MusB Music / Course details

This course provides opportunities for ensemble playing in particular idioms under the guidance of specialist tutors. While the focus is on playing together, students will also gain a practical and theoretical background to support their playing.

Students taking MUSC20650 take one of the options on offer in any given year. For 2025/26, these will be:

• Klezmer
• Gamelan

The Klezmer option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to traditional klezmer music of predominantly Eastern European origin.

The Gamelan option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to Sundanese gamelan music from the Indonesian province of West Java.

• 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.

Klezmer (max. 12 students)

This option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to traditional klezmer music of predominantly Eastern European origin. You will develop skills in improvisation, arrangement and group interpretation. You will also be guided through a selection of background reading and you will listen to a variety of related repertoire. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2025-26, this option will be taught by visiting tutor Daniel Mawson with academic support from Dr. Richard Fay.

On completion of the Klezmer option, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a practical and theoretical understanding of the structural forms and stylistic conventions used in klezmer music
• Perform a selection of traditional repertoire from memory
• Demonstrate the ability to work both individually and in collaborative teams
• Demonstrate skills in improvisation and arrangement
   

Gamelan (max. 12 students)

This option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to Sundanese gamelan music from the Indonesian province of West Java. You will explore a broad spectrum of musical styles and techniques on two contrasting sets of Sundanese gamelan instruments: gamelan degung and gamelan saléndro. Your repertoire will include classical concert pieces, music for traditional and modern dance, and contemporary compositions and arrangements. You will also develop skills in improvisation and group composition. To give you an understanding of cultural context, you will be guided through a selection of listening, video and reading material, and you will learn about Indonesian society, history, folklore and language. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance for which you will prepare, as a group, a set of pieces that showcase your newly acquired skills and repertoire. For 2025-26, this option will be taught by visiting tutor Dr Robert Szymanek.

On completion of the Gamelan option, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a practical and theoretical understanding of the structural forms used in gamelan music
• Use Sundanese cipher notation to read and transcribe melodic material
• Perform a selection of traditional and new repertoire from memory  
• Demonstrate the ability to work both individually and in collaborative teams 
• Demonstrate skills in improvisation and group composition  

Teaching for this course unit is organised around regular practical sessions. These will consist of workshops with specialist tutors, group rehearsals, and discussion, supported by background reading and listening. The course tutors may also set individual or group tasks for you to undertake between classes. Some options include an element of improvisation, arranging or group composition.  

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 the realisation of that interpretation.

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

• Demonstrate enhanced performance abilities in the skill areas cultivated in your chosen option.
• Respond to and collaborate with other musicians whilst performing. 

• 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.

The following titles provide overall support and context for ensemble performance:  

• 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).

On the performance of music from 'world’ cultures, see:

• Schippers, Huib, Facing the Music: Shaping Music Education from a Global Perspective (New York, 2009)
• Solís, Ted (ed.), Performing Ethnomusicology: Teaching and Representation in World Music Ensembles (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London, 2004).

Your tutors will direct you to specific resources relevant to 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.