Psychology of Music

Core modules:

Academic Skills

This module provides a general introduction to academic skills in music, assisting with the transition to PGT study, with particular reference to :
(1) accessing library resources
(2) critically evaluating academic literature
(3) developing feedback literacy
(4) understanding employability skills and career opportunities
(5) reflective writing skills
(6) understanding the wider field of music research beyond their discipline
These skills are taught in the context of five Graduate Study Days (normally weighted towards the first semester to assist transition to PGT study) which the students attend alongside the rest of the graduate community. . Students submit a short portfolio of critical writing and a piece of reflective writing that charts their skill development. As part of the portfolio, students are encouraged to engage with department activities outside these contact hours, such as attending performances in the concert series, talks in the department seminar series, and taking part in study skill development through activities such as reading groups.

15 credits

Advanced issues in Psychology of Music

The aim of this module is for students to consider in-depth a chosen topic within Psychology of Music through studying a relevant body of recent research literature, analyse and reflect on the research methodologies used to investigate the topic, and explore how research and its findings may be disseminated and be of interest to audiences beyond academia. Group work is central to the module as students work in groups on a particular chosen topic. Assessments are also the result of group work and include a literature review, a methodological review and a dissemination of research for a non-academic audience. Topics may include a subarea related to for example Musical Development, Music Education, Music Therapy, Music in Commercial Settings, Music Perception and Cognition, and Neuroscience of Music. The topic area is decided by group consensus and in consultation with the module leader.

15 credits

Dissertation

A dissertation of about 15,000 words comprising original research and survey of relevant literature, on a topic agreed between the student and supervisor.

60 credits

Optional modules - one from:

Topics in Music Psychology

This module provides an introduction to the core topics in the psychology of music, including psychoacoustics and perception, cognition of musical structure, emotion and meaning in music, development psychology of music, psychological approaches to performance, and social and applied music psychology, including music therapy and music education.

30 credits

Selected Topics in Music Psychology

This module provides an introduction to the core topics in the psychology of music. Topics covered can be selected from psychoacoustics and perception, cognition of musical structure, emotion and meaning in music, developmental psychology of music, psychological approaches to performance, social and applied music psychology, including music therapy and music education.

15 credits

Optional modules (up to 60 credits): Subject to the approval of the course director.

If you take Quantitative Research Techniques, you cannot take Statistics in Music Psychology. If you take Qualitative Research Techniques, you cannot take Qualitative Data Collection.

Communicating about music and music research

This exciting module is delivered in collaboration with the English Language Teaching Centre, and is directed at all students who wish to work on English communication skills - written and oral, in order to reach a variety of audiences interested in music and music research. Assessments for this module provide opportunities to improve academic writing skills, which can benefit performance in other modules. They also offer the opportunity to engage with a broad spectrum of written and oral communication, useful for academic and professional contexts.

15 credits

Quantitative Research Techniques

This module provides a research training in quantitative research techniques relevant to the study of musical behaviour. The module consists of teaching and learning of statistical techniques in a computer-lab setting, plus a group project in which an empirical study is partially designed and fully executed and analysed. The project is assessed by means of an individual report of 6,000 words.

30 credits

Qualitative Research Techniques

This module provides a research training in a qualititative research techniques relevant to the study of musical behaviour. This module consists of teaching and learning of qualitative research design and analysis techniques in a seminar setting, plus a group project in which an empirical study is executed and reported. This project is assessed by means of an individual report of 6,000 words.

30 credits

Qualitative Data Collection

This module provides a research training in qualitative research data collection relevant to the study of musical behaviour. The module consists of teaching and learning of qualitative research design techniques, including ethical consideration and evaluation of methods through pilot studies and critique of existing research. The module is assessed through a portfolio of qualitative data collection tools, including questionnaires and interview schedules, which the student has designed, piloted and evaluated.

15 credits

Statistics in Music Pscyhology

This module provides a research training in quantitative research techniques relevant to the study of musical behaviour. The module consists of teaching and learning of statistical techniques in a computer-lab setting. The learning is assessed by means of a portfolio of coursework of 3000 words.

15 credits

Fundamentals of Cognition

The module provides an overview of the fundamental issues in cognitive neuroscience and its contributory disciplines. The approach taken is in terms of its development over the past 50 years, providing an overview of the key concepts in the information processing approach and in cognitive science, followed by an analysis of the advances that have been made recently using cognitive neuroscience techniques. Topics include: fundamental issues in cognition (memory, attention, learning, language); theoretical approaches including cognitive neuropsychology, symbolic and sub-symbolic modelling; and methodological issues.

