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Popular Music Practice MMus

2024-25

How to apply Order a prospectusPostgraduate Open Days
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This course is eligible for Master's loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

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About the course

Reasons to study

  1. You will benefit from our regular research seminars and workshops and will be a member of the Centre for Music.
  2. Music staff are active across diverse professional contexts, including as composers, conductors, producers, sound recordists, performers, and publishers of scholarly articles and books.
  3. The department is the home of the HISS (Huddersfield Immersive Sound System).

This course is designed to enable you to pursue music performance at an advanced level, allowing you to specialise in particular areas and genres of music performance as well as develop your skills as a rounded and expert performer. You will do so as part of a vibrant, stimulating and energetic community for music performance at the University of Huddersfield. As well as advancing your technical skills and confidence as a performer, you will work to gain a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the repertoire you perform, develop your intellectual and creative skills required for a high level of performance, and apply research skills with a view to making an original contribution to the professional context of music performance. You may choose to specialise in the following areas, reflecting and drawing upon the expertise within Music and Music Technology at the University of Huddersfield: Brass Band performance Choral Conducting Conducting (1 place per year) Historically Informed Performance Improvisation New Music Performance Organ Studies Piano Accompaniment Popular Music performance Alternatively, you may also select to pursue a broad programme of study within classical music. Staff teaching on the MMus Music Performance are themselves active as performers, as soloists and ensemble members, giving regular live concerts and releasing recordings to international critical acclaim. We offer expert Entry requirements Course details Core modules Researching Music On this module you will be introduced to a range of significant and contemporary scholarship relating to the study of music. You will learn about diverse approaches to music research, and receive training in managing research professionally and ethically. Central to the module is the development of research skills appropriate to postgraduate instrumental/vocal tuition appropriate to the specialisms from tutors who are experienced and highly regarded in their fields.

Music at the University of Huddersfield has an international reputation, and hosts what is possibly the largest postgraduate community in music in the world. All students on the course will be part of the Research Centre for Performance Practices (ReCePP) which acts as a focus for staff and postgraduate community of performers in Music and Drama. ReCePP encourages Performance-as-Research and Performance Studies research across a range of disciplines. As well as being active as performers, all performance staff are leading researchers in fields of performance practice and performance studies. ReCePP maintains strong connections with other research centres, including the Centre for Research in New Music CeReNeM and the Centre for Music, Culture and Identity which provides a focus for musicological research in the department.

The University presents regular concerts throughout the academic year, hosting a wide variety of professional performers across a range of genres and styles. Additionally the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Electric Spring offer performances given by leading practitioners within the field of new music. I am a pianist specialising in new and experimental music, particularly the music of the American composers John Cage, Morton Feldman and Christian Wolff, and my research is concerned with how we might use performance to understand music which is open in its notation, and thus in its possibilities for performance.

I have recorded the complete works for solo piano by Morton Feldman (cited as one of the top five releases of 2019 in The Guardian and The Wire) and numerous pieces by Cage and Wolff too. Recent research includes a book, ‘John Cage’s Concert for Piano and Orchestra’, and website with accompanying apps relating to the same piece. As well as playing regularly as a soloist, I perform with the leading British ensemble ‘Apartment House’. Like all of my colleagues on the performance team at Huddersfield, I am fascinated and energised by the links between research and performance, and the way each activity benefits the other.

  • Professor Philip Thomas, Professor of Performance

Course detail

Creative Production Project

On this module, you undertake a substantial independent creative production project. You can undertake work in any area of creative music production that interests you and guidance will be available through staff supervision. Examples of the kinds of projects that would be relevant are an EP/album length production of one or more artists, a collection of your own songwriting or compositional work, a substantial live production (or portfolio of live work) from either mixing or performance perspectives, or a set of music videos (of your own creative work or that of others).

Performance 1

This module is worth 60 credits in total (therefore comprising one-third of your degree) and along with Performance 2, it is the primary context within which you will develop your performance skills, focusing upon repertoire appropriate to your specialism. You will give three recitals in total, the final one of which will represent the culmination of your research and development as a performer.

Advanced Desktop Music Production

On this module you will professionalise your DAW techniques. Focusing on modern approaches to music production, the module will deepen your skills in sound design using original synthesis and sampling as well as recording in a digital environment. The module involves multi-software workflows, the expressive use of hardware controllers and hybrid techniques combining digital and analogue processing.

Advanced Song Writing

On this module you will develop your knowledge and voice as a songwriter and create fully realised arrangements of new songs. We will explore advanced approaches to songwriting via in-depth case studies, as well as through practical work supported by lectures and seminars. Over the course of the module, you will not only develop your technical skills in handling the elements of lyrics, musical materials, arrangements and song structure, helping you to develop your personal artistic voice.

Researching Music

On this module you will be introduced to a range of significant and contemporary scholarship relating to the study of music. You will learn about diverse approaches to music research, and receive training in managing research professionally and ethically. Central to the module is the development of research skills appropriate to postgraduate level work and to your own research interests.

You will take 180 credits at Master’s level, made up of four modules, including a 60 credit creative project and 60 credit performance module. Two optional modules allow for an advanced focus on Desktop Music Production or Song writing.

Entry requirements

You are required to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree from a recognised University or equivalent institution. Your application materials (or previous qualifications) and live audition (or documentation of your performance) should be able to demonstrate a strong understanding of performance and instrumental/vocal/other technique. Auditions should comprise of two contrasting pieces, one of which should relate to the your proposed specialism in performance.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum of IELTS 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Student Work

At the University of Huddersfield we have a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate students studying songwriting, music production, music performance, recording, classical music, composing, film music, sound design for image and much more, all showcased on our Youtube Channel

Student support

The school has dedicated Academic Skills Tutors (AST) who deliver a range of generic skills. The AST offers help and advice with general study skills, IT, literacy and numeracy as well as research skills. The AST may also refer students for specialist support and assessment e.g. for Dyslexia.

In line with the Equality Act 2010, the School will make reasonable adjustments in order that disabled students can fully access their course. The University's Disability Services provide information and advice to disabled students about the support available and liaises with members of staff on disability related issues.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.