BA (Hons) Music and Musicianship with Foundation Year

In this module you will examine the diverse roles played by musicians of today in contemporary societies; the ways in which music influences and is influenced by society and the opportunities for the music professional to encourage musical activities within communities and enhance wellbeing. You will be introduced to the diverse roles occupied by musicians and their collaborators in societies from the past to the present both globally and locally. You will be encouraged to engage with the musical lives of others while considering the contemporary opportunities afforded by a degree in the field of music.

This module introduces you to the study of musical language and history at undergraduate level. Through lectures, seminars and tutorials, the music of genres such as the Western Classical Tradition, Jazz, Popular Music and Non-Western musics will be analysed in technical and aesthetic terms and placed within their cultural and societal contexts. Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary factors which influence or are influenced by music will also be addressed, providing a broad knowledge base for subsequent modules.

This module introduces you to the varying ways in which notated and improvised music co-exists and interacts in many historical and contemporary musical genres and traditions.

This module considers the act of musical performance in both solo and ensemble from a practical and theoretical perspective. The study of the nature of performance, the role performance plays in communicating musical ideas and the acquisition of associated skills contribute strongly to the musician’s development in mind-body coordination, the physical skills in playing and singing and confidence in communication.

This module builds on the skills developed in the Performance Techniques module at Level 4. The appropriate and effective application of individual musicianship within ensemble contexts is central to this module. You will undertake to prepare a whole group vocal ensemble performance and plan and prepare a smaller-scale instrumental or vocal ensemble performance. Through practical whole-group performance workshops, you will continue to develop your personal aural skills, fluency in sight-singing and vocal ensemble singing technique whilst further enhancing your skills in co-ordination, vocal blend and rehearsal techniques with other musicians. Your progress will be monitored through formative feedback in sessions. Small instrumental/vocal ensembles will be devised in conjunction with tutors and mentored in the the whole-group performance workshops.

This module introduces you to how Music is incorporated into the wide world of Education. You will focus on the use of music to facilitate learning within educational, social and developmental settings from birth to GCSE and develop an understanding of how music is incorporated at each stage of development and the social and academic implications.

In this module you will research the diverse practical, aural and written approaches employed by musicians across the world, together with an exploration of the associated cultural and societal contexts. Cross-cultural influences will be assessed in both Western and Non-Western musical cultures. Ethnomusicology – its history, controversies, current concerns and perspectives will also be considered. A set of Taiko and Djembe drums and Steel Pans are used in practical music-making sessions.

This module develops the specific technical, stylistic and interpretative skills necessary for solo performance on your principal instrument or voice, together with the opportunity to formulate, reflect on and evaluate the process of planning, preparing and performing an Individual Recital programme. There is an increasing emphasis on the appropriate application of performance techniques informed by current musicological research.

This module provides you with an experience of the world of work in the form of a placement. It enables you to apply your developing knowledge and skills in a real-life context offering you a valuable experience to draw on when you present yourself to employers or apply for further study upon graduation. In consultation with your tutor, you will be required to undertake a placement of particular interest, for example in music in education, music in the church, music performance, or the music business e.g. events managing or publishing. Teaching and learning will be through lectures and supervision during the placement period. You will plan for, undertake and reflect on your experience in the work-related setting.

You will engage with both style and free composition, using a range of music media such as staff notation in music notation software, music production and other technology applications. The study of Composition will be enhanced and broadened to support the diverse experiences of classical, jazz, rock and contemporary musicians and community music. Engagement at Level 5 will ensure progressive knowledge, skills and creative practice at Level 6. Students will be offered a range of teaching and learning contexts in which to develop technical and creative skills. A variety of compositional styles and practices by musicians will be explored in taught sessions and on-going bite-sized tasks will give opportunities for you to practice supported by formative assessment from tutors. You will also undertake practical exercises in the development of creative, analytical and aural skills essential to the process of arranging music and composition. Use of computer assisted learning, hands-on experience in use of software for composing and arranging music will be taught in seminar groups.

This module introduces you to how music may be used for wellbeing, investigating current research on the impact of music as a forum for social interaction and in mental health. Knowledge and understanding is developed in this module with regard to employment settings where music could be used to promote wellbeing.

In this module, Keyboard skills will be developed through technical exercises including scales and arpeggios; sight-reading strategies; investigating the interpretation of a variety of notations (such as standard piano writing, chord symbols, lead sheets and vocal/conductor scores); chord voicing in various musical styles in semi-improvised accompaniments and using the keyboard to demonstrate musical features in teaching. The music-notation software and music theory/analysis skills introduced at Level 4 will be further developed in the study of specific notational and arrangement techniques for keyboard instruments. Teaching will be through a variety of learning contexts, such as one-to one tutorial support, lectures and practical group workshop sessions.

This module explores ways in which music and another activity, topic or genre in the arts and humanities can lead to an innovative collaboration. The choice of project will reflect the growing autonomy of students at Level 6 and may result in the creation of an original artwork, a piece of research or a strategy or concept. Collaborations may be with subjects including SENI, Drama, Theology, Sociology and Psychology, or in other work-based contexts. You, in consultation with the module tutor, will formulate a project outline. The progress of the project will be supervised by the module tutor but may, where appropriate, include requests for input from BGU academic staff in other subjects or external agencies. Teaching and learning will be through lectures and tutorials and the nature of the coursework submitted will reflect the choice of project.

The interface between the theoretical and analytical understanding of music and practical musicianship skills and the impact this has on the development of the individual student as a skilled musician is at the heart of this module. You will engage in a portfolio of short tasks which address topics such as exploring the functioning of harmony in varying musical contexts; the symbiosis of aural skills and analysis and musicianship skills as a tool for understanding the music of many cultures. Teaching and learning is through lectures, seminars and tutorials. You will be supported by formative assessment from tutors.

The musical performance as a well-prepared, imaginative, thought-provoking, challenging and entertaining event is at the heart of this module. The skills, knowledge and understanding of performance acquired in Levels 4 and 5 are harnessed and developed further allied with greater student autonomy in decision-making. You, in consultation with tutors and undertaking a variety of roles will undertake to plan and prepare a whole group vocal ensemble performance and plan and prepare a solo instrumental or vocal performance. You will develop further their critical aural skills, fluency in sight-singing and vocal ensemble singing technique, skills in co-ordination, vocal blend and rehearsal techniques with other musicians. A range of learning and teaching formats will be employed and students’ progress will be monitored through formative feedback in sessions.

This module provides an opportunity for you to build upon and apply the key intellectual, transferable and practical skills gained at Levels 4 and 5 to an appropriate independent study of your choice in the form of a dissertation and composition portfolio. The balance between these two elements, and the form of the portfolio will reflect the nature of the chosen study.

This module addresses contemporary issues in musicology through an assessment of the various strands of current musicological disciplines: how they have developed and their implications for the musician and of the present and future. Prior learning is extended further in this module which critically investigates topics such as Music and Gender, Canonicity, Reception and the history and development of Historically-Informed Performance Practice. Content will of necessity evolve according to changing trends in the study of music. Teaching and learning will be through lectures, seminars and tutorials.

This module aims to advance critical, professional and practical understanding and skills within the area of music pedagogy and the music curriculum. Challenging music related issues are observed and debated, with the development of emergent strategies and potential solutions from a music teachers’ perspective. You will develop a detailed and critical understanding of music teaching within the National Curriculum, focussing on teaching music from Key Stage 1 – 5.