| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Jazz at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
The recent launch of our Eastside Jazz Club has helped consolidate the integral role that Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has to play in the city. While Birmingham’s thriving jazz scene has been established over many years, our bespoke venue strengthens the promise of exciting future developments in this area.
It is in this context that we offer our taught postgraduate courses in Jazz. Designed for recent graduates and suitably qualified mature students, these programmes provide high quality advanced-level tuition, enabling you to specialize either as a Jazz performer or instigator.
These courses also provide excellent opportunities for you to develop other skills relevant to a future career in the music profession.
This course is
open
toInternational
students.What's covered in this course?
Why Choose Us?
In addition to the fact that we have a very lively Jazz department, at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire we provide a friendly and supportive environment in which you can pursue your postgraduate studies. This is a time when you need to think particularly carefully and strategically about the direction of your developing career as a musician. We therefore encourage you to be ambitious in pursuing your aspirations, and endeavour to provide you with the flexibility to mould your course to your individual needs, both within your Principal Study area and – for PgDip and MMus students – in complementary modules.
Instrumental Performance - MMus / PgCert / PgDip
Musicology - MA
Vocal Performance - MMus / PgCert / PgDip
Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic
The University has put in place
measures in response to Covid-19
to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of thestudent contract
.Program Outline
PG Cert
PG Dip
MMus
PG Cert
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete one of the following CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance or Jazz Instigator 60 credits
Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.As the focus of this module is entirely on your development as an instigator in the context of jazz performance, you will spend considerable time not only on developing your own playing, but also advancing your leadership and directing skills and your mentoring and coaching abilities. You will work on your rehearsal technique and stagecraft, and gain experience of working autonomously. You will additionally enhance your own specialist knowledge and your research skills.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and mentoring. A number of one-to-one hours can be allocated to teachers and mentors from outside the Jazz Department, for example with Classical composers, promotors, band leaders, artists, and researchers from within the faculty. You will have regular contact with promoters of jazz and the creative arts.
OR
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performer
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.
As the focus of this module is entirely on your own continued development as a jazz performer, you will spend considerable time not only developing your technique alongside your musicianship and improvisation skills, but also expanding your knowledge of the tradition and advancing your experience as a collaborative performer and leader.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and a variety of related activities in the Jazz Department and wider Conservatoire, including weekly performance platforms, termly performance platform festivals, masterclasses (led by guest international artists) and workshops by touring bands, as well as a number of special events throughout the year, for example the Thelonious Monk Festival (Monkathon), the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival, and regular collaborations with our partners in Paris, Berlin and Siena.
PG Dip
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete the following CORE module (totalling 60 credits):
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance or Jazz Instigator 60 credits
Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.As the focus of this module is entirely on your development as an instigator in the context of jazz performance, you will spend considerable time not only on developing your own playing, but also advancing your leadership and directing skills and your mentoring and coaching abilities. You will work on your rehearsal technique and stagecraft, and gain experience of working autonomously. You will additionally enhance your own specialist knowledge and your research skills.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and mentoring. A number of one-to-one hours can be allocated to teachers and mentors from outside the Jazz Department, for example with Classical composers, promotors, band leaders, artists, and researchers from within the faculty. You will have regular contact with promoters of jazz and the creative arts.
OR
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performer
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.
As the focus of this module is entirely on your own continued development as a jazz performer, you will spend considerable time not only developing your technique alongside your musicianship and improvisation skills, but also expanding your knowledge of the tradition and advancing your experience as a collaborative performer and leader.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and a variety of related activities in the Jazz Department and wider Conservatoire, including weekly performance platforms, termly performance platform festivals, masterclasses (led by guest international artists) and workshops by touring bands, as well as a number of special events throughout the year, for example the Thelonious Monk Festival (Monkathon), the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival, and regular collaborations with our partners in Paris, Berlin and Siena.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 20 credits):
Career Development 20 credits
Members of the music profession require not only high-level specialist skills but also the ability to target those skills strategically to different circumstances. This module focuses on a range of different aspects of a musician’s professional development that directly relate to the music industry and their preparation for it: from self-promotion and self-management, to funding and wellbeing. It is thus central to a programme which aims to prepare you for a career as a musician in the 21st century.
It requires you, near the beginning of your postgraduate studies, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. Weekly workshops, delivered by internal staff and external professionals, will focus on the practicalities of a career in music, providing you with a better insight into the industry you will be entering, as well as encouraging you to be self-reflective about your own personal and professional development needs.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
Optional modules 40 credits
Each module listed is worth 20 credits.
Conservatoire based
School of Art based
School of Media based
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
MMus
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete THREE CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):
Career Development 20 credits
Members of the music profession require not only high-level specialist skills but also the ability to target those skills strategically to different circumstances. This module focuses on a range of different aspects of a musician’s professional development that directly relate to the music industry and their preparation for it: from self-promotion and self-management, to funding and wellbeing. It is thus central to a programme which aims to prepare you for a career as a musician in the 21st century.
