1. Art and Diseño

Folk and
Traditional
Music
BA Honours
UCAS code W344
3 Years
www.ncl.ac.uk/ug/W344
Printed from the web page above on 06/02/2015
Folk and Traditional
Music
BA Honours
UCAS code W344
3 Years
•
a dissertation/project on an area of interest
See the Modules section for detailed information on what
you will study.
The degree can be taken as a standalone degree but is
designed for a close transition to the Master of Music
(MMus) at Newcastle University, for students who wish to
develop their performance, composition or scholarly skills to
a higher level.
Our BA Folk and Traditional Music degree is a
unique programme that offers the opportunity
to study the traditional music and song of
England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Your learning community
Performance is important throughout the
degree and you will receive one-to-one lessons
on your main instrument from internationally
recognised musicians.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You will study the social and cultural context of
traditional and folk music and how music helps
to construct identity and culture.
You can also choose to enhance your
employability and develop career skills
through modules in music enterprise and
music teaching.
We have a partnership with The Sage
Gateshead, with some of the teaching taking
place there, as well as all the final-year
performance recitals.
What you will study
The first year lays the foundation for understanding folk and
traditional music. There is a strong emphasis upon
performance, including:
•
•
•
a range of modules on folk traditions
regular one-to-one lessons on your main instrument
weekly tutor-led workshops to develop your ensemble
playing skills
In second year, your choice includes a broad range of
modules, such as:
•
•
•
ensemble playing
academic approaches to the history and understanding
of folk music
approaches to traditional musics from around the world
Students join our really vibrant performing community and
take tuition with some of the best performers in the tradition,
such as:
Kathryn Tickell
Catriona Macdonald
Desi Wilkinson
Simon McKerrell
Shona Mooney
Andy May
Chris Newman
Our students are part of a very strong performing
community and also benefit from world-class musical
scholarship drawn from many different cultures.
Performance opportunities
We have deep connections with the local Folk communities
in the North-East and throughout the British Isles, including:
•
•
•
opportunities for our students at regular public concerts
at The Sage Gateshead
gigs at local folk clubs
teaching and volunteering arrangements with local
community groups
In addition, there are excellent performance opportunities for
all music students at Newcastle:
•
•
free professional concert series every Thursday lunchtime
during term-time, followed by a student performance
where you have the chance to perform for, and listen to,
your colleagues from all of our music degrees
student-organised annual Summer Music Festival,
showcasing our students' talent and giving you the
chance to gain real-world experience of event
management
Find out more about performance opportunities at
Newcastle University on the School website.
Study abroad
The second year also includes the popular option of taking a
semester abroad (see below).
Students wishing to add an international dimension to their
degree can study abroad.
In your final year, you take advanced modules linked to our
research. You also complete a major specialist study, which
may be:
In the second semester there is the popular option of taking
a semester abroad in one of our partner institutions such as
Sibelius Academy or the Irish World Academy of Music and
Dance in Limerick.
•
•
an original composition
a creative project or performance
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
2
Alternatively, you may opt to take an entire year abroad in a
partner institution, intercalated between the second and final
years. This comes with a reduced fee, and it extends your
studies over four years.
We have links with a number of universities and
conservatoires in Europe, North America, South America
and Australia.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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
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
•
•
•
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tuition
We have over 100 professional instrumental and vocal
tutors delivering free one-to-one tuition, including members
of the internationally acclaimed Northern Sinfonia.
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.
Teaching and assessment
Study at the cutting edge
•
•
•
The International Centre for Music Studies has an
international reputation for its research in two areas in
particular:
musicology
creative practice
Teaching methods
•
•
Facilities and resources
Study at Newcastle and you will join a supportive
community in the International Centre for Music Studies.
practice rooms and performance spaces
a PC suite running specialist music software
a large, recently refurbished student common room
•
Different forms of music need different approaches to
study
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 methods
•
•
•
Facilities
Examinations
Written assignments
Submission of dissertation or portfolio (of compositions,
harmony, recordings, counterpoint or music analysis
exercises)
Live musical performance
Our purpose-built Music Studios give you access to a wide
range of state-of-the-art facilities, including:
•
•
•
Find out more
•
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:
•
•
•
Teaching and assessment methods may vary from
module to module. More information about each module
can be found in the Modules section
Visit our Teaching and Learning pages to read about the
outstanding learning experience available to all students
at Newcastle University
music studios and recently refurbished teaching facilities
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
3
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.
Modules
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.
Please be aware that programme modules do change and
therefore may differ for your year of entry.
