Music with Philosophy

By combining Music (75% of your course) with Philosophy (25%) you will take Music as the major element of your degree alongside some study of philosophy.

Studying Music at Royal Holloway allows you to tailor your studies to your own interests and passions.

We have expertise spanning traditional, modern and world music. Through studying musical texts, practices, cultures and institutions you will explore issues in history, sociology, ethnology, and philosophy covering an exceptional geographical and chronological range. You will also be able to gain practical skills in composition, music technology and performance.

You will join a music department that is among the very best in the country, ranked third in the UK for research quality (REF 2014) and the only music department in the country to hold a prestigious Regius Professorship.

• You will have access to well-equipped studios and recording facilities as well as incredible performance spaces including the Windsor Auditorium, Boilerhouse Theatre, Victorian Picture Gallery and College Chapel.

• Our well connected department means you have the opportunity to make valuable music industry contacts. Our staff are connected with musical networks such Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, Royal Opera House.

At Royal Holloway we have a unique approach to Philosophy that looks beyond the narrow confines of the Anglo-American analytic or the European tradition of philosophy focus on both traditions, their relationship and connections between them. The result has been the creation of a truly interdisciplinary and collaborative programme that brings together academic staff from departments across the university.

With the opportunity to examine (amongst other things) the mind and consciousness, aesthetics and morals, the self and others, the range of subjects available to Philosophy students at Royal Holloway guarantees that there will be something on offer that really engages you during your time with us.

• Gain practical skills in composition, music technology or performance.

• Choose from a wide range of performance opportunities including orchestras, choirs, jazz, pop, and world music ensembles.

• Apply for one of our choral, organ, orchestral or music scholarships.

• Philosophical approach spanning Anglo-American and European traditions.

• A truly interdisciplinary and collaborative philosophy programme.

Course Modules

Core Modules

Year 1

• Problems of Knowledge

• Theory and Analysis

• Fundamentals of Music Theory

• Creative Composition Techniques

• A Very Short History of Music

• Introduction to Historical Musicology

• Introduction to World Music

• Contemporary Debates in Music

• Solo Performance

• Creative Ensemble Performance

• Introduction to Composing with Music Technology

Year 2

• Introduction to European Philosophy 1: Kant to Hegel

• Mind and World

• Studies in Music Analysis

• Studies in Composition

• Studies in Music History

• Studies in Ethnomusicology

• Studies in Music, Media and Technology

• Practical Performance I

Year 3

• Special Study: Dissertation

• Special Study: Theory and Analysis

• Special Study: Solo Performance

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• Introduction to Logic

• Mind and Consciousness

• Introduction to Aesthetics and Morals

Year 2

• Solo Performance

• Ensemble Performance

• Composition Portfolio

• Practical and Creative Orchestration

• Practical Conducting (Choral and Orchestral)

• Composing with Technology 1

• Introduction to Jazz: Theory, Practice and Contexts

• Popular Music and Musicians in Post-War Britain and North America

• Korean Percussion Performance

• Practical Ethics

• Musical Aesthetics

• Mozart's Operas

• Issues in Sound, Music and the Moving Image

• Intercultural Performance: Theory and Practice

• Music and Society in Purcell's London

• Contemporary Music Performance

• Music, Power and Politics

• Ideas of German Music from Mozart to Henze

• Music and Gender

• Hearing the Orient: Critical and Practical Approaches to the Middle East

Year 3

• Musical Aesthetics

• Mozart's Operas

• Issues in Sound, Music and the Moving Image

• Intercultural Performance: Theory and Practice

• Music and Society in Purcell's London

• Contemporary Music Performance

• Music, Power and Politics

• Ideas of German Music from Mozart to Henze

• Music and Gender

• Hearing the Orient: Critical and Practical Approaches to the Middle East

• Practical Performance 2

• Composing with Technology 2

• Philosophy Dissertation

• Modern European Philosophy 1: Husserl to Heidegger

• Modern European Philosophy 2: Critical Theory and Hermeneutics

• Philosophy and the Arts

• The Varieties of Scepticism

• The Philosophy of Religion

• Philosophy and Literature

• The Good Life in Ancient Philosophy

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/music/music-with-philosophy/

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and instrumental/vocal lessons. You will also have the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of musical activities supported by the department, including performances by orchestras, choirs and other ensembles. Private study and preparation are essential parts of every course, and you will have access to many online resources and the University’s comprehensive e-learning facility, Moodle. When you start with us, you are assigned a Personal Advisor to support you academically and personally.

Assessment is carried out by a combination of examinations, which take place in the summer term, along with written papers, extended essays, assessed coursework, and portfolios of compositions and other practical work, and performance recitals.

In the School of Modern Languages our teaching combines a majority of seminars and small group work as well as role play and conversational activities, with some lectures. Private study and preparation are essential parts of every course, and you will have access to many online resources such as Powerpoint slideshows, copies of selected primary and secondary texts, audiovisual materials, class and seminar preparation aids, links to relevant external sites, quizzes and grammar and essay writing guidance, and Moodle. When you start with us, you are assigned a Personal Tutor to support you academically and personally and who holds regular surgery hours at least twice weekly.

Each course is assessed using a varied range of methods such as coursework and end of year examinations. Coursework includes essays, language exercises, translations and reports. Oral presentations and computer-based tests are used in some course units to assess grammar and comprehension skills. You can, to some extent, choose course units which suit your own assessment preferences.

You will take a study skills course during your first year, designed to equip you with and enhance the writing skills you will need to be successful in your degree. This course does not count towards your final degree award but you are required to pass it to progress to your second year.