BMus (Hons) in Folk and Traditional Music
UCAS code W340
On this page you will find:
- An introduction to this degree
- A short introduction to the staff teaching this course
- A course structure summary
- A list of our current entry requirements for this degree
Introduction
This course is for anyone wishing to specialise in the folk and traditional musics of Britain and Ireland. It has a strong emphasis on performance but is also structured to provide a range of skills and background knowledge, and to challenge students to think about the music and its context in the past, present and future. The course focuses on the traditions of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland set in the context of Europe and the rest of the world. In the first year all students gain an understanding of the huge range of traditions across this corner of Europe and the richness and diversity within each region. As the course progresses, students are able to specialise further in traditions that are of particular interest to them. The overall philosophy of the course is that, although the study and making of folk and traditional music have their own unique demands, they are best carried out – especially at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries – in a context where we are aware of all the other musical styles that are current in our very pluralistic culture. This is why the practice-based work is complemented by such a rich spectrum of contextual modules, and why you are able, if you wish, to pursue interactions between folk and other sorts of music.
Practical skills: These modules cater for as wide a range of instruments (including voice) as possible. In Stages 1 and 2 students receive weekly one-to-one lessons on their main instrument and half-hour lessons on a second instrument. The main instrument lessons continue into Stage 3, and Stage 4 for those taking their major specialist study in performance.We aim to be flexible in the delivery of all instrumental lessons so that students' particular stylistic interests can be catered for wherever possible. Weekly ensemble classes develop skills in ensemble playing, including listening, balancing sounds, blending voice and instrument, communicating with fellow musicians, complementing the sounds of others, and developing arrangements and new compositions. These ensembles will also take part in the many performance opportunities built into the course.
Knowledge: Non-practical modules engage with: fine details of style; historical and social background of the music; world music; arranging; composing; improvising. There are also modules designed to deliver sufficient understanding of musical theory and of key processes in other kinds of music to help students in arrangement and composition, and you will be encouraged too to think about how folk music fits into the broader picture of both musical history and musical practice in today's highly pluralistic culture. Modules in music business and in teaching methods are available (they are mandatory for degree students), and a wide range of optional modules to ensure that students can tailor the course to suit them e.g.: music technology; fieldwork methods; orchestration; improvisation
Further options offer tuition in composition techniques drawn from popular and classical styles, and explorations of historical/cultural topics, concerned both with folk genres and others.In Stage 4, all students undertake a major specialist study, which may take the form of a dissertation, a performance, a composition portfolio or a technology project including the production of a CD. There is also a a wide choice of options as well.
Folk and Traditional Music Degree Staff
Although some of the modules taken as part of this degree are shared with other programmes in music, the majority are taught by an outstanding team of specialist performers and experts in the folk music field, with a proven ability in teaching and music development. All are committed to creating a rich and varied course that establishes a thorough, deep-rooted understanding of folk and traditional music which will stand students in good stead whatever direction their musical life might take in the future, and will allow them to develop their own 21st-century musical voice through the medium of a continuously evolving tradition.
The teaching staff are led by Dr Vic Gammon (Degree Programme Director), who is an expert in English and American musics from the seventeenth century to the present day.
At the heart of this degree are its distinguished founder members, who joined the staff at the inception of the programme in 2000, and whose world-class expertise as folk musicians bring a unique character to the degree: Alistair Anderson, Sandra Kerr, Catriona MacDonald and Kathryn Tickell.
Dr Desi Wilkinson, appointed in 2004, has research interests in Celtic and Breton folk musics, and teaches in these areas (as well as in performance and music business).
On this degree, you will also be taught by members of our outstanding team of performance tutors. Click here for a full list.
