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90% of our research outputs are internationally excellent

Pursue your passion for music with a Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria University and get career-ready!

With a sector-leading 20 hours per year of weekly individual instrumental or vocal tuition, modules in instrumental or vocal teaching, and ear-opening music history modules which will broaden your musical horizons, this course allows you to pursue your passion for music in ways that lead to many career pathways.

The music facilities at Northumbria situate brand new musical instruments inside carefully considered spaces. Our world-class Steinway Model B piano is in The Great Hall, located in the Grade II Listed Sutherland Building, which is also where new and spacious practice facilities are to be found.

Facilities are shared between small class sizes, meaning that you can readily access practice rooms to play, compose, critique, conduct, plan, prepare, experiment, coordinate, and improvise.

 

Find out more about the Music Scholarships we offer: Instrument Scholarship and Choral Scholarship

 

Why choose Northumbria to study Music?

Performance modules offer 20+ hours per year of weekly 1-to-1 tuition, provided by highly qualified and experienced tutors, as well as seminars covering performance anxiety, how to practise, how to work with an accompanist, and many opportunities to perform in front of others in a supportive environment.

You will learn in a close-knit community of staff and students where all teaching is interactive and takes place in small groups, often of no more than ten.

Modules in teaching your instrument are designed in association with the Education Department at Northumbria University, with the opportunity to go on placements supported by Music Hubs in the North East of England.

Fresh, new facilities include the new Steinway grand piano in the Great Hall, which hosts the weekly Northumbria Lunchtime Concerts series, and large practice rooms for individual practice that can also accommodate groups of students working together.

You will broaden your knowledge of music from medieval times to the present day, getting ‘hands on’ experience of doing music history, visiting libraries and museums, working with our world-leading Montagu Collection of global musical instruments, and being supported to research the music that you’re passionate about.

You will develop musical skills such as theory, techniques of composition, piano-playing/keyboard skills, and conducting.

You will find out more about working as a freelance musician and will be able to access entrepreneurship support.

Employability: How does this BA (Hons) Music course prepare me for my career?

Although a Music degree is a gateway to a wide range of careers, not just in music, many music graduates choose to follow their passion on graduation. We have put together some inspiring stories to illustrate the diverse careers and experiences open to music graduates here.
Music Teaching - Many students have an ambition to teach their instrument, and to share their passion with others. We offer modules in instrumental teaching developed with colleagues in our Education Department and working with Music Hubs. They include educational theory while giving you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience actually teaching in schools. Our degree will give you confidence to set up in business as a music teacher or to teach in schools with one of the Music Hubs. It will also make the perfect foundation for a postgraduate teaching qualification.
Freelance Career - Many musicians have a portfolio career, juggling performance with teaching and arts admin roles. Our modules give you the range of skills you need to succeed in the diverse opportunities open to professional musicians. As well as musical skills, such as playing keyboard and conducting, you will gain confidence in managing yourself and others, understanding how to set yourself up in business as a performer or teacher how to organise events. The University offers entrepreneurship support to students.
Careers Outside Music - Musicians develop leadership skills in musical direction that are transferable to any kind of employment. For example, the experience of working together in a musical ensemble develops teamworking; performing in front of an audience on your instrument helps when giving a business presentation; if you can research thoroughly, think critically, and write with clarity about music, you can apply such skills to graduate management roles in business, charities, or the public sector in any field. Music graduates become accountants and lawyers, and to go on to successful careers in IT and coding, as well as following careers in the Arts.

 

Northumbria’s Music learning experience

Alongside developing your understanding of music, this course will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the richness of music making in the past and the present. You will hone your performance skills to a high level, and follow a distinctive programme that prepares you for a wide range of careers and for freelance work where you may combine performing with teaching and arts administration.
Our approach to performance, history and employability is holistic. You will learn how music is made, how it is consumed, and how it relates to cultural change by studying music from the Middle Ages to the present day. These historical themes will shape you as a performer who understands audience engagement with music in the past, the present and the future. Our performance and history modules will connect you to the wider city and community, through partnerships with cultural organisations, such as the Samling Institute for Young Artists, the Newcastle Lit & Phil Library and Newcastle Cathedral.
We collaborate with leading national organisations such as Trinity Exam Board and the ISM, and work with local music hubs such as Music Partnership North (which deliver instrumental/vocal teaching in schools) to provide placement opportunities in the music teaching modules.
Students can extend their studies, either taking a placement year in industry or opting to study abroad in mainland Europe or North America.
The degree has been designed alongside a Foundation Year in Music, which offers an opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed for degree-level work. .

  

See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance

 

90% of our research outputs are internationally excellent

Pursue your passion for music with a Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria University and get career-ready!

With a sector-leading 20 hours per year of weekly individual instrumental or vocal tuition, modules in instrumental or vocal teaching, and ear-opening music history modules which will broaden your musical horizons, this course allows you to pursue your passion for music in ways that lead to many career pathways.

