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Music (Classical) with Foundation Year

Leeds Conservatoire

UCAS Code: W30F | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements


As per UCAS tariff

As per UCAS tariff

As per UCAS tariff

As per UCAS tariff

As per UCAS tariff

As per UCAS tariff

UCAS Tariff

64

64 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 studies or equivalent, (which normally include A Level Music or a BTEC Extended Diploma in a Music-related subject), plus 3 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above to include English Language. Combinations of Level 3 qualifications are accepted.

You may also need to…

Perform an audition

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music

We believe that being a classical musician today involves mastery of technique, creative application of theory and adaptability – making you at home in any musical context – and the Foundation Year route at Leeds Conservatoire will give you an extra year to focus on your musical development. There are numerous opportunities to perform with core ensembles such as Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Choir, Opera and opportunities to explore recent classical music with the exciting crossover amplified group New Music Collective. There is a vibrant student union within the conservatoire, which also runs its own ensembles and orchestra, so there are many ways in which students are active as performers and composers. Leeds Conservatoire has recently formed a partnership with Opera North that will increase access for students to gain real professional experience via side-by-side projects. The emphasis is on challenging students to achieve highly, but supporting and nurturing them also.

This course follows the same specifications as our three year BA (Hons) Music (Classical) except that the extra Foundation Year allows for students who need an extra year of study to achieve the standard of our entry requirements for the 3-year BA. The Foundation Year modules include one to one tuition on your principal instrument/voice/composition, as well as skills development in ensemble work (or group composition), music theory and aural skills. Contextual Studies focuses on the repertoire of your chosen pathway, as well as cross pathway musicology and practical and collaborative sessions focusing on creative skills. The Musicianship Skills modules allows all students who have completed their Grade 5 theory prior to the start of the course to choose an elective module to supplement the core curriculum. The list of options includes subjects like music technology, keyboard skills, pathway specific composition and creative performance techniques.

On completion of the Foundation Year you will continue to Year 1 of the BA (Hons) Music (Classical).

From Level 4 one to one study is augmented with weekly Performance in Context and Composition in Context classes. Historical musicology is thematically explored alongside critical listening and harmony, as well as other valuable skills that are aimed to bring contextual understanding to the primary focus of practical musicianship.

Leeds is a vibrant musical city and students are regularly given the opportunity to hear professional music-making of the highest standard and are given numerous opportunities to perform within the city and the wider region. Study is supplemented by regular masterclasses by visiting world-class musicians and composition students are given at least two opportunities per year to write for visiting professional ensembles.

Modules

The BA (Hons) Music (Classical) with Foundation Year modules focus on developing you as a professional musician through one-to-one tuition, ensemble study and creative projects. The professional studies strand will develop your core business skills, and other optional modules will introduce additional cross-genre skills.

The programme has strands in Specialist Study and Contextual Studies that span the four levels of the programme, as well as a Professional Studies strand throughout Levels 4, 5 and 6. Students focus primarily on their Specialist Study.

Foundation Year (Level 3)
Compulsory modules:
Specialist Study Foundation
Specialist Group Study Foundation
Contextual Studies Foundation
Musicianship Skills
Aural and Theory

Year 1 (Level 4)
Compulsory modules:
Specialist Study 1
Specialist Group Study 1
Contextual Studies 1
Professional Studies 1: Working in the Creative Industries
Creative Project

Year 2 (Level 5)
Compulsory modules:
Specialist Study 2
Specialist Group Study 2
Contextual Studies 2
Professional Studies 2

Contextual Studies 2 optional modules, one of:
Arranging and Orchestration
Collaborative Composition
Entrepreneurship
Introduction to Music Technology
Music and Ideology
Music for the Moving Image
Musical Direction
Performance with Electronics
Songwriting

Professional Studies 2 optional modules, one of:
Artistic Management
Business Start-up
Concerts and Touring
Instrumental Music Tuition
Self-Promotion and Music Marketing
Structure and Functions of the Film Music Industry
Working with Music in the Community

Year 3 (Level 6)
Compulsory modules:
Specialist Study 3
Final Project
Contextual Studies 3
Professional Studies 3

Students select either a Group/Ensemble Performance Project, a Practice in Context Research Project or Musical Direction/Conducting for their Final Project module.

Contextual Studies 3 optional modules, one of:
Composed Theatre
Composition and Production for Film and Television
Computer-Based Composition
Electroacoustic Composition
Emerging Music Models
Extended Improvisation
Intercultural Music
Software Environments – Performance and Sound Creation

Professional Studies 3 optional modules, one of:
Business Leadership and Ethics
Community Music Project
Film Music – Aesthetics and Narrative Function
Live Music Management
Music Journalism

Module specifications can be accessed via the Leeds Conservatoire website:
http://bit.ly/LC-ClassFY-UCAS

Assessment methods

The course is assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the diversity of creative and professional practice. Assessment methods include performance recitals/composition portfolios, technical tests, online portfolios, presentations and written work. The exact nature of assessments will depend on the Musicianship Skills, Contextual Studies and Professional Studies module options chosen at Level 3, Level 5 and Level 6, as well as the choice of project for the Final Project module at Level 6. Formal assessments tend to take place at the end of each semester or the end of the year. There are a handful of assignments with deadlines halfway through a semester.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,250
per year
International
£15,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leeds Conservatoire

Department:

School of Performance

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What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

79%
Music

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

84%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
87%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£13k

£13k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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