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 MUSC20650 take one of the following options:

• Klezmer (max. 12 students)
• Gamelan (max. 12 students)
• Nigerian Gospel (max. 24 students)
• Jazz (max. 14 students)

• To expand upon skills already established in MUSC 10600 Solo Performance by confronting performance contexts involving collaboration with other musicians and developing the skills of an ensemble player.
• 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.

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.

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 required 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: these will be detailed in the course outline provided by the relevant tutor.