The music facilities at Northumbria situate brand new musical instruments inside carefully considered spaces. Our world-class Steinway Model B piano is in The Great Hall, located in the Grade II Listed Sutherland Building, which is also where new and spacious practice facilities are to be found.

Facilities are shared between small class sizes, meaning that you can readily access practice rooms to play, compose, critique, conduct, plan, prepare, experiment, coordinate, and improvise.

 

Find out more about the Music Scholarships we offer: Instrument Scholarship and Choral Scholarship

 

Why choose Northumbria to study Music?

Performance modules offer 20+ hours per year of weekly 1-to-1 tuition, provided by highly qualified and experienced tutors, as well as seminars covering performance anxiety, how to practise, how to work with an accompanist, and many opportunities to perform in front of others in a supportive environment.

You will learn in a close-knit community of staff and students where all teaching is interactive and takes place in small groups, often of no more than ten.

Modules in teaching your instrument are designed in association with the Education Department at Northumbria University, with the opportunity to go on placements supported by Music Hubs in the North East of England.

Fresh, new facilities include the new Steinway grand piano in the Great Hall, which hosts the weekly Northumbria Lunchtime Concerts series, and large practice rooms for individual practice that can also accommodate groups of students working together.

You will broaden your knowledge of music from medieval times to the present day, getting ‘hands on’ experience of doing music history, visiting libraries and museums, working with our world-leading Montagu Collection of global musical instruments, and being supported to research the music that you’re passionate about.

You will develop musical skills such as theory, techniques of composition, piano-playing/keyboard skills, and conducting.

You will find out more about working as a freelance musician and will be able to access entrepreneurship support.

Employability: How does this BA (Hons) Music course prepare me for my career?

Although a Music degree is a gateway to a wide range of careers, not just in music, many music graduates choose to follow their passion on graduation. We have put together some inspiring stories to illustrate the diverse careers and experiences open to music graduates here.
Music Teaching - Many students have an ambition to teach their instrument, and to share their passion with others. We offer modules in instrumental teaching developed with colleagues in our Education Department and working with Music Hubs. They include educational theory while giving you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience actually teaching in schools. Our degree will give you confidence to set up in business as a music teacher or to teach in schools with one of the Music Hubs. It will also make the perfect foundation for a postgraduate teaching qualification.
Freelance Career - Many musicians have a portfolio career, juggling performance with teaching and arts admin roles. Our modules give you the range of skills you need to succeed in the diverse opportunities open to professional musicians. As well as musical skills, such as playing keyboard and conducting, you will gain confidence in managing yourself and others, understanding how to set yourself up in business as a performer or teacher how to organise events. The University offers entrepreneurship support to students.
Careers Outside Music - Musicians develop leadership skills in musical direction that are transferable to any kind of employment. For example, the experience of working together in a musical ensemble develops teamworking; performing in front of an audience on your instrument helps when giving a business presentation; if you can research thoroughly, think critically, and write with clarity about music, you can apply such skills to graduate management roles in business, charities, or the public sector in any field. Music graduates become accountants and lawyers, and to go on to successful careers in IT and coding, as well as following careers in the Arts.

 

Northumbria’s Music learning experience

Alongside developing your understanding of music, this course will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the richness of music making in the past and the present. You will hone your performance skills to a high level, and follow a distinctive programme that prepares you for a wide range of careers and for freelance work where you may combine performing with teaching and arts administration.
Our approach to performance, history and employability is holistic. You will learn how music is made, how it is consumed, and how it relates to cultural change by studying music from the Middle Ages to the present day. These historical themes will shape you as a performer who understands audience engagement with music in the past, the present and the future. Our performance and history modules will connect you to the wider city and community, through partnerships with cultural organisations, such as the Samling Institute for Young Artists, the Newcastle Lit & Phil Library and Newcastle Cathedral.
We collaborate with leading national organisations such as Trinity Exam Board and the ISM, and work with local music hubs such as Music Partnership North (which deliver instrumental/vocal teaching in schools) to provide placement opportunities in the music teaching modules.
Students can extend their studies, either taking a placement year in industry or opting to study abroad in mainland Europe or North America.
The degree has been designed alongside a Foundation Year in Music, which offers an opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed for degree-level work. .

  

See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance

 

Course Information

UCAS Code
W320

Level of Study
Undergraduate

Mode of Study
3 years full-time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad

Department
Humanities

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2024 or September 2025

Fee Information

Module Information

 

 

Hear from our students

Our students tell us about their learning experience studying Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria.

Department / Humanities

Our Department of Humanities includes the subject areas of History, English Literature, English Language and Linguistics, Creative Writing, American Studies and Music.

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Department

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Study

Discover NU World / A virtual journey through everything Northumbria has to offer.

Explore our immersive 360 tours, informative subject videos, inspirational student profiles, ground-breaking research, and a range of life at university videos and articles.

Book an Open Day / Experience Music BA (Hons)

Visit an Open Day to get an insight into what it's like to study Music. Speak to staff from the course and get a tour of the facilities.

