Folk andTraditionalMusicBA Honours

UCAS code W3443 Years

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Folk and TraditionalMusicBA HonoursUCAS code W3443 Years

Be part of a thriving, vibrant folk degree taughtby multi-award winning staff and join ourcommunity of outstanding graduates.

Performance and group playing is at the heart of this course,reflecting the essential folk practices of playing by ear, andplaying music with others.

Performance modules are enhanced by various applied andacademic modules that create individual pathways throughthe degree, and reflect the diverse and exciting combinationof research interests within the wider music department.

National and International artists teach as regular and guesttutors and we have close ties with Sage Gateshead.

Many of our students have gone on to develop high profilecareers as performers, scholars, teachers and cultureindustry professionals.

We also offer a number of Music Scholarships for newundergraduate students. Visit our Subject Scholarshipspages for further information.

Highlights of this degreeWhat you will studyThis degree enables you to create your own pathways asyou go through the programme of study. You can be as folkspecific as you want, taking folk related modules throughoutyour degree, or you can expand your musical horizons andengage with the plethora of musical specialisms within thewider department. You'll study the social and culturalcontext of traditional and folk music and how music helps toconstruct identity and culture as a core part of your degree.Folk specific modules such as Traditions of these Islandsand Research Methods: Folk Music Studies, will directlyfeed into your applied practice. As a student in theInternational Centre of Music Studies, you’ll also have theopportunity to enrich your studies by taking optionalmodules from across the varied music curriculum. You canstudy a range of disciplines from Indian Music or Salsa, toHip Hop, Ethnomusicology or ballad studies. You can evenbe in a Baroque Opera, compose music based onenvironmental sound techniques, investigate folk music andgender, or study music technology in our state of the artrecording studios.

You can also choose to enhance your employability anddevelop career skills through modules in Music Enterpriseand Student Placement for Education in the Community.

See the Course Details for more information on what you willstudy.

Your learning communityOur main teaching staff includes:

• Catriona Macdonald, Degree Programme Director• Shona Mooney, fiddle• Emily Portman and James Fagan, voice• Dr Simon McKerrell, Highland Bagpipes and Uilleann

pipes• Kathryn Tickell, Northumbrian pipes and composition• Alistair Anderson and Sandra Kerr, concertina• Chris Newman, guitar• Laura Beth Salter, mandolin• Amy Thatcher, piano accordion and clog• Julian Sutton, Melodeon• Andy May, piano and Northumbrian pipes

In addition to our regular tutors, we also invite many guesttutors on an annual basis. Recent tutors include:

Fiddle

• Adam Sutherland• Jon Dipper• Duncan Chisholm• Nordic Fiddlers Bloc• Jenna Reid• Jon Boden

Voice

• Rachel Newton• Nancy Kerr• Aimee Leonard• Martin Simpson

Highland bagpipes

• Calum MacCrimmon

Flute and whistle

• Sam Partridge

Piano accordion

• Angus Lyon• Karen Tweed

Piano

• Timo Alakotila• Hamish Napier

Clog

• Jane Garbutt• Laura Connolly

Recent concerts and workshops have been delivered byString Sisters (Liz Carroll, Annbjørg Lien, CatrionaMacdonald, Emma Hardelin, Mairead ni Mhaonaigh and LizKnowles), Andy Irvine, Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Nae Plans andLa Soustraction des Fleurs (The Subtraction of Flowers).

Study Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle Universityand you will not only become part of a community ofoutstanding tutors and students, but also part of ourextended community of graduates and alumni including:

• Rachel Newton

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• Elephant Sessions• The Teacups• The Furrow Collective• Jim Causley• Dan Walsh• Pons Aelius• The Shee• Ross Couper and Tom Oakes• Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra• Rachel McShane (Bellowhead)• Niopha Keegan (The Unthanks)

Many of our graduates return to Newcastle as guest tutorsand performers in our professional Thursday afternoonconcert series.

Performance opportunitiesWe maintain a strong partnership with Folkworks based atNorth East’s major concert venue Sage Gateshead, whereyou will have access to various concerts and workshopopportunities.

On campus, many of our students take part in weeklyperformances in the King’s Hall.

Find out more about performance opportunities atNewcastle University on the School website.

