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90% of our research outputs are internationally excellent

Do you have a passion for music? Do you want to develop your performing skills alongside music history in a degree that offers a focus on employability? Studying a Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria University offers just that. The course's performance modules centre around 20 hours of individual instrumental or vocal tuition per year. It provides a first-class study of music history and modules in instrumental or vocal teaching, while providing you with the skills you will need to succeed in the music profession.

 

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. You will develop skills – in music theory, techniques of composition and on the keyboard – which you need to succeed as a creative musician in the twenty-first century.

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 also collaborate with leading national organisations such as Trinity Exam Board and the ISM, and work with local music hubs (which deliver instrumental/vocal teaching in schools) to provide placement opportunities in the music teaching modules.

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.

What makes our music degree distinctive is the way in which your real-life work as a musician is prepared through a specially tailored programme in which, in addition to your performing and musicological studies, you will learn how to teach your instrument and how to manage in your career as a musician.

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

For more information in relation to studying Music BA (Hons), contact Northumbria University today on 0191 4060901 or register for music updates.

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

 

90% of our research outputs are internationally excellent

Do you have a passion for music? Do you want to develop your performing skills alongside music history in a degree that offers a focus on employability? Studying a Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria University offers just that. The course's performance modules centre around 20 hours of individual instrumental or vocal tuition per year. It provides a first-class study of music history and modules in instrumental or vocal teaching, while providing you with the skills you will need to succeed in the music profession.

 

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. You will develop skills – in music theory, techniques of composition and on the keyboard – which you need to succeed as a creative musician in the twenty-first century.

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 also collaborate with leading national organisations such as Trinity Exam Board and the ISM, and work with local music hubs (which deliver instrumental/vocal teaching in schools) to provide placement opportunities in the music teaching modules.

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.

What makes our music degree distinctive is the way in which your real-life work as a musician is prepared through a specially tailored programme in which, in addition to your performing and musicological studies, you will learn how to teach your instrument and how to manage in your career as a musician.

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

For more information in relation to studying Music BA (Hons), contact Northumbria University today on 0191 4060901 or register for music updates.

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 2023

Fee Information

Module Information

 

 

Department / Humanities

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

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.

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.

Entry Requirements Entry Requirements Modules Overview Fees, Funding  and Scholarships Apply Now

Entry Requirements 2022/23

Standard Entry

120 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

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 2023/24

Standard Entry

120 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

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 2022/23 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: £16,500

International Fee in Year 1: £16,500

 

Click here for UK, EU and International scholarship, fees, and funding information.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

Fees and Funding 2023/24 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: £17,500


International Fee in Year 1: £17,500


Scholarships for 23/24 have not yet been announced.  For information on scholarships awarded in 22/23, please see the main Funding Pages.


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.

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Modules Overview 2022/23

Modules

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

Year one Year two Year three Year four

Year one

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

Year two

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. 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).

More information

HI6033 -

The Art of Power: Tudor Court Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will take an interdisciplinary approach to Tudor history, investigating how and why courtly arts were important to the construction and projection of political power in Tudor England.

You will learn about the distinctive political and religious context of each monarch’s reign from Henry VII to Elizabeth I and explore a range of courtly arts such as portraiture, drama and spectacle, poetry and literary, and music and dance. You will analyse the influence of arts and entertainments that were grand and public, and also those that were private and intimate. You will consider questions such as: why was artistic patronage important for the Tudor monarchy? What influence did age and gender have on royal image-making? How could the arts become tools of governance or play a role in diplomatic manoeuvres? To what extent were monarchs in control of their royal image? How could courtiers and noblemen manipulate courtly arts for their own ends?

Throughout the module you will engage with current research in a range of disciplines including political history, Reformation history, art history, English literature, gender studies and music. Moreover you will develop skills in interpreting and evaluating visual, textual and musical sources in light of their historical context. (No musical literacy is required).

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 as you are introduced to the study of performance practice. 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

MU5005 -

Techniques of Composition, Harmonic 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.

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 repertoire through improvisation.

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 consideration of scores in tandem with organological analysis will introduce you to the skills behind material musicology (the analysis of scores with consideration of the instrument), and will approach aspects of performance practice from the angle of instrument capability. 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 and workshops, 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

TE5507 -

Student Tutoring (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn how to be a tutor of students in schools or colleges. You will develop your skills in communicating effectively with children or young people. As part of this process you will learn how to evaluate your own learning of how to support these pupils’ learning over a series of lessons. You will be learning how to transmit your own enthusiasm for learning in a professional context to pupils within the schooling system. You will learn about the issues facing teachers and other professionals within the school, college or learning centre. Learning how to apply your existing skills and knowledge in a work related context will be an important focus of this module for you. Knowing how to determine which skills and knowledge are relevant, and make appropriate use of these in the work context, will be a major learning opportunity for you.