Entry Requirements 2024/25

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

Applicants should be performing at grade 7 level or above in Music Performance, or a recognised equivalent, and the ability to read music (staff notation).

Applicants not taking graded music examinations will be considered, and you may be asked to attend an online audition. You should ensure that your musical experience is detailed in your personal statement.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

Applicants may be asked to submit a video recording demonstrating their performance ability, and have a discussion with academics about their application.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

Applicants should be performing at grade 7 level or above in Music Performance, or a recognised equivalent, and the ability to read music (staff notation).

Applicants not taking graded music examinations will be considered, and you may be asked to attend an online audition. You should ensure that your musical experience is detailed in your personal statement.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

Applicants may be asked to submit a video recording demonstrating their performance ability, and have a discussion with academics about their application.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2024/25 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1: £9,250

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.


EU Fee in Year 1: £18,250

International Fee in Year 1: £18,250


Please see the main Funding Pages for 24/25 scholarship information.

 


ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1*: TBC

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.



EU Fee in Year 1: **TBC


International Fee in Year 1: TBC

ADDITIONAL COSTS

TBC

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MU4001 -

Millennium of Music (Part I) (Core,20 Credits)

This module will open your ears to a wide range of repertoire from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century with a primary focus on Western art music. The notions of ‘Classical’ or ‘Western Art Music’ are problematic, not least because they encompass music composed over more than a millennium. You will be exposed to a broad range of music, much of which will be new to you. In part one of Millennium of Music you will explore some of the principal musical developments from about 900 AD to the eighteenth century, looking at how music was created and preserved through notation, and how its techniques, styles and theoretical underpinnings differ from music today. Although much of the repertoire you will be studying is now heard in concert hall and recital, you will discover the contexts for which it was originally intended, and the function that it played in society at large. This module will give you a clear and broad grasp of the shape of musical, cultural and intellectual history alongside more detailed studies of individual pieces whilst engaging with questions of how histories of music are constructed. You will gain a framework into which you will be able to relate more detailed and specialist studies of music, and develop your skills and confidence in reading critically, writing about and analysing music from a historical perspective.

More information

MU4002 -

Performance 1 (Core,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. Working with a specialist on your instrument/voice, you will consolidate your technique while developing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. The module will cover areas such as effective practising and dealing with performance anxiety, and you will research the history of your instrument. You will expand your repertoire, and engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU4003 -

Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will explore how music is made through the study of techniques of composition. It provides an opportunity for you to develop a knowledge of harmony in order to enhance your skillset for further musicological study, and to inform your work as a performer. Focusing on the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century music, you will explore a range of genres, such as the piano sonata, string quartet and lied. Analytical work is intended to aid an understanding of harmonic progressions, and you will learn how to employ two systems to describe harmony (figured bass and Roman numerals). Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we will explore improvisation in historic styles.

More information

MU4004 -

Essential Skills for the 21st-Century Musician (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will develop skills which you will find to be essential for advanced study in music, and for your future career in music.

You will need to be able to make sense of music at the keyboard, whether as an academic researcher trying out a piece of music for which there is no recording, or a performer, or a teacher needing to provide some sort of an accompaniment for their pupils. You will develop the keyboard skills necessary for a freelance career, including chord progressions, sight-reading, accompanying, and how to simplify accompaniments to make them playable at your level of keyboard proficiency.

You need to be comfortable and confident in directing other musicians of all abilities and experience. The module will develop your skills in conducting, giving guidance on score preparation as well as the practicalities of communicating to players and singers.

Often, musicians need to be able to communicate with one another through the use of the singing voice, and you well develop the vocal skills you need to give you confidence to do this.

You will also cover the knowledge and skills needed by freelance musicians in marketing and self-promotion, time management, finance and tax, contracts and copyright, health & safety and safeguarding.

More information

MU4005 -

Introduction to Music Education (Core,20 Credits)

All musicians are music teachers of their instrument or voice at some point, and it is vital that their experience of teaching is based on a solid foundation of pedagogical research and a knowledge of the context in which their work is taking place.

This module offers an introduction to music education, covering early years, primary, secondary and special schools, so that your music teaching will be informed by your knowledge of pupils’ broader educational experience. This will also open up other possible career paths in music education.

More information

MU4006 -

Millennium of Music (Part II) (Core,20 Credits)

This module will open your ears to a wide range of repertoire from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first century, with a primary focus on Western art music. The notions of ‘Classical’ or ‘Western Art Music’ are problematic, not least because they encompass music composed over more than a millennium. You will be exposed to a broad range of music, much of which will be new to you. You will explore some of the principal musical developments from about eighteenth century to the present day, looking at how music was created and preserved through notation and, later, recorded sound. Although much of the repertoire you will be studying is now heard in concert hall and recital, you will discover the contexts for which it was originally intended, and the functions that it played in society at large. This module will give you a clear and broad grasp of the shape of musical, cultural and intellectual history alongside more detailed studies of individual musical works, whilst engaging with questions of how histories of music are constructed. You will gain a framework into which you will be able to relate more detailed and specialist studies of music, and develop your skills and confidence in writing about and analysing music from a historical perspective.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