Boost your employability with a work placementApply to spend 9 to 12 months on anoptional work placement between Stages 2 and 3. Youcan apply to spend your placement year with anyorganisation and will receive University support to do so.

You’ll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector,putting your learning into practice and developing yourprofessional expertise.

It will extend your degree by a year and is subject toavailability, however it isn't available if you're spending a yearstudying abroad.

Find out more about Work Placements.

Study abroadAmongst our wide range of international exchangeinstitutions we have a number of universities andconservatories that specialise in folk and traditional music.

Students wishing to add an international dimension to theirdegree can study abroad.

You may opt to take an entire year abroad in a partnerinstitution, taken between the second and final years. Thiscomes with a reduced fee, and it extends your studies overfour years, The Year Abroad is something that students whowish to focus on performance have benefitted greatly from.

We have links with a number of universities andconservatoires in Europe, North America, South Americaand Australia. Some of the institutions offer folk specificstrands, or folk elements in their music programmes. Theseinstitutions are marked below with an *.

Europe• Berlin (Germany) – Humboldt-Universität

• Copenhagen (Denmark) – Royal Danish Academy ofMusic

• Dublin (Ireland) – Trinity College• Göteborg (Sweden) – University of Gothenburg*• Graz (Austria) – Kunstuniversität Graz• Helsinki (Finland) – Sibelius Academy*• Leuven (Belgium) – Katholieke Universiteit• Limerick (Ireland) – Irish World Academy of Music and

Dance, University of Limerick*• Kristiansand (Norway) – University of Agder* • Malmö (Sweden) – Malmö Academy of Music*• Odense (Denmark) – Syddansk Musikkonservatorium*• Oslo (Norway) – Norwegian Academy of Music*• Parma (Italy) – Conservatorio di Musica Arrigo Boito• Perugia (Italy) – Conservatorio di Musica di Perugia• Rostock (Germany) – Hochschule für Musik und Theater• Salamanca (Spain) – Conservatorio Superior de Música• Salzburg (Austria) – Universität Salzburg• Telemark University (Norway) – Rauland Academiet*• Utrecht (Netherlands) – Hogeschool voor de Kunsten

Utrecht

North America• Dalhousie (Nova Scotia) – Dalhousie University• Montreal (Quebec) – McGill University• Montreal (Quebec) – Université de Montréal• Montreal (Quebec) – Concordia University• Waterloo (Ontario) – University of Waterloo• Burlington (Vermont) – University of Vermont• Indianapolis (Indiana) – Indiana University• Cape Bretan University (Sydney, Nova Scotia)*• Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) – University of Illinois

Australia• Adelaide – University of Adelaide• Sydney – University of New South Wales

While many of our partner institutions teach in English, someteach in their native language and you may take theappropriate language modules in Stages 1 and 2.

Our partner institutions have their own strengths andspecialisations. You can focus on:

• performance• particular instruments• composition in particular styles

Alternatively you may choose specialised programmes suchas folk and traditional music, popular music, technology,musicology or church music. 

Facilities and resourcesStudy at Newcastle and you will join a supportive communityin the International Centre for Music Studies.

TuitionWe have over 100 professional instrumental and vocal tutorsdelivering free one-to-one tuition across a range of musicalgenres, including members of the internationally acclaimedRoyal Northern Sinfonia.

FacilitiesOur purpose-built Music Studios give you access to a widerange of state-of-the-art facilities, including:

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• rehearsal spaces accessible 24 hours a day• a large band practice room with full PA system and

lighting rigs• four acoustic instrumental tuition rooms with personal

recording facilities

Our base in the Armstrong Building offers a further range offacilities, including:

• King's Hall and Recital Room performance areas• music studios and recently refurbished teaching facilities• practice rooms and performance spaces• a PC suite running specialist music software• a large, recently refurbished student common room

Visit the School website to take a virtual tour of our musicfacilities

ResourcesWe have an excellent collection of instruments for you touse, including:

• orchestral percussion and drum kits• guitar amplifiers and PA equipment• several Steinway grand pianos and a newly-installed

organ in King's Hall• harpsichord• fortepiano• a number of other early music instruments including sets

of consort viols and baroque bows• a wide range of world music instruments

Our online archives include excellent resources forAfrican-American music, classical music recordings, NorthEast folk music, music from America’s past, and worldmusics.

