The MA Music (Contemporary Music Studies) examines aspects of methodology, repertoire studies and cultural theory within a wide-ranging programme of investigation into the role of contemporary music in the society for which it is created.

You’ll explore the key methodologies appropriate for scholarly study of the music of the present and recent past, such as oral history and contrasting approaches to musical ‘close reading’.

Musical repertoires, and notions of repertoire, are examined, and you are encouraged to ask such questions as whether the boundaries often considered to exist between, for example, ‘contemporary concert music’ and ‘popular music’ are still meaningful for practitioners, listeners and scholars today.

Various approaches to cultural theory are viewed in the light of what they might bring to the study of contemporary music of different kinds.

The understandings developed in your coursework culminate in the methods and approaches demonstrated in your dissertation.

This gives you the opportunity to address particular challenges of studying and writing about the music of our time arising from your own musical and theoretical enthusiasms.

The programme appeals to a wide range of students concerned to develop their understanding of today’s music and keen to harness this to relevant intellectual skills.

While designed as an open-ended programme of study that can subsequently be applied in many ways within, and outside, the musical profession, it will be of special value to those preparing for further postgraduate research, and those considering careers in teaching, journalism, arts administration or the culture industries.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Keith Potter.

Institute of Contemporary Music Performance

Brent | London

SIMILAR UNIVERSITIES

NO DATA

UCAS code: I25Located in London and established for almost 30 years, we have been developing and delivering cutting-edge courses to students of contemporary music for longer than any other UK-based school. Our reputation has been built on developing and providing world-class education and training using the very best tutors and state-of-the-art facilities.
SOURCE: WEBSITE

FIND A COURSE AT THIS UNIVERSITYVIEW ALL COURSES (38)

How students describe this university

SOURCE:THE WHICH? UNIVERSITY STUDENT SURVEYWe asked more than 11,000 undergraduates to say how far they would describe their uni as having the following characteristics. We carry out this analysis where we have scores from at least 30 students. You can also see whether these ratings are high, medium or low compared to other universities.We’re sorry, we haven’t been able to speak to enough students get reliable descriptions of this institution yet.