BA (Hons) Jazz

Duration
3 years full-time

Vaildated by
The Open University
more information

The BA (Hons) Jazz programme offers an exciting alternative to the conventional music degree and relates directly to the skills required by contemporary musicians working in jazz-influenced areas. The course grew out of the first British jazz course, which was established at the College in the 1960s and has maintained an international reputation.

Students choose to study either performance or composition as their Principal Study, and specify this at the point of application.

Principal Study Performance

As a specialist performer you will receive individual tuition focusing on the development of performance technique and repertoire. In the final year, you will give an assessed public performance.

Principal Study Composition

As a specialist composer, you will receive individual and small seminar group tuition each year, focusing on the development of an individual compositional style.

The course is divided into three core areas of study: Performance Studies, Composition Studies, and Historical, Critical and Analytical Studies.

Performance Studies

You will develop your individual and ensemble performance skills under the guidance of a distinguished team of teachers and ensemble coaches. In addition to core degree modules in ensemble studies, improvisation and general musicianship, you will have the opportunity to play in a range of College ensembles, including the big bands, jazz combos, vocal groups and contemporary music ensembles. Through your ensemble work you will develop skills in musical direction, rehearsal techniques and improvisation, and will have the opportunity to undertake a community music project working with amateur musicians to realise a community-based performance event. You will also take part in regular performance workshops led by the College’s Artists in Residence and will develop skills in both live and studio-based performance techniques.

Composition Studies

Composition Studies focuses on the development of contemporary composition and arrangement techniques that will enable you to create new music in a range of jazz idioms and for a variety of contexts. You will have the opportunity to have your work performed in workshops and student concerts, and will receive training on the latest technology, using industry-standard music notation software to produce professional scores of your compositions and arrangements.

Musicology (Historical, Critical and Analytical Studies)

Historical, Critical and Analytical Studies examines the principal developments in jazz and the context in which they occurred through an innovative programme of study. You will also study the relationship between jazz and other musical genres of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and will have the opportunity to study jazz and its relationship to popular culture.

In addition to the three core areas of study, you will undertake a module relating to the music industry.

Music Business and Career Management

A series of lectures, seminars and workshops with College staff and visiting industry practitioners will introduce you to the most significant aspects of the music business, including contract law, intellectual copyright, artist management and the recording industry. You will receive advice and guidance in producing a professional CV, applying for jobs, interview techniques, recording a demo CD and producing marketing and publicity materials.

Year One

The first year focuses on the fundamental principles, techniques and processes relating to the performance, creation and study of jazz. As well as studies in the three core areas of the course, you will undertake modules in jazz harmony, ensemble studies, the language of jazz improvisation, studio environments and popular culture.

Year Two

In addition to continued studies in performance, composition, and history, criticism and analysis, you will have the opportunity to develop musical direction and teaching skills through ensemble performance and performance studies workshops. In the second semester, you will begin to focus your studies by choosing projects in specialist pathways. Example projects include Latin American performance, Indian Improvisation, Composing for Film and Television, Music and Cultural Studies and Music Pedagogy. You will also have the opportunity to work on collaborative projects with musicians from other College programmes.

Year Three

In the final year of the course you will undertake a Negotiated Project, which allows you to focus on your strengths and specialist areas within performance, composition or musicology. You will also take other options in performance, composition or musicology to complement your negotiated project. For students who have taken music pedagogy at level 2 there is an opportunity to undertake a community music project.

Assessment

In the first two years modules are assessed through submission of course work and/or examinations. In the final year you will be assessed by dissertation, portfolio and/or recital.

Admission Requirements

The normal entry requirements for this course is 240 points.

240 points is equivalent to grades of C, C, C at A2 Level or MMM for the BTEC National Diploma. Applicants will be required to achieve a C grade in Music if taking A2 levels.

Applicants will also need a minimum of 3 GCSE's at grade C or above including English Language.

All applicants will need to demonstrate normally through audition and written test that they are ABRSM Grade VIII standard or equivalent in their principal study instrument and Grade V standard or equivalent in theory. Please note these do not count toward the 240 tariff points.

All students will need to demonstrate, normally through an audition, that they are ABRSM Grade VIII standard or equivalent in their principal study. Applicants for the Composition pathway will be required to submit a portfolio of original compositions, preferably in both score and recorded form. Applicants who are invited to an interview are requested to take a written examination which will assess their ability to meet the academic and theoretical demands of the course.

Download Audition Guide for BA Jazz Applicants

All international students must have a British Council English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0