Listen to our musicYou can also listen to other performances by students andstaff at the International Centre for Music Studies atNewcastle University on the School website.

There are over 1,400 networked computers on campus.

Course Details

Modules for 2019 entry

Please noteThe module and/or programme information below isfor 2019 entry. Our teaching is informed by research andmodules change periodically to reflect developments inthe discipline, the requirements of external bodies andpartners, student feedback, or insufficient numbers ofstudents interested (in an optional module). To find outmore read our terms and conditions.Module/programme information for 2020 entry will bepublished here as soon as it is available (end of May2020).Our degrees are divided into Stages. Each Stage lasts foran academic year and you need to complete modulestotalling 120 credits by the end of each Stage. Furtherinformation, including the credit value of the module, isavailable in each of the module descriptions below.

Stages 1

Compulsory modulesMUS1058 Performance Studies 1MUS1092 Ensemble 1MUS1096 Traditions of These IslandsOptional modulesYou take 40 credits from the following list:MUS1011 Understanding World MusicMUS1012 Understanding Music HistoryMUS1014 Introduction to Popular Music StudiesYou will take at least 20 credits from the following list, butmay only take ONE of MUS1002 and MUS1004:MUS1001 Essentials of Music TheoryMUS1002 Applications of Music Theory (sem 2)  ORMUS1004 Applications of Music Theory (sem 1)MUS1005 Recording in the Music StudioMUS1015 Composing in the Music StudioMUS1044 Composing and Analysing MusicYou should note that some modules at stage 2 haveMUS1001, MUS1002, MUS1004, MUS1005, MUS1015,or MUS1044 as pre-requisites.You may take modules, totalling 20 or 40 credits, in aforeign language, but only with approval of the DegreeProgramme Director. Alternative arrangements are inplace if you wish to start learning a new language fromscratch. You should note that opting out of MUS1044 willdisqualify you from taking notated composition options(MUS2041, MUS2017) at stage 2, or notatedcontemporary or historical composition as a specialiststudy

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Stages 1

In the event of you electing to take 20 or 40 credits in aforeign language, the compulsory modules listed abovemay not be dropped, and at least 20 credits must betaken from above.

Stage 2

Compulsory modulesMUS2058 Performance Studies 2MUS2088 Folk Music Studies: Resources and ResearchMaterialsMUS2092 Ensemble 2Optional modulesYou choose at least one module from the following list ofHistorical and Cultural Modules:MUS2004 Themes in Musical ModernismMUS2013 Elements of Hip HopMUS2051 Case Studies in Early MusicMUS2054 Music and Cultural TheoryMUS2085 Popular Music and MediaYou choose at least one module from the following list ofPractical or Applied modules:MUS2009 Performing Baroque OperaMUS2015 Contemporary Studio PracticeMUS2016 DJing Skills and TurntablismMUS2017 Historic Techniques of CompositionMUS2018 Contemporary Musical MaterialsMUS2041 Approaches to Notated ContemporaryCompositionMUS2044 Practising Music AnalysisMUS2045 Indian Music in PracticeMUS2050 Composition and Arrangement in Folk andModal MusicsMUS2094 Additional Performance Studies (Folk andTraditional Music) 2MUS2195 Music EnterpriseMUS2196 Teaching Music in Community ContextsYou choose an additional module from the lists above tomake your credits total 120 at Stage 2.Work Placement (optional)You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months on an optionalwork placement between Stages 2 and 3. You can applyto spend your placement year with any organisation andwill receive University support to do so. It will extend yourdegree by a year and is subject to availability. It isn'tavailable if you're spending a year studying abroad. Findout more about Work Placements.Study Abroad (optional)If you wish to spend a year abroad as part of your degreeyou can do so in consultation with and at the discretion ofthe Degree Programme Director in a partner institution.This is mutually exclusive with the option in stage 2 for anErasmus semester abroad, and is also subject to athreshold of at least 60% in the overall stage-one average.

