Bath Spa University

BA (Hons) Music (Performance)

This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.

Year one (Level 4) modules

• Practical Music Skills
• Playing, Performing and Recording
• Listening and Hearing
• Music in Society
• Improvising and Devising
• Creative Sandbox

Year two (Level 5) modules

• Music Video Production
• Composition 4
• Creative Composition
• Performance Craft and Fluency
• Music for All
• Music for Learners
• Exploring Repertoire
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Music as an Event

Year three (Level 6) modules

• Composition for Media
• Audio Visual Performance
• Wellbeing, Inclusivity, and Sustainability
• Professional Placement
• Creative Project
• Freelance Performance and Leadership
• Performance Project

Overview

This music performance degree enables you to develop key professional skills and an impressive CV of evidence and experience that appeals to employers, preparing you for a range of different careers in the music industry.

In particular, we train you in:

• Advanced musicianship
• Advanced performance technique in one of five specialist areas: Voice, Woodwind/Brass, Drums/Percussion, Guitars, or Piano/Keyboards.
• Interpretation and performance practice of a variety of musical styles
• Improvisation techniques
• Advanced ensemble musicianship

In addition to the above, you’ll have the opportunity to widen and strengthen your skill set as a musician to broaden the scope of your career. You’ll get the chance to choose from modules that explore:

• Recording and documenting music
• Blogging, podcasting and online media
• Music teaching, workshop leading and social engagement
• Event management, marketing and creative entrepreneurship

Course structure

Year one

Your first year focuses on developing and refining your core practical musicianship skills. Through practical work and performance opportunities, you’ll explore the areas in which your practice can make a difference in people’s lives.

You'll also develop your ability to make recordings and videos, learning to edit these for online contexts. Across the year, you’ll undertake a series of short projects, working individually and in groups.

Year two

In your second year, you begin to specialise as a performer. Working in small, intensive classes, you’ll be coached by our specialist staff to develop your techniques and build a cross-genre repertoire. You’ll choose modules that support your unique career aspirations.

You’ll get the chance to work with communities, in educational settings, and produce events. You can also opt to develop your ability to communicate ideas about music through different media, such as podcasts, videos, and social media.

Year three

In your third year, you’ll specialise as a performer, following your own musical interests. Your intensive classes with our specialist performance staff will continue, and you’ll undertake a series of performance projects.

You can choose modules which include projects in areas such as education, community music, health and wellbeing, and arts management.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to demonstrate both your skills as a performer and the entrepreneurial skills necessary to kick-start your performance career.

How will I be taught?

This highly practical course is taught through a mix of workshops and rehearsals, as well as small group coaching. All of our Music Performance staff are highly qualified specialist performers with years of industry experience.

You may also choose to explore wider content from our BA Music degree, which includes seminars and lectures, alongside tutorial support.

We provide regular sessions with visiting music professionals, who discuss their careers and offer key advice about how the industry works today.

BA (Hons) Music (Performance) equips you for a number of careers within and related to musical performance. When you graduate, you’ll understand how to:

• present yourself as a professional performer
• set up your own music business or agency
• thrive as a freelance musician.

You’ll be able to find and create opportunities for employment, including:

• musical director
• member of a theatre orchestra
• session musician
• function band director