Entry requirementsApplicants will normally hold an honours degree in music, where the results attained in performance were of a very high level, or they will possess an equivalent qualification. You are required to submit a piece of writing on a musical subject in order to provide evidence of writing skills and intellectual ability appropriate for study at MA level. Applicants from outside the UK are asked to send an authenticated CD or DVD recording of their performance if they are unable to attend an audition. Those coming for an audition should prepare a 15-minute programme comprising at least two contrasting pieces. Please provide your own accompanist.
Academic titleMusic Performance Studies MA
Course descriptionCourse overview
The programme is designed to meet the needs of university graduates with considerable skill in performance and a strong interest in a related element of historical or academic study. It provides ideal training for those wishing to proceed to a research degree.
Performance development is based on individual tuition from professors at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, supplemented by performance workshops and masterclasses led by professionals. MA students may gain platform experience by performing in recitals within the Department’s public concert series.
The academic aspect of the programme proceeds from the more structured environment of the core module, ‘Approaches to Music Studies’, which provides a firm grounding in recent musical thought and scholarship.
Course content
Performance and academic work proceed in parallel throughout the programme, working towards an assessed public recital and the submission of the dissertation. Tuition in performance commences at the outset of the academic year and lessons are spread throughout the period of study. The supplementary workshops and masterclasses take place prior to the Spring vacation.
All students, whether full- or part-time, initially complete the core module, ‘Approaches to Music Studies’ , and attend the ‘Research Methods’ lectures. Classes are normally timetabled from 5-7 pm, twice weekly, up to the Winter vacation.
Academic work then concentrates on the dissertation, which full-time students complete within the 45 weeks of the MA year, and which part-time students complete over two years. Prior to the Spring vacation, a series of presentation seminars is held, in which students present and discuss their dissertation work in progress. Part-time students may benefit from this opportunity in both years of their study.
Teaching and assessment
A range of teaching and learning strategies is used:
* lectures and seminars
* one-to-one supervisions
* oral presentations by students on their dissertation
* participation in workshops and masterclasses.
Initial training in research methods prepares for individually supervised research in the context of the dissertation. Two coursework assignments aim to deepen students’ understanding of concepts discussed in lectures and seminars, and to develop methodological and writing skills.
Assessment is by public recital (100 credits), dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words (60 credits), and two short coursework assignments related to the Approaches to Music Studies module (20 credits in total).