Music: Composition

University of British Columbia

Canada, Vancouver

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University of British Columbia

Canada , Vancouver

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Application Fee

CAD 125

Campuses

Vancouver

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines15-May-2023

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

CAD 42,543 / year

Next Intake 15-May-2023

Music: Composition

About

You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Students admitted to the Bachelor of Music program may follow one of four streams: General Studies, Advanced Performance, Scholarship, or Composition. Every stream includes four years of private lessons in an instrument or voice, along with ensemble performance (4 years), music scholarship (3 years), and non-music electives (4 years). The distribution of required and elective courses, in Music and in other subjects, is different for each stream. If you can demonstrate a special aptitude for composition and you meet the performance requirements of the General Studies Major, you may select a Major in Composition. If you do not meet the performance requirements of the Bachelor of Music, you may, with special permission, also study composition for two years in the Bachelor of Arts in Music.

Campus features

Among UBC's outstanding facilities for teaching and performing music are the Gessler Multimedia Teaching Studio and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, recently named one of the world's greatest concert halls.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

UBC Composition provides an array of opportunities for the creation, exploration, and performance of contemporary music. The School of Music houses a state-of-the-art electronic music studio for students interested in creating works which involve sound synthesis, digital audio editing, or interactive computer music.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

MUSC 120 - History of Music I
An overview of Western music from antiquity through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, providing a framework for understanding musical styles and practices, and examining selected compositions in greater analytical and historical depth.
MUSC 119 - Introduction to Music Technology
Practical and theoretical training in technologies that support current artistic and academic practice, such as MIDI, podcasts/videocasts, websites, social media, and software for score notation, music education, and basic audio/video editing.
MUSC 105 - Aural Skills I
Sight singing; melodic and harmonic dictation; rhythm production; error detection; tuning; perception of harmony, form, and tonality; improvisation in set idioms. Restricted to B.Mus. students.
MUSC 101 - Diatonic Harmony and Voice Leading
Harmonic and linear functions of diatonic chords; common progressions and sequences; introduction to tonal hierarchy and prolongation; simple modulation. Compositional and analytical exercises.
MUSC 100 - Principles of Musical Form
Fundamental materials and processes of music - rhythmic, melodic, textural and harmonic - and how they create small-scale structures in a variety of styles. Compositional and analytical applications.

MUSC 220 - History of Music III
The development of Western music from circa 1800 to circa 1900.
MUSC 200 - Chromatic Harmony and Voice Leading
Harmonic and linear functions of common chromatic chords; mixture; chords and progressions of linear origin; tonal plans. Compositional and analytical exercises.
MUSC 205 - Aural Skills III
Continuation of MUSC 106. Restricted to B.Mus. students.
MUSC 207 - c Composition II
Continuation of MUSC 107.
MUSC 210 - Intensive Tonal Theory and Form III
Writing exercises involving chromaticism and modulation. Theme and inter-theme types in Classical and Romantic music. Techniques of variation and development. Model-based composition of small forms and analysis of larger forms. Cultivation of score-reading ability.

MUSC 300 - Compositional and Analytical Approaches to Post-Tonal Music
Concepts essential to understanding and performing art music, since 1900, in which functional triadic harmony is absent or subsidiary to other musical processes. Detailed consideration of works of major composers up to the present, through analysis, composition, and musicianship exercises.
MUSC 307 - c Composition III
Continuation of MUSC 207.
MUSC 301 - Compositional and Analytical Approaches to Music Today
Technical and stylistic perspectives on contemporary art music and popular and world music idioms. Exercises in composition and production. Training in related listening, sight-singing and score reading skills.
MUSC 311 - Fundamentals of Conducting
Basic conducting techniques: patterns, cueing, dynamic shading, and physical presentation.
MUSC 309 - Instrumentation
The study of string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments; orchestral sections and scoring for various small ensembles. Activities include demonstrations of instruments, scoring projects, analysis and listening. For credit towards the B.Mus. and the B.A. in Music; not open to other students.

MUSC 409 - Jazz Theory and Arranging
Jazz scales, chord relationships, substitutions, orchestration, listening, and score analysis. Restricted to B.Mus. and B.A. in Music students.
MUSC 407 - c Composition IV
Continuation of MUSC 307.
MUSC 406 - Conducting II
Advanced choral and orchestral conducting techniques and rehearsal practices.
MUSC 409 - Jazz Theory and Arranging
Jazz scales, chord relationships, substitutions, orchestration, listening, and score analysis. Restricted to B.Mus. and B.A. in Music students.
MUSC 417 - Musical Scoring for Film
Addresses the practical aspects of composing music for film through assignments of written scores.

Disciplines

School of Music

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school: General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi). Certificates must be official. Photocopies are acceptable if certified by school principal, head, or counsellor. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Career

A UBC education will introduce you to people and ideas from around the world, open doors to new opportunities, and take you places you never imagined. You'll graduate not only with expertise in your chosen field, but with the skills you need to continue growing, learning, and evolving with your career over time.

Related programs

- - Name
  - Campus
  - Length
- - Art History and Visual Culture
    - Okanagan
    4 years
  - Music
    - Vancouver
    4 years
  - Music: Advanced Performance
    - Vancouver
    4 years
  - Music: Composition
    - Vancouver
    4 years
  - Visual Arts (BFA)
    - Okanagan
    4 years

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

CAD 42,543

Application Fee

CAD 125

How to Apply

As you complete the online application, keep the following tips in mind:

Start early and take your time. Once you begin the application, you will be able to save it and return to it later – but only up until the deadline. Once you have submitted your application to UBC, you will not be able to edit it. Since the online application can sometimes time out if left open for too long, we recommend working on your personal profile questions outside of the application (where you can run them through a spell-checker) then copy and paste them into your application.
Let the online application guide you. You’ll be asked to provide only the information we need based on your degree choice(s), your previous education, and other factors.
Tell us your full academic history. It’s important to include all of the high schools, colleges, and/or universities you have attended. Don’t leave anything out!
Be accurate. UBC has a number of methods in place to authenticate information provided in the application. These methods include, but are not limited to, contacting references, verifying academic records, and requesting additional documentation to verify your personal profile. If an application is found to contain untrue or incomplete information, UBC may, at its discretion: withdraw an offer of admission; require you to withdraw from UBC; subject you to academic discipline; or share the information provided with other post-secondary institutions, law enforcement agencies, or other third parties.
Use an email address you check frequently. Once you have submitted your application, UBC will communicate with you primarily by email.
Note your UBC student number. Write down your UBC student number somewhere safe. You’ll need it in future correspondence with UBC.