HI5009 -

Your Graduate Future (Optional,20 Credits)

This module aims to ensure that you will be equipped with employability-related skills appropriate to graduates of History and associated degrees. The module adapts to your interests, whether you choose to pursue postgraduate study, enter the job market seeking graduate level employment, or establish your own enterprise. One of the purposes of Your Graduate Future is to raise your awareness of the wide range of possibilities, and to equip you with the knowledge, the skills and the experiences that may enable you to respond effectively to future opportunities. This module now includes a “Standard Pathway” and a “Law Pathway”, delivered in collaboration with Northumbria School of Law. For the Standard Pathway, in semester 1 you will attend lectures and participate in seminars that will present the intricacies of contemporary job seeking in different sectors. These will include guest lectures. You will then work with a group of your peers on an outward-looking project that will enable you to display your specific skills, to establish and nurture internal and external contacts, and to express your interests in a public outcome of your choice. In semester 2, you will develop your CV and further explore your evolving skillsets by means of engaging on your choice of work experience, volunteering, enterprise planning or a placement abroad. These will take the shape of supported independent activities. Assessment consists of a group project with a public outcome, an individual report reflecting on the scholarly basis of your project and your assessment of the process, and a placement report (at the end of semester 2). Students in the Law Pathway will also attend the lectures, and will follow a bespoke schedule of workshops, seminars, a field visit to The National Archives in London including archival training and a private tour of the archives. They will also undergo two specialised training sessions in Newcastle. Students in both pathways will follow the same assessment pattern, but those in the Law Pathway will work alongside students from the Law School to investigate a historical legal case using original archival material from The National Archives and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, and their group project will see them produce public facing history outputs for these external clients, including exhibitions, website blogs, and contributions to their official social media channels. In Semester 2, the ‘Placement’ element will work with Law students to design and stage a reconstruction of the trial itself.

More information

MU5001 -

Making Music History (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will consider how histories of music are constructed. Who decides what should be included within the narrative and what is the significance of what is left out? To what extent are we constrained by the available evidence? To what extent do the music histories we write reflect our present-day concerns?

You will engage critically with different approaches to writing music history, from the development of musical styles to in-depth socio-cultural studies, and to strategies for structuring our conception of music history. You will also consider how and why particular composers and repertory become dominant in our understanding of music history, and what the consequences of this might be.

You will also explore the different kinds of sources that music historians use – not only scores or recordings, but iconographical, archival or other historical material – exploring what they can reveal about the creation, consumption and functions of music in the past, and their limitations.

Within this module, you will develop a critical capacity to scrutinise sources and evaluate the way they have been interpreted in the creation of music history whilst engaging with a range of music from a variety of periods.

More information

MU5002 -

Music History Project (Core,20 Credits)

This module is designed to equip you with the research skills you need in order to carry out original, independent research in Music. It serves as a preparation for the dissertation you will write in your final year of study. You will have the opportunity to frame a question, plan your research, and write an extended essay on a theme of your choice related to a topic introduced at the start of the module. In doing so, you will gain an understanding of how to frame research questions and arrive at a title, how to manage a project working independently, how to find primary and secondary sources, how to present your work and develop your academic writing.

More information

MU5003 -

Performance 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. The course will cover areas such as effective practising, performance contexts and how to manage nerves. You will continue to expand your repertoire, gaining an awareness of performing traditions associated with the music you are playing or singing . You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU5004 -

Recital 1 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience in a recital open to the general public. The seminars will focus on how to structure a recital programme and how to write effective programme notes. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals, focusing especially on programme structure.

More information

MU5006 -

History of Musical Instruments (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the study of musical instruments, known as organology, and examines their use, construction, and position within society. As the principal voices of music, musical instruments serve as vehicles for composers’ ideas. However, the instruments are more than just tools of performance, allowing us to observe a variety of cultural facets, such as our sociocultural history, from a unique angle. Their importance has woven them into our wider cultural backdrop, featuring in literature and iconographical sources, and many musical instruments are works of art in their own right. These interconnections across the humanities prove that the instruments are about more than just the music that they perform.

Through the lens of musical instruments, the lectures will address topics such as gender, sexuality, social class, and race, shedding light on the evolution of society over the course of approximately 500 years. The module will address current, historical, and world instruments to provide you with a broad understanding and appreciation of different musical cultures and the intersections that occur between the traditions. You will therefore be introduced to research skills that utilise materials beyond contemporary books and journals, while also developing an understanding of organological theories and methodologies that can be assimilated into your own performance studies.

More information

MU5007 -

Preparation for Music Teaching (Optional,20 Credits)

Having been introduced to music’s place in the classroom curriculum in your first year, this course pays closer attention to music pedagogy in general, and gives you the opportunity to experience genuine teaching situations outside the university lectures, reflecting on what you learn from the observation of others and discussion with your peers. You will also think about teaching advanced repertoire on your instrument, encouraging you to familarise yourself with the UK exam boards and work towards establishing your own professional opinions on repertoire choice and supporting technical requirements.

