Undergraduate Programmes in Music
The International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS) offers four undergraduate degrees. Each of our undergraduate degrees has a particular emphasis that is reflected in the core compulsory modules of each programme:
- BA (Hons) in Music is a broad-based music degree that offer a solid grounding in Western art music practices alongside opportunities to study world musics and contemporary and popular music.
- BA in Contemporary and Popular Music enables you to specialise in contemporary and popular music practices, both Western and from around the world – with a balance between practical and academic approaches.
- BA in Folk and Traditional Music* has a strong emphasis on performance and this practice-based work is complemented by a rich spectrum of historical and cultural modules that enable you to contextualise, reflect upon and inform your musical practice.
- On our BMus with a Year Abroad students take a year of study abroad in either a university or conservatoire; our partner institutions are based in Europe, Australia, South America, North America and Scandinavia.
Because of the breadth of music we perform, compose, research and teach at ICMuS, regardless of the degree programme on which you are studying, you will have opportunities to study topics and approaches across the range of musics our degree programmes cover.
At the heart of all of our undergraduate degree programmes is a balance of practical and academic work. There is ever more freedom to determine the nature of that mix as you proceed through your course and you will be able to tailor the degree to your individual needs and interests. Throughout your time at ICMuS you will be introduced to approaches that are analytical, creative, cultural, historical, technical, theoretical and practical. You will develop an awareness both of traditional areas of study and of recent and current developments in musical thinking and intellectual inquiry.
Studying in ICMuS you will be joining a dynamic and pro-active community of music students, who run the annual ICMuS Summer Music Festival and a wide range of student-led musical ensembles to complement the myriad staff-led musical activities and professional concerts that take place throughout the academic year.
We are very proud of our graduates, who go on to have successful careers in music, the arts and beyond. You can find out more about career prospects, and what some of our graduates are doing now on the careers section of our website.
“My course offered me the opportunity to develop my practical music-making skills, giving me the experience and confidence to join bands and perform in public.”Lucy Folk and Traditional Music BMus Honours
If you're interested in some of the music created by our students, you can download some new music from the BA in Contemporary and Popular Music here.
ICMuS was the lead partner in the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL): Music and Inclusivity (2005-2010). This was a £5 million consortium project, funded by Hefce (Higher Education Funding Council of England) and had five other university members from across the North East of England. The CETL comprised twelve innovative curriculum development projects all of which address inclusivity by both broadening music education to encompass students of diverse backgrounds and promoting all musical practices that stake a claim to a place in contemporary culture - classical, popular, folk and traditional, brass band, new or avant-garde, and world musics. The legacy of the CETL will directly benefit you if you choose to study at ICMuS - in terms of enhanced facilities, curriculum development and a range of new provision across the undergraduate courses.
* (Subject to approval)