Music (with Foundation Year) Undergraduate - 2021 Entry

Our Music degrees provide the opportunity to studying, create and perform music in a lively, creative environment. With a well-established Music School that embraces both the traditional and the modern in the study of music, our exciting course allows you to explore music through a variety of subject areas including: musicology, analysis, performance, composition, critical theory, genre and more.

Our Music (with Foundation Year) BA option is a four-year course with an integrated foundation year which leads to the same qualification as our three-year honours degree. It has been specifically designed for those wanting to undertake degree-level study but who may not meet the entry requirements or have traditional qualifications.

The Foundation Year (Year 0) offers you the chance to expand and strengthen your confidence, skills and knowledge – ensuring that you are well-prepared and qualified to progress into Year 1 of the undergraduate degree.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• Music at Bangor University is rated top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction (The Complete University Guide 2021)
• We offer a wide range of options, allowing you to shape your course to reflect your interests and strengths.
• Music Performance Scholarships are offered to the most promising instrumentalists and/or vocalists.
• 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.
• Our enthusiastic staff comprises active composers, musicologists and performers, whose expertise covers all angles of musical study. Staff work at the cutting edge of research in music and all have international reputations in their fields
• Much teaching is in small groups, providing a stimulating and supportive learning environment.
• 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 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 be the 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).

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. You will also 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.

What will you study on this course?

In Year 0 you will take modules intended to familiarise you with key concepts and principles and helping you to develop academic skills and understanding that you will utilise in greater depth later in the degree: Language of Music, Essential skills for Arts & Humanities, Arts, Humanities and the Future; Introduction to Research and Inquiry, Foundation Project. You will also have the option to take a module from a list of available options.

In Year 1 you will follow compulsory modules that provide a solid grounding in the subject area. You will also select further modules form an available list, that may include: Solo Performance, Composition, Sonic Art. There is also the opportunity in this course to take up to two modules in another discipline.

In Years 2 & 3 you will taking more specialist modules and investigating themes and topics in greater depth. In addition to further developing your musical skills and knowledge, you will also be introduced to more specialist approaches, theories and concepts. You will follow compulsory modules and select further modules from a list of available options.

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 (with Foundation Year) 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 2021 Entry:

Typical offer is based on a minimum 48 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g.

• A Levels (including: AS-levels, General Studies)
• International Baccalaureate
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
• BTEC Diplomas and Certificate are accepted and Cambridge Technical Diplomas / Certificates
• Cambridge Technical Diplomas and Certificates
• City & Guilds Advanced Technical Diplomas
• Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted
• Scottish Highers
• Irish Leaving Certificate is accepted

We also welcome applications from mature applicants. Mature students and/or those with other qualifications are considered on individual merit

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

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.