Inform your performance with contextual study on this recital-based course.
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
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Upcoming eventsOur MA in Music Performance: Piano Studies intends to strengthen your playing and theoretical knowledge through intensive piano-based study.
You'll cover a variety of keyboard music from the early Baroque period to the present day, developing your interpretation through workshops and masterclasses, and learning to play different kinds of repertoire with historical understanding. This includes the chance to work with historical instruments such as harpsichord, clavichord and fortepiano.
You'll also have the opportunity to develop other skills such as ensemble performance and piano accompaniment, both as part of the course and externally. The University of York Piano Ensemble is made up of a group of pianists performing repertoire for multiple pianos. They particularly explore contemporary and experimental repertoire, as well as arrangements of older music. You'll gain experience as a pianist through chances to work as an accompanist for other students, frequent masterclasses in performance from visiting specialists and opportunities to perform in a variety of different settings. By the end of the programme, these experiences will have helped you develop into an independent, critically aware and technically proficient performer.
From choral to orchestral, jazz and folk to improvised electronica, gospel to gamelan, almost every kind of music is performed by the School’s many ensembles.
You'll take a range of core and option modules and several assessed recitals. We place an emphasis on independence and creativity - you will have the freedom to study the areas that interest you.
In addition, we strongly encourage you to participate in musical ensembles and attend weekly research seminars, performance classes and composition seminars relevant to your studies.
You'll also take a range of option modules. Examples may include:
Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
*If you're taking the part-time route, you will be required to take Recital II rather than an option module as in the full-time programme. This will help you maintain your performance skills across the 2-year programme.
Your course will conclude with a substantial public recital showcasing your artistic and scholarly insight through a programme of your own design.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
Preparing a recital every three months pushes me to a higher level of playing.Ling Wang, MA Music Performance: Piano Studies
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£5,600 | £12,950 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York has been voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Your teaching will largely take the form of weekly seminars and regular one-to-one tutorials, as well as your individual piano lessons.
You will have regular meetings with your supervisor, who will advise you and help develop your ideas as you progress through your studies.
As well as several concert grand pianos by Steinway and Fazioli, the department also has a fine collection of early keyboards including two fortepianos, a square piano, four harpsichords, a clavichord, a three-manual neo-classical organ and a continuo organ.
We have a range of outstanding facilities, including the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall and dozens of teaching rooms and practice facilities. All spaces are designed to be flexible and are used for projects, seminars, ensemble rehearsals and recordings. Discover our facilities.
We encourage you to get involved with our lively community, from our ensembles to our weekly seminars, performance classes and research seminars.
Music classes in the School of Arts and Creative Technologies are located in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, on the west part of our campus.
Almost all of your teaching will take place within the School.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
You will design and present up to two recitals of up to 30 minutes, and a final recital of 45-50 minutes. The length of the final recital may be reduced and presented in combination with a piece of written work. Programmes can include solo and ensemble repertoire, and will be assessed on criteria including technical command, interpretative and historical insight, and creativity.
Alongside these you will have written, and presentation assessments designed to help you develop communication and research skills relevant to your work as a performer.
By the end of the course, you'll have a firm understanding of the core issues of technique and interpretation surrounding each period of standard keyboard repertoire, and you will be able to use this understanding to prepare thoughtful and sophisticated performances. You'll also be able to reflect critically on your performance decisions, and communicate your ideas about performance in writing and speech, skills that are highly valued in any sector. MA Music graduates go on to a diverse range of careers as performers and teachers, as well as administrative work and further study at both universities and conservatoires.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in Music or another relevant subject. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
Performance ability will need to be demonstrated through submission of a recording.
You will need to submit a sample of your creative work with your application. Please see our guidance on submitting creative work.
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
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