three A-level offer and, although they may be excluded where an applicant is taking four A-level subjects, the grade achieved could be taken into account if necessary in August/September.
Candidates who have been made an offer will be invited to visit the School of Arts, English and Languages, and will be given an opportunity to demonstrate their performance skills.
If you cannot find the information you need here, please contact the University Admissions Service (admissions@qub.ac.uk), giving full details of your qualifications and educational background.
International Students
Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.
English Language Requirements
An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component or an equivalent acceptable qualification, details of which are available at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.
International Students - Foundation and International Year One Programmes
INTO Queen's offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare international students for undergraduate study at Queen's University. You will learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre on campus, and will have full access to the University's world-class facilities.
These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry.
The programme prepares students for a wide range of possible career paths and graduates in Music at Queen’s have found success throughout the UK and internationally in both musical and non-musical careers including orchestral playing, opera singing, solo artist careers, performance, composition, teaching, media employment and arts administration. Others regularly move into a wide range of graduate employments such as accountancy, banking, publishing and marketing.
Employment after the Course
Graduates in Music at Queen’s have found success throughout the UK and internationally, in both musical and non-musical careers. Our graduates have worked as professional musicians in a wide range of specialisms, including orchestral playing, opera singing, solo artist careers, and composition. Many of our graduates have enjoyed successful careers in teaching and arts administration. Many graduates have used the distinctions of a BMus from Queen’s to enter into non-music graduate careers.
Alumni Success
Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music, Arts Council Ni
Marie-Claire Doris, Classical Music Producer, BBC
Eugene Montieth, Conductor
David Stockard, Performer and Composer
Paul McBride, School Headmaster
Kevin Donnelly, Project Manager for Trocaire projects in Africa
Ciaran O'Donnell, Head of Music Service, Birmingham
Deirdre McKay, Composer
Professional Opportunities
The Level 3 Work Placement course is an excellent opportunity for students to gain real-world employment experience. Some of the organisations our students have completed placements with include: The Mac, Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast Music Society, Fleming Fulton Special Needs School, JAM (Junior Academy of Music), and a large number of local secondary and primary schools.
Prizes and Awards
Ranked 8th in the UK for Student Satisfaction - Complete University Guide 2019
Degree Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
1EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
The tuition fees quoted above for NI and ROI are the 2024/25 fees and will be updated when the new fees are known. In addition, all tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase in each year of the course. Fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Tuition fee rates are calculated based on a student’s tuition fee status and generally increase annually by inflation. How tuition fees are determined is set out in the Student Finance Framework.
Additional course costs
The School is an Avid Learning Partner and optional courses providing Avid certification in the use of ProTools are available as part of the programme. The cost of these courses ranges from £20 to £90 per course.
Students wishing to take modules in either solo or ensemble performance at Stage 1 must first successfully pass an audition. Each student accepted onto a Stage 1 performance module is awarded a generous performance bursary that covers the cost of all practical performance tuition. Performance bursaries are also provided to students taking performance modules at Stages 2 and 3.
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.
Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.
Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.
If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.
Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.
There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
How do I fund my study?
There are different tuition fee and student financial support arrangements for students from Northern Ireland, those from England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain), and those from the rest of the European Union.
Application for admission to full-time undergraduate and sandwich courses at the University should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/students.
When to Apply
UCAS will start processing applications for entry in autumn 2025 from early September 2024.
The advisory closing date for the receipt of applications for entry in 2025 is still to be confirmed by UCAS but is normally in late January (18:00). This is the 'equal consideration' deadline for this course.
Applications from UK and EU (Republic of Ireland) students after this date are, in practice, considered by Queen’s for entry to this course throughout the remainder of the application cycle (30 June 2025) subject to the availability of places. If you apply for 2025 entry after this deadline, you will automatically be entered into Clearing.
Applications from International and EU (Other) students are normally considered by Queen's for entry to this course until 30 June 2025. If you apply for 2025 entry after this deadline, you will automatically be entered into Clearing.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.
The Institution code name for Queen's is QBELF and the institution code is Q75.
Additional Information for International (non-EU) Students
Applying through UCAS
Most students make their applications through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for full-time undergraduate degree programmes at Queen's. The UCAS application deadline for international students is 30 June 2025.
Applying direct
The Direct Entry Application form is to be used by international applicants who wish to apply directly, and only, to Queen's or who have been asked to provide information in advance of submitting a formal UCAS application. Find out more.
Applying through agents and partners
The University’s in-country representatives can assist you to submit a UCAS application or a direct application. Please consult the Agent List to find an agent in your country who will help you with your application to Queen’s University.