15 credits

Topics in Musicology

This unit gives students the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in a focused area of musicolgy. Students will explore the literature related to a specific topic in depth, and will write an essay that responds to the current state of the literature in this area. Topics offered will be in line with staff research interests, but the exact number and selection of topics will depend on student demand.

30 credits

Critical Listening and the Musical Work

Students will consider recordings across a range of genres from European and American music to develop their critical listening skills and understanding of musical works. Classes will cover broader questions in the first half of the module, giving way to focused case studies in the second.
Key issues may include:
what is a musical work?;
what is critical listening?;
scores and editions;
positionality;
types and values;
taste and recordings;
reception of recordings;
recording over time;
and other issues and ideas in musical listening.
Weekly listening and research tasks will contribute to an independent project, which will be assessed through a presentation and short essay.

15 credits

Critical Listening and the Musical Work

Students will consider recordings across a range of genres from European and American music to develop their critical listening skills and understanding of musical works. Classes will cover broader questions in the first half of the module, giving way to focused case studies in the second.
Key issues may include:
what is a musical work?;
what is critical listening?;
scores and editions;
positionality;
types and values;
taste and recordings;
reception of recordings;
recording over time;
and other issues and ideas in musical listening.

Weekly listening and research tasks will contribute to an independent project, which will be assessed through a presentation and short essay.

30 credits

Collaborative practice, public engagement and impact

Collaborative practice, public engagement and impact’ supports projects that entail an aspect of collaboration, co-operation, knowledge exchange or impact. Students are supported to form relevant partnerships within or outside the module, department, faculty or university, which may be with an/another artist or practitioner (e.g. scientist, engineer), or with a venue such as a concert hall, gallery, museum or media outlet. Within the context of these partnerships students will design and execute projects leading to a live performance, presentation or event. KE or impact-focussed projects will be mandated to involve a public audience. Projects may involve diverse media and may be presented in a live or digital/mixed format. In order to accommodate a wide range of arts and humanities practices, including novel formats engendered through the module, the assessment format will be approved on an individual basis within specified parameters appropriate to the project.
Indicative projects include:
- Collaboration with an/another artist within or outside the student’s discipline to produce a new artistic work
- Collaboration with a scientist, engineer or other academic, to produce an event, experiment, demonstration or new tool
- Co-operation/partnership with an external organisation, venue or media outlet to produce or present work to a public audience
- Innovative presentation

30 credits

Performing World Music

The unit provides an opportunity to integrate practice in an unfamiliar musical genre into the MA in Ethnomusicology (and also, as an option, into the MA Music Performance Studies and MA Musicology). Taught weekly in practical classes, the unit will focus on the music of one tradition hitherto unfamiliar to the class in question, requiring them to learn vocal or instrumental performance in that style. Students will back up their practice-based understanding of the world music tradition with an online learning diary and theoretical knowledge derived from the ethnomusicological literature. Their practical learning leads to a performance examination with an oral component dealing with historical, organological or cultural aspects of the same musical tradition.

30 credits

Critical Musicology

This unit acts as an introduction to key trends and figures in musicology from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. Students will learn techniques and skills related to the literature in the field, and will employ them in an essay on a topic of their own choice.

30 credits

Strategic planning for music business clients

The module consists of students working as a team with a live client from the world of professional music to address an issue of the client's choice. The issues sought from prospective client organisations will be those which either have a long term strategic bearing on the organisations's work and existence, or which address an immediate operational issue or set of issues. In both instances the issues to be studied will be typical of what might be expected to be encountered in the real world of music management. Once the definition of the issue to be studied has been fully agreed with the cilent, the course will consist of weekly seminars at which the team will plan reasearch into the issue and will discuss on a regular basis its ideas and proposals for action with the course tutor. The progress of the team will be checked with the client at the mid-point of the semester. The final outcome of the project will be a live presentation by the team to the client outlining its research findings, its interpretation of these, followed by conclusions and recommendations. This presentation in turn will be followed by the creation of a written group report which will be the subject of formal assessment and then made available for the client to use as they choose Assessment will also include peer-group assessment by the students of themselves.

15 credits

Staging Music in Theory and Practice

This unit is practice based as students develop and run a one day music related event within the local community. There will be theoretical input on the nature and impacts of, and planning for, art oriented festivals and events including marketing and the practical application of legal and health and safety principles.

15 credits