More information

MU5011 -

Historically Informed Performance Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

How do we know what music sounded like in the past? Do early recordings give us an accurate representation? What about music composed before the advent of recording technology? This module examines what we can find out from the historical record about performing music. We will be assessing how useful different types of primary source material are for informing our own interpretation of music: these include early recordings, musical scores, treatises and archival records. We will be considering what they can tell us about all aspects of performing music, including instrumental/vocal technique and style (or, to use an eighteenth-century term, ‘good taste’). The module covers the performance of music from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

More information

MU5013 -

Techniques of Composition, Analysis and Improvisation Option (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will build on the core first-year course, Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation. The module focuses on more advanced harmonic progressions including the use of dominant 13th, diminished 7th, Neapolitan 6th and Augmented 6th chords, and on broader tonal structures. As well as covering chromatic harmony, there will be opportunities in the module to explore other techniques of composition, such as chorale-based composition (especially chorale harmonisation) and twentieth-century idioms.

Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we may explore repertoire through improvisation.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5009 -

Humanities Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks. You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

AD5010 -

Humanities Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

MU6001 -

Dissertation in Music (Core,40 Credits)

The dissertation is the culmination of your work in researching, thinking and writing about Music. It offers an opportunity to carry out some independent research on a topic about which you are really passionate. Working with your supervisor, you will identify a topic, propose a title and devise some research questions. You will develop skills in project management, research and writing, and experience the process of recrafting what you have written in response to feedback. With a high degree of self-motivation, you will produce a major piece of written work of which you can be proud. Your dissertation will prepare you to continue to be an independent thinker, whether you go on to further study, enter a profession related to Music, or enter the graduate jobs market.

More information

MU6002 -

Performance 3 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique to an advanced level while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. You will continue to expand your repertoire, and building on the Performance 2 module, you will engage with aspects of Performance Practice related to your own instrument or voice. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU6003 -

Recital 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique to an advanced level while developing professional skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience in a recital open to the general public. Seminars will provide an opportunity to perform in front of your peers, and you will focus on how to structure a recital programme and how to write effective programme notes. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU6005 -

The Craft of the Music Teacher (Optional,20 Credits)

You will explore the research literature on music pedagogy, particularly (but not limited to) the teaching of instrumental/vocal lessons. You will also learn from mentoring by an experienced music teacher. Further consideration will be given to recent developments in UK music education, and you will engage in discussion of current debates in the profession.

More information

MU6009 -

History of Musical Instruments (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the study of musical instruments, known as organology, and examines their use, construction, and position within society. As the principal voices of music, musical instruments serve as vehicles for composers’ ideas. However, the instruments are more than just tools of performance, allowing us to observe a variety of cultural facets, such as our sociocultural history, from a unique angle. Their importance has woven them into our wider cultural backdrop, featuring in literature and iconographical sources, and many musical instruments are works of art in their own right. These interconnections across the humanities prove that the instruments are about more than just the music that they perform.

Through the lens of musical instruments, the lectures will address topics such as gender, sexuality, social class, and race, shedding light on the evolution of society over the course of approximately 500 years. The module will address current, historical, and world instruments to provide you with a broad understanding and appreciation of different musical cultures and the intersections that occur between the traditions. You will therefore be introduced to research skills that utilise materials beyond contemporary books and journals, while also developing an understanding of organological theories and methodologies that can be assimilated into your own performance studies.

More information

MU6011 -

Techniques of Composition, Analysis and Improvisation 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will build on the core first-year course, Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation. The module focuses on more advanced harmonic progressions including the use of dominant 13th, diminished 7th, Neapolitan 6th and Augmented 6th chords, and on broader tonal structures. As well as covering chromatic harmony, there will be opportunities in the module to explore other techniques of composition, such as chorale-based composition (especially chorale harmonisation) and twentieth-century idioms.
Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we may explore repertoire through improvisation.

More information

MU6012 -

Historically Informed Performance Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

How do we know what music sounded like in the past? Do early recordings give us an accurate representation? What about music composed before the advent of recording technology? This module examines what we can find out from the historical record about performing music. We will be assessing how useful different types of primary source material are for informing our own interpretation of music: these include early recordings, musical scores, treatises and archival records. We will be considering what they can tell us about all aspects of performing music, including instrumental/vocal technique and style (or, to use an eighteenth-century term, ‘good taste’). The module covers the performance of music from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

More information

VA6004 -

Music, Festivals & Events for Music Students (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will immerse you in the contemporary world of festivals, events and music management. You will be equipped and encouraged to critically evaluate economic, cultural, social, environmental and urban issues in music and the arts in general, developing an understanding of the role that festivals and events (including, but not limited to music) play in contemporary cultural life. . You will explore the importance of topics such as digital technologies, artists, audiences, marketing, risk, impacts and money to the industry. You will be challenged to think critically and creatively about the why, who and how of music, festival and events management, as a specialist area of the cultural and creative industries sector. Sessions will include hands-on planning and programming as well as instruction and seminars by experienced professionals.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MU4001 -

