About Music, BA (Hons) - at Newcastle University

Course Overview

Develop into an accomplished musician with a broad base of musical and academic training on this rewarding three-year degree.

At a Glance

UCAS Code
W300

UCAS Institution Name and Code
NEWC, N21

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Degree Awarded
BA Honours

Course Duration
3 Years

Entry Requirements Icon

Entry Requirements
A Level: ABB-BBB
IB: 32 points

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Opportunities
Study abroad

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You'll gain a solid grounding in Western art music practices whilst enjoying the opportunity to study a range of contemporary, world, traditional and popular musics.

To help your performance skills, you will receive funded one-to-one tuition from internationally recognised musicians, and have access to rehearsal spaces 24/7 in our £4.5m Music Studios.

You can also choose to enhance your employability and develop career skills through modules in music enterprise and music teaching.

You'll enjoy a high level of flexibility and choice, with increasing control over what you study as the degree progresses.

This degree follows the same study programme as our Music BMus degree, except that BMus students spend an integrated year abroad, whereas for BA students it is an optional extra year.

Highlights of this degree

What you will study

What you will study

In your first year, you study compulsory modules that cover historical, cultural, theoretical and creative approaches, such as:

• music history
• world musics
• performance and composition

In your second and third year, you choose from a broad range of historical, cultural and practical options offered by the world-leading research-active staff at International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS). For example:

• popular and world folk musics
• advanced harmony and counterpoint
• Indian, African and Caribbean music

You can decide the balance between each strand.

In your final year, you also complete a major specialist study, which could be:

• an original composition
• a dissertation / project on an area of interest
• an instrumental or vocal performance

See the Course Details section for more information.

Performance opportunities

Performance opportunities

There are excellent performance opportunities for music students at Newcastle.

We offer a free professional concert series every Thursday lunchtime during term time, followed by a student performance where you have the chance to perform for, and listen to, your colleagues from all of our music degrees.

There is also a student-organised annual Summer Music Festival, showcasing our students' talent and giving you the chance to gain real-world experience of event management.

You can listen to performances by students and staff at the International Centre for Music Studies at Newcastle University.

Find out more about performance opportunities at Newcastle University.

Facilities and resources

Facilities and resources

Study at Newcastle and you will join a supportive community in the International Centre for Music Studies.

Tuition

We have over 100 professional instrumental and vocal tutors delivering free one-to-one tuition, including members of the internationally acclaimed Northern Sinfonia.

Facilities

Our purpose-built Music Studios give you access to a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities, including:

• rehearsal spaces accessible 24 hours a day
• a large band practice room with full PA system and lighting rigs
• four acoustic instrumental tuition rooms with personal recording facilities

Our base in the Armstrong Building offers a further range of facilities, including:

• music studios and recently refurbished teaching facilities
• practice rooms and performance spaces
• a PC suite running specialist music software
• a large, recently refurbished student common room

Visit the School website to take a virtual tour of our music facilities

Resources

We have an excellent collection of instruments for you to use, including:

• orchestral percussion and drum kits
• guitar amplifiers and PA equipment
• several Steinway grand pianos and an organ
• harpsichord
• fortepiano
• a number of other early music instruments including sets of consort viols and baroque bows

Our online archives include excellent resources for African-American music, classical music recordings, North East folk music, music from America's past, and world musics.

Find out more about our resources on the homepage of the International Centre for Music Studies.

Teaching and assessment

Study at the cutting edge

The International Centre for Music Studies has an international reputation for its research in musicology and creative practice.

Teaching methods

Different forms of music need different approaches to study.

Some of our modules are based around lectures and seminars, often with set reading or listening assignments, and other modules take the form of smaller specialised study groups.

Performance modules are usually taught through a combination of individual one-to-one tuition, group workshops and specialist masterclasses.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed by a combination of:

• examinations
• written assignments
• submission of dissertation or portfolio (of compositions, harmony, recordings, counterpoint or music analysis exercises)
• live musical performance

Find out more

Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module. More information about each module including specific assessment credits and contact hours, can be found in the Course Details section.

Visit our Teaching & Learning pages to read about the outstanding learning experience available to all students at Newcastle University.

Compare this course

See how this course compares with others for topics such as student satisfaction, fees and costs and prospects after graduation using the Unistats Key Information Set.

Related Degrees

• Music BMus Honours

  This rewarding four-year degree follows the same study programme as our Music BA degree, but includes an integrated year studying abroad in Europe, Australia or North or South America.

• Contemporary and Popular Music BA Honours

  This degree allows you to study and specialise in contemporary music performance, composition and academic study, ranging from acoustic singer-songwriting through to experimental electronic forms.

All Related DegreesNext step: Course Details

Opportunities
Study abroad

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Entry requirements for this course

Contact Newcastle University to find course entry requirements.

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