What type of degrees are out there?
Music is an incredibly wide-ranging subject with many specialisms and approaches so it’s perhaps unsurprising that there are a large number of degrees on offer. Entering ‘Music’ in the UCAS course finder website returns over 1200 courses from over 166 providers. When looking at undergraduate Music degrees you’re likely to come across a mixture of BA, BMus and BSc courses, sometimes all at the same university – but what do these all mean?
BA – Standing for a Bachelor of Arts. These are often thought to be more academically focussed degrees, sometimes with more scope to incorporate non-musical electives.
BMus – Standing for a Bachelor of Music. These generally emphasise practical areas such as composition, performance and harmony alongside developing historical, cultural and analytical understanding.
BSc – Standing for a Bachelor of Science. In most cases these degrees focus on technology and/or production.
In reality, it can be difficult to discern meaningful differences between BA and BMus requirements and offerings. It is important to look at the details of institutions and degrees that might appeal and, ideally, to visit or attend an open day or departmental presentation. A good first step is to identify the aspects of music you are most keen to develop, whether practical, academic or technological, as well as whether your interests are more traditional or contemporary, or are genre-specific. A lot of courses may have the same title but will focus on different areas and genres, which can be confusing. However, if you know what kind of music course you want to find, and take time to look at the available information (e.g. course pages and module lists) and speak to university staff, you’ll be able to hone your search down to a handful of options. You also might find music being offered as a joint/dual degree course in combination with languages, sciences, humanities and more.
As with other practical arts courses, you will have to choose whether you would like to complete a music degree at a university or a conservatoire/music college. The difference between the two is that a conservatoire focuses much more on developing a practical skill, typically performance or composition, whereas a university degree will be broader, aiming to develop your practice and musicianship in tandem with social, historical and theoretical knowledge relating to a variety of styles and global contexts.
What’s it like to study Music at university?
The type of music degree you opt to do will heavily shape what you study at university although, where there are multiple music courses on offer, you may find some overlap.
Your first year is likely to involve core foundational topics and will introduce key skills and knowledge. It’s worth remembering that music degrees are often accessible to students from a huge variety of backgrounds and experience levels, and while many will have completed an A Level or BTEC in music, others may have practical or theoretical qualifications (e.g. graded exams), or have gone through a musical education system outside the UK.
Let’s look at the first year core modules and options on City’s undergraduate music degree courses as examples.
Both City’s BMus and BSc share core modules in critical listening, musicianship & ensemble performance.
Additional core modules for the BMus cover composition, tonal harmony and analysis, and the cultural study of Western classical, popular and global musics, with an option to select either solo performance or a module from outside the Department of Music in English, Foreign Languages, or History.
BSc students instead study core modules in sound design, recording and studio techniques and the historical and cultural study of musical and audio technologies.
In later years, greater flexibility allows the borders between the degree programmes to become more porous, with BMus students able to take tech-focussed modules like studio engineering, and modules in performance and musicology opening up to BSc students. It’s typical for music courses to be mostly elective-based as you progress through your second year onwards, allowing you to specialise in the areas that interest you. As with many degree subjects, the final year in music has the option to complete a major dissertation project. However, both City’s music courses also offer practical alternatives, allowing your major project to focus instead on performance, composition or a piece of technical work.
Many music educators believe that the theoretical, practical and historical elements of study are symbiotic and inseparable. This is very much in evidence at City, where much of the teaching aims to deepen the understanding of practice through theory and vice versa. A great example of this is the way the ensembles reflect and link into various other lecture-based modules. Through City’s numerous ensembles, students are able to get first-hand experience of a wide range of musical traditions including experimental & improvisation, gamelan (Balinese or Javanese), choral (chamber choir or early vocal music), orchestral, jazz, African drumming, Balkan music and field recording, so if you’re taking modules in Studio Composition or Indonesian Music Studies, getting involved with the relevant ensembles can really supplement this.
As a practical subject that tends to attract passionate students, music can be quite demanding of your time. In addition to set reading, listening and assignments, you’ll probably want to spend time working on your craft, perhaps practising your instrument, mixing tracks or composing. It’s certainly key to value the importance of individual study and being aware of the time you need to put in outside of your contact hours.
What can you do after a Music degree?
Music might not have as clear a career pathway as some other subjects but, in fact, this is one of its great strengths, with the skills gained being both transferable and highly prized in a wide range of sectors. The Music Department at City places a strong emphasis on employability, running regular career events and offering industry placements alongside opportunities to take a sandwich or study abroad year.
City alumni have gone onto become successful performers, sound engineers, composers, teachers, academics, producers, music therapists, music publishers and arts administrators alongside many other careers. Several have worked for leading arts organisations including the BBC, Boosey & Hawkes, EMI, the National Theatre, Apple, Performing Rights Society, the Royal Opera House, Sony and Universal Music Group, combining their passion for music with the skills they’ve developed in a host of different roles.
Want more?
You can watch one of our recent graduates, Michael, talk about his experience of being a BMus Music student at City here and read interviews with current undergraduate students and alumni here.
If any schools have students interested in either of City’s Music degrees and would like to speak to our academics and students or set up a talk and Q&A session, please write to Dr Moss Freed (music schools liaison officer) at moss.freed@city.ac.uk.