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

Year three

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

AT5007 -

Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation (4 modules studied in Amsterdam (Semester 1) & Newcastle (Semester 2) (Optional,120 Credits)

What will I learn on this module?

This overarching module descriptor covers the Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation which is made up of 4 modules that the students will study in Amsterdam (semester 1) and Newcastle (semester 2).

This additional year of studies has been designed to develop students’ creative thinking and practical problem-solving skills in the context of design thinking approaches, all of which will significantly development academic and research skills and so strengthen employability on graduation. This year of study enhances your employability by unlocking and developing your creative problem-solving skills, knowledge, and expertise to make you more employment and industry-ready when you graduate through in multidisciplinary teams throughout your year of study in Amsterdam and Newcastle to creatively tackle and solve real-world challenges.
Semester 1 in Amsterdam comprises of two 20-credit modules aimed at students new to design thinking which also equips them for a semester in Newcastle, working in creative teams on a series of real-world projects that enhance creative thinking skills and attributes and multidisciplinary working practices. The modules studied in Semester 1, Innovative Design Practices and Tools and Multidisciplinary Exploration and Value Creation provide students with analytical design-inspired tools that enable students to examine real-world case studies that require multidisciplinary professional team-based responses and solution formation and implementation. In Semester 2, students will move to Newcastle to study two modules at Northumbria University. The first module, Design-Inspired Research Methods enables students to critically investigate key social, cultural, and technological challenges that modern urban spaces, cities, and professions. The final module, Creative Cities, enables students to engage in the creative comparative research of problems, challenges and potential innovative developments between Amsterdam and Newcastle (in terms of mobility, sustainable practices, energy provision, smart and digital technologies, urban design, or the role of cultural and humanities-oriented institutions).

The modules are outlined below:

Semester 1
AT5005 Innovative Design Practices and Tools (20 credits)
AT5006 Multidisciplinary Exploration and Value Creation (40 credits)

Semester 2
DE5012 Design-Inspired Research Methods (20 credits)
DE5013 Creative Cities (40 credits)

In semester 1, students will learn in a creative environment in the Amsterdam campus dedicated to full time programmes. A mixture of large group and small group sessions will take place in sessions and workshops that bring together AUAS and Northumbria students and staff. The focus of the teaching and learning is on creative interdisciplinary team activities that develop creative thinking and address real-world issues and problems. In semester 2, students engage in comparative city-based research to identify differing challenges facing Amsterdam and Newcastle. Students will approach a range of real-world issues from the perspective of their academic discipline and work with students from other perspectives to see how differing knowledges and skillsets can combine to address challenges in innovative and creative ways. These can include cultural institutions, design, technology, IT, and engineering, architecture, history, and the social sciences. Therefore, the programme is relevant for students from a range academic disciplines who will work together to stress how differing disciplines combine to provide solutions to challenges. Assessment has been developed in accordance with Northumbria’s Assessment for Learning principles including a broad mix of assessment appropriate to the learning outcomes being assessed and with opportunities for formative feedback.

A student who passes all modules will, on successful completion of their undergraduate programme of study, have the title “(Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation UK and Amsterdam)” added to their degree award title. Students who do not pass 120 credits will have those modules that have been completed recorded on their transcript.

More information

Year four

HI6033 -

The Art of Power: Tudor Court Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will take an interdisciplinary approach to Tudor history, investigating how and why courtly arts were important to the construction and projection of political power in Tudor England.

You will learn about the distinctive political and religious context of each monarch’s reign from Henry VII to Elizabeth I and explore a range of courtly arts such as portraiture, drama and spectacle, poetry and literary, and music and dance. You will analyse the influence of arts and entertainments that were grand and public, and also those that were private and intimate. You will consider questions such as: why was artistic patronage important for the Tudor monarchy? What influence did age and gender have on royal image-making? How could the arts become tools of governance or play a role in diplomatic manoeuvres? To what extent were monarchs in control of their royal image? How could courtiers and noblemen manipulate courtly arts for their own ends?

