Music Undergraduate - 2021 Entry

Studying, creating and performing music of all eras in a lively atmosphere of creative activity and scholarly endeavor. We offer the opportunity to study a variety of music styles from different perspectives.

Placement Year

This course is available as a 4-year ‘with Placement Year’ option. Please apply for Music with Placement Year BMus W32P. Find out more about 'with Placement Year' coures here. 

The placement year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.

You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree, and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Skills and Employability Services.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• We offer a wide range of options, allowing you to shape your course to reflect your interests and strengths.
• Our enthusiastic staff comprises active composers, musicologists and performers, whose expertise covers all angles of musical study.
• Much teaching is in small groups, providing a stimulating and supportive learning environment.
• Our staff work at the cutting edge of research in music and all have international reputations in their fields.
• Concerts at Bangor feature chamber music (including residences by Ensemble Cymru and the Allegri Quartet, who also give masterclasses), recitals by leading singers and instrumentalists, acousmatic music from Electroacoustic Wales, and regular visits by both the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, there is an annual Music Festival concentrating on contemporary music (tickets are available to students at greatly reduced prices).
• University ensembles include a symphony orchestra and a large choir (Bangor University Symphony Orchestra and Chorus), a chamber choir, and an opera group. Student performers have the opportunity to play concertos with the University Symphony Orchestra; and visiting professionals frequently perform pieces composed by our students.
• The University Music Society also runs an orchestra and choir; other Students’ Union societies include a brass band, a jazz band, and a musicals society.
• We have a fully equipped theatre, 2 fine concert halls, and 2 building of our own – with state-of -the-art teaching rooms, rehearsal space, study areas, social learning spaces, and a number of sound-proofed individual practice rooms. There is a full complement of grand and upright pianos, harpsichords, organs, harps, percussion and world instruments. Our 5 studios are equipped to international standards for recording, research and composition. The Library contains over 3,000 CDs and over 30,000 scores.
• We subscribe to an extensive range of online resources, including Naxos Music Library and Grove Music Online. There are also fully-equipped open-access computers, with Sibelius and other music software installed.
• Bangor University is proud to bethe world’s leading centre for the study of Welsh music. We are home to the Archive of Traditional Welsh Music (with many original sources and recordings for the study of music in Wales), the Welsh Popular Music Archive (which houses a significant collection of recordings), and the Crossley-Holland Collection (which includes over 600 unique world instruments).
• Music Performance Scholarships are offered to the most promising instrumentalists and/or vocalists.

You will have around 12 hours of lectures, seminars and tutorials each week. Solo Performance is taught through an innovative combination of individual tuition, workshops and masterclasses. In addition, you will spend time on background reading, listening to music, completing essays and coursework and preparing for seminars as well as rehearsing and performing in ensembles, choirs and orchestras. Several modules include field trips, for example to concerts, record companies and music publishers, and we have excellent links with leading organisations in the UK, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Sain (Records) etc. Others involve short placements outside the University (for example Music in the Community). You may expect to spend between one-third and two-thirds of the final year working on independent music projects.

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Music Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

Mandatory Costs:

Core module (WXM 1001, The Study of Music): purchase of text book A History of Western Music: £25 (usual price £39).

Or

Core module (WXC 1001, Astudio Cerddoriaeth): purchase of text book Hanes Cerddoriaeth y Gorllewin: £15 (usual price £25) [earlier edition of the English version].

Although we are moving to online submissions as of 2017-18, a minority of modules may require students to print out a copy of the assignment (i.e. they will not be suitable for online submission). These costs will vary according to students.

Necessarily Incurred Costs:

Instruments, instrument consumables (e.g. reeds, strings), instrument repairs, will vary from student to student.

Pontio concert tickets - varies, but on average around £50 a year.

Optional Costs:

Optional Year 1 module, Composition (WXK 1011) or Cyfansoddi (WXC 1011): purchase of text book, Composing Contemporary Music or Cyfansoddi Cerddoriaeth Gyfoes: £10 (usual cost £15).

Optional Year 3 module, Teaching in Context (WXM 3270): DBS check, if applicable (may not be to all students, depending on project chosen): £44.

Software (if students wish to work at home rather than on campus).

Sheet music (if students wish to have their own copies rather than using those in the Library).

Optional trips (e.g. annual BBC National Orchestra of Wales workshop in Cardiff) – cost varies.

Additional Tickets for School Graduation Tea: £10 per head.

General University Costs

Home (UK) students

• The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,000 per year (2021/22 entry).
• More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.

International (including EU) students

• International Student Tuition Fees
• International Student Living Costs and Scholarships

Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:

• If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
• If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).

Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:

1. Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
2. Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
3. Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.

For entry 2021:

For all Music courses the ability to read staff notation is required. 

Offers are tariff based, 80 - 128 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g.:

• A Levels (including grade C in Music or in conjunction with alternative qualifications listed below **)
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (including grade H5 in Music)
• BTEC National/Extended Diploma in Music: MMP - DDM
• Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMP - DDM**
• City & Guilds Advanced Technical/ Extended Diploma: considered case by case**
• Access**
• Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted.
• Points from grade examinations are taken into consideration where appropriate, but are not normally      included in the offer.

International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements), details here.

We also welcome applications from mature applicants.

*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com.

** Can be considered in conjunction with grade C in A level Music; or merit in the ABRSM/Trinity/LCM/Rockschool Grade 5 Theory/Grade 7 Practical; or IB Higher in Music.

General University Requirements

To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.

We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.

All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.

As part of the University’s policy we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.

We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.   

EU and International Students' Entry Requirements

For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.

Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.

While many graduates pursue careers in the area of music, these degrees are also good preparation for a wide range of employment in administration, commerce, management, and other professions. Our graduates have become professional performers, composers, university lecturers, researchers, teachers, arts administrators, music therapists, music publishers, librarians, concert managers, community arts officers, stage managers, recording and broadcasting producers, and sound engineers. Many former students have followed these degrees with further musical training, as performers, scholars or composers, and there are opportunities for all these at Bangor.

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Skills and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions. 

The Bangor Employability Award (BEA) 

With the BEA, you can gain recognition for your extra-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering, clubs and societies, part-time work, etc.) 

Internships

Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments. 

Student Volunteering

Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about the volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.