Music 2012
"The lecturers and tutors are so friendly and willing to help."
Anita Vaz
Our Music programmes reflect the diversity of contemporary musical experience, the pluralism of postmodern thinking about music, and the richly varied profile of music as a performance art in today’s world. We aim to provide you with opportunities to interact with as wide a range of music and music-making as possible. You will gain insight into how you currently operate and how you might wish to develop as a musician. We also ensure that your learning remains relevant to the contemporary world.
Our programmes will offer you a high standard of academic and instrumental/vocal tuition. You will participate in a thriving performance environment and have opportunities to work with our artists in residence. We have excellent performance and learning facilities and you will be able to discuss the latest ideas with visiting leading composers and scholars.
Factfile
| Minimum Entry Requirements | A level grades ABB All applicants should also adhere to the University's General Entrance Requirements. |
|---|---|
| Required Subjects | A level Music grade A (or equivalent) required. Normally, applicants taking performance will be required to have achieved grade 7 or 8 ABRSM (or equivalent) in their primary instrument. |
| English Language Requirements | An IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent for non-native-English-speaking applicants. Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre. |
| Other Suitable Qualifications | BTEC National Diploma - DDD (in an appropriate diploma) A wide range of other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. |
| Selection Process | Offers are usually made in terms of grades. We do not include General Studies in our offers. In certain cases applicants may be invited for an interview or an audition. |
Degrees
Degree Programmes
BMus (Hons) Degrees
| Degree | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| * Programme includes a professional training year | ||
| BMus (Hons) Music | W300 | 3 years |
| BMus (Hons) Music | W301 | 4* years |
Degrees
Degree Programmes
BMus (Hons) Degrees
| Degree | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| * Programme includes a professional training year | ||
| BMus (Hons) Music | W300 | 3 years |
| BMus (Hons) Music | W301 | 4* years |
Our Degrees
Performance, composition and the academic study of music have equal status in our Department, so that our programmes are well suited to those aspiring to a professional career in any area of the music industry.
The range of subjects is especially broad. Western music from ancient times to the present day forms the backbone of historical and analytical studies, but modules in popular and non-Western music, music technology, film music and jazz are also available. In your second and final years you may specialise in performance, composition, musicology or conducting.
The three-year BMus programme explores musical repertoires past and present through integrated studies in classical/popular musicology, composition and performance, with emphases on cultural issues, theory and analysis, music technology and practice-based learning. The four-year BMus programme combines these elements with core components in arts management issues and cultural policy-making. This programme is unique in offering a professional training year, and is designed for students who wish to gain experience in music management or administration.
We are distinctive in pursuing all these fields in our teaching and research, resulting in a highly stimulating environment for undergraduate musicians as scholars, performers, composers and future decision-makers in the arts.
Other degrees you may be interested in:
Creative Music Technology
Mathematics with Music
Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister)
Programme
Programme Overview
Music is a creative art practised by composers and performers, a form of cultural expression experienced by a worldwide audience, and a technical practice involving the engineering and design of sound. Our Department recognises this diversity and reflects it in our music programmes, which address issues of creative practice, reflection, analysis and technology in a wide range of musical contexts.
Unlike many other music departments, we pursue all these fields in our teaching and research. You will benefit from our expertise across the spectrum of musical activity (classical/concert music, popular music, screen music, opera, jazz, world music, and acoustic, electronic and computer-generated music).
The result is an unusually stimulating environment for undergraduate musicians, whether you are interested in performance, composition, musicology, music technology or the music industry.
Our curriculum is structured so that almost any musical activity you might want to engage in can receive credit, and none is regarded as being of less intrinsic value than any other.
During Level 1 you will be given a thorough grounding in the principles of music plus the opportunity to choose a number of optional subject areas.
In Level 2 and Level 3 you will study one or two core modules in addition to a wide range of optional modules. You will be able to select modules according to your own interests, allowing you the freedom to design your own programme of studies (with staff guidance).
The four-year programme involves a twelve-month professional placement during the third year. The programme combines all the benefits of the three-year BMus, together with a number of core modules related to music and arts management to prepare you for, and consolidate upon, the professional training year. It is ideal for you if you are interested in gaining experience in music administration or management.
As an undergraduate at the University of Surrey, your time will be spent studying, performing, creating and listening to music in a rich variety of styles. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students in music, sound recording, creative music technology, dance, film and theatre, as well as with leading visiting professionals working in a variety of fields.