Throughout the module you will engage with current research in a range of disciplines including political history, Reformation history, art history, English literature, gender studies and music. Moreover you will develop skills in interpreting and evaluating visual, textual and musical sources in light of their historical context. (No musical literacy is required).

More information

MI6005 -

Popular Music on Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is concerned with popular music culture and its relationship to film, an area much neglected in academic film studies, television studies and popular music studies. As such, it seeks to address this absence by looking at a number of key junctures where popular music culture, the cinema and television inter-relate, exploring debates about gender representation, authorship, genre and music in performance, as well as how the films studied relate to context of their production and reception. The module, therefore, covers topics such as the following in a largely chronological fashion. An indicative syllabus is as follows:
1. Early moments: The significance of the early Elvis Films: King Creole
2. Punk rock on film: The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle
3. The revisionist musical: Von Trier, Lhurmann et al
4. Popular Music and national identity: The Commitments
5. Popular Music and ‘Race’ representation: 8 Mile
6. Gender play: Velvet Goldmine, In Bed with Madonna
7. The popular music / rock documentary
8. Dance and the male body: Saturday Night Fever
9. The concert film" from Wadleigh's Woodstock to Godard's One plus One.
10. Critical approaches to music video: Corbijn, Cunningham et al.
11. Nostalgia and the popular musical biopic: Control

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MU6001 -

Dissertation in Music (Optional,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.

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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.

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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.

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MU6004 -

Seventeenth-Century Keyboard Music in the British Isles: its Creation, Use and Place in Society (Optional,20 Credits)

This course involves a study of keyboard music mainly by William Byrd and his contemporaries, and examines the way keyboard music was used in the home by amateur players. As well as repertoire by named composers, it covers the contexts in which such music was played, the instruments it was played upon and aspects of performance practice. It combines musicological with a practical element: students of all levels of keyboard proficiency from beginner to advanced will have the opportunity to learn from playing.

English seventeenth-century keyboard music will be studied from a number of perspectives. Students are introduced to manuscript sources of the music, the editorial principles underlying approaches to modern editions of the repertoire, and the relation between composer, scribe and performer. The traditional notion of the period in the mid-century being a 'transition' between the so-called virginalist school and that of Purcell and his contemporaries will be challenged by examining whether the repertoire should be regarded as functional or autonomous. Pieces representative composers will be introduced in relation to genre distinctions, and especially instrumental designation. Elements of performance practice, such as the interpretation of ornaments and early fingering, will be covered through practical sessions.

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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 an expert in your instrument/voice by observing and through mentored teaching. Further consideration will be given to recent developments in UK music education, and you will engage in discussion of current debates in the profession.

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MU6006 -

Edition of Music (Optional,40 Credits)

This module provides an opportunity to engage with scholarly, critical editing of music. You will develop the musical and analytical skills necessary to engage with written music texts, some of which may involve unfamiliar or archaic notation such as tablature. You will engage with current debates and thinking about editorial method and modes of presentation. Working with your supervisor, you will identify an editorial project and, with a high degree of motivation, you will produce an edition of music that will be not only of scholarly value but of practical use to performers. The process of editing will prepare you to be the kind of critical thinker who can focus on detail, and give you skills that will be transferable to other contexts such as further study, a profession related to Music and the graduate jobs market more generally.

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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.

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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.

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Modules Overview 2023/24

Modules

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

Year one Year two Year three Year four

Year one

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Year two

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. 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).

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HI6033 -

The Art of Power: Tudor Court Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will take an interdisciplinary approach to Tudor history, investigating how and why courtly arts were important to the construction and projection of political power in Tudor England.

You will learn about the distinctive political and religious context of each monarch’s reign from Henry VII to Elizabeth I and explore a range of courtly arts such as portraiture, drama and spectacle, poetry and literary, and music and dance. You will analyse the influence of arts and entertainments that were grand and public, and also those that were private and intimate. You will consider questions such as: why was artistic patronage important for the Tudor monarchy? What influence did age and gender have on royal image-making? How could the arts become tools of governance or play a role in diplomatic manoeuvres? To what extent were monarchs in control of their royal image? How could courtiers and noblemen manipulate courtly arts for their own ends?

Throughout the module you will engage with current research in a range of disciplines including political history, Reformation history, art history, English literature, gender studies and music. Moreover you will develop skills in interpreting and evaluating visual, textual and musical sources in light of their historical context. (No musical literacy is required).

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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.

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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.

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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 as you are introduced to the study of performance practice. You will continue to engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts, recitals and open rehearsals.

