School of Music

Studying Music at Leeds is a stimulating and challenging experience. The School is energised by a large and diverse staff with interests that cover the widest range of musical periods, genres and disciplines. The student body is likewise diverse. Undergraduates from the two degree courses, BA Music and BMus, interact to create performances, compositions, and projects that cross boundaries and reflect the breadth of music's importance in contemporary cultural life.

The School balances traditional musical studies of performance, composition and critical and historical studies, with developing areas such as popular music, world musics, music psychology and music technology. Course structures are flexible, starting from a broad base at level one, in which students from both courses share several modules, and proceeding to specialist studies at levels 2 and 3, which cater for the interests of individual students - from Purcell to punk or grand opera to gamelan.

Single-honours courses are also available in Music, Multimedia and Electronics (jointly delivered with the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering). Students can choose to take music as a joint honours course with a large range of subjects in the arts, sciences and modern languages.

While you're considering your options, why not take a look at our Undergraduate Brochure (pictured, right) or come to one of our Open Days - an opportunity to tour the facilities, learn in detail about the courses offered by the School, and to talk to staff and students.

If you need to speak with someone right now, why not try our new online chat service (icon, right) - if it's in normal working hours (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm GMT) someone will be available to answer your questions.

The most obvious reason for studying music is because you love it! Music is one of the most important and powerful means of human expression. Through performance, composition, psychology, technology, and critical and historical study we are able to express our creativity, intellect and emotions. We can engage with a range of societies and cultures, both contemporary and historical, and develop skills in working with and understanding others. If you are enthusiastic about studying any aspect of music, you will find the courses at Leeds challenging, enjoyable and rewarding. Students at Leeds are dedicated to music and have achieved many successes as musicians. They include the winners of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Young Composers’ Competition and the BBC Young Folk Awards, have reached the finals of the national Musicians’ Benevolent Fund Songwriting Awards and have broken into the Music Week Commercial Pop Top 30 charts and have been voted number 1 in the Club Chart Breakers listings.

Aside from offering an enjoyable and fulfilling academic experience, a degree in music offers a natural pathway to a career as a music teacher or performer, and it also offers skills that will be valued by prospective employers in other fields. The study and performance of music develops independent thinking, and a range of analytical and communication skills that are highly valued in the professional world you will enter after university.

Many of our graduates work as teachers, composers, arts administrators, performers or go on to further study, whilst others work in a range of other careers which value the skills provided by a music degree. A degree from the University of Leeds is highly respected and will provide you with an excellent foundation for your professional life.

See our new FAQ Section for answers relating to questions about study at The School and life in Leeds.