MA Music Performance
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Two Years
The MA Music Performance is a two year programme resulting in a
Master’s degree qualification. Currently available for voice,
strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, guitar and harp,
the programme focuses on performance and performance studies and in
particular on your abilities to communicate confidently as a
professional musician with a stylish and informed approach.
For students who have learned English as a foreign language
(EFL), the MA programme incorporates essential components in
English language and cultural studies to support all aspects of the
performance studies.
Zoë Smith - Head of Interdisciplinary
Practice (Music) - talks about the MA Music Performance.
Download MP3
Course Structure
Principal study activities include up to 60 hours of one-to-one
tuition, which is complemented by a range of departmental classes
and performance activities, including chamber music and large
ensemble work. You will also participate in the Postgraduate
Lunchtime Recital Series, both as a performer and audience
member.
Principal study activities are assessed by means of two public
recitals: a 30-minute recital in the final term of the first year
and a 60-minute recital in the final term of the second year. For
more information about the departmental activities, please visit
the relevant departmental web pages.
‘The Performing Musician’ module is delivered through a series
of lectures, seminars and tutorials. It aims to enable you to
perform a wide range of repertoire in an informed manner and to
communicate your ideas musically, orally and in writing, drawing on
appropriate research. Students work towards delivering a short
seminar in the second term and a one-hour lecture recital in term
four.
The ‘Communication in Performance’ module aims to equip you with
the musical, written and oral communication skills that will enable
you to present yourself effectively as a musician at a professional
level. You will focus on reflective and critical thinking to
analyse your own performances as well as those of other musicians.
The module encompasses the Postgraduate Performance Platform - a
class in which students discuss general issues related to
performance presentation and effective communication as a musician.
Further lectures and workshops focus on self-promotion and
entrepreneurial skills including the use of appropriate media and
technology.
In the ‘Concert Platform’ module, you will participate in a
series of classes to discuss issues involved in presenting your own
concert, focussing on the non-musical aspects such as setting up a
concert, deciding on the programme and providing various publicity
materials.
A vocational placement in the first or second term is also a
core element of the programme, enabling you to engage with
potential employers in fields such as orchestral performance,
instrumental teaching, community music and outreach. We are able to
offer a range of opportunities for you to work with professional
organisations in these fields as part of your course.