Music and Drama

Highlights

With an emphasis on performance, this degree in Music and Drama offers a compelling blend of artistic exploration, skill and intellectual development, collaboration, self-expression, and personal growth. Taught by world-leading experts in performance, composition and musicology, and expert practitioners in acting, directing, new writing, arts health and wellbeing, musical theatre, and opera, among others. Our campus music facilities include practice facilities, studios, rehearsal rooms, and incredible spaces for theatrical and music performances.

Perform and attend musical, theatrical and film events at venues including Pontio, the University’s Arts and Innovation Centre, Prichard Jones Hall and Powis Hall. Join a dynamic creative community with choirs and orchestras, bands, student ensembles, Rostra Theatre Society, Bangor English Drama Society, Bangor University Music Society.

Course overview

Bring your passion for music and drama to life with a degree that combines creativity and performance. Studying Music, you will be taught by our world-renowned composers, performers, and musicologists who will encourage you to explore the connections between all three fundamental aspects of musical study. They will mentor your developing skills as a musician, music researcher, composer, and critic.

Our Drama staff are practising professionals with experience in writing, production, directing, and acting for stage, radio and screen, will guide you in production of your creative work. With their support, you will experiment and devise performance work from scratch, exploring and developing skills in playwriting, acting, and directing. You will pursue music studies in performance, composition, and musicology, engaging with music as a listener, performer, and composer.

You can study and explore a wide range of genres and repertoires (including classical, popular, and traditional music), developing a deeper understanding of how they fit within culture, history, and society. You can also develop your creative identity through studying composition, or through music performance (solo and ensemble). Our staff expertise particularly lies in early music, 20th- and 21st-century music (including popular music), music editing, Welsh music, sonic art, composition, contemporary and interactive performance, to name a few.

We enjoy close links with leading organisations such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Venue Cymru and Ensemble Cymru In Drama, beyond artistic practices, you can delve into the ways in which producers, marketing managers and artistic directors work within the industry on a local and international level. You can examine the impact of drama in arts, creativity, health and wellbeing in community or educational contexts, with opportunities to undertake arts community placements for practical experience. The combined experience of Drama staff includes practice based creative portfolios in theatre and short film production, opera, radio podcasts, scripts and compositions.

Research and consultancy extend to media and radio broadcasting, media and communication history, gender studies, creativity in education, social movements, experimental filmmaking, and critical approaches to methodology. On campus, you’ll join a welcoming, supportive community, which makes your learning experience more personal. As well as unrivalled performance opportunities, our extensive music facilities include two professional standard concert halls, rehearsal spaces, practice rooms, and four electroacoustic composition and recording studios.

We offer an excellent range of instruments and equipment, including a full-size organ, chamber organ, several harpsichords, harps, and Steinway grand pianos. Read more Course options

Placement year

What is the Placement Year? This exciting opportunity allows you to spend a year working with a self-sourced, professional organisation relevant to your studies. You'll typically start between June…