BA (Scottish Music) with Honours

BA (Scottish Music) with Honours

Introduction

The department of Scottish Music offers the only honours degree in Scottish traditional music in the world.

The course offers a broad based training to talented traditional musicians, enabling them to pursue a variety of careers, or further study. The piping degree is run in collaboration with the National Piping Centre, which is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in Highland Bagpipe teaching.

Students concentrate on developing their performance skills on their chosen instrument, and study related topics like singing, groupwork and dance. Techniques of teaching are also important, and for pipers, there are classes in piping technology.

Students on the course are given placements in their second and third years on traditional music projects across Scotland.

With added opportunities for outreach work and tours both within Scotland and abroad, the course offers a unique training for individuals wanting to make a career in traditional music.

Course Details

The BA Hons (Scottish Music), BA Hons (Scottish Music-Piping) and PGDip (Scottish Music) are the world's leading degree courses in traditional Scottish music where performers can develop their skills on their main instruments in the contexts of practical and academic studies.

Group work, singing in both Scots and Gaelic, historical and analytical studies are all integral parts of the BA courses and there are electives that enable traditional musicians to qualify for PGCE courses for secondary school music teaching. Most important of all, however, are the many varied performing opportunities. These include tours around the United Kingdom, recording and production of CDs and appearances at high-profile events, including Glasgow's internationally famous Celtic Connections festival and frequent performances at the Scottish Parliament.

Department lecturers and teachers maintain elite worldwide status as performers, composers and scholars of Scottish traditional music and visiting artists and academics come from all over the world to work with the students.

Principal studies include accordion, Highland bagpipe (taught in collaboration with the National Piping Centre, Glasgow), Scottish harp, fiddle, flute (Boehmar or simple system), percussion and singing (Scots and/or Gaelic). Other instruments considered on application.

Requirements:

Audition Requirements (Undergraduate)

(A) Performance of a programme of approximately 15 minutes on principal study. Applicants are asked to give brief spoken introductions to each item performed but their own compositions may be included.

Repertoire:

Highland Bagpipe

A contrasting programme featuring the applicant's own choice of tunes: air, march, strathspey, reel, jig, hornpipe, retreat, quickstep. Applicants should include one item of ceol mor (ground and 1st variation only).

Clarsach/Fiddle/Accordion (piano or button key: chromatic or diatonic)/ Flute/Violoncello

A contrasting programme featuring the Applicant's own choice of tunes: air, march, strathspey, reel, Scots measure, jig, hornpipe, self-accompaniment of singing if appropriate.

Scots Song

Varied programme of contrasting moods and tempi: featuring the broad range of Scots song, eg classic ballad, bothy ballad, Burns or other 'art' song, lullaby, contemporary Scots song, nonsense, bawdy or children's song, dance song or diddling.

Gaelic Song

Varied programme of contrasting moods and tempi: puirt a beul, orain luaidh, orain basaidh, oran mor, contemporary Gaelic song, lullaby, lament.

Percussion

A variety of pieces and exercises demonstrating skills on snare drum, and any other percussion such as bodhran.

(B) Performance of one item on a second study. Second studies offered may be any principal study instrument or any other on which the applicant performs traditional music. (NB Highland pipers may not offer bellows-blown pipes as a second study.)

(C) Sight reading. Samples may be found in the Guide for Applicants.