Music and Wellbeing

 You'll develop the critical and analytical techniques needed to evaluate and evidence the relationship between musical engagement and wellbeing, while learning skills directly related to careers in areas including arts therapies, education outreach/music education, community music, music administration, or for continuing to PhD.

You'll expand your understanding of the topic, learn to identify the methodological and ethical challenges of researching in real-world settings, and develop the empirical skills you need to conduct independent research, drawing on this knowledge to complete a dissertation.

Career Opportunities

You'll gain a range of transferable skills in research, self-reflection and evaluation, interpretation and oral and written communication. All of these can be applied in musical as well as non-musical contexts.

Recent postgraduates from the School have gone on to launch careers within the fields of music education, music advertising, business development, marketing and administration, and artist management. Others have also continued with their research at PhD level. We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music boasts a Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.

Your degree is built around three core subject-area modules exploring Music, Wellbeing and its Evaluation, Applied Professional Practice, and Empirical Research Techniques.

Through these modules you'll expand your understanding of the relationship between musical engagement and wellbeing, learn to identify the methodological and ethical challenges of researching in real-world settings, and develop the empirical skills you need to conduct independent research.

You'll also have the opportunity to pursue a module in an area such as music psychology, musicology, performance, or arts management.

The Applied Professional Practice module will provide you with opportunities to take a proactive and self-reflective role in your work, developing professional relationships with our partner organisations e.g. North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre.

Your major submission will be a dissertation on an aspect of music and wellbeing of your own choosing, and you will also choose an optional module to complete your degree. This might be in an area of music such as music psychology, musicology, or performance, or in a related area such as arts fundraising or arts management.

If you choose to study part-time, you will study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in music, psychology, healthcare, arts therapies, sociology, or a related discipline.

We will consider other relevant professional experience if you can demonstrate a good level of musical understanding or practical experience when you apply.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information contact the School of Music admissions team.

English language requirements

• IELTS (International English Language Testing System) an overall band of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in each component skill
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) of 92 with no less than 21 in listening, 21 in reading, 23 in speaking and 22 in writing
• Pearson (Academic) of 64 overall with no less than 60 in any component
• Cambridge Advanced English (CAE), or C1 Advanced, of 176 overall with no less than 169 in any component
• Trinity College Integrated Skills in English of a Pass in ISE II or above (if taken in the UK)
• GCSE English Language or Cambridge IGCSE English as a First or Second Language at grade C

How to apply

We will consider applications from 1 October – 1 September.

However, we recommend you apply as early as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for external funding. You will usually be expected to have an offer of a place on a programme before you apply for funding. You may also need to leave time to make arrangements such as visa applications or relocating to Leeds.

Documents and information you need

• Your degree certificate and transcript, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying.
• Two academic references.
• If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide evidence of your English language qualification.
• A copy (or draft) of an undergraduate dissertation, or an essay in English of a minimum of 2,000 words (preferably 4,000). Your example of academic writing should preferably provide evidence of engagement with an aspect of music and wellbeing if possible.
• If you want to take performance as your specialism in music, we need to see evidence of your performance standard. You can either audition in person or submit a recording on DVD, or a link to a video of your performance online.
• If you wish to take Composition for your Music specialism, please submit one recent composition (if score, no larger than A4, reduce if necessary) with recordings. These can include links to websites, Dropbox, Soundcloud, or similar.
• Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Learning and teaching

We use a variety of different teaching methods such as seminars, tutorials, workshops and lectures in some modules, as well as instrumental or vocal lessons with our expert tutors if you select performance modules.

Independent study is also vital to this course, allowing you to develop your skills and pursue your interests at your own pace.

Assessment

You'll be assessed using a range of methods, including presentations, essays and project work. Specialised music modules will use relevant assessment methods, such as recitals, critical editions and commentaries on musical sources.