Performance MMus

Course overview

This course offers a wealth of performance opportunities and introduces you to a wide range of musical studies at an advanced level. You’ll study with one of our expert professional instrumental/vocal teachers and with the guidance of our resident repetiteur and experienced performance staff to develop your skills in technical proficiency, presentation and interpretation in musical performance.

You’ll be encouraged and supported to take an interest in performance research to enhance your musical and artistic development. Through individual lessons, performance classes and masterclasses, you’ll prepare and perform a recital as the major part of your course, and explore the challenges of performing a large-scale musical structure through the concerto/song-cycle/extended work module.

You can choose to carry out an applied performance study, allowing pursuit of a distinctive individual performance project, and/or present a second, shorter recital on a different instrument/voice from that of your main recital. To put your performance into context you’ll also study a module focused on researching performance and you can pursue an optional module in another area of music such as musicology, or the music industry.

The course is ideal if you wish to pursue advanced performance studies, or are an existing performer wishing to enhance your skills or undertake continuous professional development.

We have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, a lab for studying the psychology of music and studios for sound recording, software development and computer music composition.

We also have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Piano Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many other organisations in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.

You could also choose to study for a Postgraduate Diploma qualification over 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time.

Course details

Core modules that run throughout the year will allow you to develop your performance skills in different contexts. Supported by instrumental or vocal lessons with a specialist teacher, you’ll take part in regular performance classes to develop your repertoire.

As well as focusing on a single concerto, song-cycle or extended work of 20-30 minutes, you’ll prepare for a final recital of 40-50 minutes that you’ll perform near the end of the course. In addition, you’ll prepare for a solo or ensemble project and reflect on the process of preparing and then giving a performance.

The core Researching Performance module will build your understanding of relevant research methods and approaches in music to equip you with a broader range of skills through which you can interpret and discuss your and others’ performing activities and practices.

You’ll also have the chance to expand your studies by choosing from the optional modules offered across the School of Music, allowing you to explore musicology, composition, psychology of music and more. If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

If you opt for the PGDip qualification, you’ll take fewer modules overall.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Performance MMus Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Performance MMus Part Time in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Learning and teaching

You’ll take instrumental and vocal lessons with our specialist teachers.

However, lessons can be organised with teachers from the surrounding area such as Opera North and the Royal Northern College of Music by individual arrangement.

Read about our instrumental and vocal teachers. You’ll also attend seminars and tutorials. However, independent study is crucial, allowing you to hone your skills and explore your own creative approaches to performance.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Your performance will largely be assessed through your recitals, and you’ll also submit programme notes for each recital you complete.

Other modules may also assess you on project work, bibliographical exercises, essays and presentations.

Optional modules may use specialist tasks such as compositions or critical editions.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in music or a related subject.

We may also consider relevant professional experience instead of formal musical qualifications, if you can demonstrate a good level of musical understanding or practical experience when you apply.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component . For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

We will consider applications from 1 October – 1 September.

However, we recommend you apply as early as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for external funding. You will usually be expected to have an offer of a place on a course before you apply for funding. You may also need to leave time to make arrangements such as visa applications or relocating to Leeds.

The link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and information you need

• Your degree certificate and transcript, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying. Please provide official translations if applicable.

• Evidence of your English language qualification (if applicable).

• A fully referenced essay or dissertation, in English, of around 2,000 words, on a musical topic. Please include a bibliography as part of your submission to list the sources you used to write your essay or dissertation.

• A video recording of your performance that is up to 20 minutes of contrasting repertoire. Please also include programme information for the pieces performed in your video (you can provide a list of titles and composers for the repertoire performed, or you may wish to add captions to your video). The recording should be a true and accurate representation of your performing ability and should have been recorded within the last 6 months. In the recording we’ll expect you to demonstrate technical ability, thoughtful interpretation of the pieces, awareness of historical style, individual personality and flair. In this recording you should be demonstrating something of the style in which you feel you want to develop, and please make sure that your submission presents different aspects of your musicianship (e.g. tempo, key, style, language). If possible you can provide a link as part of your online application to a webpage or online drop box where your video recording can be accessed.

• If you are an international applicant and have previously studied in the UK on a Student Visa, please provide a copy of your Visa (and Residence Permit if applicable) to cover all the dates of your time in the UK, a copy of your CAS summary, and a copy of your completion/award certificate if applicable.

• A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form.

• Please note that there are some optional modules available as part of our courses for which new students may be required to provide an example of their work, audition, or liaise with the relevant Module Leader first in order to assess suitability for entry on to the optional module. Assessment for optional modules with pre-requisites is not part of the admissions process. Offer holders are normally contacted by the School regarding optional modules in advance of their studies.

• References may be requested.

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

This course is taught by

School of Music

Contact us

Postgraduate Admissions

Email: pgtmusic@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)113 343 2583

Fees

UK: £10,750 (total)

International: £24,000 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Find out more about scholarships and funding opportunities available in the School of Music.

Career opportunities

This course will allow you to develop as a performer, improve your musical knowledge and gain critical, research and communication skills.

Graduates have pursued a range of careers in orchestral playing, solo performance, instrumental teaching, and arts administration. Several have also pursued further study at conservatoires in the UK and abroad, or research degrees at Leeds and other institutions. You could also go on to study at PhD level.

We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music has an Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

Related courses