MUSI42660: Performance Project

• We require evidence of standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final year performance recital. A video recording of no less than 10 minutes must be submitted to prove that the applicant is of the required level.

• None.

• To provide an opportunity for independent performance research, both as a chosen area of specialism at MA level and both as possible preparation for further research at doctoral level
• To facilitate the acquisition of advanced skills and technique in performance, and an in-depth understanding of professional presentational conventions
• To foster independent critically-informed musical and intellectual judgement
• To facilitate in-depth study of the musical and technical challenges associated with performing the repertoire chosen for performance
• To enable students to develop a critical understanding of, and reflective approach to performance, above all as the basis for the critical evaluation of their own performance research, in accordance with AHRC definitions of research practices

• The module content will relate to the study and performance of appropriate musical repertoire from the Western classical music tradition (broadly understood), chosen by students in consultation with their supervisors.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• in-depth knowledge of selected musical works from the Western classical music repertoire, and relevant performance traditions and practices
• advanced knowledge of musical repertoire in a chosen area of specialism
• advanced understanding of theoretical and methodological approaches relevant to the performance of repertoire in a chosen area of specialisation
• knowledge appropriate to work at Masters level of the research context and of scholarly work previously undertaken on musical repertoire in the chosen field of specialism and related intellectual issues pertaining to performance
• critical understanding of theories and methodologies pertinent to the scholarly study and performance of music, drawn from varied disciplinary perspectives
• advanced knowledge of relevant creative and performative praxes

Subject-specific Skills:

• communicative and technical skills necessary to perform selected musical works with fluency, authority, and originality, and at a level appropriate to Masters standard
• critically- and historically-informed awareness of technical and aesthetic dimensions of musical works
• an in-depth understanding of the ways in which music relates to its socio-cultural context
• skill in articulating and substantiating at a high level a refined and imaginative response to music, both through musical performance and the written word
• advanced knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to musical performance
• an advanced ability to describe and analyse works from a range of musical repertories, informed by an understanding of the socio-cultural matrices from which they emerged and of their specific formal and stylistic features
• an advanced ability to draw upon appropriate theoretical perspectives and methodologies to study and perform music while simultaneously deriving independent intellectual and creative insights from these activities
• advanced competence in musical literacy
• advanced competence in engaging with musical materials of different kinds, whether as physical objects (e.g. scores) and or in electronic formats (e.g. recordings, audio-visual materials)

Key Skills:

• an advanced ability to realise musical works effectively in performance
• a high degree of competence in the planning and execution of a large-scale independent performance project
• a capacity for independent thought and judgement, and to assess the ideas of others
• sophisticated skills in musical performance and musical interpretation
• professional organisation and time-management skills
• engage in close readings of a wide range of challenging texts (musical, verbal, audio-visual, as appropriate)
• independent research skills using appropriate specialist tools and resources;
• the ability to synthesise complex materials from a wide range of sources and to present them cogently in the form of written documents, oral reports, presentations, and musical performances, as appropriate
• competence in information technology skills to support MA learning and research
• advanced knowledge of professional conduct in meeting academic standards, including appropriate use of relevant ethical codes of practice and correct referencing of sources
• organisational skills, including time management
• demonstrate the ability to design and execute a major project appropriate to the chosen area of specialism which is conceptually and methodologically sound, meets appropriate professional standards, and is potentially worthy of dissemination to a critical and discerning audience

• Students choice of repertoire will be subject to the approval of the Board of Studies, and the availability of appropriate supervision in the area of specialism.
• Supervisions will provide students with guidance on all aspects of the project and feedback on work-in-progress, but without jeopardising the independence of their research.

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