University of the Highlands and Islands

1. About this programme

Applied Music BAH is a four year honours undergraduate degree which is studied both full and part time. The programme is ‘networked’ which at UHI means that students can be based at any of UHI’s 13 Academic Partners, or choose to study from home. 

In the early stages of establishing the degree, many students articulated into year 2 of the degree from the HNC in Music which was offered as a face to face programme at our Lews Castle College Uist campus– there was demand from those completing the HNC who wishes to enrol on a degree programme and remain in the Hebrides, or flexible but linked to the Hebrides and focused on traditional music.  This resulted in a large cohort of students on the degree from this single location. 

As the degree has become established, there are now student cohorts at many different locations. Some students, however, still articulate directly into years 2 and 3 of the degree from HNC and HND, from both UHI and other institutions. 

There are currently 57 students on the programme, 10-15 for each year group. Students are spread across many of the University’s Academic Partners, along with a significant cohort of home-based students in and around Glasgow- this is the locus of many relevant professional activities (paid gigs, Celtic Connections etc.) and students on the programme are for the most part active musicians.

2. Design and delivery

The programme focuses on music practice and theory across a number of genres, with most modules involving a mixture of theoretical and practical content. Students also receive individual tuition in their chosen instrument. 

The programme employs a number of different delivery methods for different parts of its content: 

• Music tuition sessions are delivered face to face by local experienced tutors. Where students are outwith the UHI area then local tutors are sourced by the programme leader 
• Most modules have weekly synchronous video conferencing (VC) tutorial sessions
• The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is used for delivery of content (this can range from readings, to videos to quizzes) 
• There are four residencies per year for all students, which are either face to face (the whole programme cohort coming together in one location) or networked (students work with other students at their location, and also collaborate virtually using VC and other technology)

Assessments are also varied and include:

• Essays submitted through the VLE
• Portfolio based assessments
• Compositions and recordings
• Live performances
• Reflective blogging

3. Induction and orientation

The first of the four residencies takes place in September in Inverness and acts as the students’ induction to the year. It takes place over four days and four evenings and the tightly packed schedule aims to be reflective of the professional musical environment in which these students will someday work (early mornings and late nights!) Students are divided into year groups and work together on a practical task which is based around a chosen theme. Themes vary from year to year but all residentials will involve composition, arrangement, performance. As well as working as a group, experts are brought in to give talks and to run workshops on the chosen theme for that year.

4. Sense of belonging

The residencies are a key elements to creating a sense of belonging on this networked programme. There are two face to face residencies each year: the first in September (outlined above) and another in April (held in Stornoway and focussing on around a public performances at the An Lanntair Arts Centre) 

There are also two networked residencies per year, in November and January, lasting 3-5 days. Students do not travel to a single location for these, but attend either their nearest college campus (for those within the UHI catchment area) or a hired venue (for those students based in and around Glasgow). During the networked residencies, students work closely with those in the same location, but also collaborate with the groups of students gathering in other venues by using video conferencing and other technology. Within each location, students will usually be from different years of the programme, enabling collaboration between student groups who may not usually work together. 

Like the face to face residencies, they are also based around a theme which changes each year. The Programme Leader chooses a theme based on the identified needs of the student cohort; focussing on an area of musical interest or skill that needs to be developed amongst the students. For example, for a networked residency held in 2018, the programme leader identified a lack of experience in group singing amongst the students, and so this was chosen as the theme. Students worked together to arrange and perform a song that one of the students had composed. Each physical site was assigned one verse of the song to arrange in a particular musical style (e.g. rock opera, barber shop). Each group had to research the musical style (resources were provided in the VLE to support the task) and then to arrange, perform and record their verse of the song. Groups were expected to work independently for most of the time, but staff would be on hand to support the students; either face to face where they shared a location, or by video conference (at least once per day for sites with no local staff support). Completed arrangements were recorded and uploaded for the whole student cohort to listen to and give feedback on, so testing digital as well as musical expertise. 

5. Student experience

The sense of belonging on the Applied Music programme comes mainly from the residencies in which musicians collaborate, and in so doing, share their skills, learning and vulnerabilities to other students. This is a very bonding experience and vital in developing a musical community of practice. 

In addition, the weekly VC sessions help to maintain relationships between students, and to help them feel supported. The programme team had thought about no longer running VC sessions, feeling they may have unnecessary given the students’ busy schedules, but student feedback was that they felt VC was a link to the other students on the programme and helped them to feel part of something. 

Evidence of the sense of community and belonging has emerged from students communicating and collaborating outside of the ‘classroom’; by organising their own private page in Facebook to chat and support one another. The cohort of students based in and around Glasgow self-organised in the early days of the four year degree programme, to which the staff responded by bringing this cohort together into one physical space for the networked residencies.

6. Recommendations

The sense of belonging on the Applied Music programme is really at the heart of the programme, given the programme leader’s aim to: 

• Create a musical community of practice
• Compete with other ‘traditionally’ delivered music degrees in which students receive face to face tuition a lot of the time
• Prepare students for working in the music industry where collaboration and ensemble work is common
• Retain students by keeping them engaged with a flexible and responsive curriculum
• Instil core values within the students relating to community care, self-care and code of conduct for musicians.