w344 - Folk and Traditional Music BA
Folk and Traditional Music BA Honours
UCAS Code: W344 (full time: 3 Years)
Course Overview
Be part of a thriving, vibrant folk degree taught by multi-award winning staff and join our community of outstanding graduates.
At a Glance
UCAS Code
W344
UCAS Institution Name and Code
NEWC, N21
Degree Awarded
BA Honours
Course Duration
3 Years
Entry Requirements
A Level: AAB-BBB
IB: 32-34 points
Opportunities
Performance and group playing is at the heart of this course, reflecting the essential folk practices of playing by ear, and playing music with others.
Performance modules are enhanced by various applied and academic modules that create individual pathways through the degree, and reflect the diverse and exciting combination of research interests within the wider music department.
National and International artists teach as regular and guest tutors and we have close ties with Sage Gateshead.
Many of our students have gone on to develop high profile careers as performers, scholars, teachers and culture industry professionals.
We also offer a number of Music Scholarships for new undergraduate students. Visit our Subject Scholarships pages for further information.
Boost your employability with a work placement
Apply to spend 9 to 12 months on an optional work placement between Stages 2 and 3. You can apply to spend your placement year with any organisation and will receive University support to do so.
You’ll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.
It will extend your degree by a year and is subject to availability, however it isn't available if you're spending a year studying abroad.
Find out more about Work Placements.
Study abroad
Amongst our wide range of international exchange institutions we have a number of universities and conservatories that specialise in folk and traditional music.
Students wishing to add an international dimension to their degree can study abroad.
You may opt to take an entire year abroad in a partner institution, taken between the second and final years. This comes with a reduced fee, and it extends your studies over four years, The Year Abroad is something that students who wish to focus on performance have benefitted greatly from.
We have links with a number of universities and conservatoires in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. Some of the institutions offer folk specific strands, or folk elements in their music programmes. These institutions are marked below with an *.
Europe
- 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, University of Limerick*
- Kristiansand (Norway) – University of Agder*
- 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
- Telemark University (Norway) – Rauland Academiet*
- Utrecht (Netherlands) – Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht
North America
- 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
- Cape Bretan University (Sydney, Nova Scotia)*
- Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) – University of Illinois
Australia
- Adelaide – University of Adelaide
- Sydney – 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.
Our partner institutions have their own strengths and specialisations. You can focus on:
- performance
- particular instruments
- composition in particular styles
Alternatively you may choose specialised programmes such as folk and traditional music, popular music, technology, musicology or church music.
Facilities and resources
Study at Newcastle and you will join a supportive community in the International Centre for Music Studies.
Tuition
We have over 100 professional instrumental and vocal tutors delivering free one-to-one tuition across a range of musical genres, including members of the internationally acclaimed Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Facilities
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:
- King's Hall and Recital Room performance areas
- 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
Visit the School website to take a virtual tour of our music facilities
Resources
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 a newly-installed organ in King's Hall
- harpsichord
- fortepiano
- a number of other early music instruments including sets of consort viols and baroque bows
- a wide range of world music instruments
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.
Listen to our music
You can also listen to other performances by students and staff at the International Centre for Music Studies at Newcastle University on the School website.
Compare this course
See how this course compares with others for topics such as student satisfaction, fees and costs and prospects after graduation using the Unistats Key Information Set.
Modules for 2019 entry
Please note
The module and/or programme information below is for 2019 entry. Our teaching is informed by research and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, student feedback, or insufficient numbers of students interested (in an optional module). To find out more read our terms and conditions.
Module/programme information for 2020 entry will be published here as soon as it is available (end of May 2020).
Our degrees are divided into Stages. Each Stage lasts for an academic year and you need to complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each Stage. Further information, including the credit value of the module, is available in each of the module descriptions below.
