Overview
The Jazz Master of Music is similar to the Master of Arts but with the addition of a Masters Project; this can be a concert with commentary, a recording-based project, a dissertation or a mixture of these.
Your Project preparation is supported by a team of specialists and provides an opportunity for you to enhance your creative work through specialised academic study and practice-led research. Postgraduate students are a vital part of the Academy’s musical culture, working in a uniquely collaborative performance environment ideally suited to helping talented musicians — from across the globe — to achieve their musical ambitions. Students wishing to prepare applications for doctoral study will normally choose the MMus rather than the MA. The programme path and length can be discussed at the entrance interview and adjusted as appropriate, you are not tied to the option you choose when you submit your application in UCAS Conservatoires.
Classes and Activities
Students on the Master of Arts (MA) and the Master of Music (MMus) participate in exactly the same Jazz Department classes, ensembles and other activities.
The MMus is identical at jazz department level but includes the addition of a Master’s Project, which can be: a concert with commentary; a recording-based project; a dissertation; or a mixture of these.
Jazz Postgraduate Students usually take the two-year MA programme as undertaking their own projects tends to be something with which they are already familiar.
The Master's courses are designed as two-year courses. Based on an applicant’s circumstances and prior experience, we can discuss at audition whether completing the course in one year (named intensive in UCAS) is a suitable option.
Principal Study
45 hours per year of one-to-one instrumental lessons culminating in an end-of-year recital.
Second Study (optional)
Provision is available for tuition on a second-study instrument (5 or 10 hours per year). You must apply to your tutor at the start of the academic year.
Ensemble Projects
These comprise weekly workshops and culminate in a public performance. The programme of concerts will vary from project to project and provides a foundation of core knowledge and experience, enabling you to undertake a broad ensemble schedule throughout your studies. In February there is an intensive Jazz Festival featuring inter-year ensembles with various guest artists.
Jazz Orchestra
Postgraduate students get a chance to participate in the Jazz Orchestra during their studies. Projects feature a wide range of repertoire, guest soloists, composers and directors, culminating in a public concert in the Academy or at an external venue.
Professional Development
In an increasingly competitive musical profession, you will need to be equipped with the essential tools to flourish. We have excellent links with the jazz media and industry, resulting in regular seminars with journalists, broadcasters and record label owners. At the end of the BMus and Postgraduate Programmes there is a Professional Development Portfolio that includes many key documents and real-world examples, such as writing funding applications and press releases. You also have the chance to study for the additional LRAM teaching diploma.
Composition and Arranging
Postgraduate students receive the full teaching from the undergraduate C&A classes, in addition to weekly workshops in the Postgraduate Jazz Composers Ensemble. Students develop a portfolio of pieces written for the group, presenting their work in a public concert in the final term of their graduating year.
Rhythmic Studies of the African Diaspora (PG1) / Contemporary Rhythmic Skills (PG2)
This introduces non-Western principles of rhythm drawn from Asian, African and Latin American traditions. The course aims to familiarise you with techniques of group co-ordination, and with individual and collective learning methods appropriate to aural/oral methodologies. Teaching areas include case studies of tribal musics; rhythm studies; transcription; composition and arrangement analysis; group movement and co-ordination; ensemble drumming; additive rhythm; and percussion techniques. This introduces non-Western principles of rhythm drawn from Asian, African and Latin American traditions. The course aims to familiarise you with techniques of group co-ordination and with individual and collective learning methods appropriate to aural/oral methodologies.
Repertoire and Improvisation
You will learn a list of commonly played tunes by ear, all of which typify a particular harmonic or compositional device. You will then use these tunes to explore a variety of improvisational approaches and strategies.
Entry Requirements
Academic Qualifications
You will usually hold a Bachelor's degree at lower second-class honours (2:2) or higher, or an international qualification of an equivalent standard. This degree is normally, but not necessarily, in music.
Written Requirements
Unlike the Master of Arts (MA) track, the Master of Music (MMus) requires you to submit an academic project proposal. This must be uploaded to your Acceptd application profile to demonstrate your readiness for academic research alongside performance.
See Entry Requirements for more information.
Auditions
We want you to view your audition as a practical session and an opportunity to share your individual musical voice rather than a rigid test. Our panel is looking for your unique improvisational personality, your stylistic flexibility, your internal groove, and your potential for growth. Try to relax, rely on your ears, and show us your creative identity as a jazz practitioner.