Millennium of Music (Part I) (Core,20 Credits)

This module will open your ears to a wide range of repertoire from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century with a primary focus on Western art music. The notions of ‘Classical’ or ‘Western Art Music’ are problematic, not least because they encompass music composed over more than a millennium. You will be exposed to a broad range of music, much of which will be new to you. In part one of Millennium of Music you will explore some of the principal musical developments from about 900 AD to the eighteenth century, looking at how music was created and preserved through notation, and how its techniques, styles and theoretical underpinnings differ from music today. Although much of the repertoire you will be studying is now heard in concert hall and recital, you will discover the contexts for which it was originally intended, and the function that it played in society at large. This module will give you a clear and broad grasp of the shape of musical, cultural and intellectual history alongside more detailed studies of individual pieces whilst engaging with questions of how histories of music are constructed. You will gain a framework into which you will be able to relate more detailed and specialist studies of music, and develop your skills and confidence in reading critically, writing about and analysing music from a historical perspective.

More information

MU4002 -

Performance 1 (Core,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. Working with a specialist on your instrument/voice, you will consolidate your technique while developing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. The module will cover areas such as effective practising and dealing with performance anxiety, and you will research the history of your instrument. You will expand your repertoire, and engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU4003 -

Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will explore how music is made through the study of techniques of composition. It provides an opportunity for you to develop a knowledge of harmony in order to enhance your skillset for further musicological study, and to inform your work as a performer. Focusing on the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century music, you will explore a range of genres, such as the piano sonata, string quartet and lied. Analytical work is intended to aid an understanding of harmonic progressions, and you will learn how to employ two systems to describe harmony (figured bass and Roman numerals). Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we will explore improvisation in historic styles.

More information

MU4004 -

Essential Skills for the 21st-Century Musician (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will develop skills which you will find to be essential for advanced study in music, and for your future career in music.

You will need to be able to make sense of music at the keyboard, whether as an academic researcher trying out a piece of music for which there is no recording, or a performer, or a teacher needing to provide some sort of an accompaniment for their pupils. You will develop the keyboard skills necessary for a freelance career, including chord progressions, sight-reading, accompanying, and how to simplify accompaniments to make them playable at your level of keyboard proficiency.

You need to be comfortable and confident in directing other musicians of all abilities and experience. The module will develop your skills in conducting, giving guidance on score preparation as well as the practicalities of communicating to players and singers.

Often, musicians need to be able to communicate with one another through the use of the singing voice, and you well develop the vocal skills you need to give you confidence to do this.

You will also cover the knowledge and skills needed by freelance musicians in marketing and self-promotion, time management, finance and tax, contracts and copyright, health & safety and safeguarding.

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MU4005 -

Introduction to Music Education (Core,20 Credits)

All musicians are music teachers of their instrument or voice at some point, and it is vital that their experience of teaching is based on a solid foundation of pedagogical research and a knowledge of the context in which their work is taking place.

This module offers an introduction to music education, covering early years, primary, secondary and special schools, so that your music teaching will be informed by your knowledge of pupils’ broader educational experience. This will also open up other possible career paths in music education.

More information

MU4006 -

Millennium of Music (Part II) (Core,20 Credits)

This module will open your ears to a wide range of repertoire from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first century, with a primary focus on Western art music. The notions of ‘Classical’ or ‘Western Art Music’ are problematic, not least because they encompass music composed over more than a millennium. You will be exposed to a broad range of music, much of which will be new to you. You will explore some of the principal musical developments from about eighteenth century to the present day, looking at how music was created and preserved through notation and, later, recorded sound. Although much of the repertoire you will be studying is now heard in concert hall and recital, you will discover the contexts for which it was originally intended, and the functions that it played in society at large. This module will give you a clear and broad grasp of the shape of musical, cultural and intellectual history alongside more detailed studies of individual musical works, whilst engaging with questions of how histories of music are constructed. You will gain a framework into which you will be able to relate more detailed and specialist studies of music, and develop your skills and confidence in writing about and analysing music from a historical perspective.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

HI5009 -

Your Graduate Future (Optional,20 Credits)

