MUSIC

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

Entry to a BMus Degree programme OR by audition.

Co-requisites

Performance 2

Notes

Where students are studying more than one instrument/voice, they can elect in advance to have them equally weighted, or weighted in the proportion 75% (main instrument) and 25% (second instrument) for assessment purposes.

Overview

Students select the pieces they work on in negotiation with their instrumental/voice tutor.

Structure

Normally 10 hours of individual instrumental or vocal lessons, plus attendance at all rehearsals and concerts for the nominated ensemble (ie, at least 36 contact hours, depending on the ensemble).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Tutor report and essay of 2,000 words on an aspect of performance. Exemption may be granted for the essay for students with exemplary attendance at the nominated ensemble.

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s). Recital (for those failing tutor report); resit failed elements of the same essay (for those failing essay).

Formative Assessment

Students are being constantly assessed by their tutors in this one-to-one learning context.

Feedback

Feedback to students is on a continual basis in this one-to-one learning context. Tutors will arrange for a session to go over their comments with the student following the submission of the report.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus Programme OR evidence of advanced musical literacy.

Structure

1 one-hour theory class per week
1 two-hour counterpoint class per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions (66%); theory examination (34%).

Resit: Students resit the failed elements of the assessment(s).

Formative Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the course by means of short in-course assignments as well as being monitored on a regular basis by teaching staff.

Feedback

Students will receive oral feedback following the in-course assignments and written feedback following the submission of coursework.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith

Pre-requisites

An ability to read music.

Notes

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Structure

History of Music: 1 one-hour class per week
Writing about Music: 1 one-hour class per fortnight (smaller groups)

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment - two essays (66%); examination (34%).

Resit: Students resit the failed criteria within the failed assessment(s) or resit the examination.

Formative Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the course by means of short in-course assignments as well as being monitored on a regular basis by teaching staff.

Feedback

Feedback will be given after the final course assignment and regularly throughout the "Writing about Music" component of the course.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs G Jack

Pre-requisites

Entry to a BMus Degree programme OR by audition.

Notes

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Structure

12 hours of keyboard skills across the year
1 hour aural class per fortnight (12 in total)
1 hour performance skills per fortnight (12 in total)
Concert attendance (variable)

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment by means of regular keyboard skills tests (34%); aural examination (33%); essay (33%).

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s). Keyboard skills examination (34%); aural examination (33%); essay (33%).

Formative Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the course by means of short in-course assignments as well as being monitored on a regular basis by teaching staff.

Feedback

Students will receive oral feedback during session on various aspects of listening, rehearsing as well as written feedback on written coursework.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs C McDonald

Pre-requisites

Entry to MA (Honours Education) programme or other applicable year 1 programme.

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly concept of music education and will cover the following areas:

use of music as a starting point for musical development through the use of age and stage appropriate singing games and rhymes
introduction of music notation using the tools of rhythm names and solfa
use of Kodaly tools in a variety of music contexts, eg composition and instrumental work
how to choose an appropriate repertoire across all primary stages
use of music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence

Structure

1 two-hour session per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Suite of lesson / session plans over a range of ages, 3-6, 6-8, 8-11 - 2,000 words (50%); folio of songs and rhymes with accompanying analysis - 1,000 words (50%).

Resit: Students will only be required to resubmit the failed component of the assessment.

Formative Assessment

Students will engage with peer, self and tutor assessment through carrying out practical music activities within the group before taking part in experiential learning in the workplace.

Feedback

In keeping with the School of Education policy on assessment and in sufficient time for students to be able to improve their work through feedback, detailed written feedback on assessment is provided to students (typically within four weeks of submission). Feedback highlights strengths and gives clear guidelines for improvement. Face to face meetings can be arranged for students who are not succeeding.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith and Mrs C McDonald

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of MU 1055 Developing Musicianship through Kodaly Methodology.

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly philosophy of music education and will cover the following areas:

use of music as a starting point for musical development through the use of age and stage appropriate singing games and rhymes

further development and understanding of musical notation through use of rhythm names and relative sol-fa
use of Kodaly tools in a variety of contexts, eg pentatonic & diatonic scales, use of tuned and untuned percussion

expand repertoire of activities, songs and games appropriate to use in a primary classroom

use of music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence

Structure

1 two-hour session per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Practical assessment of musicianship (20%); Kodaly methodology in practice (30%); lesson plan / folio of songs with accompanying analysis (50%) (1,500 words).