Stages 1
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You take 40 credits from the following list:
- MUS1011 Understanding World Music
- MUS1012 Understanding Music History
- MUS1014 Introduction to Popular Music Studies
You will take at least 20 credits from the following list, but may only take ONE of MUS1002 and MUS1004:
- MUS1001 Essentials of Music Theory
- MUS1002 Applications of Music Theory (sem 2) OR
- MUS1004 Applications of Music Theory (sem 1)
- MUS1005 Recording in the Music Studio
- MUS1015 Composing in the Music Studio
- MUS1044 Composing and Analysing Music
You should note that some modules at stage 2 have MUS1001, MUS1002, MUS1004, MUS1005, MUS1015, or MUS1044 as pre-requisites.
You may take modules, totalling 20 or 40 credits, in a foreign language, but only with approval of the Degree Programme Director. Alternative arrangements are in place if you wish to start learning a new language from scratch. You should note that opting out of MUS1044 will disqualify you from taking notated composition options (MUS2041, MUS2017) at stage 2, or notated contemporary or historical composition as a specialist study
In the event of you electing to take 20 or 40 credits in a foreign language, the compulsory modules listed above may not be dropped, and at least 20 credits must be taken from above.
Stage 2
Compulsory modules
- MUS2058 Performance Studies 2
- MUS2088 Folk Music Studies: Resources and Research Materials
- MUS2092 Ensemble 2
Optional modules
You choose at least one module from the following list of Historical and Cultural Modules:
- MUS2004 Themes in Musical Modernism
- MUS2013 Elements of Hip Hop
- MUS2051 Case Studies in Early Music
- MUS2054 Music and Cultural Theory
- MUS2085 Popular Music and Media
You choose at least one module from the following list of Practical or Applied modules:
- MUS2009 Performing Baroque Opera
- MUS2014 Folk Tunes and Airs: Performing the Melodic Tradition
- MUS2015 Contemporary Studio Practice
- MUS2016 DJing Skills and Turntablism
- MUS2017 Historic Techniques of Composition
- MUS2018 Contemporary Musical Materials
- MUS2041 Approaches to Notated Contemporary Composition
- MUS2044 Practising Music Analysis
- MUS2045 Indian Music in Practice
- MUS2050 Composition and Arrangement in Folk and Modal Musics
- MUS2094 Additional Performance Studies (Folk and Traditional Music) 2
- MUS2195 Music Enterprise
- MUS2196 Teaching Music in Community Contexts
You choose an additional module from the lists above to make your credits total 120 at Stage 2.
Work Placement (optional)
You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months on an optional work placement between Stages 2 and 3. You can apply to spend your placement year with any organisation and will receive University support to do so. It will extend your degree by a year and is subject to availability. It isn't available if you're spending a year studying abroad. Find out more about Work Placements.
Study Abroad (optional)
If you wish to spend a year abroad as part of your degree you can do so in consultation with and at the discretion of the Degree Programme Director in a partner institution. This is mutually exclusive with the option in stage 2 for an Erasmus semester abroad, and is also subject to a threshold of at least 60% in the overall stage-one average.
Stage 3
Optional modules
You choose one of the following Major Specialist Study modules:
- MUS3012 Major Specialist Study: Composition*
- MUS3013 Major Specialist Study: Dissertation
- MUS3014 Major Specialist Study: Performance*
- MUS3015 Major Specialist Study: Project
*MUS3012 and MUS3014 are only available if you have successfully completed the relevant pre-requisite modules with a mark of 60% or higher.
You may also opt for a Minor Specialist Study, which must be in a subject area that is substantially different to your Major Specialist Study. You may wish to further develop the various "in Practice" ensemble options from stage 2 as either a specialist study performance or project.
- MUS3016 Minor Specialist Study: Composition*
- MUS3017 Minor Specialist Study: Dissertation
- MUS3018 Minor Specialist Study: Performance*
- MUS3019 Minor Specialist Study: Project
*MUS3016 and MUS3018 are only available if you have successfully completed the relevant pre-requisite modules with a mark of 60% or higher.
You choose further optional modules from the list below, to make your credits total 120.
