Bachelor of Arts in Music Course content
Key information
Throughout the four years of the programme, you will develop your performance skills by taking individual lessons on your own instrument (or voice), and you will also receive individual lessons on a choice of world music instruments, such as the North Indian plucked stringed instrument sarode, the West African djembe drum and the Javanese two-stringed bowed fiddle rebab.
Group-playing is a core aspect of the BA Music. Throughout the four years of the programme you will participate in a wide range of ensembles, including Javanese Gamelan from Indonesia, Middle Eastern and Balkan Music, Ewe Drumming from Ghana, World Popular Music Ensemble and West African Drumming. You will also have the opportunity to choose to participate in performance classes in the areas of Irish traditional music and dance, voice studies and contemporary dance.
You will be introduced to the academic study of a wide range of world musics, as well as classical music, popular music and traditional musics. Specialist modules for BA Music students include Global Pop Music, Ethnomusicology and World Music Survey. You will also study a wide range of music theory related to classical and popular music, Indian and Middle Eastern music, and more.
In addition to your core modules, over the four years of the programme, BA Music students join students studying on the voice, dance and Irish traditional music programmes to take a range of modules in arts-related technology, professional and research skills, education and the role of arts in health and wellbeing. Every semester, you will also have the opportunity to choose elective modules from a broad of range of options, covering history, languages, sociology, performance practice, choreography, composition etc.
Cooperative Education – Work experience
In their 3rd year, Irish World Academy performing arts students go on ‘co-op’, a university-wide module specifically designed for undergraduates to engage in real-world, professional environments. The Cooperative Education division, in consultation with the Academy, helps students to identify working opportunities in a variety of contexts, including arts management, education, performance, media and related fields. Students are encouraged to set up their own six-month placements or to engage in split placements (ideally no more than two placements) in order to explore if their expectations for future careers match the experiences they have during the co-op period. Faculty visits, pre- and post- co-op assessment skills, and final report help students to reflect upon the process, enabling them to critically evaluate their time off campus.
Semester 1
Semester 2
| Module code | Module title |
|---|---|
| MD4102 | PERFORMANCE 2A |
| MD4111 | Irish World Academy Practicum C2 |
| MU4002 | CRITICAL ENCOUNTERS WITH POPULAR MUSIC AND DANCE |
| MU4012 | CRITICAL ENCOUNTERS WITH WESTERN ART MUSIC AND DANCE |
| Choose one elective from below | |
| AW4001 | ACADEMIC LITERACIES 1 |
| AW4002 | ACADEMIC LITERACIES 2 |
| EH4022 | ENGLISH LITERATURE 2: EARLY MODERN POETRY AND PLAYS |
| FR4142 | FRENCH LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY 2: INTRODUCTION TO FRE |
| GA4105 | IRISH FOLKLORE 1 |
| GA4116 | IRISH LANGUAGE 2 |
| GA4162 | AN GHAEILGE FHEIDHMEACH DO CHEOLTÓIRÍ AGUS RINCEOIRÍ 2 |
| GE4142 | GERMAN LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY 2: INTOD GERMAN STUD II |
| GE4212 | GERMAN FOR BEGINNERS 2 (APPLIED LANGUAGES) |
| JA4212 | JAPANESE LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY 2 |
| MD4044 | TRAVELLER MUSIC STUDIES |
| MD4122 | AERIAL DANCE CREATIVE LAB |
| MD4132 | HIP-HOP DANCE ELECTIVE 2 |
| MD4142 | IRISH DANCE PERFORMANCE SKILLS 2 |
| MU4022 | INTRODUCTION TO SONGWRITING 2 |
| MU4074 | CROSS-ARTS ENSEMBLE 2 |
| SP4132 | SPANISH FOR BEGINNERS 2 |
| SP4142 | SPANISH LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY 2 |
| TE4012 | ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE 2 (INTERMEDIATE) |
Semester 3
Semester 4
Semester 5
Cooperative Education Work Placement
Semester 6
| Module code | Module title |
|---|---|
| MD4106 | PERFORMANCE 5A |
| MD4116 | IRISH WORLD ACADEMY PRACTICUM C5 |
| MU4013 | RESEARCH SKILLS: ETHNOMUSICOLOGY/ETHNOCHOREOLOGY/ARTS PRACTICE |
