BA Music and Drama

This course provides specific opportunities for ensemble playing in particular idioms under the guidance of particular tutors. Although the focus is on playing together, students will also gain a practical and theoretical background to support their playing. Please note that in the event of Covid-related restrictions, content and assessment may need to be adapted.

Students taking MUSC20621 take two of the following options: 

• Medieval Song (max. 20 students)
• Contemporary / Experimental Music Ensemble (max. 20 students)

Medieval Song

This option is mainly for singers, including those for whom voice is not their first study, but is also open to instrumentalists. You will be introduced to the repertoire in a weekly series of workshops exploring and trying out some of the oldest music in Europe, from chant to the 14th century. You will then form ensembles of no fewer than two singers and no more than seven, and each ensemble will prepare and rehearse a 20-minute recital, along with detailed programme notes on performance issues. Accompanying instruments may be used where appropriate. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2023/24 this option will be taught by Barry Cooper and Katherine Rudge.

Contemporary and Experimental Music Ensemble

This option provides a series of workshops and coachings on performing contemporary and experimental music. Students will be allocated into smaller groups within the cohort, and will learn, rehearse and perform repertoire which may include works from the repertoire, graphic/text scores or experimental works involving improvisation, and student compositions for specific groupings. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2023/24 this option will be taught by Richard Whalley and Gavin Osborn.

• To expand upon skills already established in MUSC 10600 by confronting performance contexts involving collaboration with other musicians.
• To facilitate the development of students’ creative imagination and skills of critical self-awareness when working in a collaborative performance context.
• To learn about music from other cultures through performance.

Medieval Song

This option is mainly for singers, including those for whom voice is not their first study, but is also open to instrumentalists. You will be introduced to the repertoire in a weekly series of workshops exploring and trying out some of the oldest music in Europe, from chant to the 14th century. You will then form ensembles of no fewer than two singers and no more than seven, and each ensemble will prepare and rehearse a 20-minute recital, along with detailed programme notes on performance issues. Accompanying instruments may be used where appropriate. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2023/24 this option will be taught by Barry Cooper and Katherine Rudge.

On completion of the Medieval Song option, student should be able to:

• Demonstrate a practical understanding of the structural forms and stylistic conventions used in Medieval vocal music.
• Communicate a theoretical and historical knowledge of the repertoire through programme notes on performance issues.
• Demonstrate the ability to work both individually and collaboratively in teams.
• Apply knowledge of the stylistic conventions of this period to performance.

Contemporary and Experimental Music Ensemble

This option provides a series of workshops and coachings on performing contemporary and experimental music. Students will be allocated into smaller groups within the cohort, and will learn, rehearse and perform repertoire which may include works from the repertoire, graphic/text scores or experimental works involving improvisation, and student compositions for specific groupings. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2023/24 this option will be taught by Richard Whalley and Gavin Osborn.

On completion of the Contemporary / Experimental Music option, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a practical understanding and openness in approach to performance, in search of solutions to diverse musical challenges
• Demonstrate an ability to collaborate, listen and respond effectively to other ensemble members through rehearsal and performance.
• Demonstrate an ability communicate effectively through instrumental or vocal ensemble performance

Teaching for this course is organized around regular practical sessions. These will consist of workshops and coaching with tutors, group rehearsal and discussion, supported by background reading and listening, and (as appropriate) instruction on different ways of interpreting sources. Occasional individual or group tasks may be set by the course tutor, and there may be an element of composition or improvisation involved, as appropriate.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Demonstrate increased understanding of how music works and the contexts in which it is performed.
• Agree on an interpretation or arrangement with other performers, and apply an informed understanding of musical style and structure in order to realise that interpretation.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Show an enhanced ability to understand and apply analytical skills to music, and convey that understanding to other musicians.
• Engage with other musicians in meaningful dialogue about music and its interpretation.

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By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Demonstrate enhanced performance abilities in the skill areas cultivated by the chosen sub-unit.
• Respond to and collaborate with other musicians whilst performing.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Demonstrate enhanced skills in problem-solving, interpersonal communication, rehearsal techniques and the practical application of analytical and interpretative insights. 
• Demonstrate the confidence and interpersonal skills to work effectively in groups, showing skills relating to teamwork, negotiation, decision-making and leadership.

Workshops/coaching sessions; group discussion; individual discussion with tutor; reflection on informal performances; written feedback on final assessed performance.

Each of the components in the course unit has its own reading and listening lists. The following titles provide overall support: 

Davies, Stephen, Musical Works and Performances: a Philosophical Exploration (Oxford, 2001).

Dunsby, Jonathan, Performing Music: Shared Concerns (Oxford, 1995).

Godlovitch, Stanley, Musical Performance: A Philosophical Study (London and New York, 2003).

Rink, John (ed.), Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding (Cambridge, 2002).

Rink, John (ed.), The Practice of Performance: Studies in Musical Interpretation (Cambridge, 2005).

More specific reading lists will be circulated within each option.

Each option has its own schedule of workshops/coaching sessions and group rehearsals: see course outline for details.