Music

Profile of the Programme

Our BMus degree provides our students with four categories of professional skills, all of which are necessary for a successful career in any area of music.

1. Core practical and theoretical skills for the professional musician.
   • The first two years of the degree revolve around each student’s Primary Study (or principle instrument), which includes 4 hours of weekly instruction: 1 hour individual instruction, 1 hour group instruction, and 2 hours of ensemble instruction. Parallel to this intensive study on their primary instruments, our students receive professional training in keyboard and aural skills, harmony and theory, music history, and choral singing.
2. A specialised qualification in a particular area of music.
3. During their final two years of study, our students must complete seven courses in one of the three following thematic areas:
   • Performance: this also consists of two more years of Advanced Primary Study, along with courses in performance practice, aspects of rhythm, analysis,applied jazz harmony, improvisation, and modal theory.
   • Music Education: students in this course gain practical and theoretical knowledge of various methodologies for teaching music to children, including actual teaching experience in local schools.
   • Creative Music Technology: this thematic area trains students to compose and create new musical works with the aid of the latest advances in computers and music technology.
4. Flexibility to develop one’s individual interests and talents.
5. In addition to the seven courses in their thematic area, music students also take an additional five courses in any area of music they wish, making the program highly adaptive to each student’s individual needs and interests.
6. A well-rounded general education that prepares students to succeed in a variety of professional contexts.

All music students take between six and eight courses in the area of general studies. General education courses improve the students’ vitally important skills in written and oral communication, and develop the students’ sense of the interconnectedness of their musical training to other professional and academic fields. The choice of general education courses is largely up to the individual student.

Career Prospects

On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to pursue a variety of professional musical activities and/or continue their studies a the post-graduate level.

Potential employment opportunities include:

• Performing musician
• Studio music instructor
• Public or private school music teacher
• Music and arts-related administration, including entrepreneurial careers.

Access to Further Studies

Graduates of the programme can be accepted into Second Cycle degrees (Master’s Degree)

The minimum admission requirement to an undergraduate programme of study is a recognized High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) or equivalent internationally recognized qualification(s). Students with a lower HSLC grade than 7.5/10 or 15/20 or equivalent depending on the grading system of the country issuing the HSLC are provided with extra academic guidance and monitoring during the first year of their studies.

In addition to the above, applicants must also satisfy the following requirements:

Audition and Interview

The BMus audition on the applicant’s primary study instrument will consist of three to four pieces that exhibit contrasting style periods (as appropriate to the instrument), tempi, and expressive and technical demands. The entire audition program should be no less than twenty minutes and should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to handle large musical works.

At the time of the audition, applicants will be interviewed by the BMus faculty and should be prepared to answer questions related to:

• Personal reflection on their past artistic and educational experiences;
• Their reasons for pursuing the BMus degree;
• How they expect the BMus degree to help them to fulfil their artistic and professional goals.

The audition repertoire will vary according to each applicant’s instrument but should generally reflect a good basic technique and knowledge of repertory, and an adequate level of musicianship. Below are two indicative examples of acceptable BMus audition programs. These are provided for illustrative purposes and actual audition programs must be approved in advance by the BMus Program Coordinator and the relevant instrument instructor.

Indicative Examples of BMus Audition Programs

Classical Piano

• All major and minor scales and arpeggios in four octaves, hands together
• A piece chosen from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or 20th Century eras. (Single movements of sonatas are acceptable)
• Sight reading

Classical Guitar

• A technical study or composition by Sor, Giuliani, or Carcassi
• A work from the Renaissance or Baroque Period
• A work from the standard repertory of the 19th- or 20th-century

Jazz Voice

• A ballad
• A swing song
• A song of your choice from the jazz standard or pop repertoire (i.e., ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, ‘It Could Happen to You’, ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘Misty’, etc.)

English Language Proficiency

The list below provides the minimum English Language Requirements (ELR) for enrollment to the programme of study. Students who do not possess any of the qualifications or stipulated grades listed below and hold IELTS with 4.5 and above, are required to take UNIC’s NEPTON English Placement Test (with no charge) and will receive English Language support classes.

• IELTS, 6 and above
• Anglia Examinations, Advanced and above
• Cambridge GCE AS Level English Language, C and above
• Cambridge GCE English A Levels, C and above
• Cambridge IGCSE or GCSE English as a First language, C and above
• Cambridge IGCSE or GCSE English as a Second language, B and above
• IB English A: Literature SL & HL, 4 and above
• IB English Standard Level (SL), 5 and above
• IB English High Level (HL), 4 and above
• Michigan Language Assessment (also known as Proficiency of Michigan), 650 and above
• Password Test, 6 and above
• TOEFL (IBT), 72 and above
• Cambridge Exams (First Certificate), 160 and above or Pass
• Cambridge Exams (Proficiency Certificate), 180 and above or Pass

Course assessment usually comprises of a comprehensive final exam and continuous assessment. Continuous assessment can include amongst others, mid terms, projects, and class participation. Letter grades are calculated based on the weight of the final exam and the continuous assessment and the actual numerical marks obtained in these two assessment components. Based on the course grades the student’s semester grade point average (GPA) and cumulative point average (CPA) are calculated.

The student must complete 240 ECTS and all programme requirements. A minimum cumulative grade point average (CPA) of 2.0 is required.
Thus, although a ‘D-‘ is a PASS grade, in order to achieve a CPA of 2.0 an average grade of ‘C’ is required. In addition, All students must complete a junior performance recital in the third year of study. Additionally, students with Thematic Areas in the classical and jazz performance must complete a senior recital in the fourth year of study.

By the end of the programme the graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate technical skills of artistic expression.
• Express knowledge of a wide variety of musical repertoire.
• Perform in a variety of ensemble situations and solo situations.
• Practice and rehearse effectively, alone and with groups.
• Demonstrate a high level of musical literacy.
• Demonstrate a high level of aural, creative, and re-creative skills.
• Communicate effectively orally an in writing.
• Demonstrate familiarity with some academic fields other than music.
• Demonstrate an advanced level of technical and expressive ability on their primary study
• Demonstrate advanced familiarity with classical repertory (Classical Performance).
• Improvise creatively, reflecting appropriate knowledge of jazz style, harmony, and form. (students taking jazz classes)
• Demonstrate high understanding of theoretical principles of music education (Music Education)
• Execute a variety of pedagogical methodologies in various practical teaching situations (Music Education).
• Demonstrate a high understanding of the theory and history of the interaction of technology (Creative Music Technology).
• Use a variety of technologies to capture, create, and manipulate various forms of sound for artistic purposes (Creative Music Technology).

Note: The above semester breakdown is an indicative one. A few of the courses are electives and can be substituted by others. Students may contact their academic advisor and consult their academic pathway found on this website under “Schools & Programmes”.