| MU4106 | ARTS AND HEALTH |
| Choose one elective from below | |
| AW4001 | ACADEMIC LITERACIES 1 |
| AW4002 | ACADEMIC LITERACIES 2 |
| EH4036 | IRISH LITERATURE 1930 - 1990 |
| FR4146 | FRENCH LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY 4 MODERN CONTEMPORARY |
| GA4105 | IRISH FOLKLORE 1 |
| GA4146 | TEANGA, SOCHAí AGUS SAÍOCHT 4 |
| GE4146 | GERMAN LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY 4: GERMANY PAST AND PRESENT |
| JA4246 | JAPANESE LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY 4 |
| MD4044 | TRAVELLER MUSIC STUDIES |
| MD4093 | CLASSICAL MUSIC STUDIES |
| MD4094 | MUSIC, LANGUAGE, SIGN AND TEXT |
| MK4045 | DIGITAL MARKETING |
| MU4018 | SECOND INSTRUMENT STUDIES TWO |
| MU4022 | INTRODUCTION TO SONGWRITING 2 |
| MU4054 | MUSIC COMPOSITION 2 |
| MU4063 | SELF-DIRECTED PROJECT |
| MU4074 | CROSS-ARTS ENSEMBLE 2 |
| MU4076 | CROSS-ARTS ENSEMBLE 3 |
| MU4104 | SELF DIRECTED PROJECT 3 |
| TE4011 | ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE 1 (INTERMEDIATE) |
Semester 7
Semester 8
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a complete beginner do this course?
You need to have experience in performing before embarking on this course.
Do I have to be able to perform in all of the genres represented in the course?
No. In the case of Irish Music, Irish Dance, Contemporary Dance and Voice, you need to show proficiency in one area. In the case of World Music, you will be required to show proficiency in any genre of music. An open mind and a willingness to engage with other genres and disciplines is also a requirement.
Do musicians, singers and dancers follow the same course?
The first year of the programme is shared by all musicians, singers and dancers but you will specialise in your own performance genre from the start. At the beginning of the second year, students will be divided into their specialist area, in one of the following streams:
• Irish Traditional Music
• Irish Traditional Dance
• Contemporary Dance
• Voice
• World Music
What teachers will I have?
Each student receives weekly classes from highly accomplished vocalists, musicians and dancers with extensive teaching and performance experience for their main performance area. Master classes are also provided by visiting professional vocalists, musicians and dancers throughout each semester.
Will I get the chance to do work experience in an area that I am interested in?
Yes, each student has the opportunity to gain work experience in their area of interest in Semester 5 during their Co-operative Education placement, i.e. the 1st Semester of 3rd Year.
Will I get the chance to study abroad?
Yes. Each student is given the option of studying at a number of institutions around the world for Semester 6, i.e. the 2nd Semester of 3rd Year.
Is this solely a performance programme?
No, you will also engage in academic classes. Performance and academic studies are equally important. This gives you more career opportunities upon completing the course.
What does the audition consist of?
Auditions normally take place at the beginning of April or in mid-July for late applicants and ‘change-of-mind’ applications although the Academy is flexible if applicants have difficulty with these dates. In auditions students should show a good standard of performance in one of the five pathways opened to students in the programme. Students who wish to follow the World Music pathway can perform in any music or dance genre and not necessarily one associated with the term ‘World Music’. The audition itself takes the form of a solo performance of no more than 10 minutes duration, a 10 minute interview and then some element usually specific to the performance pathway the student intends to follow. For example: dancers will meet a physiotherapist in order to assess their physical suitability to the dance pathways; students for the vocal pathway will have a short choral workshop with other applicants where they will work on a single piece of repertoire; traditional musicians may be given a short oral test where they comment on recorded pieces of music played to them by faculty. Students who intend to follow the world music stream will also have a short oral test.
Further information can be found at Irish World Academy.