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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.

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MU5005 -

Techniques of Composition, Harmonic 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.

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 repertoire through improvisation.

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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 consideration of scores in tandem with organological analysis will introduce you to the skills behind material musicology (the analysis of scores with consideration of the instrument), and will approach aspects of performance practice from the angle of instrument capability. 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.

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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 and workshops, 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.

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TE5507 -

Student Tutoring (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn how to be a tutor of students in schools or colleges. You will develop your skills in communicating effectively with children or young people. As part of this process you will learn how to evaluate your own learning of how to support these pupils’ learning over a series of lessons. You will be learning how to transmit your own enthusiasm for learning in a professional context to pupils within the schooling system. You will learn about the issues facing teachers and other professionals within the school, college or learning centre. Learning how to apply your existing skills and knowledge in a work related context will be an important focus of this module for you. Knowing how to determine which skills and knowledge are relevant, and make appropriate use of these in the work context, will be a major learning opportunity for you.

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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

Year three

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.

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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.

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AT5007 -

Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation (4 modules studied in Amsterdam (Semester 1) & Newcastle (Semester 2) (Optional,120 Credits)

What will I learn on this module?

This overarching module descriptor covers the Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation which is made up of 4 modules that the students will study in Amsterdam (semester 1) and Newcastle (semester 2).

This additional year of studies has been designed to develop students’ creative thinking and practical problem-solving skills in the context of design thinking approaches, all of which will significantly development academic and research skills and so strengthen employability on graduation. This year of study enhances your employability by unlocking and developing your creative problem-solving skills, knowledge, and expertise to make you more employment and industry-ready when you graduate through in multidisciplinary teams throughout your year of study in Amsterdam and Newcastle to creatively tackle and solve real-world challenges.
Semester 1 in Amsterdam comprises of two 20-credit modules aimed at students new to design thinking which also equips them for a semester in Newcastle, working in creative teams on a series of real-world projects that enhance creative thinking skills and attributes and multidisciplinary working practices. The modules studied in Semester 1, Innovative Design Practices and Tools and Multidisciplinary Exploration and Value Creation provide students with analytical design-inspired tools that enable students to examine real-world case studies that require multidisciplinary professional team-based responses and solution formation and implementation. In Semester 2, students will move to Newcastle to study two modules at Northumbria University. The first module, Design-Inspired Research Methods enables students to critically investigate key social, cultural, and technological challenges that modern urban spaces, cities, and professions. The final module, Creative Cities, enables students to engage in the creative comparative research of problems, challenges and potential innovative developments between Amsterdam and Newcastle (in terms of mobility, sustainable practices, energy provision, smart and digital technologies, urban design, or the role of cultural and humanities-oriented institutions).

The modules are outlined below:

Semester 1
AT5005 Innovative Design Practices and Tools (20 credits)
AT5006 Multidisciplinary Exploration and Value Creation (40 credits)

Semester 2
DE5012 Design-Inspired Research Methods (20 credits)
DE5013 Creative Cities (40 credits)

In semester 1, students will learn in a creative environment in the Amsterdam campus dedicated to full time programmes. A mixture of large group and small group sessions will take place in sessions and workshops that bring together AUAS and Northumbria students and staff. The focus of the teaching and learning is on creative interdisciplinary team activities that develop creative thinking and address real-world issues and problems. In semester 2, students engage in comparative city-based research to identify differing challenges facing Amsterdam and Newcastle. Students will approach a range of real-world issues from the perspective of their academic discipline and work with students from other perspectives to see how differing knowledges and skillsets can combine to address challenges in innovative and creative ways. These can include cultural institutions, design, technology, IT, and engineering, architecture, history, and the social sciences. Therefore, the programme is relevant for students from a range academic disciplines who will work together to stress how differing disciplines combine to provide solutions to challenges. Assessment has been developed in accordance with Northumbria’s Assessment for Learning principles including a broad mix of assessment appropriate to the learning outcomes being assessed and with opportunities for formative feedback.

A student who passes all modules will, on successful completion of their undergraduate programme of study, have the title “(Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation UK and Amsterdam)” added to their degree award title. Students who do not pass 120 credits will have those modules that have been completed recorded on their transcript.

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Year four

HI6033 -

The Art of Power: Tudor Court Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will take an interdisciplinary approach to Tudor history, investigating how and why courtly arts were important to the construction and projection of political power in Tudor England.