Resit: Resubmission of above assignment, each or every part (dependent on initial result).

Formative Assessment

Students will engage with peer, self and tutor assessment through carrying out practical musical activities within the group before taking part in experiential learning in the workplace.

Feedback

In keeping with the School of Education policy on assessment and in sufficient time for students to be able to improve their work through feedback, detailed written feedback on assessment is provided to students (typically within 4 weeks of submission). Feedback highlights strengths and gives clear guidelines for improvement. Face to face meetings can be arranged for students who are not succeeding.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

Entry to a BMus Degree programme OR by audition.

Co-requisites

Performance 1

Notes

Where students are studying more than one instrument/voice, they can elect in advance to have them equally weighted, or weighted in the proportion 80% (main instrument) and 20% (second instrument) for purposes of assessment.

Overview

Students select the pieces they work on in negotiation with their instrumental/voice tutor.

Structure

Normally 10 hours of individual instrumental or vocal lessons, plus attendance at all rehearsals and concerts for the nominated ensemble (ie, at least 36 contact hours, depending on the ensemble).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Recital and essay of 2,000 words on an aspect of performance. Exemption may be granted for the essay for students with exemplary attendance at the nominated ensemble.

Resit: Students resit the failed assessments, the recital, and failed elements of the essay.

Formative Assessment

Students are being constantly assessed by their tutors in this one-to-one learning context.

Feedback

Feedback to students is on a continual basis in this one-to-one learning context. Tutors will arrange for a session to go over their comments with the student following the submission of the report.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Mealor

Pre-requisites

Completion of Composition and Theory course

Structure

1 two-hour arranging class per week
1 one-hour harmony and analysis class per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions (66%); harmony and analysis examination (34%)

Resit: Students resit the failed elements of the assessment(s).

Formative Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the course by means of short in-course assignments as well as being monitored on a regular basis by teaching staff.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be given following the in-course assignments and written feedback following the submission of coursework.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs C McDonald

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of MU 1055 Developing Musicianship through Kodaly Methodology

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly philosophy of music education and will cover the following areas:

• use of music as a starting point for musical development through the use of age and stage appropriate singing games and rhymes
• further development and understanding of musical notation through use of rhythm names and relative sol-fa
• use of Kodaly tools in a variety of contexts, eg pentatonic and diatonic scales, use of tuned and untuned percussion
• expand repertoire of activities, songs and games appropriate to use in a primary classroom
• use of music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence.

Structure

1 two-hour session per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: Practical assessment of musicianship (20%); Kodaly methodology in practice (30%); lesson plan/folio of songs with accompanying analysis, 1,500 words (50%).

Resit: Resubmission of above assignment, each or every part (dependent on initial result).

Formative Assessment

Students will engage with peer, self and tutor assessment through carrying out practical musical activities within the group before taking part in experiential learning in the workplace.

Feedback

In keeping with the School of Education policy on assessment and in sufficient time for students to be able to improve their work through feedback, detailed written feedback on assessment is provided to students (typically within 4 weeks of submission). Feedback highlights strengths and gives clear guidelines for improvement. Face to face meetings can be arranged for students who are not succeeding.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr A Macdonald

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course requires a degree of music literacy.

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Overview

This course traces the development of music from the end of the Baroque period to the end of the nineteenth century, focusing on works by composers including Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wagner and Verdi. It will place changes in musical style and aesthetic in a broader cultural and social context.

Structure

12 hours of lectures (weeks 12-17)
12 hours of lectures (weeks 30-35)
12 hours of seminars (weeks 12-17)
12 hours of seminars (weeks 30-35)

Assessment

1st Attempt: Presentation (20%);
Examination, January diet (40%);
Examination, May diet (40%).

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s).

