Music
Qualifications
Overview
The music industry is a dynamic employment market, offering paid work to a vast array of practitioners around the world. Music is an art form that has prevailed across all cultures and societies throughout history.
Much of the rapid development of the music industry has occurred very recently in the last 25 years as a result of the explosion of digital technology and re-definition of social communities and culture. This has opened up new areas of expertise for music professionals, alongside the more traditional roles of teaching, conducting, music leadership, and performing.
- Te Kura Puoro | School of Music offers an exciting range of courses at all levels in performance, composition, songwriting, digital music, music history, and musicianship, as well as internships and collaborative projects.
- The Bachelor of Music (MusB) degree offers pathways for students and a broad range of career opportunities for aspiring professional musicians. The three majors focus on:
- Musical Culture (includes music theory, musicianship, analysis, music history, internships, and community music).
- New Music (including composition, songwriting, and digital music)
- Performance (features include weekly lessons, group classes, and master classes)
- Music courses are open to students across the University, providing a wide choice of high-quality courses for music majors, and for those studying other qualifications who wish to include music studies in their degree.
Choosing your degree programme
The Bachelor of Music is a specialist degree for those who want to concentrate most of their studies on Music, majoring in Performance, New Music, or Musical Culture.
The Bachelor of Arts major or minor in Music offers flexibility to combine Music study with other subjects. BA students studying other majors or minors can also choose from a wide selection of Music courses.
Music can also be taken as a minor within the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, and Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
Double degrees, for example a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music combination, are another option.
Most music courses are open to students without prior experience. Performance has limited entry and requires an application (see below).
Performance courses
Entry to all first-year performance courses is by application and an audition. Application forms are available on Te Kura Puoro | School of Music website. Early auditions begin 22 August. Applications should be submitted by 20 September.
If you are unsure about how to plan your studies to cater for your background and aspirations, please contact Te Kura Puoro | School of Music.
Composition or songwriting courses
An application describing your musical interests is required for entry into MUSA 120 Songwriting 1 and MUSA 121 Notated Composition 1A, and should be made to Te Kura Puoro | School of Music by 31 January 2022. For the application form, see Te Kura Puoro | School of Music website.
UC offers the Bachelor of Music, which includes specialised majors in Performance, Musical Culture, and New Music.
UC also offers a major in Music within the Bachelor of Arts.
You can also study a minor in Music within the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, and Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
Bachelor of Music
See the Bachelor of Music for the compulsory Music courses in the degree.
As well as core courses in music, students also study towards one of the following majors:
Music major
To complete a major in Music within the Bachelor of Arts, you will need to take the following courses throughout the degree:
100-level
Plus at least one of:
- MUSA 125 Music Technologies
- MUSA 131 Song, Symphonies and Samples: Music in a Changing World
- MUSA 150 Music in Aotearoa New Zealand
200-level
Plus at least one of:
- MUSA 231 The European Concert Tradition
- MUSA 232 Musics of the World
- MUSA 233 Popular Music in Context
- MUSA 234 Contemporary Music
- MUSA 250 Music in our Community
300-level
- 60 points from 300-level MUSA courses
Music minor
For the Music minor in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, or Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership, you will need to take these courses throughout your chosen degree:
- 75 points in 100 to 300-level MUSA courses, with at least 45 points at 200-level or above
Performance and Composition/Songwriting courses
Some 100-level performance and songwriting Music courses are limited entry and require an application, audition, or a portfolio of works. See 'Recommended preparation' above.
Advanced performance and songwriting courses will require previous completion of these courses for entry.
Music graduates are found in a wide range of occupations including positions in orchestras, choirs, opera houses, conservatories, universities, schools, and other education contexts. They are prominent in areas of leadership such as arts administration and management.
Those who wish to work in education find that the inclusion of some music in their degree can be beneficial.
UC Music graduates also work in fields such as journalism, television and radio (planning and production), publishing, and in technical areas such as recording, digital music, sound engineering, and music technology.
People with musical talent are sought by festival organisers and arts organisations.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Music.
Contact us
Te Kura Puoro | School of Music
Phone +64 3 369 4411
Email music@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Music building – see campus maps – and Arts Centre, 3 Hereford Street Christchurch
Postal address
Te Rāngai Toi Tangata | College of Arts
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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