MA Music: Open Pathway with Performance

Music as a discipline is more diverse than ever, and musicians and scholars in the 21st century must be prepared to navigate amongst numerous streams of practice and research.

The MA Music: Open Pathway offers you the opportunity to chart your own route within this exciting world. In consultation with the programme convenor you will design a unique course of study, drawing upon our extensive offerings in Musicology, Composition, and Performance. Modules from outside the discipline (e.g. a language) may also be available if relevant to your individual pursuits.

Full time staff include Director of Performance Ceri Owen, an award-winning collaborative pianist and scholar-performer, and scholar-performer and early music conductor Andrew Kirkman. They join forces with Simon Halsey, renowned chorus master of the CBSO and Berlin Radio Choir, and orchestral conductor Daniele Rosina, plus instrumental and vocal lessons arranged with the faculty of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The MA in Music at Birmingham offers first class, world-recognised staff who are experts in their fields meaning students learn from people who really are the best at what they do.

Students study within the excellent facilities available with the Elgar Concert Hall, which is one of the most flexible concert halls of its type in any UK university.

Employability

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

  • Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
  • Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
  • Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
  • Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV
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Modules

  • Advanced Performance 1
  • Advanced Performance 2
  • Advanced Studies in Electroacoustic Composition 1 and 2
  • Advanced Studies in Instrumental/Vocal Composition
  • Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art
  • British Music Studies 1850-1975
  • Composition Tutorials 1 and 2
  • Experimental Music and Sound Art
  • Fieldwork Methods
  • Historically Informed Performance
  • Introduction to Global Popular Musics
  • Introduction to Musicology
  • Performance Skills 1 and 2 (recommended)
  • Topics in Early Music
  • Use our magical AI system, to check your admission chances for this course.
    £25,290 Per Year

    International student tuition fee

    1 Year

    Duration

    Sep 2025

    Start Month

    Aug 2025

    Application Deadline

    Upcoming Intakes

    • September 2025
    • September 2026

    Mode of Study

    • Full Time