Group work: OCA Music
We will be holding a monthly online group session for music students during the remainder of the academic year.
Read MoreTo find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
Explore #WeAreOCA
Skip NavigationWe will be holding a monthly online group session for music students during the remainder of the academic year.
Read MorePlagiarism is a scary word, with connotations of academic malpractice, cheating in exams, and dodgy essay-writing websites. In practice, however, plagiarism is just as often accidental as deliberate, and can easily stem from some simple misunderstandings about research practice.
Read MoreAlongside the new changes to the Academic Regulatory Framework, OCA is introducing a number of new mechanisms designed to better support students. What is the support in the ARF? These are the Active Study Policy, Reasonable Adjustments Policy, and a revised Mitigating Circumstances Policy, and also the changes to degree pathways. OCA […]
Read MoreFrom 2nd January 2020 OCA is introducing a revised Academic Regulatory Framework. This document, which forms part of the Student Regulations, underpins and governs how all of OCAs degree programmes work, from the credits that are earnt on completion of a unit to the length of time available to complete a unit, level, and degree. […]
Read MoreWhen students write essays they often avoid planning; they launch into their assignment without a solid idea of how the assignment will end and what it will say. When students do this, they often think they are saving time but this is a false economy, temporally speaking. Planning properly saves time and makes the writing process less intimidating.
Read MoreOCA Music students are invited to take part in a project to create new works for the flute. The project will take place in multiple stages, encompassing an online workshop, a studio recording and, funding permitting, the opportunity to work with an ensemble.
Read MoreIn October I will be undertaking an exciting tour of new work for solo flute and electronics. The works have been created in collaboration with composers from the UK, USA and Ireland, and each piece creates a unique sound environment with the flute placed at the centre.
Read MoreEvery assignment on the Music Degree requires some form of written work; whether through listening and learning logs, critical reflections, or essays. Cultivating an academic writing style is often a long, difficult process and it wasn’t until I had finished my PhD that I believed my prose was of an acceptable standard. In assessing work at OCA, I have encountered a number of common problems with student submissions; in this blog post, I will deal with issues of verbosity and lack of clarity. I frequently read essays where far too many words have been used; where sentences are so overlong that they become confusing. Fortunately, these issues are easy to fix!
Read MoreResearch is an essential part of the music degree, and appears in various guises throughout all modules. Research points, essays, listening logs etc. all require the student to engage in some kind of research.
Read MoreRobin Haigh is a composer from London. In 2017 he became one of the youngest ever recipient of a British Composer Award at the age of 24. As well as being commissioned by the UK’s most prestigious ensembles and institutions such as the LSO, Britten Sinfoniaand Sage Gateshead, he has collaborated closely with leading ensembles of his own generation including the Ligeti Quartet and The Hermes Experiment.
Read More