Newcastle University

Music BMus Honours
UCAS Code: W304 (4 Years)

• Course Overview
• Modules
• Entry Requirements
• Careers
• Finance

This degree aims to develop accomplished musicians with a broad base of musical and academic training. It follows the same study programme as our Music BA degree, though you also spend an additional year studying abroad (see below).

We have built a high level of flexibility and choice into the course, giving you increasing control over the balance of practical and theoretical content. We also provide a wide choice of historical and cultural options.

Quality and ranking

Newcastle is ranked in the top ten UK universities for music in The Times/Sunday Good University Guide 2014.

Teaching and assessment

Research-informed teaching plays an important role at Newcastle. It shapes the content of our undergraduate degrees, ensuring that you have chance to cover the most up-to-date material. The International Centre for Music Studies has an international reputation for its research in two areas in particular:

• musicology
• creative practice

Different forms of music need different approaches to study so some of our modules are based around lectures and seminars, often with set reading or listening assignments, and other modules take the form of smaller specialised study groups. Performance modules are usually taught through a combination of individual one-to-one tuition, group workshops and specialist masterclasses. 

Assessment includes examination, written assignments, submission of dissertation or portfolio (of compositions, harmony, recordings, counterpoint or music analysis exercises), and through live musical performance. Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module; more information can be found in our individual module listings.

Study abroad

You spend your third year (Stage 3) studying music at one of our partner institutions abroad.

At present, we have opportunities in Australia, Canada, Europe (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Sweden) and North America:

• Berlin (Germany) – Humboldt-Universität
• Copenhagen (Denmark) – Royal Danish Academy of Music
• Dublin (Ireland) – Trinity College
• Göteborg (Sweden) – University of Gothenburg
• Graz (Austria) – Kunstuniversität Graz
• Helsinki (Finland) – Sibelius Academy
• Leuven (Belgium) – Katholieke Universiteit
• Limerick (Ireland) – Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, U. of Limerick
• Malmö (Sweden) – Malmö Academy of Music
• Odense (Denmark) – Syddansk Musikkonservatorium
• Oslo (Norway) – Norwegian Academy of Music
• Parma (Italy) – Conservatorio di Musica Arrigo Boito
• Perugia (Italy) – Conservatorio di Musica di Perugia
• Rostock (Germany) – Hochschule für Musik und Theater
• Salamanca (Spain)  – Conservatorio Superior de Música
• Salzburg (Austria) – Universität Salzburg
• Utrecht (Netherlands) – Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht
• Dalhousie (Nova Scotia) – Dalhousie University
• Montreal (Quebec) – McGill University
• Montreal (Quebec) – Université de Montréal
• Montreal (Quebec) – Concordia University
• Waterloo (Ontario) – University of Waterloo
• Burlington (Vermont) –  University of Vermont
• Indianapolis (Indiana) – Indiana University
• Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) – University of Illinois
• Adelaide (Australia) – University of Adelaide
• Sydney (Australia) – University of New South Wales

While many of our partner institutions teach in English, some teach in their native language and you may take the appropriate language modules in Stages 1 and 2.

Performance opportunities

There are excellent performance opportunities for music students at Newcastle. We have over 100 professional instrumental and vocal tutors delivering free one-to-one tuition, including members of the internationally-acclaimed Northern Sinfonia.

The International Centre for Music Studies runs its own free professional concert series every Thursday lunchtime during term-time. This is followed by a student performance where you have the chance to perform for, and listen to, your colleagues from all of our music degrees.

Facilities

You will have access to excellent facilities to support your studies. Our purpose-built Music Studios give you access to a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities, including:

• rehearsal spaces accessible 24 hours a day
• a large band practice room with full PA system and lighting rigs
• four acoustic instrumental tuition rooms with personal recording facilities

Our base in the Armstrong Building offers a further range of facilities, including:

• music studios and recently refurbished teaching facilities
• practice rooms and performance spaces
• a PC suite running specialist music software
• a large, recently refurbished student common room

The International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS)

Study at Newcastle and you will join a supportive community in the International Centre for Music Studies. We have an excellent collection of instruments for you to use, including:

• orchestral percussion and drum kits
• guitar amplifiers and PA equipment
• several Steinway grand pianos and an organ
• harpsichord
• fortepiano
• a number of other early music instruments including sets of consort viols and baroque bows

Our online archives include excellent resources for African-American music, classical music recordings, North East folk music, music from America’s past, and world musics. Find out more about our resources on the homepage of the International Centre for Music Studies.

Each year, our students get together to organise a Summer Music Festival, celebrating the fantastic range of talent within the International Centre for Music Studies. The festival features lunchtime and evening concerts for students and the public every day of the festival’s week long run. This is a great chance for you to gain real-world experience of event management and to showcase your classical music performance skills before a paying audience.