Stages 1
Compulsory modules
MUS1011 Understanding World Music
MUS1012 Understanding Music History
MUS1050 Music Skills (Folk and Traditional Music)
MUS1090 Performance Studies (Folk and Traditional
Music) 1
MUS1092 Ensemble 1
MUS1096 The Traditions of These Islands
Stage 2
Historic Grey's Monument in the city centre.
If you achieve a Stage 1 average of 60 per cent or more,
it is possible to spend one semester on an Erasmus
exchange, studying folk music at one of our partner
institutions abroad. This usually takes place in semester
2.
Optional modules
You choose optional modules to a credit value of 120
from the following with at least one module from each list:
List 1: Musicological Approaches Options
MUS2054 Music and Cultural Theory
MUS2060 Ethnomusicology
MUS2065 Issues in Popular Music Culture
MUS2088 Folk Music Studies: Resources and Research
Materials
List 2: Historical/Cultural Options
MUS2003 Music in the Soviet Union (level 5)
MUS2005 Global Popular Musics
MUS2010 Musicals
MUS2037 The Scope of Irish Traditional Music
MUS2075 Baroque Music
MUS2087 Iconic Folk
MUS2103 Freedom/Funk/Fusion: Commercial Popular
Music, Its Reinvention and Subversion By Emergent
Social Forces
MUS2111 Teaching Music in Schools: Issues and
Practice
MUS3112 Tradition, Learning and Community
List 3: Applied Options
MUS2006 Music, Sounds and the Environments in Which
They Happen
MUS2007 Early Music in Practice 1
MUS2008 Orchestration and Arranging
MUS2012 World Music in Practice 1
MUS2020 Techniques of Harmony
MUS2041 Contemporary Compositional Techniques
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
4
Stage 2
Entry Requirements
MUS2044 Practising Music Analysis
MUS2050 Music Skills (Folk and Traditional Music) 2
MUS2090 Performance Studies (Folk and Traditional
Music) 2
MUS2092 Ensemble 2
MUS2094 Additional Performance Studies (Folk and
Traditional Music) 3
MUS2098 Noises, Sounds and Gestures: Experimental
Improvisation and Electroacoustic Composition
MUS3083 Conducting Studies
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.
Stage 3
Optional modules
You choose one of the following optional modules:
MUS3012 Major Specialist Study: Composition
MUS3013 Major Specialist Study: Dissertation
MUS3014 Major Specialist Study: Performance
MUS3015 Major Specialist Study: Project
You choose modules from the following, so that Stage 3
totals 120 credits, to include at least one module from
each of the following lists:
List 1: Historical/Cultural Options
MUS3003 Music in the Soviet Union (Level 6)
MUS3005 Global Popular Musics
MUS3010 Musicals
MUS3027 The Scope of Irish Traditional Music
MUS3054 Music and Cultural Theory
MUS3097 Iconic Folk
MUS3103 Freedom/Funk/Fusion: Commercial Popular
Music, Its Reinvention and Subversion By Emergent
Social Forces
MUS3111 Teaching Music in Schools: Socio-cultural
Contexts and Approaches to Practice
MUS3175 Baroque Music
MUS3112 Tradition, Learning and Community
List 2: Applied Options
MUS3006 Music, Sounds and the Environments in Which
They Happen
MUS3007 Early Music in Practice 2
MUS3011 World Music in Practice 2
MUS3083 Conducting Studies
MUS3095 Music Enterprise
If you have achieved an end-of-year average for Stage 2
of 60% or higher, you may, instead of 20 credits of
options drawn from List 1 and List 2, take 20 credits from
the following list, provided the area of study is different to
the Major Specialist Study, but only with approval of the
Degree Programme Director
MUS3016 Minor Specialist Study: Composition
MUS3017 Minor Specialist Study: Dissertation
MUS3018 Minor Specialist Study: Performance
MUS3019 Minor Specialist Study: Project
A Levels
AAB-BBB ideally including Music. (Grade A in AS level
Music may be considered, but will depend on the
combination of subjects/qualifications being studied.)
In usual circumstances offers will be made at the upper end
of this range. However, we will consider giving offers at the
lower end of the range to candidates who demonstrate
themselves at audition to be performers of exceptional
ability, but whose predicted or achieved academic grades
are in the lower end of our offer range.
Scottish Qualifications
AAABB-AAAB at Higher Grade, including Music.
Combination of Highers and Advanced Highers accepted. In
usual circumstances offers will be made at the upper end of
this range. However, we will consider giving offers at the
lower end of the range to candidates who demonstrate
themselves at audition to be performers of exceptional
ability, but whose predicted or achieved academic grades
are in the lower end of our offer range.
