BA Music

About this course

Music as a degree-level discipline goes well beyond performance, though performance remains central to it. It encompasses the theory and analysis of musical structures, the history of Western and non-Western music, composition, music technology, and the critical and cultural frameworks through which music is understood as a social and aesthetic practice. Studying music at university develops your ability to listen with precision, to understand how musical works are constructed and how they create meaning, and to engage both practically and analytically with one of the most universal of human activities. At York St John University you will study music on a part-time basis, joining a vibrant and welcoming musical community in which the emphasis is firmly on practical engagement in music making. You will develop your practical skills in performance and composition alongside theoretical and historical understanding, working with fellow musicians and tutors who share a genuine passion for musical practice. A sandwich year and the opportunity for a year abroad add professional and international dimensions to your musical education, and work placement is integrated into the programme, connecting your studies to professional music environments beyond the university. Graduates of music programmes pursue careers as performers, composers, music educators, session musicians, music producers, sound engineers, arts administrators, music journalists, music therapists and broadcast media professionals. Many combine several of these roles in portfolio careers that reflect the varied and often non-linear nature of professional music life. Teaching is a significant route for music graduates, both in schools and as independent instrumental teachers. Others move into the music industry in roles spanning management, publishing, touring logistics and digital distribution. Many go on to postgraduate study in performance, composition, ethnomusicology, music technology or music education, deepening their practice or developing specialist expertise.

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