Course details

Principal study options

During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:

Single specialism

Only one instrument is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument formatively, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.

Instrument/specialisms

For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.

Modules

Creative and Collaborative Thinking Students will explore various methods of creative thinking and problem-solving, which will become the initial starting points for later development of new work. Weekly sessions will focus on case studies of performers, work or artists to critically analyse how research is used in the development of new work and in the telling of personal narratives or stories. Case studies may include practitioners such as Kate Tempest, Frantic Assembly, Pablo Helguera, Javaad Alipoor, debbie tucker green, Lin-Manuel Miranda or other contemporaries. This work will be student-led, tailored to the student’s area of interest. Students will interrogate the Musical Director's role by pushing the boundaries of what makes theatre through collaborative work with the other MAs. Applied Musical Theatre Context Working alongside the Musical Theatre Company students and Creatives, Musical Directing students will take part in acting through song and musical theatre context classes. Here they will develop audition technique as an accompanist, as well as analytical skills, dissecting the key components of song (keys, chord progression and structure etc) and lyrics in relation to their place and time in the musical theatre landscape. They will study style and genre and use this as a starting point to prepare and perform (and potentially develop) work of their choosing. Group Musicianship Musical Directors will work with the Actor Musicians on various projects throughout the year, exploring the myriad ways to portray narrative and character through music and generate authentic work quickly and collaboratively to a performance-ready level. In these sessions, students will work both collaboratively and in a more traditional hierarchy, where the musical directors will learn how to ‘run a rehearsal’ with a company of actors/musicians. Students will explore a range of styles and pieces in these sessions - both set and devised in class. Skills developed in this module include musical arrangement (as a leader and as a group), conducting, and teaching both group and individual singing. Musicianship These one-to-one classes give students the time to work on chosen areas on their musicianship with an assigned tutor. These sessions aim to fill gaps in knowledge, expand skillsets, and identify any components of their craft that need development. It also gives students the opportunity to explore styles and directions that they may want to pursue. Major Project The Major Project will be developed over a term and will be a based on the student’s area of interest, culminating in a performance and/or sharing . Major projects can be in collaboration with other MA students from across the Theatre MAs or something entirely individual.