It requires you, near the beginning of your postgraduate studies, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. Weekly workshops, delivered by internal staff and external professionals, will focus on the practicalities of a career in music, providing you with a better insight into the industry you will be entering, as well as encouraging you to be self-reflective about your own personal and professional development needs.
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance or Jazz Instigator 60 credits
Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.As the focus of this module is entirely on your development as an instigator in the context of jazz performance, you will spend considerable time not only on developing your own playing, but also advancing your leadership and directing skills and your mentoring and coaching abilities. You will work on your rehearsal technique and stagecraft, and gain experience of working autonomously. You will additionally enhance your own specialist knowledge and your research skills.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and mentoring. A number of one-to-one hours can be allocated to teachers and mentors from outside the Jazz Department, for example with Classical composers, promotors, band leaders, artists, and researchers from within the faculty. You will have regular contact with promoters of jazz and the creative arts.
OR
Principal Study 1: Jazz Performer
As a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance module enables you to advance your training in your specialist area.
As the focus of this module is entirely on your own continued development as a jazz performer, you will spend considerable time not only developing your technique alongside your musicianship and improvisation skills, but also expanding your knowledge of the tradition and advancing your experience as a collaborative performer and leader.
Your work in this module is supported by one-to-one tuition and a variety of related activities in the Jazz Department and wider Conservatoire, including weekly performance platforms, termly performance platform festivals, masterclasses (led by guest international artists) and workshops by touring bands, as well as a number of special events throughout the year, for example the Thelonious Monk Festival (Monkathon), the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival, and regular collaborations with our partners in Paris, Berlin and Siena.
Principal Study 2: Jazz Performance or Jazz Instigator 60 credits
Principal Study 2: Jazz Instigator
For a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study Project 2: Jazz Instigator module builds on the groundwork of the Principal Study 1: Jazz Instigator or the Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance module. It demands not only a high level of performance skills, but also encourages independent decision-making in relation to the student’s own project, the development of an individual artistic concept, and an awareness of the contemporary jazz market (i.e. the professional context). The module clearly provides professionally-relevant experience for the intending jazz instigator.Indeed, the focus of this module is entirely on your continued growth in this role. It will thus be concerned with the further development not only of your own skills as a performer, but also as a leader, director, mentor and coach. You will continue to hone your rehearsal technique and stagecraft, and to gain further experience of working autonomously. You will continue to expand your own specialist knowledge and to exercise your research skills.
OR
Principal Study 2: Jazz Performance
For a postgraduate Jazz student, the Principal Study 2: Jazz Performance module builds on the technical, musical and improvisation skills acquired in the Principal Study 1: Jazz Performance or Jazz Instigator module, encouraging a greater sophistication of approach, independent decision-making in relation to the music-making, and the emergence of an individual ‘voice’. The module clearly provides professionally-relevant experience for the intending jazz musician.The focus of this module is entirely on your continued growth in this field. It will thus be concerned with the continued development of your technical, musicianship and improvisation skills, your knowledge of the tradition and your experience as a collaborative performer and leader. In addition, it will encourage you to develop your own original sound and concept, and enable you to enhance your musical communication and interaction in the ensemble setting.
In order to complete this course, a student must successfully complete at least 100 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
THREE Professional Development modules (20 credits each), and
ONE MMus optional module (40 credits)
Optional modules 100 credits
Professional Development modules (20 credits each)
Conservatoire based
School of Art based
School of Media based
MMus optional modules (40 credits each)
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Course structure
Whichever course you choose, work in the
Principal Study
area – both individual tuition and Departmental activity – lies at its heart. The Principal Study modules in Jazz are entirely practical in nature, whether you specialise as a performer or instigator. For performers, they mainly focus on performance within a small ensemble, though part of Principal Study 1 also requires you to share your own practice methods. While instigators need to be able to demonstrate high-level performance skills of their own, Principal Study modules on this pathway are focused on exercising skills in directing rehearsal and performance, as well as on developing your creativity and artistic vision in constructing jazz performance projects.Preparation for Principal Study modules of both types is supported by individual specialist tuition, as well as by the programme of performance activities you undertake throughout the course.
If you are an MMus or PgDip student you will take a
Career Development
module, which will require you, near the beginning of your course, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. You will also choose, in addition, someProfessional Development Options
from a varied list. The following gives an indication the kind of optional modules which may be offered in a given year, including some offered by Birmingham City University’s Schools of Art and Media (note, not all will run every year
):MMus students will additionally choose a 40-credit option from one of two categories: ‘The Emerging Researcher’ or ‘The Reflective Practitioner’.
Part-time options
There is some room for negotiation in how the course unfolds for a part-time MMus student over three years, or in the case of part-time PgDip students, over two years.