Overview

Exploring the creative, historical, socio-cultural, and scientific dimensions of music provides key insights into artistic expression, performance practice, and global industries. The BA (Hons) Music at University of Leeds, delivered by the School of Music, provides a broad, customizable education combining musicology, performance, composition, music technology, and music psychology. Taught by internationally recognized scholars and practitioner-academics, the curriculum encourages students to explore diverse musical traditions—ranging from classical and jazz to popular music, electronic genres, and world music systems. Students benefit from access to professional performance venues like the Clothworkers' Centenary Concert Hall, industry-standard recording studios, production suites, and rehearsal facilities. The degree offers exceptional flexibility, allowing scholars to specialize in creative practice or academic musicology while developing versatile project management skills. This program is ideally suited for imaginative, articulate musicians seeking to merge critical research with artistic innovation.

What You'll Learn

• Fundamental musicological concepts, historical genres, critical theory, and cultural analysis of music across global contexts

• Solo and ensemble performance techniques, stagecraft, repertoire interpretation, and performance psychology

• Creative composition methodologies spanning acoustic composition, electroacoustic music, songwriting, and media scoring

• Music technology fundamentals, sound engineering, digital audio workstation (DAW) operation, and audio editing

• Psychology of music, music perception, cognitive processes, and health or wellbeing applications in musical contexts

• Music industry frameworks, copyright law, arts management, event production, and creative entrepreneurship

• Specialist elective pathways covering ethnomusicology, music education, sound design, and critical musicology

• Independent creative or academic capstone project, such as a major recital, composition portfolio, or research dissertation

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will possess an in-depth understanding of musical repertoire, cultural theory, sound mechanics, and performance practices across historical and contemporary genres. They will demonstrate the capability to critically analyze musical scores, evaluate sound structures, and articulate informed aesthetic judgments using musicological frameworks. Students build strong practical abilities in creative execution, musical performance, audio production, and analytical writing through individual tuition, ensemble rehearsals, and laboratory workshops. Furthermore, learners master the ability to manage complex creative projects and communicate artistic and technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences. Through flexible module pathways and a major final-year capstone project, scholars cultivate the artistic fluency and analytical rigour required to excel in performance, audio engineering, arts administration, music therapy, media production, education, or postgraduate academic study.