Feedback

Students will receive immediate and direct feedback on their presentations. Generic feedback will be provided after the January examination, and students will be able to seek individual advice where appropriate. As well as providing the vehicle through which presentations are formally assessed, the seminars provide an opportunity for interaction amongst staff/students.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Mealor and Professor P Stollery

Pre-requisites

MU 1552 or equivalent.

Notes

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Overview

The course usually consists of two projects, culminating in the submission of a portfolio of student work. The projects each focus on one genre, such as composing for a percussion ensemble or for voice. Students will work on aleatoric techniques, extended vocal and instrumental techniques, and extended tonalities.

Structure

6 two-hour seminars; 12 hours of workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions (100%).

Resit: Students resubmit any composition(s) forming part of the portfolio that have failed.

Feedback

The main vehicle for feedback will be the workshops during which student compositions will be performed. Feedback will be given orally, and there will be opportunities for students to participate in the constructive criticism of one another's work. The sessions will be recorded for future use by the external examiners.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P A Cooke

Pre-requisites

None, although the course requires a high level of music literacy.

Notes

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Overview

At the heart of this course are weekly exercises in pastiche composition in which students complete extracts of music by composers mostly of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Students gain experience in writing for piano and string quartet, in composing exercises in two- and three-part Baroque counterpoint, and in writing piano accompaniments for German lieder. This course is designed to develop essential techniques of composition, as well as offering invaluable insights into the styles and genres of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composition.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture/seminar per week (20 in total)
1 fifteen-minute small group tutorial per fortnight (5 hours in total)

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: Assignment 1 (25%);
In-course assessment: Assignment 2 (25%); Examination (50%).

Resit: Students resit any failed component(s).

Formative Assessment

Students will be set assignments on a weekly basis.

Feedback

Feedback on formative assignments will usually be generic, and given to the whole group. Feedback on assessed work counting towards the final CAS mark will be given on the script, with a brief accompanying verbal report.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs G Jack

Pre-requisites

MU 1054 or equivalent.

Notes

This course requires an ability to play the piano and to read music fluently.

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Overview

Building on the foundation laid in the first-year musicianship course, students develop their musicianship by working at keyboard skills. They develop acute listening skills through classes in aural and performance skills, which are further enhanced by concert attendance, which provides the opportunity for self-reflection. The course is primarily concerned with the acquisition and development of skill sets associated with music that need to be developed over an extended period of many years.

Performance skills may include sessions on vocal technique and repertoire, Kodaly-based aural work, directing ensembles, performance etiquette, programming, performance psychology, health relating to performance, psychology of performance, practising strategies.

Structure

12 hours of keyboard skills across the year (small group work)
1 hour aural class per fortnight (12 in total)
1 hour performance skills per fortnight (12 in total)
Concert attendance (variable)

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment by means of regular keyboard skills tests (34%); Aural/Performance Skills examination (33%); Essay (33%).

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s):
Keyboard skills examination (34%); Aural/Performance Skills examination (33%); Essay (33%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment in aural is provided through the use questions set in specialised computer software.
Formative assessment is provided regularly in keyboard skills.

Feedback

Feedback is provided to individual students at each keyboard skills class.
Feedback is automatically generated by the computer software for aural skills formative work.
Oral feedback is part of the continual learning process in performance skills.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

MU 1551 or equivalent OR by audition.

Notes

This course is taught across the whole session from week 12 to 44.

Overview

Students study one instrument/voice on an individual basis with specialist visiting tutors, or they may elect to split the tuition between two instruments/voice. In addition, they participate in an ensemble offered by the Department of Music.

Structure

Normally 20 hours of individual instrumental or vocal lessons, plus attendance at all rehearsals and concerts for the nominated ensemble.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Recital of 15 minutes' duration. Where students are studying more than one instrument/voice, they will be weighted in the proportion (80%) (main instrument) and (20%) (second instrument) for purposes of assessment; the recital should reflect this proportion.
Essay of 2,000 words on an aspect of performance (Pass/Fail). Exemption may be granted for students with exemplary attendance at the designated ensemble.

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s).