Stage 3

Optional modulesYou choose one of the following Major Specialist Studymodules:MUS3012 Major Specialist Study: Composition*MUS3013 Major Specialist Study: DissertationMUS3014 Major Specialist Study: Performance*MUS3015 Major Specialist Study: Project*MUS3012 and MUS3014 are only available if you havesuccessfully completed the relevant pre-requisite moduleswith a mark of 60% or higher.You may also opt for a Minor Specialist Study, whichmust be in a subject area that is substantially different toyour Major Specialist Study. You may wish to furtherdevelop the various "in Practice" ensemble options fromstage 2 as either a specialist study performance orproject.MUS3016 Minor Specialist Study: Composition*MUS3017 Minor Specialist Study: DissertationMUS3018 Minor Specialist Study: Performance*MUS3019 Minor Specialist Study: Project*MUS3016 and MUS3018 are only available if you havesuccessfully completed the relevant pre-requisite moduleswith a mark of 60% or higher.You choose further optional modules from the list below,to make your credits total 120. MUS3004 The Folk RevivalMUS3009 Global PopMUS3024 Music and AIDSMUS3029 Music, Politics and PolicyMUS3051 Richard Wagner and WagnerismMUS3076 Music and PhilosophyMUS3088 Folk Music, Gender and IdentityMUS3093 Folk Ensemble 3MUS3111 Teaching Music in Schools - Socio-CulturalContexts and Approaches to PracticeMUS3179 Music in the HolocaustMUS3196 Student Placement for Education in theCommunity*  ORMUS3197 Music and Creative Industries Placement** You may take EITHER MUS3196 OR MUS3197, butnot both.

Teaching and assessment

Study at the cutting edgeOur International Centre for Music Studies has aninternational reputation for its research in musicology andcreative practice. You'll benefit from the expertise of ourworld-leading research-active staff. 

Teaching methodsDifferent forms of music need different approaches to study.

Some of our modules are based around lectures andseminars, often with set reading or listening assignments,and other modules take the form of smaller specialisedstudy groups.

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Performance modules are usually taught through acombination of individual one-to-one tuition, groupworkshops and specialist masterclasses.

Assessment methodsYou'll be assessed by a combination of:

• examinations• written assignments• submission of dissertation or portfolio (of compositions,

harmony, recordings, counterpoint or music analysisexercises)

• live musical performance

Find out moreVisit our Teaching & Learning pages to read about theoutstanding learning experience available to all students atNewcastle University.

Careers

Folk and Traditional MusiccareersOur students have been extremely successful in gainingemployment and now count amongst some of the leadingperformers in the UK and internationally.

Many other students have gone on to other careersincluding arts administration, broadcasting, teaching,development, charitable work, scholarship, composition andproduction.

The employability of our graduates is really important to usand you will have access to lots of opportunities to boostyour personal and professional development. Ourstudent-led Summer Music Festival gives you real worldexperience of event management and the opportunity toshowcase your classical music performance skills in front ofa paying audience. The music enterprise option providesyou with the knowledge you need to start a business in thecultural sector

Our degrees teach you how to be confident, practical, hardworking and dedicated. Our graduates go on to careers in awide range of backgrounds, some becoming professionalmusicians or closely linked to the music sector, and otherstaking the skills they have developed and applying them inother careers, such as education, business, media,healthcare, marketing, finance or IT.

Studying music at university is both intellectually andmusically demanding, and it is one of the most varied anddiverse degree subjects available. It requires you to engagein a broad range of practical and intellectual activitiesincluding performance, composition, improvisation, dataanalysis, research and critical intellectual enquiry.

Music graduates therefore develop a wide range of key skillsthrough both the academic and practical content of theirdegree, which opens a wide variety of opportunities.

Teamwork and initiative are fostered through participation inmusic ensembles, and communication skills throughperformance, presentations and written work.

Flexibility, self-discipline and good time management are allrequired to attain high technical standards and to balancethe demands of study, practice and performance. This widerange of transferable skills means that music graduates caneasily move into the career or training pathways that areopen to graduates of any discipline; for example:

• management• accountancy• law• events management• journalism• IT

Graduates who want to use their music degree in their workoften progress to become self-employed musicians,performers, composers, teachers, academics, musictherapists, studio managers or sound engineers.

Other opportunities include specialist magazine journalism,music librarianship or music publishing.

