Music BA

Explore how music has the power to impact and change people’s lives. 

We will cover topics on music as experienced within a range of real-world contexts, including:

• participatory music making
• health settings
• disability
• young people
• education
• the environment
• activism. 

Weekly topics will address issues of policy, lived experience, clinical settings, participation and community.

Gain a comprehensive introduction to music history, through a series of special topics. These will expand your understanding of repertoires, practices and contexts.

You will also develop critical thinking skills, improve your ability to interpret evidence, and conduct independent research.

The module divides into: 

• collaborative sessions on important debates in music history
• laboratory sessions on special historical topics, where you can apply your knowledge
• exchanging ideas across your chosen topics. 

You will choose topics from a list of options. Each one is structured around a distinct genre, practice, geography or time period. These may cover a variety of music forms, from art to popular music, spanning from the Middle Ages to the present.

Topics may vary from year to year.

This module introduces the art of orchestration. 

You will:

• learn how to write for orchestral instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and harp
• investigate diverse approaches to writing for orchestra in different historical periods.

For the final coursework, you will undertake an original orchestration and write an analytical essay on your creative approach.

Using a variety of technologies this module explores sound theory and sonic husbandry in order to cultivate an organic approach to sound creation. Deepening on topics first introduced in Digital Composition, students probe ever more diverse and adventurous synthesis, sampling, sound to picture and mix techniques as they work towards completing a digital portfolio of music constructed from sounds composed, curated and created entirely from scratch.

To provide further depths of knowledge and advanced skills in sonic manipulation. To:Demonstrate ability to adapt and apply compositional techniques in the digital realmAttain a deep understanding of appropriate synthesis techniquesProgram and manipulate digital samples creativelyCompose music relevant to industry related project briefsRecord and edit audio and MIDI creativelyWork with music/sound design alongside digital video formatsApply core and creative mix techniques in the completion of projectsAdhere to industry standard audio file and project file formats.

This module introduces the art of composing for voice. 

You will explore different styles of vocal music, practice writing songs and choral pieces, and get an introduction to composing for musical theatre and opera.

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• Compose original vocal compositions
• Understand the key challenges for performers and how to address them as a composer
• Notate compositions accurately 
• Analyse vocal music from different historical periods and genres
• Analyse how music interacts with words and theatre across different vocal genres.

Content to be confirmed.

This module, Music, Ethics, and Identity, explores how our identity, preferences, and self-expression are linked to music. It introduces theories of identity, such as critical race theory and feminist thought, and uses case studies on ethnicity, gender, religion, and more to examine how music relates to identity and ethical issues in today’s society. These case studies will cover various styles and genres, including popular music, musical theatre, film music, and classical music. 
 

You will learn about the relationship between music, ethics, and identity. The module will explore how aspects of identity like race, religion, gender, queerness, and class influence the creation, listening, and performance of music. You will be introduced to key identity theories as you relate to music and will understand the ethical implications of linking identity to art. 

Discover the different styles and uses of music in cinema and other media – including television, video games, and advertisements – as we explore the aesthetic, cultural, and technical aspects of music in these contexts.

Topics may include:

• silent films
• early sound films
• Hollywood's golden era
• film genres (film noir, animation, musicals, westerns, sci-fi, thrillers, horror, war)
• trends in global cinema
• using pre-existing music in films
  
• jazz, pop, and electronic soundtracks.

For your coursework essay, you are encouraged to apply what you’ve learned to films, genres, or media that interest you.

Music has always been an important part of social and political life, actively shaping and changing lives and events.

We explore the role that music and sound have played in how moments of conflict and heightened political stakes have been represented, imagined and memorialised in recent history.

You will develop:

• An understanding of the role of music and sound in modern conflicts
• A critical awareness of musical meaning, the role of music in society, and the history of sound
• The ability to analyse a wide variety of music from different wartime periods and political protests.

Discover how music has historically helped us explore life’s big questions - our place on Earth, our potential as a species, and our ultimate direction. 

While many religious and spiritual traditions include music in their practices, we will focus on individual artistic responses.

Through a playlist of European and North American works, from 18th-century classical pieces to 21st-century popular music, you will investigate music’s unique ability to express complex ideas and offer comfort in times of need.

Although we emphasise music created outside formal religious settings (like songs, albums, and concert works), lectures will also touch on relevant religious musical traditions where appropriate.

This module introduces you to thinking and writing about popular music and its connection to society over the last century.

We will explore different critical and theoretical perspectives, focusing on historical, cultural, and social issues in the popular music industries in North America, Europe, and beyond.

We will cover various approaches and discuss current topics related to specific songs, videos, and case studies.

By the end of the module, you will:

• Understand the diversity of theories related to global popular music, and identify common themes
• Be able to ask important questions about how popular music reflects and influences social practices
• Explore connections between popular music and other cultural traditions and art forms.

The recording studio is one of the key spaces where technology and creative musical practice meet.

You'll develop professional skills in:

• applications of microphones and their placement within a variety of acoustic spaces, and for a variety of instrumentation.
• mixing techniques with reference to current standards
• audio processing, signal paths and workflows
• file-types applicable to recent trends in musical consumption

You'll work in small groups to allow you to specialise in techniques and styles for your particular music interests such as chamber music, jazz ensemble, rock or ethno-music groups.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Over the past century, musical theatre has captivated audiences worldwide. Initially, it entertained, commented on contemporary issues and reflected social change. Film musicals played a pivotal role in mainstream cinema's development. Today, with phenomena like "Hamilton," the rise of "Ratatouille" and "Bridgerton" musicals, and the explosion of TikTok musicals, the form remains vibrant and adaptive.

