Creative & Contextual Studies

CCS modules form part of every music programme at the Conservatoire. They complement everything you do in practice and develop a range of contextual and compositional skills. Delivered in each year of your undergraduate programme, and as electives during postgraduate study, these modules will inform what you do as a musician and develop high levels of critical thinking in your practical work. CCS is also where you have most flexibility to specialize and electives available are outlined below.

Our CCS tutors are professional performers, composers, musicologists, researchers, and conductors, bringing a wide range of skills and experience to their teaching. Often our staff composers will provide opportunities for student ensembles to perform new work. CCS modules are also provided within our BEd programme, a bespoke course for students wishing to become classroom music teachers, delivered in conjunction with the School of Education at the University of Glasgow.

Common to all years are the CCS modules of Music in History, Style in Performance, and Career and Enterprise Skills. Through Music in History you’ll look at accepted notions of musical periods and examine their validity. Through Style in Performance, and in conjunction with your department, you’ll examine specific performance issues relating to your principal study. This contextual knowledge will contribute to better performance and a more informed and deeper understanding of musical style. Modules in Career and Enterprise Skills will also equip you with the employability skills to build a professional and long lasting career.

All CCS classrooms have internet resources and Sibelius with SMARTboard technology, allowing tutors to improvise exercises on the spot, depending on the progress of each class, and music recordings are available at the click of a button. Through CCS we’ll also develop your life-long skills including literacy and IT. The Conservatoire’s Whittaker Library contains one of the most comprehensive collections of performance materials for music, dance, and drama in the UK and internationally and access is free to all students and staff. You’ll also have reference access at every other university and public library in Scotland, including the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.

New modules for next year include Practical Musicianship, integrating both academic and practical work, and The Musician in Society, which focuses on developing career skills. As with other CCS modules, both will be available in the BMus and BEd programmes.