Many musicians enter careers that seek graduates of anydiscipline but offer the opportunity to use the specific skillsdeveloped in their studies. Possible occupations include artsadministrator, community arts worker, museum curator orfilm/video production.

Find out more about the career options for Music fromProspects: The UK's Official Careers Website.

What our graduates go on to do:employment and further studychoicesSee what our recent graduates went on to do and viewgraduate destinations statistics. These statistics are basedon what graduates were doing on a specific date,approximately six months after graduation. Take a look atthe most recent data available for our graduates.

The destination data is available in varying levels, beginningwith the University and moving through Faculty and Schooldown to individual course reports. This final level may giveyou some useful ideas about possible options after yourcourse or a course you are considering.

Careers and employability atNewcastleNewcastle University consistently has one of the bestrecords for graduate employment in the UK.

96% of our 2017 UK-domiciled UG/PG graduatesprogressed to employment or further study within sixmonths of graduating.

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85.5% of our graduates are in graduate level employment orfurther study within six months of graduating.

We provide an extensive range of opportunities to allstudents through an initiative called ncl+. This enables youto develop personal, employability and enterprise skills andto give you the edge in the employment market after yougraduate.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest andbest in the country, and we have strong links withemployers.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees (UK students)

2020 entry:£9,250For programmes where you can spend a year on a workplacement or studying abroad, you will receive asignificant fee reduction for that year.Some of our degrees involve additional costs which arenot covered by your tuition fees.Please note:The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for UKstudents is set by the UK government.As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee toincrease in each subsequent academic year of yourcourse, subject to government regulations on feeincreases and in line with inflation.See more information on all aspects of studentfinance relating to Newcastle University.

Tuition Fees (EU students)

2020 entry:£9,250 You will pay the same tuition fees as UK studentsfor the duration of your course.For programmes where you can spend a year on a workplacement or studying abroad, you will receive asignificant fee reduction for that year.Some of our degrees involve additional costs which arenot covered by your tuition fees.Please note:As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee toincrease in each subsequent academic year of yourcourse, subject to government regulations on feeincreases and in line with inflation.See more information on all aspects of studentfinance relating to Newcastle University.

Tuition Fees (International students)

2020 entry*:£18,600 *Please note:You will be charged tuition fees for each year of yourdegree programme (unless you are on a shorter exchangeprogramme).The tuition fee amount you will pay may increaseslightly year on year as a result of inflation.If you spend a year on placement or studying abroad aspart of your degree you may pay a reduced fee for thatyear.See more information on all aspects of studentfinance relating to Newcastle University.

Scholarships and Financial Support (UKstudents)

You may be eligible for one of a range of NewcastleUniversity Scholarships in addition to government financialsupport.Newcastle University ScholarshipsGovernment financial support

Scholarships and Financial Support (EUstudents)

You may be eligible for one of a range of NewcastleUniversity Scholarships in addition to government financialsupport.Newcastle University ScholarshipsGovernment financial support

Scholarships and Financial Support(International students)

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible internationalstudents:Vice-Chancellor's International ScholarshipsVice-Chancellor’s Excellence ScholarshipsVice-Chancellor’s Global ScholarshipsWe also offer International Family Discounts which areavailable for all international students with a close familymember who has graduated from or is now studying atNewcastle University.Newcastle University offers Sanctuary Scholarships foreligible undergraduate students (excludes MBBS andBDS students) from asylum-seeker and refugeebackgrounds. Some of our subject scholarships and sportsscholarships are also available for international students.

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Apply

Applying to Newcastle Universitythrough UCASTo apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle you mustuse the online application system managed by theUniversities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

UCAS codes for Newcastle University

• institution name - NEWC• institution code - N21

UCAS buzzwordAsk your teacher or adviser from your school or college forthe UCAS buzzword. You need the buzzword when youregister on the Apply system. This makes it clear whichschool or college you are applying from.

All UK schools and colleges and a small number of EU andinternational establishments are registered with UCAS.

If you are applying independently, or are applying from aschool or college which is not registered to manageapplications, you will still use the Apply system. You will notneed a buzzword.

Making your applicationOn the UCAS website you can also find out more about:

• application deadlines and other important dates• offers and tracking your application

Application decisions and enquiriesFind out more about our admissions process and who tocontact if you need help with your application.

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