In short, music within our Department is vibrant, forward-looking and distinctive.
Programme Structure
Level 1
Compulsory modules include:
- Understanding Music
- Harmony and Analysis
- Instruments and Orchestration
Optional modules include:
- Composition
- Performance
- The Business of Music*
Level 2
Compulsory modules include:
- Musicology 2A
Optional modules include:
- Composition
- Performance
- Conducting
- Historical Performance Practice
- Jazz Studies 1
- 18th/19th/20th/21st Century Studies
- Popular Song Analysis
- World Music
- Screen Music
- Arts Policy and Practice*
Level P
- Professional training year
Level 3
Optional modules include:
- Composition
- Performance
- Conducting
- Jazz Studies 2
- 18th/19th/20th/21st Century Studies
- Musicology 3
- Dissertation
- Rock Track Poetics
- Music Therapy
- African-American Music
- The Cultural Industries*
*Compulsory for four-year programme
Professional Training
The third year of our four-year Music (W301) programme is spent away from the University, working in a professional role for major arts and music organisations. The senior professional training tutor will work with you to prepare you for the placement period and help you to choose and organise an appropriate placement and host organisation.
Types of placement are varied and can take place anywhere in the country, although many have been London-based. Recent students have worked in areas of music management and administration, concert management, music education, marketing, music publishing, venue management and retailing.
Organisations/companies that have participated in the scheme include the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House, Schott Music Publishing, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, South Hill Park Arts Centre, HMV, the Royal School of Church Music, the Orchestra of St Johns (OSJ), Faber Music Publishers and Sherriff Rosebriars Trust.
The placement experience helps our students to get that all-important first job or move on to postgraduate study.
Why Surrey?
Key reasons to study Music 2012 at Surrey
- In the latest Research Assessment Exercise, 75 per cent of our research output was rated as international quality, of which 21 per cent was world-leading
- You will benefit from regular guest lectures by distinguished visiting scholars, composers and performers
- Enjoy one-to-one performance tuition with well-known instrumentalists
- Benefit from opportunities to study a wide spectrum of music: classical, rock, pop, jazz, world music and music for screen
- Choose to specialise in performance, composition, musicology or conducting
- You will have the opportunity to participate in a range of musical events and performances both on and off campus
- Enjoy masterclasses and workshops in performance and composition
- Benefit from excellent career prospects
Careers
Top for Jobs
Graduates over the last few years entered employment in roles such as:
- Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music – Theory Assistant
- Royal Opera House – Musical Play Leader
- London Symphony Orchestra – Discovery Schools Project Coordinator
- Musical Associates UK – Box Office Manager
- Warner Music UK – SLC Coordinator
- Christchurch Cathedral – Teacher and Lay Clerk
- London Symphony Orchestra – Concert Assistant
- University sector - Arts Coordinator
- Schott/Faber - Music Publisher
Career Opportunities
Our graduate employment record is excellent. Although the programmes have vocational elements, career choices are by no means restricted to those of musicologist, orchestral player, teacher or arts administrator. The breadth of experience gained on our programmes equips graduates with numerous transferable skills and an invaluable sense of initiative and adaptability.
More
Teaching
On our programmes, students attend a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. All are encouraged to participate in the many practical performance opportunities offered by the Department. These include choirs, orchestras, student-run ensembles, weekly lunchtime recitals, concerts of student compositions, masterclasses and recording sessions.
Many students start up their own chamber ensembles and rock/pop groups. Short modules on computing skills, such as MIDI, Music Notation Software and Music Resources on the World Wide Web, are also available.
Assessment
Degrees are awarded on the basis of the assessment of coursework, end-of-semester examinations, projects, composition folios and performances. Most modules involve both coursework and examination, though a few are assessed by just coursework or examination.
Level 1 marks do not count towards the final degree classification. However, they do determine whether students are able to proceed to Level 2.
Performance Opportunities
The Department runs the University Symphony Orchestra, University Choir, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, the University Big Band and numerous chamber ensembles. Our Artists in Residence, internationally acclaimed pianist Nikolai Demidenko and contemporary music group Gemini, regularly give concerts and masterclasses.
The Department has a weekly lunchtime recital series featuring student performers, holds several larger concerts each semester and hosts regular performances by visiting professional artists. There are numerous opportunities for performing outside official University groups.