Programme And Module Handbook
 
Programme Specification


Date Specification Approved 15/11/2022
College College Arts and Law
School Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department Music
Partner College and School
Collaborative Organisation and Form of Collaboration
Qualification and Programme Title B.Mus. with Year Abroad Full-time
Programme Code 9669
Delivery Location Campus
Language of Study English
Length of Programme 4 Year(s)
Accreditations This programme has no outside accreditations
Aims of the Programme To enable all our students to develop their capacity to learn, and to take responsibility for their own learning.

To enable all our students to acquire the intellectual self-reliance and confidence necessary for critical and independent thought.

To equip all our students with knowledges, skills and habits of mind that will sustain them through further study, employment and active citizenship.

Through teaching no less than research to continue to develop Music as a vital discipline in a rapidly changing society, and to seek out and forge links with neighbouring disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

To provide our students with a background in all three fundamental aspects of the study of Music (musicology, composition, and performance) and to allow them to develop their strengths through specialisation in later stages of the programme.

To continue to explore ways of making those opportunities available to students from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible.

For Year Abroad programmes only:

Study abroad will provide students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the society and culture of a foreign country while gaining experience of a different academic environment and way of teaching.

The year abroad also provides an opportunity for students to improve their existing language proficiency (where applicable) as well as enhancing their organisation and communication skills and their employability through a proven ability to succeed in a foreign setting.

Students entering on an articulation agreement:

The programme will also facilitate students entering via 2+1+1+1 or 2+2 articulation agreements with direct entry into Year 2. These students will be awarded the BMus based on 240 credits.
Programme Outcomes
Students are expected to have Knowledge and Understanding of: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Music and its cultures from approximately 800 to the present, with certain repertories being studied in greater depth according to staff expertise.
The tools used to analyse the structure of music (e.g. form, harmony, instrumentation); students may be able to apply these methods to original work depending on the modules chosen in Stages I and H
Compositional techniques, including instrumental, vocal and electroacoustic forms.
Performing techniques, based primarily on the instruments/vocal studies they have undertaken during their programme of study
The aesthetic, political and social issues relating to music, and the role of music and musicians in society today and throughout history.
For students who elect to take certain modules, a knowledge of issues relating to the physical production and applications of music.
The opportunity to study in a different environment, working on aspects of music which are not currently available at Birmingham and/or to extend knowledge and skills acquired at the home university (applicable to Year Abroad only)
1. Lectures, seminars, tutorials

2. Lectures, seminars, tutorials

3. Lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops

4. Seminars, individual coaching, workshops, masterclasses

5. Lectures, seminars

6. Lectures, seminars, workshops

7. Lectures, seminars, workshops, performances, individual coaching, tutorials (as applicable) (applicable to Year Abroad only)
1. Essays, unseen examinations, seminar presentations, dissertation

2. Essays, technical exercises, seen and unseen examinations, aural work, seminar presentations, performance

3. Portfolios of compositions

4. Public and private performance as soloist and as a member of a group

5. Essays and presentations

6. Portfolios of relevant work, essays, practical examinations

7. Essays, other written work, compositions, performances (as applicable)(applicable to Year Abroad only)
Students are expected to have attained the following Skills and other Attributes: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Ability to summarise, synthesise, analyse and evaluate others’ arguments, and to formulate their own logical and structured arguments, normally both orally and in writing, with appropriate supporting evidence
To be able to use musical language (i.e. notation and its equivalents in non-notated genres) to write and arrange music for its performance by themselves and others
To show a measure of proficiency as a performer (the level of proficiency being dependent on the number of stages of the programme in which Performance was a chosen element)
To show a measure of proficiency as a composer (the level of proficiency being dependant on the number of stages in the programme in which Composition was a chosen element)
Independent study skills (self-organisation, initiative and self-direction; time management; autonomous research skills; the ability to collect, organise, synthesise and evaluate information; planning, drafting and editing).

The ability to produce an extended project (e.g. academic writing, composition, performance), drawing on independent study skills acquired on the programme
Ability to work as a member of a team in a range of contexts, including the capacity to listen, to respond flexibly to feedback, to understand diverse perspectives, and to negotiate solutions collectively
Transferable skills relevant to employment, including problem-solving, self-reliance, initiative, adaptability, flexibility, resilience, self-motivation, and competences such as note-taking, the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines, ability to use and manipulate digital resources and to present information and ideas effectively using ICT.
1. Lectures, seminars and tutorials

2. Lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops

3. One-to-one lessons, participation in ensembles both small and large

4. Lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops

5. Tutorials, independent directed study, seminars

6. Workshops, primarily in performance and composition

7 Lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops
1. Essays, dissertations, unseen examinations, presentations

2. Technical exercises, workshop examinations

3. Public and private performance as both soloist and ensemble member

4. Portfolios of compositions

5. Essays, dissertations, seminar presentations

6. Public and private performance of their own work and the work of others

7 Essays, dissertations, unseen examinations, presentations, Public and private performance as both soloist and ensemble member