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University of the Witwatersrand

Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music

The Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music in Arts is offered by University of the Witwatersrand.

Program Length: 2 YEARS.

Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music offered by the University of the Witwatersrand

The Bachelor of Arts Honours (BA Hons)in Music degree is a postgraduate degree in creative work, practice,and research.

Description of Specialisations

Community Music

Community Music is an international field of practice and study that concerns music teaching and learning in informal settings and which gives students opportunities to apply their own musicianship in diverse social and educational contexts. The course first focuses on Community Music theory and scholarship; and then on creative, professional development, aimed at developing students’ group facilitation, creative leadership and critical reflective skills. A service-learning community engagement research project in Ha Makuya forms an integral part of the course, with student placements in arts and music NGOs in the second semester.

The course is taught through a combination of seminars, workshops, site-visits and supervised student teaching placements. It comprises four modules, taught over two semesters:

Module 1: Critical perspectives of Community Music theory and scholarship

Module 2: Community Music approaches in diverse contexts such as health and well-being, music therapy and disability, with case-studies taught by specialists in the field.

Module 3: Creative leadership and music facilitation skills development.

Module 4: Applied learning in Community Music –participation in a week-long service learning/community engagement research project; and a ten-week student placement in a community arts organisation.

The main assessment output is a portfolio of work, including article reviews, music project reports, academic essays and reflective accounts of teaching, observation and facilitation. The exam equivalent is a substantial research essay and practical teaching assessment based on student placements.

Composition Studies

The composition specialisation consists of two year-long courses: Theory and Analysis, and Portfolio of original compositions. Within the year, four areas of music composition are offered focused on different contemporary sets of compositional tools and the analyses of works and techniques from their respective oeuvres. The Theory and Analysis courses engages with the genres and styles taught, including a consideration of historical, analytical, theoretical, technological and aesthetic matters.

The four components are:

1. Western art music composition,

2. Jazz composition and arranging,

3. Electronica musics and their technologies, and

4. Composition for moving images.

Performance Studies

Music Performance Studies aims to develop music performance professionalism and expertise. By the end of the course the student-performer should have attained a level of performance ability equivalent to that required of the Performer’s Licentiate of the external examining bodies: UNISA, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and Trinity College London. The course culminates in the presentation of a public recital of approximately 50-60 minutes duration in solo, accompanying or ensemble performance.

The recital must present a coherent, varied programme that demonstrates both knowledge of the range of canonical repertoires of the tradition within which the performance is located, and also a diversity of technical skills expected of performance at this level. The inclusion of more recent and experimental work and (South) African works in the programme is encouraged.