About This Course
Music and Film have been closely linked since the invention of cinema. This degree will allow you to explore the many connections between these two creative disciplines, from a range of perspectives. You will be part of a thriving music community and will benefit from Bangor's close links with the local, national and international film studies and media making communities in the USA, Australasia and Europe. As a graduate with specialisms in both Music and Film, you will be equipped for a wide range of professional careers.
Studying Music is a creative opportunity to grow as a musician, guided by world-renowned composers, performers, musicologists and researchers. You will perform in, or attend performances at, public venues like Pontio or the magnificent Prichard Jones Hall. Your musical experience will extend beyond the lecture room, with opportunities to join the University Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Choir or one of the many student societies for Music, such as Opera, Concert Band, DJ, Musical Theatre, and String Orchestra. You will also benefit from Bangor’s excellent links with leading organisations in the UK, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with whom we have an annual composition workshop.
Film Studies combines critical and creative work and practice. Lecturers have a range of interests including American Cinema, British and European film, Japanese and other world cinemas, gender, visual culture, music videos, film analysis, the body and film, film and history, digital technology and film, script writing and screenwriting, film-making, media and film in Wales, acting and performing, language and film, blogging and podcasting, computer games and film, film stars and film on television.
Why choose Bangor University for this course?
- 6th in the UK for Overall Student Satisfaction in Music, 1st in Wales (NSS 2020).
- Top 20 in Complete University Guide 2021 (Media & Communication & Media Studies).
- Flexible degree structure to tailor the course to your interests and strengths.
- Fully equipped Media Centre, with film editing suites, new media suites, production studios and media/film equipment available to students.
- A dynamic music-making community: choirs, orchestras, bands, student ensembles and the Bangor University Music Society.
Course Content
Your Music and Film Studies degree programme at Bangor is flexible: you will shape your degree course to reflect your interests and strengths. Our courses are taught by internationally-renowned staff committed to helping you develop your subject-specific knowledge, whilst giving you the freedom to discover and explore your own interests. You will learn in small groups, with the majority of our modules delivered through weekly workshops and seminars.
In Music you will begin your studies in a genuinely all-embracing way, engaging with musical theory and practice from modal polyphony to electroacoustic composition. You will use this broad framework as a launch pad for developing your own expertise in one of several fields of musicology, performance or composition, including 20th-century music, classical performance, editing, music in health and well-being, and all styles of composition. You have the option of choosing Solo Performance, taught through an innovative combination of individual tuition, workshops and masterclasses. You will also spend time on background reading, listening to music, completing essays and coursework as well as rehearsing and performing in ensembles, choirs and orchestras. Several modules involve visits to theatres, concerts, recording studios and composition workshops.
Film Studies at Bangor offers a balance of practical and analytical tasks, with an emphasis on learning both group work skills and the ability to carry a piece of work through yourself from initial concept to completion. Media Practice modules concentrate on three key areas: studio production, single camera filming and editing, and radio production. Practical modules will be assessed both on practical output and on the individual's ability to reflect critically on their practice. Modules on film theory, film and culture, visual culture, analysing film and documentary are assessed by exam and assignment and frequently also offer the opportunity to submit practical work as an element of assessment.
Facilities
- Extensive loans service for equipment such as digital recorders, video cameras, stills cameras and more.
- Professionally equipped radio studio.
- Audio editing suites running Adobe Audition.
- Digital video edit suites running Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express on Apple Macs.
- Auditoriums.
- Pontio arts and innovation centre, which includes a 200-seater cinema space with Dolby Surround Sound.
General University Facilities
Library and Archive Services
Our four libraries provide a range of attractive study environments including collaborative work areas, meeting rooms and silent study spaces.
We have an extensive collection of books and journals and many of the journals are available online in full-text format.
We house one of the largest university-based archives not only in Wales, but also the UK. Allied to the Archives is the Special Collections of rare printed books.
Learning Resources
There is a range of learning resources available, supported by experienced staff, to help you in your studies.
The University’s IT Services provides computing, media and reprographics facilities and services including:
- Over 1,150 computers for students, with some PC rooms open 24 hours a day
- Blackboard, a commercial Virtual Learning Environment, that makes learning materials available on-line.
Careers
Employment prospects are excellent, with a wide range of career options available. Our graduates have gone on to work in a range of roles, including music performance, film, media and recording, composition, arts development, filmmaking and scheduling. Many graduates choose to become teachers at all educational levels, others take up administrative posts with orchestras, theatre companies, opera houses or arts centres, or in the creative industries.
EXPLORE MORE IN FILM, MEDIA AND JOURNALISM
All of our media programmes combine academic study with practical experience, meaning that you acquire the skills you need while developing your creativity.
International Experience Year
This course is available with an International Experience Year option where you will study for 1 additional year.
Studying abroad is a great opportunity to study with specialists, see a different way of life and broaden your horizons. With international experience of this kind, you’ll really improve your career prospects. If you plan to study in a country where English is not spoken natively, there may be additional language support available for you.
There are a wide variety of destinations to choose from and when you graduate you will have ‘with International Experience’ added to your degree title.
You can find out more about the International Experience Year programme on the Student Exchanges section of our website.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option when you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto this pathway at the appropriate time. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.
My name is Kavisha Prince Anthony, and I always had a dream of studying abroad. Thankfully, that dream came to life since I applied to the Study Advisor. I was able to receive my visa within four days. I also had some visa refusals in the past; I had about six UK visa refusals in the past, but thankfully, it was not an issue since the Study Advisor was able to make things work this time. I highly recommend Study Advisor for your dreams of going abroad, whether it be the UK or any other European country there is.