Creative Musicianship

This flexible, practice-based programme is for those musicians who wish to develop or refresh their professional practice for work in the creative industries, teaching, community-based education, and/or further study including PhD. You will be introduced to recent developments in your specialist field, and develop essential technical, research and communication skills.

You will choose one of three pathways (Performance, Composition and Creative Audio or Music and Communities) and will benefit from two specialism modules (Practice and Seminar) which place contextual, aesthetic, and theoretical study alongside the development of your practice.

Additional opportunities to enhance your chosen pathway include undertaking research and project work both inside or outside of the University and/or gaining specialist knowledge of the music industry via an understanding of legal, technological, and societal developments.

You will complete a Final Project in a topic related to your chosen specialism which may be a dissertation, a practical piece of outreach work, a portfolio of compositions, or a final recital.

Work placement / study abroad
Work placements are available as an option within Research Project.

For further course details please see "Course Web Page".

All modules optional with the exception of Major Project (compulsory)
Semester 1
• Composition Seminar 1
• Composition and Creative Audio Practice 1
• Music and Communities Seminar 1
• Music and Communities in Practice 1
• Performance in Practice 1
• Performance Seminar 1
• Research Project 1
• Music, Technology and Society

Semester 2
• Music and Communities in Practice 2
• Composition and Creative Audio Practice 2
• Music and Communities Seminar 2
• Composition Seminar 2
• Performance in Practice 2
• Performance Seminar 2
• Research Project 2

Semester 3
• Major Project

Standard entry conditions
To apply to our postgraduate taught programmes, you must meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements and any course-specific requirements.

Entry Requirements
Applicants must meet the University's minimum entrance requirements and, in addition, a) hold a second-class honours degree or better in music or another relevant discipline from a recognised institution, or b) an equivalent qualification or c) be able to provide other evidence of ability and experience appropriate to the course. International applicants whose first language is not English must attain either of the following English competency standards:

A written proposal outlining the intended area of individual study (i.e. the Specialism and, ideally, an idea of what the third-semester project might involve) should support the application; all applicants will be interviewed and/or auditioned.

The University will consider applications on the basis of experiential learning for those who do not hold the normal entry qualifications. The onus is on the applicant to evidence that they have relevant experience equating to degree study at the honours level.

Your Application
Application is through the University's online application system (see "Application Weblink").

Start Date: September 2024

Career options
• Professional work in the creative industries (performance, composition, creative technologies)
• Further academic or practical study
• Community-based education and/or creative work
• Technical positions in the music industry
• Teaching work