Music Performance

This course gives you, as an instrumental/vocal performer, the skills and opportunities to develop your individual and ensemble skills to a high level. You’ll undertake four modules over two trimesters and a double module in your third trimester (final recital).

You may explore areas of your own interest, which may relate to staff specialisms, such as opera (Garth Bardsley), early music and music of the Georgian period (Dr Matthew Spring), and romantic and early twentieth-century music (Dr Charles Wiffen), or piano skills and improvisation (Thomas Whorley).

Trimester one
In Performance One, you’ll develop your performance skills and technique, and extend your repertoire. Alongside this, the Research Methodologies and Context module gives you a thorough grounding in research methodology. Your development as a performer is supported by regular one-to-one lessons with a specialist teacher.

Trimester two
The second trimester extends your development as a performer. The Performance Two module develops performance skills and repertoire while furthering your understanding of performance history and practice. You’ll also explore strategies for marketing yourself.

You’ll have a choice of modules at this stage and the opportunity to work with peers and across subject boundaries in the Professional Collaboration module. Alternatively, you could study an Intercultural Musicology module that allows you to study genres across different cultures, or to join an Opera Studies module that culminates in a public performance of an opera or opera excerpts.

Trimester three
The third trimester involves a Major Project, for which you’ll prepare a programme for a substantial public performance. The content and structure of this project is to be negotiated with course tutors.

This course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the course handbook or definitive programme document for full details on which modules are core, required or optional.

• Research Methodologies and Context
• Performance One
• Opera Studies
• Professional Collaboration
• Major Project.

You’ll complete individual assignments for each module. Performance-based modules (Performance One, Opera Studies and Major Project) are assessed through performance on your instrument or voice, reflective commentaries on your process, or a lecture recital in the case of Performance Two. Intercultural Musicology, along with Research Methodologies and Context modules, will be be assessed on written submissions.

Modules are usually taught through one-to-one lessons, seminars and practical workshops. These are supported by individual tutorials and online activity within the Virtual Learning Environment.

The Major Project involves student-directed work, with supporting tutorials and instrumental/vocal lessons. We encourage you to make full use of library and IT resources, and time will be scheduled in studios and workstations labs for independent study, as appropriate.

Previous graduate destinations include:

• Doctoral studies at Durham University
• Freelance repetiteur and keyboard/continuo specialist
• Choir Director and Piano/Vocal Tutor
• Marines Conductor
• Opera Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Freelance classical and early music singer.

Our graduates work in a wide range of performance-related areas such as:

• Orchestral performance
• Opera
• Conducting
• Choral direction
• Chamber music
• Accompaniment
• Session work
• Music promotion
• Record labels
• Broadcast media
• Instrumental teaching
• Group teaching
• Community music projects
• University lecturing.

There are a number of competitive awards available only to our students.

There is a well-established masterclass programme at Bath Spa University. Previous visitors have included:

• Dame Emma Kirkby (voice)
• Isobel Buchanan (voice)
• Stefano Parrino (flute)
• Badke Quartet (strings)
• Florian Uhlig (piano)
• Professor Colin Lawson (clarinet)
• Andy Sheppard (saxophone)
• Ensemble Bash (percussion)
• Madeleine Mitchell (violin).

You’ll be part of a vibrant Department of Music, with a wide range of ensemble activities. These include opera, concerto and concerto performances in important venues in and around Bath – such as Bath Abbey.

You'll be taught on Newton Park campus, with access to facilities such as the Michael Tippett Centre. We encourage you to make full use of library and IT resources, and time will be scheduled in studios, workstations, and labs for independent study, as appropriate.

You’ll have access to a fully-equipped concert hall, full range of studio/rehearsal and teaching spaces, a range of instruments including western and non-western instruments (gamelan), music labs and state-of-the-art IT facilities.