You will learn about the distinctive political and religious context of each monarch’s reign from Henry VII to Elizabeth I and explore a range of courtly arts such as portraiture, drama and spectacle, poetry and literary, and music and dance. You will analyse the influence of arts and entertainments that were grand and public, and also those that were private and intimate. You will consider questions such as: why was artistic patronage important for the Tudor monarchy? What influence did age and gender have on royal image-making? How could the arts become tools of governance or play a role in diplomatic manoeuvres? To what extent were monarchs in control of their royal image? How could courtiers and noblemen manipulate courtly arts for their own ends?

Throughout the module you will engage with current research in a range of disciplines including political history, Reformation history, art history, English literature, gender studies and music. Moreover you will develop skills in interpreting and evaluating visual, textual and musical sources in light of their historical context. (No musical literacy is required).

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MI6005 -

Popular Music on Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is concerned with popular music culture and its relationship to film, an area much neglected in academic film studies, television studies and popular music studies. As such, it seeks to address this absence by looking at a number of key junctures where popular music culture, the cinema and television inter-relate, exploring debates about gender representation, authorship, genre and music in performance, as well as how the films studied relate to context of their production and reception. The module, therefore, covers topics such as the following in a largely chronological fashion. An indicative syllabus is as follows:
1. Early moments: The significance of the early Elvis Films: King Creole
2. Punk rock on film: The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle
3. The revisionist musical: Von Trier, Lhurmann et al
4. Popular Music and national identity: The Commitments
5. Popular Music and ‘Race’ representation: 8 Mile
6. Gender play: Velvet Goldmine, In Bed with Madonna
7. The popular music / rock documentary
8. Dance and the male body: Saturday Night Fever
9. The concert film" from Wadleigh's Woodstock to Godard's One plus One.
10. Critical approaches to music video: Corbijn, Cunningham et al.
11. Nostalgia and the popular musical biopic: Control

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MU6001 -

Dissertation in Music (Optional,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.

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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

MU6004 -

Seventeenth-Century Keyboard Music in the British Isles: its Creation, Use and Place in Society (Optional,20 Credits)

This course involves a study of keyboard music mainly by William Byrd and his contemporaries, and examines the way keyboard music was used in the home by amateur players. As well as repertoire by named composers, it covers the contexts in which such music was played, the instruments it was played upon and aspects of performance practice. It combines musicological with a practical element: students of all levels of keyboard proficiency from beginner to advanced will have the opportunity to learn from playing.

English seventeenth-century keyboard music will be studied from a number of perspectives. Students are introduced to manuscript sources of the music, the editorial principles underlying approaches to modern editions of the repertoire, and the relation between composer, scribe and performer. The traditional notion of the period in the mid-century being a 'transition' between the so-called virginalist school and that of Purcell and his contemporaries will be challenged by examining whether the repertoire should be regarded as functional or autonomous. Pieces representative composers will be introduced in relation to genre distinctions, and especially instrumental designation. Elements of performance practice, such as the interpretation of ornaments and early fingering, will be covered through practical sessions.

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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 an expert in your instrument/voice by observing and through mentored teaching. Further consideration will be given to recent developments in UK music education, and you will engage in discussion of current debates in the profession.

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MU6006 -

Edition of Music (Optional,40 Credits)

This module provides an opportunity to engage with scholarly, critical editing of music. You will develop the musical and analytical skills necessary to engage with written music texts, some of which may involve unfamiliar or archaic notation such as tablature. You will engage with current debates and thinking about editorial method and modes of presentation. Working with your supervisor, you will identify an editorial project and, with a high degree of motivation, you will produce an edition of music that will be not only of scholarly value but of practical use to performers. The process of editing will prepare you to be the kind of critical thinker who can focus on detail, and give you skills that will be transferable to other contexts such as further study, a profession related to Music and the graduate jobs market more generally.

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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.

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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.

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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

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International applicants please apply using the links below

START MONTH
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SEPTEMBER

2022

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Any Questions?

Our admissions team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901.

Contact Details for Applicants:

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All information on this course page is accurate at the time of viewing.

Our Campus based courses starting in 2022 and 2023 will be delivered on-campus with supporting online learning content. We continue to monitor government and local authority guidance in relation to Covid-19 and we are ready and able to adjust the delivery of our education accordingly to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.

On-campus contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with any additional restrictions, which may be imposed by the Government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors. This could potentially mean increased or fully online delivery, should such restrictions on in-person contact time be required.

 

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