Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Do you have a passion for music? Would you like to develop your performance skills alongside an understanding of music history and knowledge of music theory?
The Music Foundation Year is a fully integrated programme with the BA (Hons) Music course, and will allow you to develop key musical skills in piano playing, theory and harmony.
During your studies, you will develop your performance skills in 20 one-to-one instrumental/vocal lessons with the same specialists who teach on our degree programme. The course will equip you with essential skills for a performer such as interpretation, effective practising and handling performance anxiety. You will build your knowledge of music theory, and the study of harmony will be delivered in a fresh, creative way using the piano and/or guitar. Your creativity will develop through improvisation, taking inspiration from the music you perform.
Our Foundation Year introduces you to music history by examining music in the everyday environment of the home, asking how music is made and consumed, and its function in society.
Whether you are a complete beginner or a highly accomplished pianist, you will develop piano playing skills needed for a career in music.
Upon successful completion of the Foundation Year, you can automatically continue your studies on the BA (Hons) Music degree where you will build upon the knowledge gained in this initial year. The Foundation Year gives you the space to focus on the one subject, music, developing the skills and knowledge you need within a Humanities environment.
Find out more about the Music Scholarships we offer: Instrument Scholarship and Choral Scholarship.
UCAS Code
W310
Level of Study
Undergraduate
Mode of Study
1 year Full Time followed by a further 3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
Department
Humanities
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2025
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
Our students tell us about their learning experience studying Music BA (Hons) at Northumbria.
Our Department of Humanities includes the subject areas of Music, History, English Literature, English Language and Linguistics, Creative Writing and American Studies.
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Visit an Open Day to get an insight into what it's like to study Music Foundation Year. Speak to staff and students from the course and get a tour of the facilities.
80 UCAS Tariff points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
Subject Requirements:
As part of the application process all applicants are required to submit a video recording demonstrating their performance ability, and have a discussion with academics about their application. We do not require evidence of formal Graded Music examinations to join this programme but would typically expect applicants to be performing at around grade 6 level and have the ability to read music (staff notation).
There are no subject requirements
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.
Additional Requirements:
There are no additional requirements.
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
UK Fee in Year 1: £9,535
* The University may increase fees for subsequent years of study at our discretion in line with any inflationary uplift as decided by the UK Government up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has recently suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX ( Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments)
International Fee in Year 1:
ADDITIONAL COSTS
There are no Additional Costs
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
MU3001 -
Music in the Home (Core,20 Credits)
This module introduces you to music in the most intimate environment – the home. Topics vary from year to year, but range from the keyboard music of the seventeenth-century home or domestic music-making in the Tudor household to the family relationships of the Mendelssohns and Schumanns in the nineteenth century, and from the music-making of American soul artists to the partnership of Britten and Pears at the Red House in Aldeburgh. We open up three questions that are fundamental to the history and performance programme in our undergraduate degree as a whole: how music is made; how music is consumed; and how music shapes cultural change. As we do so, we explore the most personal side of music – how people express their experience of life through music-making, understanding how emotions, gender, sexuality, identity and social class can all be shaped by music.
More informationMU3002 -
Performance (Core,20 Credits)
This module is focused on your individual, one-to-one instrumental or vocal tuition. Working with a specialist on your instrument/voice, you will consolidate your technique while developing skills in performing music which will enable you to communicate effectively with an audience. The course will cover areas such as effective practising, dealing with performance anxiety, the importance of good posture both to music making and your health. You will expand your repertoire, and engage critically with musical performance through attendance at concerts and recitals.
More informationMU3003 -
Theory, Harmony and Improvisation (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, essential knowledge of western harmony will be delivered through a combination of experiential and notation-based learning. You will focus on absorbing a sense of harmonic progression through learning to play chords on the piano (or other instrument such as guitar). You will gain the facility for harmonising a range of melodic material, identifying similar progressions of chords in disparate genres. You will also experiment with improvising on your instrument over chord progressions you have learned, and use repertoire on your instrument as inspiration for your own creativity. As well as learning through doing, you will also study music theory and notation-based harmony to help you relate your experience to written music and develop your understanding of key concepts, terminology and musical conventions essential for the BA programme.
More informationMU3004 -
Essential Skills in Piano-Playing (Core,20 Credits)
An ability to play the piano reinforces knowledge of harmony and music theory, and is essential for further study, when you will go on to develop keyboard skills necessary for high-level work and research. Piano playing is also essential for players and singers of other instruments, especially those whose performances involve an accompanist. An ability to play the piano is absolutely essential for all music teachers.
This module assumes no prior experience of piano playing, and aims to bring you to the level of competency needed to progress further in your academic and musical career. Those who are beginners can expect to have developed a degree of technical competence at about ABRSM Grade V by the end of the year. More experienced players, especially those whose main instrument is piano, organ or harpsichord, will work on the art of accompaniment.
MU3005 -
The Music Profession (Core,20 Credits)
This module encourages you to think about different possible career paths in the music profession, and how they may be combined. It involves going out into the wider community to meet musicians working in differing contexts and environments. At the heart of the module is your engagement with musicians, usually in the places where they work. You will meet performers, scholars, teachers of various kinds, and music administrators. Many will be active in more than one of these areas; some will be employed, others working on a freelance basis.
This module is intended to get you thinking about the musical and generic skills you will need for various kinds of work in the music business. It will also encourage you to think about how the skills you acquire when studying music may be useful in other contexts, and the many and varied careers open to music graduates.
MU3006 -
Music Portfolio: Skills for University (Core,20 Credits)
This module will provide you with essential skills that will prepare you for academia, and for professional employment. You will learn through lectures, seminars and workshops. In these various forums, you will develop core knowledge in such necessary abilities as academic writing, research techniques, score analysis, aural skills, academic citation, public speaking, and presenting your work. With guidance from your seminar tutor, and working independently, you will write a 1500-word essay and an accompanying 500-word commentary that showcases the academic and professional transferable skills you have acquired.
More informationTo start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.
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