This module offers an immersive introduction to musical theatre studies, combining the history of English-language shows with key topics such as race, gender and adaptation. It covers structural discrimination, including ableism, racism, sexism, queerphobia, hate speech and religious discrimination, with content signposted in advance.

This module is based around a challenge: how do we use the digital humanities?

You are presented with a series of problems about how we can use the arts and humanities to address some of the major issues we face in technology and society.

For example, the acceleration of technology in both private and public life is immense, but this rapid pace of change should not prevent reflection.

In this module, you consider the major contemporary issues of how technology shapes our present and our future. We respond to these concerns using the specific skillset of the arts and humanities, where we ask: what does it mean to be human?

This module is worth 10 credits.

Stand out in your job search with employability skills and hands-on experience.

Learn key skills, from constructing an outstanding CV to practicing interview technique, before completing a part-time placement in the spring. This will be for one day a week, or equivalent, for up to eight weeks.

You can apply for placements in relevant local organisations. The dedicated faculty placement team have an established list of providers, or you can arrange your own placement, subject to approval.

Our placements include a range of sectors, including:

• creative and cultural industries
• media
• marketing
• heritage and museums
• the music industry
• education
• charitable and third-sector organisations

These are subject to change each year.

You will develop a wide range of transferable skills, including:

• communication
• presentation
• organisation
• professionalism
• time management skills

Assessment is through an online portfolio of materials, including application materials, reflective writing and a research report.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Community engagement is important in many careers, from politics and social work to marketing and business.

We do not work in a vacuum - our research and activities are linked to individuals and groups across society. By learning to engage with communities, researchers can reach wide audiences, learn from them and collaboratively make a real contribution to overcoming social problems. 

We need to understand how engagement works in order to work collaboratively, respectfully and sustainability with communities.

In this module, we will:

• Explore how our staff and students work with communities – from supporting immigrant communities settling into Nottingham, to engaging with schools to promote literacy and career opportunities
• Discuss how activism and advocacy can become part of academic work
• Explore how community engagement is structured and organised and how we can ensure our work within the arts and humanities has relevance and impact for diverse audiences

This module will prepare you for your future career, by focusing on the key skill of the arts and humanities: our ability to support and engage with those around us.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Explore the histories and legacies of colonisation, alongside the routes to justice through decolonisation.

Using examples from across the globe, we explore the impact of colonisation on society, politics, economics, and culture.

You will consider contemporary examples and a wide range of evidence, sources and perspectives, including from:

• art
• film
• literature
• archive materials and documents
• music and performance

You will also explore the debates around reconciliation, restitution and justice.

Together we will build an interdisciplinary analysis, drawing upon the research of the whole faculty to uncover, assess and deconstruct the practices of colonialism and their implications for our contemporary world.  

This module is worth 10 credits.

Doing an arts and humanities degree means you’ll gain the skills which are essential for changing the world we live in. Not only that, you are uniquely positioned to understand people, processes and culture.

This module lets you apply that knowledge to solve a real-life problem. The aim is for you to develop your understanding of your degree, and the range of careers open to you.

You will work in an interdisciplinary team on a real project connected to impact, which we define as our ability to ‘make change happen’. These projects have been designed by individuals, groups and organisations that are looking to make a difference to our world. This might be about sustainability, business, equality, culture, politics or society.

Teams will be given a project brief. You will then be guided through how to shape a project, and how to work as a team and deliver results. This will give you the employment skills and experience to show how you can make an impact as an arts and humanities graduate.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Wellbeing, the crisis in mental health care, and clapping for NHS staff during the Covid pandemic are all examples of health humanities. On this module, you will be exploring contemporary challenges in this area.

To build a healthier society, enabling access to healthcare for all, we must consider how people act, behave and build connections.

You will look at:

• how the arts and humanities respond to major issues in health, medicine and wellbeing – i.e. exploring how individuals use art, literature and culture to understand pain and loss, or analysing human behaviour with regard to new medicines and our relationship to health sciences
• topics such as cultural representations of health, places of medical treatment, or the relationship between medicine and emotions

The major challenges in health provision and healthcare can be influenced and directed by the arts and humanities. This module shows you how this field can be a powerful tool for change.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Discover how our world is experienced through language.

We live in a global society, where different languages build our perceptions, ideas and values. In this module, we respect that difference and participate in it.

You will:

• Use multilingualism as a tool to challenge our own thinking and to comprehend the lives of others in society
• Work through etymologies and translations from a wide range of languages, including Russian, Spanish, French and German
• Learn how understanding languages - not just speaking and reading them - can be vital in contributing to our community, enriching your experience, and participating in a global society

No knowledge of any language is needed, as we focus on understanding what it means to live in our multi-lingual world.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Explore how Nottingham creates ideas, identities, culture and products, alongside how you as a student are also ‘Made in Nottingham’.

This module will help you begin shaping your skills for the career you want, drawing upon the way arts and humanities work has transformed the city.

From the entrepreneurs who have set up businesses or those who have created and enriched charities and social projects, to the writers, artists, musicians and teachers who have all been created in Nottingham. We use their experience, their understanding and their skills to help you define your own path for after university.

You will be able to build your profile through this module, develop your own career narrative to use in your future work as well as engage in the variety of opportunities that are open to you as an arts graduate.

Through this module, we’ll address what it means to be ‘Made in Nottingham’.

This module is worth 10 credits.