- MUS3004 The Folk Revival
- MUS3009 Global Pop
- MUS3024 Music and AIDS
- MUS3026 Music in Early Modern England
- MUS3029 Music, Politics and Policy
- MUS3051 Richard Wagner and Wagnerism
- MUS3076 Music and Philosophy
- MUS3088 Folk Music, Gender and Identity
- MUS3093 Folk Ensemble 3
- MUS3111 Teaching Music in Schools - Socio-Cultural Contexts and Approaches to Practice
- MUS3179 Music in the Holocaust
- MUS3196 Student Placement for Education in the Community* OR
- MUS3197 Music and Creative Industries Placement*
* You may take EITHER MUS3196 OR MUS3197, but not both.
All candidates are considered on an individual basis.
If your qualifications are not listed here, please see our additional entry requirements web pages to find out which other qualifications are considered.
The entrance requirements below apply to 2020 entry.
Careers
Folk and Traditional Music careers
Our students have been extremely successful in gaining employment and now count amongst some of the leading performers in the UK and internationally.
Many other students have gone on to other careers including arts administration, broadcasting, teaching, development, charitable work, scholarship, composition and production.
The employability of our graduates is really important to us and you will have access to lots of opportunities to boost your personal and professional development. Our student-led Summer Music Festival gives you real world experience of event management and the opportunity to showcase your classical music performance skills in front of a paying audience. The music enterprise option provides you with the knowledge you need to start a business in the cultural sector
Our degrees teach you how to be confident, practical, hard working and dedicated. Our graduates go on to careers in a wide range of backgrounds, some becoming professional musicians or closely linked to the music sector, and others taking the skills they have developed and applying them in other careers, such as education, business, media, healthcare, marketing, finance or IT.
Studying music at university is both intellectually and musically demanding, and it is one of the most varied and diverse degree subjects available. It requires you to engage in a broad range of practical and intellectual activities including performance, composition, improvisation, data analysis, research and critical intellectual enquiry.
Music graduates therefore develop a wide range of key skills through both the academic and practical content of their degree, which opens a wide variety of opportunities.
Teamwork and initiative are fostered through participation in music ensembles, and communication skills through performance, presentations and written work.
Flexibility, self-discipline and good time management are all required to attain high technical standards and to balance the demands of study, practice and performance. This wide range of transferable skills means that music graduates can easily move into the career or training pathways that are open to graduates of any discipline; for example:
- management
- accountancy
- law
- events management
- journalism
- IT
Graduates who want to use their music degree in their work often progress to become self-employed musicians, performers, composers, teachers, academics, music therapists, studio managers or sound engineers.
Other opportunities include specialist magazine journalism, music librarianship or music publishing.
Many musicians enter careers that seek graduates of any discipline but offer the opportunity to use the specific skills developed in their studies. Possible occupations include arts administrator, community arts worker, museum curator or film/video production.
Find out more about the career options for Music from Prospects: The UK's Official Careers Website.
What our graduates go on to do: employment and further study choices
See what our recent graduates went on to do and view graduate destinations statistics. These statistics are based on what graduates were doing on a specific date, approximately six months after graduation. Take a look at the most recent data available for our graduates.
The destination data is available in varying levels, beginning with the University and moving through Faculty and School down to individual course reports. This final level may give you some useful ideas about possible options after your course or a course you are considering.
Careers and employability at Newcastle
Newcastle University consistently has one of the best records for graduate employment in the UK.
96% of our 2017 UK-domiciled UG/PG graduates progressed to employment or further study within six months of graduating.
85.5% of our graduates are in graduate level employment or further study within six months of graduating.
We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through an initiative called ncl+. This enables you to develop personal, employability and enterprise skills and to give you the edge in the employment market after you graduate.
Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers.
Applying to Newcastle University through UCAS
To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
UCAS codes for Newcastle University
- institution name - NEWC
- institution code - N21
UCAS buzzword
Ask your teacher or adviser from your school or college for the UCAS buzzword. You need the buzzword when you register on the Apply system. This makes it clear which school or college you are applying from.
All UK schools and colleges and a small number of EU and international establishments are registered with UCAS.
If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.
Making your application
On the UCAS website you can also find out more about:
- application deadlines and other important dates
- offers and tracking your application
Application decisions and enquiries
Find out more about our admissions process and who to contact if you need help with your application.