Feedback

Extensive regular oral feedback from visiting tutors.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith and Mrs C McDonald

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of MU 1056 - Developing Musicianship through Kodaly Methodology 2

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly philosophy of music education and will cover the following areas:

how music is used as a starting point for msucial development through the use of age and stage appropriate singing games and rhymes
further development and understanding of musical notation through use of rhythm names and relative sol-fa
further experience in the use of Kodaly tools in a variety of contexts, eg pentatonic and diatonic scales, use of tuned and untuned percussion
further expand the repertoire of activities, songs and games appropriate for use in a primary classroom
the use of music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence

Structure

1 two-hour session per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: practical assessment of musicianship (20%); Kodaly methodology in practice (30%); portfolio of evidence demonstrating how activities can be adapted for different age groups with accompanying analysis of musical elements (1,500 words) (50%).

Resit: Resubmission of above assignment, each or every part (dependent on initial result).

Formative Assessment

Students will engage with peer, self and tutor assessment through carrying out practical musical activities within the group prior to engaging with practical sessions with children.

Feedback

In keeping with the School of Education policy on assessment, and in sufficient time for students to be able to improve their work through feedback, detailed written feedback on assessment is provided to students (typically within 3 weeks of submission). Feedback highlights strengths and gives clear guidelines for improvement.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Ms P Black

Pre-requisites

Level 1 of BMus Hons or equivalent.

Co-requisites

Entry to the course is by interview and audition.

Notes

Available only to students who are intending to follow the BMus (Education) programme.

Overview

Educational principles and practice, with particular regard for music. Links between primary and secondary phases of education. Links between formal and non-formal educational contexts prior to the school and community experience.

Structure

14 two-hour Lecture/Seminars (28 hours)
1 one-hour feedback session
Three 5 days (15 days) school and community experience

Assessment

1st Attempt: Production of a classroom arrangement for ensemble (50%); 1,500 word essay on an Education Studies topic (50%).

Resit: Production of a classroom arrangement for ensemble (50%); 1,500 word essay on an Education Studies topic (50%).

Formative Assessment

Detailed report from secondary school staff which recognises student strengths and areas for further development.

Feedback

Summative assessment: feedback sheets given to students with detailed comments recognising strengths and making specific suggestions for further progress.

Formative assessment: secondary school staff discuss and agree reports with students.
University staff interview students to provide support in cases of reports which suggest potential areas of difficulty or unsatisfactory progress.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith and Mrs C McDonald

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Developing Musicianship through Kodaly Methodology 3

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly philosophy of music education and will cover the following areas:

how music is used as a starting point for musical development through the use of age and stage appropriate singing games and rhymes
further development and understanding of musical notation through use of rhythm names and relative sol-fa
further experience in the use of Kodaly tools in a variety of contexts, eg pentatonic and diatonic scales, use of tuned and untuned percussion
further expand the repertoire of activities, songs and games appropriate for use in a primary classroom
the use of music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence

Structure

1 two-hour session per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: practical assessment of musicianship (20%); Kodaly methodology in practice (30%); portfolio of evidence demonstrating how activities can be adapted for and taught with different age groups with accompanying analysis of musical elements (1,500 words)(50%)

Resit: Resubmission of above assignment, each or every part (dependent on initial result).

Formative Assessment

Students will engage with peer, self and tutor assessment through carrying out practical musical activities within the group prior to engaging with practical sessions with children.

Feedback

In keeping with the School of Education policy on assessment, and in sufficient time for students to be able to improve their work through feedback, detailed written feedback on assessment is provided to students (typically within 4 weeks of submission). Feedback highlights strengths and gives clear guidelines for improvement.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Successful interview in January for entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme the following year.

Overview

The course will consist of workshops that will prepare students for a community placement. This will allow them to understand and engage with theoretical work that will then be put into practice as participants in peer-group contexts before participating in real situations in communities.

Workshops will allow students to try out ideas within peer-groups, undergoing peer-assessment activities as well as formal assessment themselves, as well as looking at how to evaluate their own practice.

The Community Placement will allow students to undertake activities with a variety of local agencies under the guidance of an expert. Agencies who have expressed an interest in becoming partners are Scottish Ensemble, Woodend Arts Association, Station House Media Unit, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen College and various City and Shire council supported activities, as well as community activities managed by university staff away from the university.

Placement will consist of 7 pairs of serial days throughout the duration of the course which are undertaken in pairs.

