Music with Professional Training (C Course) - W301

Stephanie Cooke, Amy Higgs and Ceri Bradford graduating from the BMus 4-year course, June 2003
> Read more about their experiences of studying at the University of Surrey

Introduction

The four-year Music programme with professional training was established in 1999 to prepare students for working in the highly competitive arts sector. It allows you the same breadth and depth of study of musicological and practical modules as students on the A course. However, there are specific modules in second year which prepare you for professional training, and which allow you to write about your experiences and the knowledge you have gained when you return to the final year.

The C course was established in 1999 to provide students with an opportunity to gain knowledge and develop expertise by undertaking a professional work placement in the music industry as an integral part of the BMus. Our longer-term placements (between 30 and 46 weeks) allow you a real chance to become a valuable member of a professional team and to polish and develop your personal skills. You will return to the final year with a deeper understanding of the policies and practical issues that affect the arts and music which can then be applied effectively to academic study. Additionally, you will have experience and skills which will give you a competitive edge when entering the demanding arts employment sector.

Placements are arranged and carefully supervised by University staff. Working with highly-regarded experts and leaders, students are mentored through real-life working situations as members of professional teams and projects. This experience allows students a wide variety of opportunities in which to develop their communication, organisational and interpersonal skills. Employers interviewing graduates are impressed by the variety of activities undertaken and the maturity and professionalism of students who have been on placement. This experience gives our graduates a distinct advantage when entering the competitive and demanding arts employment sector. This is especially valuable given the growing number of internships that are currently advertised in the arts for graduates who are willing to work for free just to gain some professional experience.

Who is professional training for?

The programme is particularly useful to students who are considering a career in any aspect of arts management, arts marketing, venue management, music education and outreach. It is also really valuable to those students who want to develop professional contacts and organisational skills to support a performance or composing portfolio career.

Even if you are not sure what you want to do on graduation or wonder whether a career in arts management is what you want, the professional training year could be very useful to help you to determine what you are looking for. The professional training experience is a unique chance to explore your strengths and interests and to find out which areas of working life inspire you. Students who have been through professional training have a much better idea of the kinds of organisations or areas of work that they want to pursue on graduation. Students considering the four year programme are sometimes concerned that working in a particular area will limit their career choices later on. In fact, the opposite is true!

What do graduates do?

Students on the programme have found that the knowledge and experiences gained through professional training have opened them up to a wide range of career opportunities that they might not otherwise have considered. Students from the C course have gone on to postgraduate study in a diverse range of subjects, have taken PGCEs, taught English as a foreign language, travelled the world, gone to work for their host organisation, or gained employment in other branches of the arts - they have certainly not been limited to working just in the area of their professional training. There is a list of job titles later on.

How do you get a placement?

The Senior Professional Tutor works with you during the second year to identify your strengths and interests in specific organisations or working practices. You will work with the Tutor to research and identify suitable host organisations. Interviews are set up with the assistance of the Professional Training Administrator. You might be the only person being interviewed for a specific position or opportunity that the Department has established for you with a host employer; you may be interviewed with several of your peers, if they are also interested in that work; or you may interviewed with external candidates who may already be graduates.

Where are the placements and for how long?

Students are placed with UK-based nationally or internationally renowned music and arts organisations for a period of between 30 and 46 weeks. Most professional training opportunities have been based in London or the South East, because that is what students have wanted so far, but placements can be anywhere in the country through negotiation.

Are the placements salaried?

Not all music students receive a salary, but employers usually cover travel expenses or offer small bursaries. Depending on the type of placement, students may additionally receive tickets to concerts and be given valuable specific training, eg graphic computer programmes, presentation techniques. The most important fact is that all students benefit from high-quality mentoring and support from placement hosts who are experts in their field. This is a unique and distinct feature of professional training, which, again, distinguishes it from general internships.

What kinds of organisations offer placements?

Host companies have ranged in size from two or three people working for a charity to large, national organisations. When we look for placements we are particularly looking for organisations that will offer real, practical, hands-on experience that is structured, monitored and mentored. Organisations and companies that have participated in the scheme include the London Symphony Orchestra, South Hill Park Arts Centre, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal School of Church Music, Schott Music Publisher, The Orchestra of St John's, Faber Music Publishers, Sherriff Rosebriars Trust, the Royal Opera House, GU2 Radio, the Chelsea Festival, HMV, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cambridgeshire Music, Floating Earth and Signum Records.

We have developed strong relationships with host employers, many of whom not only take a professional training student each year, but have employed students upon graduation. We now have many students working in host organisations.

Is it difficult to return to study in final year?

Students sometimes feel apprehensive about coming back to study at University after a year 'out', but usually settle back in to University life fairly quickly. Most students say that working at University is easier than working out in the arts sector! You will return to the final year of the programme with a deeper understanding of the policies and practical issues that affect the arts which you can then apply effectively to academic study. You will find that your organisational, time management and prioritising skills really help you with your academic work. C course final year students often find that their academic marks improve quite dramatically, which helps them gain a better final degree mark.

