School of Music

BA Music: BA/Mus (W300) (3 years)

For entry in September 2012 you are required to achieve one of the following (or equivalent):

A level grades ABB, including A in Music (other A levels can include General Studies, but not Practical Music)

BTECs: A minimum of Distinction, Distinction, Merit in a music (not music technology) specialism. Evidence of musical participation is also normally required in the form of a higher ABRSM grade music theory (minimum grade 5) and advanced practical examinations (grade 7 or above)

Scottish Highers: AAABB (A in Music)

International Baccalaureate: 33 points (including 6 in Music)

European Baccalaureate: 7.5 including 80% in Music

No minimum performance standard is set for the BA Music course, although this is important for many, in fact students do not have to study performance at all if they choose other options. Students wishing to take solo performance modules must have a grade 8 ABRSM with merit (or relevant equivalent) by the time they register at Leeds. You are encouraged to describe your achievements (including equivalent experience) on your UCAS form

Offers are made on the basis of UCAS applications. If you receive an offer you will be invited to an Open Day. We interview part-time and mature candidates entering with non-traditional qualifications. Such applications are warmly welcomed in view of past successes

BMus Music (Performance) BA/Mus 'ABROAD" (W300) (4 years)

For entry in September 2012 you are required to achieve one of the following (or equivalent):

A levels: ABB (normally an A in Music; can include General Studies but not Practical Music)

BTEC: A minimum of Distinction, Distinction, Merit in a music (not music technology) specialism. Evidence of musical participation is also normally required in the form of a higher ABRSM grade music theory (minimum grade 5)

Scottish Highers: AAABB (A in Music) and normally A at Advanced Higher Music

International Baccalaureate: 33 points (including 6 in Music)

European Baccalaureate: 7.5 including 80% in Music

Entrance onto the BMus course is by audition only. Offers for auditions are made on the basis of UCAS applications and you also need to have achieved ABRSM Grade 8 Distinction or equivalent at the time of application

No, we do not accept Practical Music or Music Technology as a substitute to Music A2-level. However, Music Technology is acceptable as an additional A2- level. If your School does not offer A2 Music, but offers Music Technology as an alternative then you should contact the School of Music Admissions Team.

We consider applicants studying on Access to Higher Education courses and usually interview these candidates. We also welcome applications from mature students who may come to us with professional qualifications or by means of Access courses. We welcome applicants that demonstrate high levels of potential, enthusiasm and dedication for Music from the following routes: Validated Access courses; GCSE, O and A levels or their equivalent; Open University Foundation year Credits; BTEC; GNVQ; Other qualifications, such as professional awards.

We welcome applications from international students who have not had the opportunity to study A2-Levels. Examples of the qualifications we consider are listed below:

International Baccalaureate (33 overall with a 6 in Music)
Greece/Cyprus (19 overall in the Apolytirion with 19 in Music and 17 in English)

The University requires all applicants for whom English is not the first language to achieve 6.5 in IELTS with no less than 5.5 in any component. For the computer-based TOEFL test we require 240 with 4.0 on essay writing, for the iBT TOEFL a score of 94 overall with minimum scores of 20 in listening, 23 in reading, 23 in speaking and 24 in writing, and for the paper-based version 580 including at least 4.0 in the Test of Writing English.

No. The School of Music expects all applicants to have some academic Music qualifications (e.g. A2-level, advanced theory).

Yes. Please contact the School of Music Admissions Team with details of your programme of study so far. Applicants with HND qualifications may be considered for entry into the second year but not the third year.

We only audition applicants who wish to study the BMus (4 year specialist performance) programme. Applicants with standard qualifications will not be interviewed, although they will have the opportunity to visit the School and meet the staff at an Open Day.

In the first year of the BA Music degree you will have to choose one module from performance, ensemble performance, and composition, but if you choose to take composition there is no obligation to do performance as part of the BA Music course. Students on the BMus (Performance) course are obliged to take both performance and ensemble performance in each of their first two years of study, as well as doing a recital in their final year.

If you are grade 8 merit when you arrive you are eligible to enrol upon the performance modules which will entitle you to approximately 12 free lessons with a specialist teacher over the 22 teaching weeks. If you have grade 8 pass or can demonstrate advanced study in some other way then you will be encouraged to have a consultation lesson before you are allowed to enrol on the module.

The School does not offer any instrumental or choral scholarships, although Leeds Cathedral and Leeds Parish Church offer a range of choral, organ, or conducting scholarships. Please visit the 'Fees and Scholarships' section of our website for more information.

The BA Music and BA Popular and World Musics programmes are available in part-time mode. A variety of qualifications are considered. Please contact us if you are doubtful about your position. Most of our students are mature (over 21) and we try to make entry as straightforward as possible. We welcome applicants that demonstrate high levels of potential, enthusiasm and dedication for Music from the following routes: Validated Access courses; GCSE, O and A levels or their equivalent; Open University Foundation year Credits; BTEC; GNVQ; Other qualifications, such as professional awards.

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 both 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 the three 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.

Music in the City

Leeds is a centre for music of all kinds – from orchestral to jazz, rock to reggae, hip hop to bhangra – with venues as wide-ranging as the Victorian Town Hall to the funky Wardrobe, the indie ambience of the Cockpit, the good-time vibes of the Irish Centre and the intimacy of singer-songwriter nights at Doctor Wu's.

As for clubs and dance culture, the city has been at the cutting edge for some time. Its dance music, from house to ambient, techno to drum'n'bass, has been shaking the basements and attics of the UK for almost two decades now, and Leeds has remained one of the prime centres for DJs and club-goers.

First-rate venues like the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the newly refurbished Grand Theatre host drama and opera and dance. The city is home to Opera North and the Northern Theatre, both of which have excellent reputation for innovative programming and productions.

Leeds' commitment to the arts and culture is supported by its array of excellent and complementary institutions – Leeds University, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds College of Music are only three of the higher education colleges where degrees are awarded – which bring the energy and excitement of students to the centre of the city's life.

The Forum of Composers and Musicians (FOCAM) is one of the Student Union societies and provides an opportunity for you to work with other composers and performers and to have your works performed. The collective often performs in venues throughout Leeds and the surrounding area.

Yes. You will be given an introduction to music technology in the compulsory 'Introduction to the Sciences of Music' module in the first year. In the second and third years you will have the opportunity to develop your skills in specialist Music Technology modules.

We have about 20 practice rooms that are open 7 days a week during term time. This includes a specialist percussion room.

Yes. For a fee of £10 per year students studying Music may store their instruments in the School's secure instrument store.

Yes. The School has recently expanded its instrument collection which now includes:

Javanese gamelan
African drum collection
Latin-American percussion collection
Goetze and Gwynn chamber organ
Two harpsichords
A virginal
Original nineteenth-century grand pianos
An Adlam-Burnett Viennese-type fortepiano
Three Steinway Model D pianos
A range of Baroque orchestral instruments
A large amount of orchestral percussion

The School runs an orchestral and choral project in each semester and additionally offers contemporary music and other ensembles which vary from year to year. Depending of the number of musicians required for these ensembles you may be eligible to participate. Aside from the School-managed ensembles there are a wide variety of ensembles on offer in the Leeds University Union Music Society (LUUMS) including 3 orchestras, 2 choirs and 2 wind orchestras. Further details can be found by following this link: http://luums.co.uk (opens in a new window).

There are also a large number of other ensembles available including the LUU Dance Band, Leeds University Liturgical Choir, Revelation Rock Gospel Choir and 2 stage musical societies. Other societies offered by LUU include the Forum of Composers and Musicians (FOCAM), Bandsoc and Operasoc.