Music and Drama (3 Years) [BA]
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Course aims
The course aims to:
- provide the opportunity for both single and interdisciplinary study of music, theatre and film as cultural process, artistic discourse and performance event through intellectual and creative investigation;
- encourage a rich cross-fertilisation of ideas, concepts and practices between the disciplines of music and drama;
- stimulate and support the student's individual development as scholar and practitioner within both music and drama, with particular reference to abilities of independent evaluation and research, critical analysis, technical and artistic skills, and effective written and oral communication;
- encourage the analysis and use of technology as applicable to the study of music, theatre and film as creative practices;
- equip students with a range of transferable skills, appropriate to later postgraduate academic and vocational study, and also engagement in the workplace in a wide range of careers in the disciplines of music, drama and related fields.
Special features
The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama was opened in 2003, following a £6 million investment from the university. As a result students can now take advantage of state-of-the-art equipment and resources, including the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, The John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Lenagan Library and the John Casken Lecture Theatre, as well as specialist rehearsal and practice spaces. In addition, £2.2 million was invested in new electroacoustic composition studios, which opened in 2007 and are the home of the NOVARS Research Centre.
Course content for year 1
Please note that the following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Course Content Year 1
Semester One
Theatre and Performance 1: Texts
Approaches to Musicology
Semester Two
Performance Practices 2
AND Choose between:
EITHER Semester One - Screen Studies: The Art of Film
OR Semester Two - Theatre and Performance 2: Concepts
OPTIONAL
Semester One:
Tonality: Form and Function
Aural Skills
Sonic Invention A
Performance: Theory and Practice
Semester Two:
Tonality: Motive and Meaning
Techniques of Tonal Harmony
Musical Notation
Musicianship Skills
Sonic Invention B
Music and its Contexts
Solo Performance 1
Course content for year 2
You must pick at least 40 units in Drama, at least 40 units in Music, and at least 40 of the 120 which utilise both disciplines.
DRAMA
Semester One:
A Score is Born
Gags, Gaffs and Geeks
Theatres of the Middle East
Theatre and Science
Semester Two:
Transnational Chinese Cinemas
Contemporary British Cinema
Expressionism to Epic
Varieties of Shakespeare
MUSIC
Semester One:
Analysis
Sound Design
World Music
Electroacoustic Composition (Fixed & Interactive) A
Instrumental Composition A
Semester Two:
Music post 1900
Harmony & Counterpoint
Music, Culture and Politics
Early Music: Cultures and Contexts
Acoustics
Instrumental Composition B
Electroacoustic Composition (Fixed & Interactive) B
BOTH
Arts Administration
Solo Performance II
Ensemble Performance
The Singing Actor
Course content for year 3
COMPULSORY 40 credits selected from:
Composition Portfolio: Vocal, Instrument E/A or Mixed
Recital
Dissertation (Music) or Dissertation (Drama)
OPTIONAL 80 credits selected from:
- Levels 2 and 3 courses (Drama)
- Level 3 project courses (Drama)
- Level 3 courses (Music)
- Level 2 courses (Music, up to 20 credits)
Any Level 2 courses picked should not have been previously studied
Level 2 Courses:
A Score is Born
Gags, Gaffs and Geeks
Theatres of the Middle East
Theatre and Science
World Music
Music Analysis
Transnational Chinese Cinemas
Contemporary British Cinema
Expressionism to Epic
Varieties of Shakespeare
Music, Culture and Politics
Early music: Cultures and Contexts
Music post 1900
Arts Administration
Ensemble Performance
The Singing Actor
Level 3 Courses:
Boal in Action
Approaches to Acting
Music Analysis
Falstaff and Gandalf go to the Movies
Staging the New Sex
Performance and War
Sex, Crime and Sentiment
Aesthetics
Special Subject in Musicology or Ethnomusicology
Special Option in Composition
Performance Practice and Editing
Applied Theatre 1: Theatre in Prisons
Studio Production: Theatre Practice
Writing for Performance
Directors Project
Video Project 2: Docufiction
Career opportunities
The University of Manchester MusB degree, the Joint Course with the RNCM and the BA(Hons) course in Music and Drama are well-established degree programmes that have produced a wealth of high-achieving graduates, many of whom have gone on to outstanding international careers in the music profession and beyond. They include some of the country's top musicians and scholars. For details of the kinds of career that your degree can lead to, and the employability skills you will develop, see our Careers and Employability web pages, which include profiles of some of our recent alumni.