Music and Film Studies BA (Hons)

About This Course

Music and Film have been closely linked since the invention of cinema. This degree will allow you to explore the many connections between these two creative disciplines, from a range of perspectives. You will be part of a thriving music community and will benefit from Bangor's close links with the local, national and international film studies and media making communities in the USA, Australasia and Europe. As a graduate with specialisms in both Music and Film, you will be equipped for a wide range of professional careers.

Studying Music is a creative opportunity to grow as a musician, guided by world-renowned composers, performers, musicologists and researchers. You will perform in, or attend performances at, public venues like Pontio or the magnificent Prichard Jones Hall. Your musical experience will extend beyond the lecture room, with opportunities to join the University Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Choir or one of the many student societies for Music, such as Opera, Concert Band, DJ, Musical Theatre, and String Orchestra. You will also benefit from Bangor’s excellent links with leading organisations in the UK, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with whom we have an annual composition workshop.

Film Studies combines critical and creative work and practice. Lecturers have a range of interests including American Cinema, British and European film, Japanese and other world cinemas, gender, visual culture, music videos, film analysis, the body and film, film and history, digital technology and film, script writing and screenwriting, film-making, media and film in Wales, acting and performing, language and film, blogging and podcasting, computer games and film, film stars and film on television.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• Flexible degree structure to tailor the course to your interests and strengths.
• Fully equipped Media Centre, with film editing suites, new media suites, production studios and media/film equipment available to students.
• A dynamic music-making community: choirs, orchestras, bands, student ensembles and the Bangor University Music Society.

Course Content

Your Music and Film Studies degree programme at Bangor is flexible: you will shape your degree course to reflect your interests and strengths. Our courses are taught by internationally-renowned staff committed to helping you develop your subject-specific knowledge, whilst giving you the freedom to discover and explore your own interests. You will learn in small groups, with the majority of our modules delivered through weekly workshops and seminars.

In Music you will begin your studies in a genuinely all-embracing way, engaging with musical theory and practice from modal polyphony to electroacoustic composition. You will use this broad framework as a launch pad for developing your own expertise in one of several fields of musicology, performance or composition, including 20th-century music, classical performance, editing, music in health and well-being, and all styles of composition. You have the option of choosing Solo Performance, taught through an innovative combination of individual tuition, workshops and masterclasses. You will also spend time on background reading, listening to music, completing essays and coursework as well as rehearsing and performing in ensembles, choirs and orchestras. Several modules involve visits to theatres, concerts, recording studios and composition workshops.