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Explore our Music facilities with Guildhall students

The School’s reputation of providing world-class tuition and support for every student has proved to be true – I have been supported every step of the way.

Ben Gernon
Conducting Fellow

Guildhall has a unique buzz and vibe to it…a great sense of community and friendliness

Rebecca Carson
BMus Flute

Being right next to the Barbican Hall and Milton Court is a great environment to be in, being able to regularly perform there gives us great perspectives

Ricky Gore
MMus Violin (Orchestral Artistry)

The tutors showed me how my wider interests are strengths to build on - I now more than ever feel like I've found an artistic purpose

Elena Gramatikovska
MMus Leadership

Guildhall has prepared me for a career in music therapy from searching for jobs to having brilliant work experience from the placements they chose for me

Emma Barber
MA Music Therapy

Guildhall had a crucial role in my success. The very high quality orchestral projects and masterclasses prepared me for professional life

Joao Seara
BMus Double Bass

Studying at the Guildhall School has been a life-changing and unforgettable adventure

Rebekah Carpio
MMus Clarinet (Orchestral Artistry)

I have met some of the most inspiring people, from colleagues to teachers and visiting professors

Lorena Paz Nieto
BMus Vocal Studies

The strong collaboration between departments has created a very special and supportive atmosphere

Meili Li
MMus Opera Studies

The teaching staff encourage the diversity that Guildhall is known for…there is something for everyone, regardless of style and influence

Oliver Leith
MMus Composition

Such incredible musicians and inspiring teachers and the opportunity to hear from world-class visiting artists has been invaluable

Vijay Prakash
MMus Jazz Trombone

During my time here, I organised an international conference based around my subject involving delegates from 4 continents

Emily Baines
DMus, ‘Mechanical Musical Instruments as a Source for Historical Performance’

Every week I am involved in something different, whether it's a repertoire class, a sit-in on an LSO rehearsal, an oboe class, LSO outreach, or a Symphony Orchestra rehearsal.

Laura Campbell
MMus Oboe (Orchestral Artistry)

In my first year, I was given the opportunity to play with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. We performed a number of concerts and our CD, recorded at one of those concerts, went on to win the BBC Music Magazine Award for Best Opera Recording.

Andrew McCoy
BMus Tenor Trombone

Working in pairs during the MA has helped me developer a deeper understanding of how opera composers work and how to spark their imaginations with a libretto.

Zoe Palmer (writer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

The relationship between the Barbican, BBC, and Guildhall is absolutely invaluable as it provides opportunities for students that cannot be found elsewhere.

Emiko Edwards
MPerf Piano

I feel that the people here really make the institution. I found Guildhall to be a really supportive environment that gave me room to explore, take risks, and mature as a mucisian, and as a human being.

Francesca Chiejina
MPerf Vocal Studies

Writing music for theatre has been a highlight of my time at Guildhall, as it has allowed me to explore an art form in which I have a great amount of interest and to work towards a professional finished product.

Alexander Hall
BMus Composition

Music education can be exclusive and intimidating and I felt like Guildhall was one of the only places that was willing to just listen to the music I had made instead of trying to look up my résumé.

Rena Minegishi
BMus Electronic Music

Home > Music > Courses > Postgraduate > Guildhall Artist Programme

Guildhall Artist Programme

The one or two-year Guildhall Artist Masters programme is offered in the two pathways of Performance and Composition and is in two parts: Part One (MMus) is available in full-time (one year) or part-time (two years) modes except for Opera which is available only in full-time mode. Part Two (MPerf, MComp) is available only in full-time mode.

Successful completion of Part One meets all the criteria for a Masters level (level 7) award and a student may conclude their studies at this point and be awarded a Master of Music (or a Postgraduate Diploma, according to the modules taken). Part Two represents progression for the student in terms of depth and breadth of repertoire within a project-based structure that mimics, in a controlled way, professional practice at the highest level. Students who continue to Part Two (progression criteria apply, see below) will be awarded, at its successful completion, a Master of Performance (Guildhall Artist), or Master of Composition (Guildhall Artist).

Part One concentrates on the student’s intense activities in Principal Study, but also includes core Contextual Studies and a wide range of Elective opportunities.

See the routes and options available to prospective students on the Guildhall Artist Masters (PDF) (Please note the Leadership pathway is not open for application for 2018 entry).

See the full programme specifications, including module specifications and assessment criteria.