International Baccalaureate
A minimum of 33-35 points with Music at Higher Level. In
usual circumstances offers will be made at the upper end of
this range. However, we will consider giving offers at the
lower end of the range to candidates who demonstrate
themselves at audition to be performers of exceptional
ability, but whose predicted or achieved academic grades
are in the lower end of our offer range.
Irish Leaving Certificate
A1A1A1B1B-AAABB at Higher Level, to include Music.
Access Qualifications
30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit. 15 Level 3
credits should be music related and preferably include
Music Theory. All applicants will be asked to audition.
Applicants should be practitioners in folk/traditional music.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC
National Diploma)
In a music-related subject, at overall DDD-DDM, plus
evidence of ‘academic’ writing on music if not fulfilled by
choice of units.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3,D3,M2-M2,M2,M2 in Principal Subjects including Music.
In usual circumstances offers will be made at the upper end
of this range. However, we will consider giving offers at the
lower end of the range to candidates who demonstrate
themselves at audition to be performers of exceptional
ability, but whose predicted or achieved academic grades
are in the lower end of our offer range.
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
5
PARTNERS - A Levels
Folk and Traditional Music careers
BBC ideally including Music. AS level Music may be
considered, but will depend on the combination of
subjects/qualifications being studied.
Our students have been extremely successful in gaining
employment and now count amongst some of the leading
performers in the UK and internationally.
The PARTNERS Programme is Newcastle University’s
supported entry route for students from identified schools
and colleges. Find out more about the PARTNERS
Programme.
Many other students have gone on to other careers
including arts administration, broadcasting, teaching,
development, charitable work, scholarship, composition and
production.
PARTNERS - BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
(formerly BTEC National Diploma)
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. For example:
In a music-related subject, at overall MMM, plus evidence of
'academic' writing on music if not fulfilled by choice of units.
The PARTNERS Programme is Newcastle University’s
supported entry route for students from identified schools
and colleges. Find out more about the PARTNERS
Programme.
•
•
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, Catriona Macdonald
([email protected]), to discuss the course and
their suitability for it.
English Language Requirements
For this degree you will need a minimum score of IELTS
6.5 or equivalent.
Visit our International Students web pages to find out more
about our English language admission requirements.
If you need to improve your English language skills before
you enter this course, our partner, INTO Newcastle, offers
a range of English language courses. These intensive and
flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability
for entry to this degree.
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
Our 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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
‌See further Newcastle University Admissions Policies.
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.
Find out more:
English for University Study
Pre-sessional English
Undergraduate Admissions Policy
• Newcastle University Undergraduate Admissions Policy
2015 Entry (PDF: 109 KB)
management
accountancy
law
events management
journalism
IT
Other opportunities include specialist magazine journalism,
music librarianship or music publishing.
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
6
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.
Careers and employability at
Newcastle
Newcastle University consistently has one of the best
records for graduate employment in the UK.
•
•
93.7% of our 2013 UK/EU graduates progressed to
employment or further study within six months of
graduating.
More than three quarters (77%) of our graduates who
entered employment achieved a graduate-level position.
We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all
students through an initiative called ncl+ which enables you
to develop personal, employability and enterprise skills and
to give you the edge in the employment market after you
graduate.
Tuition Fees (International students)
See more information on all aspects of student finance
relating to Newcastle University.
Scholarships and Financial Support (UK and EU
students)
You may be eligible for one of a range of Newcastle
University Scholarships in addition to government grants
and support.
Newcastle University Scholarships
Non-repayable grants
Scholarships and Financial Support
(International students)
You may be eligible for an International Undergraduate
Merit Scholarship (IUMS) or an International Family
Discount (IFD).
Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and
best in the country, and we have strong links with
employers.
Finance
Tuition Fees (UK and EU students)
2015 entry:
£9,000 per year
See more information on all aspects of student finance
relating to Newcastle University.
Please note that the tuition fee amount you will pay may
increase slightly year on year in line with inflation and
subject to government regulations.
The Armstrong Building, at the heart of campus.
Tuition Fees (International students)
2015 entry:
£16,265 per year
2014 entry:
£15,490 per year
You will be charged tuition fees for each year of your
degree programme (unless you are on a shorter
exchange programme).
If you spend a year on placement or studying abroad as
part of your degree you may pay a reduced fee for that
year.
Please note that the tuition fee amount you will pay may
increase slightly year on year as a result of inflation.
Take a virtual tour at www.ncl.ac.uk/tour
7