Program Overview

Overview of the Music Program

The Music program at Trinity College Dublin is a discipline that stretches back to the ancient world, maintaining a place in the university as a subject of broad and passionate interest to composers, musicologists, performers, technologists, and theorists. This program allows students to engage with a range of traditions to acquire a profound understanding of how music works in theory and in creative practice.

Program Details

• Program Type: B.A. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)
• Duration: 4 Years Full-Time
• Number of Places: 18 Places
• CAO Points: 389-613 (2024)

Course Structure

The Single Honours and Joint Honours options provide a thorough grounding in the basic skills of musicianship and academic study. Students receive extensive training in aural and keyboard skills, learn the history and theory of art music from the medieval period to the present day, and choose modules in jazz, rock, popular, vernacular, and world music.

First and Second Years

Subjects include:

• Pop Music
• Music Theory & Techniques
• Film Music Fundamentals
• Music Technology
• Aural and Keyboard Skills
• Critical Writing on Music
• Creative Instrumentation

In Year Two, students continue the subjects from first year and begin the exploration of Composition, Musicology, or Music Technology. Single Honours students will also select a Trinity Elective or a New Minor Subject.

Third and Fourth Years

Concentrated study in chosen modules with possible electives from other specialisations. Students can present a recital and devise their own Capstone project with the help of a supervisor.

Recent options have included:

• Advanced Theory Clinic
• Counterpoint and Fugue for Three Voices
• Advanced Harmony (Sonata Forms)
• Intersectionality and the Role of Women in Electronic Music
• Experimental Music Theatre & New Opera
• Writing for Voice(s)
• Conducting and Rehearsal Techniques
• Philosophy of Music
• Rock ‘n’ Roll
• Opera and Gender
• Audiovisual Culture
• Performance Research Lab
• Sound Art
• Fundamentals of Choral Conducting
• Recital
• Csound
• Heavy Metal
• An Introduction to Debussy’s World and Music
• History and Aesthetics of Recording
• The Hollywood Musical from The Jazz Singer (1927) to Sweet Charity (1969)
• RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall
• Irish Traditional Music

Capstone projects take the form of, respectively, a portfolio of compositions, a major technology project, or a dissertation.

Admission Requirements

Though desirable, formal musical training is not a prerequisite for entry, but candidates should have a good ear and the ability to read and notate music to a rudimentary level.

English Language Requirements

All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements.

Course Fees

For a full list of undergraduate fees, please refer to the relevant section.

Joint Honours Options

Music has the following Joint Honours options:

• TR320 Film
• TR564 Middle Eastern, Jewish and Islamic Civilisations
• TR598 Mathematics
• TR635 Drama Studies
• TR636 Modern Language (Early Irish, French, German, Irish, Spanish)
• TR629 Philosophy
• TR638 Religion

Study Abroad

Music students can apply to study abroad in European universities with the Erasmus programme and non-EU universities via university-wide exchanges. Music students who study abroad find the experience hugely enjoyable, academically and culturally rewarding, and of value to prospective employers.

Career Opportunities

The employment record for Trinity’s graduates in Music is excellent. Recent alumni have established successful careers as composers, music producers, performers, conductors, administrators, teachers, and academics in institutions worldwide. Several recent graduates have been commissioned by organisations such as RTÉ. Trinity Music students have an outstanding record of obtaining scholarships for further study abroad as well as from the Arts Council of Ireland. Some have used the analytical and intellectual skills that a Music degree offers to build successful careers in medicine, law, financial investment, and public relations.