Core Contextual Studies

Induction to the Guildhall Artist Programme: This core module runs during the first term of each new Academic Year. It includes the following:

  • An initial fortnight of activities to introduce the students to the programme and to the School, which involves all students in ensemble or orchestral music-making
  •  A series of one-off seminars to explain the various elective opportunities, the library facilities and the student support system
  •  Seminar/lectures to explore topics including: musical identities and contemporary professional pathways; effective strategies for coping with intensive demands on mind and body for performance and delivery of intense projects; tools and processes of reflective practice; contemporary research interests of performers, composers and leaders; relevant research methodologies
  • To complement these activities, students are allocated a mentor and a mentoring circle that support and guide their personal and professional development 

Integration & Professional Development: In this module, students complete the cycle of reflection initiated at the start of the programme. Students meet with their mentors with the aim of specifically referring back to the goals and aims identified earlier in the year. Mentors encourage and support the students’ consideration of their progress and development, musical exploration and research, and share experiences whenever possible. Students also attend a series of seminars on professional skills for music, organised by the Creative Learning Department and the Academic Studies Department.

Critique of personal development: The module involves a series of seminars, lectures and presentations that fall into four blocks:

A/ Induction to Part Two and introduction of personal development: three seminars aim at familiarising the students with the overall programme of studies in Part 2 and its underpinning principles and requirements, and introducing advanced tools and methodologies for reflection that enable students to trace their own development, critically reflect upon it and present the results in the required format. Library-based skills and techniques support is offered on an individual needs basis.

B/ Specialist Seminars: a number of compulsory seminars which normally include topics in the psychology of music, musical aesthetics and historical perspectives on self-reflection. These are in term two and details are communicated at the beginning of the term.

C/ ResearchWorks: students attend at least three sessions of the research seminars and talks organised by the School, according to their own interests and availability. These are in terms one and two and details are communicated at the beginning of each term. 

D/ Peer Presentations: a number of sessions in term three offer students the opportunity to share work in progress on the Critique of Personal Development. Students deliver one presentation each, but are required to attend at least one further session.

To complement these seminars, lectures and presentations, the students are allocated a mentor and a mentoring circle that enable them to develop and apply skills and ideas on reflective practice and research within their wider personal and professional development as a whole. The mentoring circles are particularly important in preparing for peer presentation and the written submission.

Electives

Students choose two or three electives from the following:

  • Additional Principal Study
  • Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art
  • Analysis
  • Baroque Studies
  • Body Matters
  • Chamber Music
  • Classical Studies
  • Collaborative Practice: Cross-Arts Context
  • Collaborative Practice: Education Contexts
  • Conducting
  • Contextual Studies: The Forbidden Saxophone
  • Counterpoint
  • Electro-Acoustic Music
  • Historical Performance: Principles and Research
  • Interpretation through Improvisation
  • Introduction To Fugue
  • Jazz Composition and Arranging
  • Jazz Improvisation
  • Medieval and Renaissance Studies
  • Music for Media
  • Opera and Theatre (for singers)
  • PianoWorks
  • Research in Performance or Composition
  • Song Accompaniment (for pianists)
  • Song Interpretation (for singers)
  • Stylistic Composition
  • Vocal Repertoire
  • Voiceworks

View description of electives

These modules allow students to also work cross-departmentally. Aside from practical work, students develop skills of research and self-reflection vital to professional development as musicians in the 21st century. 

In Part One, students who decide to concentrate entirely on their Principal Study without taking the elective options, can be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) at successful completion of the year. 

Part Two is available to students who pass Part One in full (with electives) and obtain the required level of achievement in Principal Study and the approval of a plan of artistic and professional development for Part Two. It is very strongly focused on further developing Principal Study technical and artistic abilities, breadth of repertoire, creative output and professional experience. Students are given considerable autonomy in arranging three assessed concerts and projects that can be at any point in the year. Of these, one is in the School, the other two must be at an outside venue of the student’s choice and arranged by him or her. 

These performances are supported by a series of seminars and students are also asked to present their artistic and professional experiences to their peer group. These seminars lead towards the students’ preparation of an extended critique of their personal development.

Entrance Requirements 

Students who apply for the Guildhall Artist Programme having already done an undergraduate degree may be offered a place in the Extended Guildhall Artist Programme if their Principal Study abilities are not yet at the Master’s level. This extended programme comprises an initial year (the Graduate Certificate Year) almost entirely focused on Principal Study development. If the students achieve a minimum of 60% (merit) in Principal Study at the end of this year, they can progress on to Part One of the Masters in the following year. 

Intensive tuition is offered in Principal Study (instrumental, composition or leadership), along with a range of masterclasses and supporting studies. Other areas of specialism such as contemporary or early music are offered where appropriate. For instrumentalists, orchestral and chamber music opportunities are also offered.