Course Structure
| Stage One |
| Compulsory Modules: |
| Understanding Music History (20 credits) |
| Practical Studies (Folk and Traditional Music) 1 (20 credits) |
| Additional Practical Studies 1 (20 credits) |
| Ensemble 1 (20 credits) |
| Traditions of These Islands 1 (20 credits) |
| Music Skills 1 (20 credits) |
| Stage Two |
| Compulsory Modules: |
| Understanding Popular Musics (20 credits) |
| Music Skills (Folk & Traditional Music), 2 (20 credits) |
| Practical Studies (FTM) 2 (20 credits) |
| Ensemble 2 (20 credits) |
| Additional Practical Studies (FTM) 2 (20 credits) |
| The Traditions of These Islands 2 (20 credits) |
| Stage Three |
| Compulsory Modules: |
| Ethnomusicology: issues and concepts (20 credits) |
| Practical Studies (FTM) 3 (20 credits) |
| Teaching Methods OR Music Business (20 credits) |
| Elective Modules: |
| Applied Studies (see below) ( at least 20 credits) |
| Historical and Cultural Options (see below) (at least 20 credits) |
| Stage Four |
| Compulsory Modules: |
| Music and Cultural Theory (20 credits) |
| Specialist Study (Dissertation, Performance, Composition or Project) (40 credits) |
| Elective Modules: |
| Minor Specialist Study (as above) (20 credits) |
| Applied Studies (see below) ( at least 20 credits) |
| Historical and Cultural Options (see below) (at least 20 credits) |
Applied Studies available to stage three students:
Please note: these options change yearly. Recent modules have included:
Creative Projects;
Contemporary Compositional Techniques;
Creative Music Technologies;
Indian Music in Practice;
Collective Performance;
Collective Free Improvisation;
Conducting Studies;
Additional Practical Studies (FTM) 3;
Ensemble 3;
Arranging & Composing in Traditional Music
Historical and Cultural Options available to stage three students:
Please note: these options change yearly. Recent modules have included:
Jazz Past & Present; Music in the Renaissance; Musical Romanticism; Traditional Music and Celticism; World Musics: Issues and Approaches
Applied Studies available to stage four students:
Please note: these options change yearly. Recent modules have included:
Indian Music in Practice; Collective Performance [with DPD’s permission]; Sound Therapies in Practice; Collective Free Improvisation; Conducting Studies; Intermediate Contemporary Composition; Post-VernacularComposition; Music Business
Historical and Cultural Options available to stage four students:
Please note: these options change yearly. Recent modules have included:
The Eton Choirbook; Parody in Music; Music and Identity in the Caribbean; Teaching Methods; Noise, Funk and Freedom
Entry Requirements
- A Levels: BBB including Music. Grade A in AS level Music may be considered, but will depend on the combination of subjects/qualifications being studied.
- Scottish Qualifications: AAAB at Higher Grade, including grade A in Music. Combination of Highers and Advanced Highers accepted.
- International Baccalaureate: A minimum of 32 points in the IB Diploma with Music grade 6 or above at Higher Level.
- Irish Leaving Certificate: AAABB at Higher Level, to include Grade A Music.
- Access Qualifications: A module in Music is essential, plus other Arts/Humanities modules.
- BTEC Higher National Diploma: Applicants offering a BTEC Higher National Diploma will be considered on an individual basis.
- BTEC National Diploma: BTEC National Diploma in a music-related subject, at overall DDM, plus evidence of ‘academic’ writing on music if not fulfilled by choice of units.
Annual intake: 25
Additional Information: Performance ability is a primary criterion for selection and applicants will need to produce appropriate evidence of performance skills achieved. All applicants who we consider may be suitable for the course will be interviewed and auditioned. Applicants with musical experience but without standard qualifications are considered at a consultative interview prior to application. Students with advanced skills in performance of folk and traditional music may be exempted from some of the requirements for the qualifications listed. Any potential applicant is invited to contact the Degree Programme Director (folkdegree@ncl.ac.uk) to discuss the course and their suitability for it.
Please Note that, unless otherwise indicated, all candidates with qualifications other than those specifically listed are considered on an individual basis.
[return to top]