Composition

Description

This programme is aimed at students who wish to study musical composition to an advanced level. It provides a grounding in the main compositional techniques of the 20th and 21st centuries, and helps you to use this understanding in your original work. There are regular opportunities to hear your work played, you will be free to pursue options in performance, sonic art, and musicology in addition to your core composition modules.

Practical Music-making

Brunel’s Department of Arts and Humanities have a strong tradition of practical music-making and there are a number of ensembles that you can participate in, including the New Music Ensemble, Jazzbridge, Brunel Vox and New Noise. The Arts Centre holds regular lunchtime and evening concerts featuring visiting performers, music students and staff.

Music at Brunel also has a number of artists and ensembles in association: currently these are , and Aims

The skills and experience gained during this course will be useful to anyone wishing to become a composer, whether of concert music or for broadcast, theatre or education.

Detailed Course Facts

• GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
• GBP 13000 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

The degree course is modular. Modules are worth 20 or 40 credits and you must complete 120 credits for each year of your degree programme. All music students take the same modules in Year 1 (Performance I can be taken in a variety of ways and does not necessarily require a solo performance). In years 2 and 3 you will have a wide range of optional modules to choose from; some of these topics can be taken at either Level 2 or Level 3. The final year project requires you to carry out in-depth research on a topic of particular interest to you - many composition students choose a composition project for this.

Typical Modules

Level 1

• Composition I (20)

• Musicianship (20)

• Materials of Music (20)

• Musicology I: histories, forms and structures (20)

• Sound Recording & Sonic Arts (20)

• Performance I (20)

Level 2 Core

• Composition II (20)

Level 2 Options

• Musicology II: genres (20)

• Performance II (Classical or Experimental) (20)

• Performance II (Popular Music or Jazz) (20)

• Sonic Arts II (40)

• Conducting and Realisation (20)

• Instrumentation and Orchestration (20)

• Music and Perception (20)

• Popular Music Studies (20)

• Stylistic Improvisation (20)

• Free Improvisation (20)

• Jazz and Pop arranging (20)

• Professional Development (20)

Level 3 Core

• Composition III (40)

• Special Project (40)

Level 3 Options

• Musicology III: towards the new music (40)

• Performance III (Classical or Experimental) (40)

• Performance III (Popular Music or Jazz) (40)

• Sonic Arts III (40)

• Conducting and Realisation (20)

• Instrumentation and Orchestration (20)

• Music and Perception (20)

• Popular Music Studies (20)

• Stylistic Improvisation (20)

• Free Improvisation (20)

• Jazz and Pop arranging (20)

• Professional Development (20)

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6.5

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

• GCE A-level BBB, including A-level Music at grade B

• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM in a related subject.

• BTEC Level 3 Diploma DD in a related subject with an A-Level at grade B.

• BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D in a related subject with A-Levels grade BB.

• International Baccalaureate Diploma 32 points in Higher Level 5 in Music.

• Access to Higher EducationDiploma Complete and pass a related subject Access course with 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2 with Merits in all units. Applicants who are not taking A-Level music or grade 7/8 music but are musically inclined may be asked to take a short test.

All candidates without A-level Music at grade B or equivalent or Grade 8 ABRSM, LCMM or Trinity College will be required to pass a brief entrance test, details of which will be provided upon application.

GCSE Mathematics grade C and GCSE English grade C are also required.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSE’s.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)

• Pearson: 58 (51 in all subscores)

• BrunELT: 65% (min 55% in all areas)

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than Brunel University.