What are the main benefits of professional training?

Benefits of undertaking a one-year professional placement include:

The opportunity to test strengths and abilities in a real and busy work context
Discovering how you respond to the challenges of your potential future career
Development of a greater sense of career direction
Greater awareness of employment opportunities and options after graduation
Developing transferable skills and improvement in presentation, communication and inter-personal skills in a professional context
The opportunity to establish a network of useful contacts which could lead to employment
A wide variety of experience in the application of theory in a practical context
Developing skills and knowledge in specific areas which can contribute towards project work and study in the final year
A deeper understanding of the policies and practical issues that affect the arts
Enhanced team working and leadership
Increased motivation for study as the relevance of academic work becomes clearer
Personal development through increased self-confidence, independence and maturity

Modules

Level 1

The first-year subjects, listed below, will give you a thorough grounding in the principles of music plus the opportunity to choose a number of optional subject areas. There are no specific C course modules this year, but there are social opportunities to meet second-, final-year and placement students throughout the year.

Core modules:

Analysis - you will be introduced to various analytical techniques applicable to tonal music from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Ensemble - you will receive coaching in chamber music and all aspects of ensemble playing. You will participate in orchestras, choirs, workshops and seminars.
Harmony - this module covers a number of styles from the 18th century to the early 20th century. As well as composing pastiche exercises, you will also study the harmony and counterpoint of Bach, Schubert, Schumann and Mahler.
Keyboard Skills - in the first year all students receive individual and group piano lessons.
Knowledge of Instruments - you will be taught all the basic musical characteristics of most instruments and how to write for them.
Careers with Music - this module gives students an overview of the range of career opportunities available in the music business.
Study Skills - this module is designed to equip you with the basic skills required for effective academic study of Music at tertiary level.
Understanding Music 1 and 2 - these modules introduce the basic principles of, and ideologies behind, current approaches to the study of a wide range of musical styles. In addition to Western classical music from the Renaissance to the present day, these modules also cover film music, jazz, world music and popular music.

And three of the following options:

Composition - you will study a wide range of styles of contemporary repertoire and be given a number of compositional tasks. The emphasis is on exploration and experimentation and you will be encouraged to pursue your own musical interests. All musical styles are perfectly acceptable.
Introduction to Orchestration - you will develop the skills involved in instrumental arrangement. Typical exercises include arranging a piano piece for a large ensemble.
The Science of Sound - you will be introduced to some fundamental aspects of acoustics and music technology in order to provide a grounding for further study in music technology.
Solo Performance - you will receive frequent and regular lessons in your first study instrument in order to help you develop your instrumental skills. You will have the opportunity to take full advantage of all the performing opportunities within in the department.

Second Year

In addition to the two core modules, C course students also take Professional Training Preparation, although this is marked at Level P as part of the Professional Training experience.

Core Modules:

Arts Policy and Practice - this module covers the arts funding system in Britain and introduces common policies and issues that shape and influence the music and arts professions and arts provision.
Music Administration and Management - introduces the student to the basic principles of arts administration, project management and arts marketing and provides hands-on experience, through the administration, marketing and management of music events on and off campus.

Options:

18th Century Harmony and Counterpoint - the module is designed to increase you technical understanding of 18th century harmony and counterpoint by working through a number of pastiche exercises.
19th Century Studies - you will explore a range of repertoire from the 19th century and address relevant historical, critical and stylistic issues. You will also consider the repertoire in relation to its cultural context.
20th Century Analysis - this module involves the close study of a number of important 20th century works in a variety of styles of genres.
Composition - at level 2, students are expected to demonstrate an enhanced individual style and interact with confidence with performers of their music. The module assessment includes the rehearsing, performing and recording of compositions as well as the preparation of scores.
Classical Studies - this module aims to help the student develop an understanding of the context, historical and practical, within which the classical symphony evolved. A number of classical symphonies will be analysed through the course.
Early Modernism - this module focuses on the period c.1885-1920, placing the work of significant composers in the context of contemporaneous developments in art and wider thought of the period.
Ensemble - at level 2, ensemble includes a course in conducting as well as performing in various chamber and large ensembles.
Film Music - by studying and viewing nine set films, the student will develop an understanding of the different functions of music in film. The course also offers those interested the opportunity to compose a short score to a film extract.
Historical Performance Practice - this module aims to develop understanding of issues in the historically-informed performance of music from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries.
Music Technology 1: History, Repertoire and Aesthetics - this course covers the history and aesthetics of electroacoustic music in styles ranging from the post-war avant-garde to dance music of the 1990s. A close study is made of film scores that use electronic music and the module also covers technical information.
Music Technology 2: Composing with Computers - this course aims to develop the students' understanding of the computer systems and software involved in generating, processing and editing musical material for acoustic and electroacoustic compositions.
Opera Studies - by looking closely a number of European operas from the 19th and 20th century, this course aims to study the dramatic use of music and words in opera.
Orchestration - as well as orchestrating in the style of composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, students will develop skills in arranging for unusual ensembles of mixed-ability players.
Popular Song Analysis - during this module you will develop analytical strategies pertinent to a range of recorded popular music, and employ these in discovering how popular music works and what it means.
Renaissance Studies - this modules covers the writing of pastiche 16th century counterpoint and the detailed analysis of a set work.
Research Project - students are free to choose their own topic for a detailed study. The project will help develop your research and writing skills.
Solo Performance - at level 2 you will receive intensive training your first study instrument through a generous quota of individual lessons. You will be expected to take full advantage of all the performing opportunities within in the department and present a full and varied performance diary at the end of the year.
Tonal Analysis - this module develops further the analytical techniques learnt in level 1 analysis. These are now applied to the expanded tonal styles of the late 19th and early 20th century.
World Music - introduces the student to styles and genres of music outside the Western classical and popular traditions, and also to ways of thinking about such musics.