The Master of Music (MMus) selection process for Jazz is integrated into our postgraduate assessment framework. This allows candidates to demonstrate their artistic maturity, technical fluidity, harmonic understanding, and capacity for postgraduate research through a multi-stage practical audition and an academic evaluation.
Your Audition Repertoire & Process
The Jazz audition procedure relies on an initial video submission followed by a comprehensive live or digital recall framework.
Round 1: Digital Video Audition
All jazz candidates are initially assessed via digital video recording. You must upload your first-round materials to the Acceptd portal. Your application must include a Spoken English introduction and **three distinct performance pieces**, each recorded in its own single, unedited 'take' (no studio splicing or audio-track editing allowed):
- List 1 Selection: One performance of a tune chosen from the Academy's official List 1 repertoire.
- List 2 Selection: One performance of a contrasting tune chosen from the Academy's official List 2 repertoire.
- List 3 Original Work: A performance of an original composition or an original arrangement created entirely by you. You must also upload a corresponding PDF concert-pitch score for this item.
Performance Medium: For these videos, you are welcome to perform with a live group, a play-along backing track (such as Jamey Aebersold tracks), or backing software like iReal Pro. If you cannot record your List 3 piece with a live band, you may perform along to a high-quality MIDI or computer audio export (e.g., from Logic or Sibelius) so the panel can hear your playing inside your own musical context.
Expected Performance Formatting
To ensure the panel can properly evaluate your improvisational stamina and role within an ensemble, please structure your submissions according to your specific discipline:
- Instrumentalists: Play the melody ("theme/head") on the first chorus, take approximately two choruses of improvisation over the chord sequence, and play the theme out to finish. For ballads, a half-chorus or single chorus of improvisation is sufficient.
- Vocalists: Sing the theme, take two improvised choruses (just like the instrumentalists), and sing the theme out. For ballads, a half-chorus of improvisation is plenty. Singers may refer to a Real Book or transcribe lyrics directly from historical recordings.
- Chording Instruments (Piano, Guitar, Vibraphone): You must play the theme on one of your chosen tunes, and additionally demonstrate a full chorus of functional "comping" behind an imagined or real soloist.
- Bassists: In addition to soloing and standard walking accompaniment, you must personally play a portion of the main theme on at least one of your selections.
- Drummers: Demonstrate sensitive time-keeping behind frontline or piano soloists, and include an additional chorus or two of "trading" fours or eights.
Round 2: Recall Workshops & Testing
Candidates shortlisted from the video round will be invited to a Round Two recall, which can be taken live in London or via a dedicated online framework. For those attending the live recall in London, your day will consist of:
- Practical Workshop: A live performance of one of your List 1 or List 2 pieces, alongside a collaborative workshop performance of your original List 3 piece with an Academy rhythm section. (You must bring printed parts for the rhythm section and B♭ frontline players).
- Sight-Reading: An assessment of your spontaneous reading agility and chart navigation.
- Jazz Theory Paper: A short mandatory written assessment covering jazz harmony, chord symbols, and theoretical principles, completed directly after your practical playing.
- Faculty Interview: A conversation with the panel touching on your personal statement, your musical tastes, your historical inspirations, and your postgraduate goals.
Postgraduate Academic & Application Profile
Because the Master of Music (MMus) is a research-led track that includes compulsory written components, critical portfolios, or a dissertation alongside your principal jazz studies, your application profile must satisfy both practical and academic benchmarks.
Your digital application profile on the Acceptd portal must contain:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): A current copy of your CV detailing your musical education, gigging history, ensemble experience, and masterclass participation.
- Spoken English Introduction: A short recorded verbal introduction introducing yourself, your musical background, and your professional goals to the faculty panel.
- Written Material / Research Proposal: MMus candidates must submit examples of written work or a research proposal to demonstrate that they possess the critical writing and analytical skills required to undertake postgraduate academic research.
Please note: Your ultimate course placement remains flexible. Because the practical audition is identical for both pathways, all MMus candidates are automatically considered for the Master of Arts (MA) track. If the panel feels your performance standard is excellent but your academic profile is better suited to a purely practical pathway, you may be offered an MA place instead. The programme pathway and choices can be discussed and adjusted with the panel during your assessment.
For more information see auditions.