Course description
Studying music at Sheffield will enable you to become a specialist in a diverse set of areas which will allow you to become the musician you want to be. Taught by world-leading academics, our curriculum offers seven areas of musical study in performance, composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, music psychology, musical industries, and/or music technology.
We embrace all music genres (classical, folk, pop, rock, jazz) and world music from across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, so you can study what interests you the most. We’ll encourage you to develop your skills as an independent musician and music researcher.
In the first year, you’ll receive a thorough grounding in the skills and knowledge required to become a successful musician. You’ll learn to listen, perform, think and write critically about music of multiple genres, delve into the histories and cultural contexts of both Western classical and world music, and have the chance to receive compositional training in both instrumental and music technology software.
In your second year you’ll broaden your skillset and develop specialisms within our seven areas of study, gaining leadership and analytical skills to help establish your creative voice.
In your third year, you’ll have the opportunity to do a special project, taught over a full academic year in group sessions and regular tutorials. Previous projects have seen students staging an exhibition, creating an album or delivering a performance. It’ll give you the opportunity to focus on a subject within your degree that will help establish a portfolio of work for your future career.
You’ll graduate having a thorough understanding of the music industry in all its diverse contemporary forms, allowing you to forge an international and rewarding career that interests you.
BA Music Education degree
Students can opt to transfer to our BA Music Education degree during their first year. This programme offers an outstanding preparation for a career in music education. The four-year course involves a year-long industry placement and specialist modules within the School of Education.
It isn’t possible to apply directly to the BA Music Education. Instead, you apply for our BMus Music degree, and then transfer onto the BA Music Education during your first year, once you’ve secured a department-approved placement, and achieved an average 2:1 in your first-semester modules. You must also have undergone a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
BMus Music with employment experience
There are opportunities to study abroad for a semester or a year, or you can study our courses with the Degree with Employment Experience option. This allows you to apply for a placement year during your degree where you’ll gain valuable experience and improve your employability.
The University of Sheffield is an All-Steinway School. This accreditation enables students to access pianos of the highest quality and places the University among a select group of international education institutions.