Music Research and Study Opportunities

Thousands of study and academic opportunities in Music are available internationally. Conferences and summer schools in Music are organized regularly in the best academic centers of the world. The majority of universities and many foundations also offer BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs in Music as wells as postdoctoral research grants, awards, and fellowships. Below you will find the updated list of international opportunities available in Music.

Music Scholarships

Music Fellowships

Music Conferences

Music relevant accounts on Twitter

Music as an academic program sounds like a fairy tale.

The sole word "music" creates the association of relaxation, entertainment, and joy. Music has a crucial role in everyone's life. Hardly will we meet a person who will prove the opposite. It helps to calm down, concentrate, and even to sleep. Those who also choose Music as an academic direction enjoy the audio aesthetics all day round. 

Music students spend days listening to quality music, analyzing and criticizing it, creating their compositions, etc. Many who did not do deep research in major Music, might think that it's easy to study. Also, many think that music majors can't create the same tension during studies as other academic programs do.  However, music majors have many theoretical parts. You will still need to study, prepare for the oral exam answers, prepare for long tests, etc. Therefore, though significantly more funny, emotional, and creative, a Music major is still a major, and you should be properly ready for it. 

Do I need to study Music? It's easy now to write and promote Music online.

If your decision stops at the profession of the musician, you should study in conservatories or other universities' music faculties. Music majors will teach you to do more than writing notes, the combination of which sounds good to your ear. The academic programs in Music will prepare you to become a professional musician and filter your creative ideas through the quality standards of the music industry. 

Shortly, you will read about what are the main directions of music study and research. 

Music as a minor

It's essential to consider Music also as a secondary, elective academic course for students. We have probably been told that if we turn on classical Music while preparing lessons, our brains will start working better. 

Following the same logic, many universities offer music minors, which students can choose regardless of what specialization they have and how much it's related to Music. Music minors are both options to add a bit of entertainment to the students' busy every day and develop specific mental and cognitive skills. 

If before it was a popular theory, now more and more statistical facts prove that Music has a direct impact on the brain's physical structure. This, in turn, influences the student's behavior in other academic disciplines. 

Among many advantages that studying Music can give to students is improved memory, language skills, IQ, emotional development, etc. 

What can I study in music majors? | Main research areas

The creation of Music is a complex process. There are many different small and big details that specialists work on to create something people are ready to "consume." 

Now imagine that each of the main processes in music creation is also a complex field, with high volumes of literature, theoretical and practical research, etc. All those theories of Music and its composition are a specialized study area within the music program. 

Read below about the most popular courses that academic music programs usually offer. 

  • Popular Music is relatively new but a highly relevant academic program for the 21st century. We live in an era where teenagers with even low-quality phone cameras can record a music video, upload it somewhere and get viral popularity. That's why there is a high demand for a popular music degree, as it teaches the main aspects young musicians should know to promote themselves. 
  • Ethnomusicology hints at the scope of ethnomusicology courses. They combine the ethnicity and Music of the particular ethos in one place. Usually, such courses are based on traditional Music. However, sometimes students also pass jazz, hip-hop, and other forms of music directions. 
  • Music Education is for those who want to teach Music in the future. Particularly, you will learn an in-depth understanding of the music phenomena, in parallel with gaining skills to later share your knowledge with others. Music education graduates can work with audiences of different levels: from schools to universities or popular music bands and orchestras. 

The other majors you will usually meet include:

  • Music Technology
  • Music Business
  • Audio Production
  • Music Performance
  • Music Therapy
  • Jazz Studies
  • Musical Theater
  • Music Theory and Composition, etc. 

All those directions can also become your research project topics, as universities or programs are usually specialized in one or two main directions. 

Besides, there is a phenomenon of "music research", which does not focus on Music and its "structures" but on the psychological and mental consequences of the Music. Music research is more spiritual and emotional and explores how the Music people listen to shape their personality, behavior, responsiveness, and many other factors. 

Music majors are firstly for those who have a vocal, creative, or Music editing talent. The academic program educates the students' talent and helps them become great composers/singers/performers. Talent is important, in rare cases more than education. However, the general rule of thumb is that the educated approach to everything, including Music, is necessary to create something everlasting and of high quality. We hope this section of ARMACAD will help you combine your musical talent with quality education, and grant the world more great compositions and songs.