Music

By Zoe Flood

Published: 15 August 2004

What do you come out with? A BMus or a BA; if you do music technology you could end up with a BSc.

Why do it? Because you are passionate about music, be it as a performer, a composer or a technician. You want to indulge your passion with the knowledge that there are lots of jobs in an ever-broadening field when you graduate.

What's it about? The whole gamut, from classical performance to running a recording studio - it depends where you go and what you choose from a vast range of options. Core subjects almost everywhere include composition, musical theory, history of music, performance and analysis. At Manchester, Hull and the Royal Academy of Music, students focus on their Principal Study instrument, although some will spend time on their Second Study as well. Manchester aims to train people for the music profession at any point of entry, be it academic teaching or high-level performance. The course offers students the chance to specialise in areas that they are particularly good at, and options range from electro-acoustic studies to Gamelan. At Hull, music can be studied jointly with Drama, English, or Modern Languages such as French, German, Spanish or Italian. Music technology is an increasingly popular degree and can be studied on its own, covering areas such as innovation, multimedia, studio engineering, recording techniques and media electronics. Students of the BMus are often able to opt for elements of the technology course, such as units in editing techniques. As a conservatoire, the RAM has a more traditional course, teaching performance to a professional level and offering associated academic units on topics such as the technical side of music, business for musicians, exploration of specific repertoire and Western music history.

How long is a degree? Three years, sometimes four, such as at Trinity College of Music and Royal College of Music.

What are the students like? Usually very talented musicians and highly motivated to succeed in the field. Some are bent on becoming performers while others want to run a recording studio. Tutors note that students are often found staying up all night rehearsing and composing, and most will get involved in extra-curricular activities that are music-orientated.

How is it packaged? Assessment is almost everywhere conducted by a range of practical tests (including performance) and coursework. In the final year at Manchester students have to submit a recital or composition folio, or a written thesis. Those on the performance course at the Royal Academy of Music will have mainly practical exams at the end of each year, whilst students of composition will have more written exams combined with the submission of previous works. Hull uses a mixture of coursework, including essays, portfolios and seminar presentations, and end-of-module examinations. In the practical modules, assessment is by recital or practical test.

How cool is it? Very, especially the popular music and technology areas.

What A levels do you need? Hull asks for A level Music with two other A levels, while Manchester asks for A level Music, as well as Associated Board Grade VIII on an instrument, preferably at Distinction, and Grade V on the piano. RAM wants Associated Board exams at Grade VIII and Advanced Certificate level, with Grade V preferred on the piano. Passes in two A levels, including a full A level in Music are also expected.

What grades? Manchester asks for AAB, including Music, while a typical offer from Hull would be B in Music plus C C/D.

Will you be interviewed? Manchester arranges visit days, inviting students who have been made offers to come and chat to tutors. At the Royal Academy, like at other conservatoires, applicants can expect a rigorous audition process with strict requirements. In addition to a 20-30 minute interview, candidates will sit a 50 minute written paper.

Will it keep you off the dole? Apparently. Not all graduates continue with music, but a large number do, either as performers, some teachers, or as arts administrators. Music technologists are in huge demand by the constantly expanding electronic music industries with their need for sound engineers, technicians, broadcasters, and performers.

What do students say? Holly Cullen-Davies, 20, going into the second-year of Music at Manchester, where she is studying a joint course in conjunction with the Royal Northern College of Music. "The course gives you a very good grounding, and within the western, classical world it does cover a great range. The emphasis of the teaching is on academia, but you do get a lot of performance opportunities which is perhaps the most important thing."

Where's best for teaching? Excellent ratings for Anglia Polytechnic University, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Salford College, Trinity College of Music, UCE Birmingham, Huddersfield, City, Goldsmiths, King's London, Open, SOAS, Queen's Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge, Keele, Lancaster, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Surrey, Sussex, Ulster and York. Bangor was also awarded excellent.

Where's best for research? Birmingham, Cambridge, City, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Royal Holloway and Southampton were all rated 5*. Bristol, Goldsmiths, Huddersfield, Hull, King's College London, SOAS, Sheffield, Sussex, York, Bangor, Cardiff and Queen's Belfast scored 5. Dartington College of Arts, De Montfort, Durham, East Anglia, Exeter, Keele, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Open University, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Salford, Edinburgh and Glasgow were awarded 4.

Where's the cutting edge? Music technology and innovation. Researching how compositions were originally intended to be performed.

Who are the stars? Professor Barry Cooper at Manchester, who completed Beethoven's 10th Symphony, and Professor John Casken, also at Manchester, whose ?Broken Consort' symphony was premiered at the Proms this summer. At Hull, Alan Borthwick is an expert on post-1945 British music, and Catherine Dale focuses on the Second Viennese School and in particular on Schoenberg. Most of the teaching staff at the RAM are active performers themselves, and thus their research is performance-led. Peter Shepherd is a well-known violinist and researches many of the manuscripts he performs.

Added value: Manchester has a brand new electro-acoustic facility, as well as excellent links with Halle, the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Northern College of Music. The RAM is the only conservatoire to be a full college of the University of London (UL), and thus awards graduates UL degrees. At Hull, tuition is free on your second study if you are at least Grade 7 standard or higher.