This module aims to ensure that you will be equipped with employability-related skills appropriate to graduates of History and associated degrees. The module adapts to your interests, whether you choose to pursue postgraduate study, enter the job market seeking graduate level employment, or establish your own enterprise. One of the purposes of Your Graduate Future is to raise your awareness of the wide range of possibilities, and to equip you with the knowledge, the skills and the experiences that may enable you to respond effectively to future opportunities. This module now includes a “Standard Pathway” and a “Law Pathway”, delivered in collaboration with Northumbria School of Law. For the Standard Pathway, in semester 1 you will attend lectures and participate in seminars that will present the intricacies of contemporary job seeking in different sectors. These will include guest lectures. You will then work with a group of your peers on an outward-looking project that will enable you to display your specific skills, to establish and nurture internal and external contacts, and to express your interests in a public outcome of your choice. In semester 2, you will develop your CV and further explore your evolving skillsets by means of engaging on your choice of work experience, volunteering, enterprise planning or a placement abroad. These will take the shape of supported independent activities. Assessment consists of a group project with a public outcome, an individual report reflecting on the scholarly basis of your project and your assessment of the process, and a placement report (at the end of semester 2). Students in the Law Pathway will also attend the lectures, and will follow a bespoke schedule of workshops, seminars, a field visit to The National Archives in London including archival training and a private tour of the archives. They will also undergo two specialised training sessions in Newcastle. Students in both pathways will follow the same assessment pattern, but those in the Law Pathway will work alongside students from the Law School to investigate a historical legal case using original archival material from The National Archives and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, and their group project will see them produce public facing history outputs for these external clients, including exhibitions, website blogs, and contributions to their official social media channels. In Semester 2, the ‘Placement’ element will work with Law students to design and stage a reconstruction of the trial itself.

More information

MU5001 -

Making Music History (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will consider how histories of music are constructed. Who decides what should be included within the narrative and what is the significance of what is left out? To what extent are we constrained by the available evidence? To what extent do the music histories we write reflect our present-day concerns?

You will engage critically with different approaches to writing music history, from the development of musical styles to in-depth socio-cultural studies, and to strategies for structuring our conception of music history. You will also consider how and why particular composers and repertory become dominant in our understanding of music history, and what the consequences of this might be.

You will also explore the different kinds of sources that music historians use – not only scores or recordings, but iconographical, archival or other historical material – exploring what they can reveal about the creation, consumption and functions of music in the past, and their limitations.

Within this module, you will develop a critical capacity to scrutinise sources and evaluate the way they have been interpreted in the creation of music history whilst engaging with a range of music from a variety of periods.

More information

MU5002 -

Music History Project (Core,20 Credits)

This module is designed to equip you with the research skills you need in order to carry out original, independent research in Music. It serves as a preparation for the dissertation you will write in your final year of study. You will have the opportunity to frame a question, plan your research, and write an extended essay on a theme of your choice related to a topic introduced at the start of the module. In doing so, you will gain an understanding of how to frame research questions and arrive at a title, how to manage a project working independently, how to find primary and secondary sources, how to present your work and develop your academic writing.

More information

MU5003 -

Performance 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. The course will cover areas such as effective practising, performance contexts and how to manage nerves. You will continue to expand your repertoire, gaining an awareness of performing traditions associated with the music you are playing or singing . You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU5004 -

Recital 1 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience in a recital open to the general public. The seminars will focus on how to structure a recital programme and how to write effective programme notes. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals, focusing especially on programme structure.

More information

MU5006 -

History of Musical Instruments (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the study of musical instruments, known as organology, and examines their use, construction, and position within society. As the principal voices of music, musical instruments serve as vehicles for composers’ ideas. However, the instruments are more than just tools of performance, allowing us to observe a variety of cultural facets, such as our sociocultural history, from a unique angle. Their importance has woven them into our wider cultural backdrop, featuring in literature and iconographical sources, and many musical instruments are works of art in their own right. These interconnections across the humanities prove that the instruments are about more than just the music that they perform.

Through the lens of musical instruments, the lectures will address topics such as gender, sexuality, social class, and race, shedding light on the evolution of society over the course of approximately 500 years. The module will address current, historical, and world instruments to provide you with a broad understanding and appreciation of different musical cultures and the intersections that occur between the traditions. You will therefore be introduced to research skills that utilise materials beyond contemporary books and journals, while also developing an understanding of organological theories and methodologies that can be assimilated into your own performance studies.

More information

MU5007 -

Preparation for Music Teaching (Optional,20 Credits)

Having been introduced to music’s place in the classroom curriculum in your first year, this course pays closer attention to music pedagogy in general, and gives you the opportunity to experience genuine teaching situations outside the university lectures, reflecting on what you learn from the observation of others and discussion with your peers. You will also think about teaching advanced repertoire on your instrument, encouraging you to familarise yourself with the UK exam boards and work towards establishing your own professional opinions on repertoire choice and supporting technical requirements.

More information

MU5011 -

Historically Informed Performance Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

How do we know what music sounded like in the past? Do early recordings give us an accurate representation? What about music composed before the advent of recording technology? This module examines what we can find out from the historical record about performing music. We will be assessing how useful different types of primary source material are for informing our own interpretation of music: these include early recordings, musical scores, treatises and archival records. We will be considering what they can tell us about all aspects of performing music, including instrumental/vocal technique and style (or, to use an eighteenth-century term, ‘good taste’). The module covers the performance of music from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

More information

MU5013 -

Techniques of Composition, Analysis and Improvisation Option (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will build on the core first-year course, Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation. The module focuses on more advanced harmonic progressions including the use of dominant 13th, diminished 7th, Neapolitan 6th and Augmented 6th chords, and on broader tonal structures. As well as covering chromatic harmony, there will be opportunities in the module to explore other techniques of composition, such as chorale-based composition (especially chorale harmonisation) and twentieth-century idioms.

Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we may explore repertoire through improvisation.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5009 -

Humanities Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks. You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

AD5010 -

Humanities Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

MU6001 -

Dissertation in Music (Core,40 Credits)

The dissertation is the culmination of your work in researching, thinking and writing about Music. It offers an opportunity to carry out some independent research on a topic about which you are really passionate. Working with your supervisor, you will identify a topic, propose a title and devise some research questions. You will develop skills in project management, research and writing, and experience the process of recrafting what you have written in response to feedback. With a high degree of self-motivation, you will produce a major piece of written work of which you can be proud. Your dissertation will prepare you to continue to be an independent thinker, whether you go on to further study, enter a profession related to Music, or enter the graduate jobs market.

More information

MU6002 -

Performance 3 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique to an advanced level while enhancing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. You will continue to expand your repertoire, and building on the Performance 2 module, you will engage with aspects of Performance Practice related to your own instrument or voice. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU6003 -

Recital 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. You will develop your technique to an advanced level while developing professional skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience in a recital open to the general public. Seminars will provide an opportunity to perform in front of your peers, and you will focus on how to structure a recital programme and how to write effective programme notes. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

More information

MU6005 -

The Craft of the Music Teacher (Optional,20 Credits)

You will explore the research literature on music pedagogy, particularly (but not limited to) the teaching of instrumental/vocal lessons. You will also learn from mentoring by an experienced music teacher. Further consideration will be given to recent developments in UK music education, and you will engage in discussion of current debates in the profession.

More information

MU6009 -

History of Musical Instruments (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the study of musical instruments, known as organology, and examines their use, construction, and position within society. As the principal voices of music, musical instruments serve as vehicles for composers’ ideas. However, the instruments are more than just tools of performance, allowing us to observe a variety of cultural facets, such as our sociocultural history, from a unique angle. Their importance has woven them into our wider cultural backdrop, featuring in literature and iconographical sources, and many musical instruments are works of art in their own right. These interconnections across the humanities prove that the instruments are about more than just the music that they perform.

Through the lens of musical instruments, the lectures will address topics such as gender, sexuality, social class, and race, shedding light on the evolution of society over the course of approximately 500 years. The module will address current, historical, and world instruments to provide you with a broad understanding and appreciation of different musical cultures and the intersections that occur between the traditions. You will therefore be introduced to research skills that utilise materials beyond contemporary books and journals, while also developing an understanding of organological theories and methodologies that can be assimilated into your own performance studies.

More information

MU6011 -

Techniques of Composition, Analysis and Improvisation 2 (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will build on the core first-year course, Techniques of Composition, Harmonic Analysis and Improvisation. The module focuses on more advanced harmonic progressions including the use of dominant 13th, diminished 7th, Neapolitan 6th and Augmented 6th chords, and on broader tonal structures. As well as covering chromatic harmony, there will be opportunities in the module to explore other techniques of composition, such as chorale-based composition (especially chorale harmonisation) and twentieth-century idioms.
Students produce weekly harmony assignments which may include analytical exercises, harmony exercises and pastiche composition. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the distinctions between composer, improviser and performer were much less distinct than today, and we may explore repertoire through improvisation.

More information

MU6012 -

Historically Informed Performance Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

How do we know what music sounded like in the past? Do early recordings give us an accurate representation? What about music composed before the advent of recording technology? This module examines what we can find out from the historical record about performing music. We will be assessing how useful different types of primary source material are for informing our own interpretation of music: these include early recordings, musical scores, treatises and archival records. We will be considering what they can tell us about all aspects of performing music, including instrumental/vocal technique and style (or, to use an eighteenth-century term, ‘good taste’). The module covers the performance of music from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

More information

VA6004 -

Music, Festivals & Events for Music Students (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will immerse you in the contemporary world of festivals, events and music management. You will be equipped and encouraged to critically evaluate economic, cultural, social, environmental and urban issues in music and the arts in general, developing an understanding of the role that festivals and events (including, but not limited to music) play in contemporary cultural life. . You will explore the importance of topics such as digital technologies, artists, audiences, marketing, risk, impacts and money to the industry. You will be challenged to think critically and creatively about the why, who and how of music, festival and events management, as a specialist area of the cultural and creative industries sector. Sessions will include hands-on planning and programming as well as instruction and seminars by experienced professionals.

More information

YC5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.

Music BA (Hons)

Home or EU applicants please apply through UCAS

International applicants please apply using the links below

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Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.



Accessibility and Student Inclusion

Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.

We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.

You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need. 

We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:

Accessibility support

Student Inclusion support




All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

Your Learning Experience

Find out about our distinctive approach at 
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp

Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms

Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees

Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy

Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints


If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

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Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

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NU World Virtual Tours
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Virtual Tour

Get an insight into life at Northumbria at the click of a button! Come and explore our videos and 360 panoramas to immerse yourself in our campuses and get a feel for what it is like studying here using our interactive virtual tour.

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