Professional Training Period

The Senior Professional Placement Tutor will work with you to analyse your strengths and interests, to prepare you for the placement period and to help you choose and organise an appropriate placement and host organisation.

Core modules which make up the Level P mark:
Professional Training Preparation – taken during the second year, in preparation for approaching employers, undertaking interviews and starting work.
Workplace Assessments by visiting tutors – students are assigned a tutor who will make three visits during the placement to help the student reflect upon, and make the most, of the training experiences encountered, after meeting supervisor(s) and student.
Mid-Placement Report – a report of no more than 2,500 words submitted by the student to articulate and reflect upon the experience and learning to that date.
Final Report – a report submitted in final year of no more than 3,500 words which critically reviews the main tasks, achievements and learning of the placement.
Employer’s Report – a report written by the employer post-training period that assesses the development of the student as an employee across the period of the placement.
Oral presentation – a professional presentation which reviews and reflects upon the professional training experience, given by the student upon return to university to an audience of staff and peers.

Level 3

The final year again allows you to design your own programme of studies. There are two core modules and then you can choose from a wide range of optional modules.

Core Modules:

Professional Investigation - students conduct their own research to produce a report on an area of professional practice which could benefit practitioners working in the music/arts professions.
Music Administration and Management Issues - this discussion-based module explores current arts research and developing theories in arts management of direct relevance to the music/arts professions.

Options:

19th Century Musical Thought and Aesthetics - this module provides a detailed survey of changing perspectives in thought and aesthetics on music of the 19th century.
20th Century Studies 1: British Music from Elgar to Britten - explores a delimited repertory from the first half of the 20th century and addresses relevant historical, socio-political, and technical issues.
20th Century Studies 2: Serialism: Extensions and Reactions - is similar in structure and content to 20th Century Studies 1 except that it explores repertory from the second half of the 20th century.
Analysis: Theory and Methodology - provides the student with an understanding of Schenkerian analytical methodologies and the theoretical foundations of which they are based.
Baroque Studies 1 - this module focuses on two distinct areas of Baroque music, Italian opera and the concerto in Germany.
Baroque Studies 2 - concentrates on fugal writing and covers the composition of fugal expositions and the detailed analysis of large- scale fugues.
Early 19th Century Studies - this modules explores a delimited repertory from the late works of Beethoven and Schubert and addresses relevant historical, critical, analytical, and stylistic issues.
Composition - in the final year, students present an extensive portfolio of compositions and recordings.
Conducting - this module gives students the opportunity to take conducting to a high level. There are opportunities to conduct the University choirs and orchestras and intensive coaching is given on a weekly basis.
Dissertation - writing a dissertation on a freely chosen topic allows in-depth scholarly treatment of a subject area which would not otherwise be covered, at this level, in the programme curriculum.
Ensemble - as well as developing skills in ensemble performance this module also trains students' critical faculties. Students will be given the opportunity to write critiques of a wide range of professional performances.
Jazz Studies - this module develops appreciation, understanding and knowledge of the main styles of Jazz as they evolved throughout the 20th century.
Oral Presentation - for this module you will be expected to make an oral presentation on a topic of your choosing and offer summaries and critiques of departmental Research Seminars which are given by UniS staff and visiting speakers in aspects of composition, performance and musicology.
Pluralism - develops the student's awareness of, and ability to critique, the representations of pluralist influences (such as popular musics, the music of other cultures and the music of the distant past) within 20th century Western music.
Progressive Issues in Rock - investigates a discrete repertoire within popular music ('Progressive Rock') and locates it within wider stylistic and cultural tendencies.
Recital - this module involves intensive high level training on an instrument or voice leading to a public recital in May. Students receive long weekly individual lessons and a programme of study that is ideally suited to students wishing to pursue a post-graduate course at one of the music conservatoires.
Rock Track Poetics - aims to develop students' interpretive faculties with respect to a range of genres of popular music, and to increase the degree of subtlety of cultural location in students' understanding.

Assessment

You will be assessed by coursework and examinations throughout the course. The final degree award is based upon your overall performance in the second and final years.

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