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This course provides opportunities for ensemble playing in particular idioms under the guidance of specialist tutors. While the focus is on playing together, students will also gain a practical and theoretical background to support their playing.

Students taking MUSC20650 take one of the options on offer in any given year. For 2026/27, these will be:

• Klezmer (full year)
• Creative lab in jazz and popular music (semester two)
• Medieval song (semester two)

For further details, see the syllabus below.

Klezmer (max 12 students)

This option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to traditional klezmer music of predominantly Eastern European origin. You will develop skills in improvisation, arrangement and group interpretation. You will also be guided through a selection of background reading and you will listen to a variety of related repertoire. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2026-27, this option will be taught by visiting tutor Daniel Mawson with academic support from Dr. Richard Fay.

Creative lab in jazz and popular music (max 12 students)  

In this option, you will take part in a series of weekly workshops designed to develop your performance skills in a range of jazz combo and popular music settings, from small groups to larger ensembles. Through these sessions, you will gain hands‑on experience with repertoire selection, arranging, rehearsal techniques, improvisation methods, as well as effective group interaction and, in so doing, deepen your understanding of phrasing, articulation, stylistic approaches, and performance strategies relevant to each musical context. Beyond musical proficiency, the lab will support broad cognitive, social, and personal growth by cultivating creativity through improvisation (whether in jazz or other western musical tradition), strengthen critical thinking by navigating complex musical structures, and enhance collaboration skills through active, disciplined, real‑time listening and communication with your fellow musicians. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance at the end of the semester.

Medieval song

This option is mainly for singers, including those for whom voice is not their first study, but is also open to instrumentalists. You will be introduced to the repertoire in a weekly series of workshops exploring and trying out some of the oldest music in Europe, from chant to the 14th century. You will then form ensembles of no fewer than two singers and no more than seven, and each ensemble will prepare and rehearse a 20-minute recital, along with detailed programme notes on performance issues. Accompanying instruments may be used where appropriate. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2026/27 this option will be taught by Barry Cooper and Katherine Rudge. 

• To expand upon skills already established in MUSC 10600 Solo Performance by confronting performance contexts involving collaboration with other musicians and developing the skills of an ensemble player.
• To facilitate the development of students’ creative imagination and skills of critical self-awareness when working in a collaborative performance context.
• To learn about music from other cultures through performance.
   

Klezmer (max. 12 students)

This option provides a practical and theoretical introduction to traditional klezmer music of predominantly Eastern European origin. You will develop skills in improvisation, arrangement and group interpretation. You will also be guided through a selection of background reading and you will listen to a variety of related repertoire. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2025-26, this option will be taught by visiting tutor Daniel Mawson with academic support from Dr. Richard Fay.

On completion of the Klezmer option, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a practical and theoretical understanding of the structural forms and stylistic conventions used in klezmer music
• Perform a selection of traditional repertoire from memory  
• Demonstrate the ability to work both individually and in collaborative teams  
• Demonstrate skills in improvisation and arrangement

Jazz and Popular Music (max. 14 students) 

For this option, you will attend a series of workshops in which you will learn to perform in a combination of small combo as well as large ensemble settings. You will gain experience in arranging music for your ensemble, rehearsal processes, understanding of phrasing and articulation that are appropriate to the repertoire you play, and improvisation practices within the broader realm of western music, to include jazz and popular music. Your studies will culminate in an assessed performance. For 2025/26 this option will be taught by Alexander Gagatsis.    

On completion of the jazz and popular music option, students should be able to:  

• Demonstrate a practical and theoretical understanding of the structural forms and stylistic conventions of jazz and popular music performance  
• Apply skills in arrangement and improvisation to performances.  
• Demonstrate the ability to think as an individual, yet work collaboratively as an ensemble performer.  
• Perform within a group a set of pieces that showcase the above skills.  

Teaching for this course unit is organised around regular practical sessions. These will consist of workshops with specialist tutors, group rehearsals, and discussion, supported by background reading and listening. The course tutors may also set individual or group tasks for you to undertake between classes. Some options include an element of improvisation, arranging or group composition.  

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Demonstrate increased understanding of how music works and the contexts in which it is performed.
• Agree on an interpretation or arrangement with other performers, and apply an informed understanding of musical style and structure in the realisation of that interpretation.

• Show an enhanced ability to understand and apply analytical skills to music; and to convey that understanding to other musicians.
• Engage with other musicians in meaningful dialogue about music and its interpretation.   

• Demonstrate enhanced performance abilities in the skill areas cultivated in your chosen option.
• Respond to and collaborate with other musicians whilst performing. 

• Demonstrate enhanced skills in problem-solving, interpersonal communication, rehearsal techniques and the practical application of analytical and interpretative insights.  
• Demonstrate the confidence and interpersonal skills required to work effectively in groups, showing skills relating to teamwork, negotiation, decision-making and leadership. 

Workshops/coaching sessions; group discussion; individual discussion with tutor; reflection on informal performances; written feedback on final assessed performance. 

The following titles provide overall support and context for ensemble performance:  

• Davies, Stephen, Musical Works and Performances: a Philosophical Exploration (Oxford, 2001).
• Dunsby, Jonathan, Performing Music: Shared Concerns (Oxford, 1995).
• Godlovitch, Stanley, Musical Performance: A Philosophical Study (London and New York, 2003).
• Rink, John (ed.), Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding (Cambridge, 2002).
• Rink, John (ed.), The Practice of Performance: Studies in Musical Interpretation (Cambridge, 2005).

On the performance of music from 'world’ cultures, see:

• Schippers, Huib, Facing the Music: Shaping Music Education from a Global Perspective (New York, 2009)
• Solís, Ted (ed.), Performing Ethnomusicology: Teaching and Representation in World Music Ensembles (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London, 2004).

Your tutors will direct you to specific resources relevant to each option. 

Each option has its own schedule of workshops/coaching sessions and group rehearsals: these will be detailed in the course outline provided by the relevant tutor.