Structure

1 two-hour session per week 7 pairs of serial days on placement.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) Reflective Journal (25%).

Resit: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) (new placement) Reflective Journal (25%) (new).

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course is taught intensively in weeks 41 to 44 and is intended primarily for single honours BMus students.

Overview

The bulk of the course will consist of seminars and workshops. These will allow the students to understand and engage with ethnomusicological concepts and theory before putting these into practice in peer-group contexts (workshops) and then fieldwork situations on the ground. The course will include a strong practical element and fieldwork visits will be made to musical events in the local community.

Seminars will be based on topics such as: ethnomusicology theory, history of audio and video recording, field research methods, emic and etic approaches in ethnomusicology, transcription and analysis, annotation of field research, and fieldwork ethics. They will include case studies of ethnomusicologists working in the field.

Workshops will bring some of these areas into practice and will allow students to try out fieldwork techniques within their peer-group, undergoing peer-assessment activities and evaluating their own field practice.

The fieldwork visits will allow students to undertake practical ethnomusicology research in a local setting where music is being practiced and performed under the guidance of an expert. The duration of 8 hours is meant to be seen as a minimum requisite and students will be encouraged to undertake independent field research in addition to that which is required for the course.

Structure

12 one-hour seminars
12 one-hour tutorials/workshops

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 Multimedia Field Report (2,000 words plus audiovisual material) (100%).

Resit: Students resit any failed component(s). Please note that the Field Report can be retaken only once.

Formative Assessment

Workshop exercises (up to 4)
Field note exercises (up to 4)

Feedback

Oral formative feedback will be provided throughout the course. Generic feedback on formative assessment will be given in class.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P A Cooke

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

Please note that this course requires a high level of musical literacy and compositional ability.

This course is taught intensively in weeks 41 to 44 and is intended primarily for single honours BMus students.

Overview

During this course students will explore the music of some of the greatest composers of choral music in our time. The repertoire will be mostly sacred choral music by British composers - Benjamin Britten, John Tavener and James MacMillan; American composers Leonard Bernstein, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre, and the Europeans: Carl Orff, Arvo Pärt and Peteris Vasks. Reference will be made to secular choral music by Per Norgård, Veljo Tormis and Bela Bartok.

Structure

8 two-hour seminars
4 two hour workshops (or equivalent)

Assessment

1st Attempt: A 10-minute presentation on a work (or works) of your choice on any aspect of contemporary choral music (25%); and
Either:
(a) A performance (as conductor or singer) of a short recital (10 mins) of contemporary choral music (75% of the final mark); or:
(b) An original composition (3-5 mins in duration for SATB) inspired by contemporary choral techniques (75 % of the final mark).

Resit: Students resit all failed elements of assessment.

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided in seminars and workshops, which will be recorded for the purposes of external moderation by external examiners when the work presented in a performance context contributes to the final CAS mark.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr A Macdonald

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course requires a high level of musical literacy.

This course is taught intensively in weeks 41 to 44 and is intended primarily for single honours BMus students.

Overview

This course places the string quartets of Beethoven in the context of his life and the stylistic development of his music. It focuses on specific quartets (which vary from year to year), assessing their place in the development of the composer's works in the string quartet medium.

Structure

12 two-hour seminars

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 essay of 2,000 words (100%).

Resit: Students resit failed assessment(s).

Formative Assessment

Students may be required to give presentations to their peers.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided on presentations
Written feedback will be provided on the essay, comprising annotations to the script (where appropriate) and a completed report form.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr E Campbell

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours degree in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Overview

This course combines the study of two highly innovative periods of music history, the early Baroque and the early twentieth century. Should these two periods of music (c1600 and c1900) be identified as revolutionary turning points, or be viewed in terms of a more gradual evolution of musical style? Knowledge gained in lectures and through reading will be used to debate whether there are any similarities between the two periods.

Structure

1 two-hour plenary lecture/seminar per week

1 one-hour seminar per fortnight

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 3,000 words (100%).

Resit: Essay of 3,000 words (100%).

Formative Assessment

In-course presentation on at least one set work, working in groups.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided on the formative oral presentation.

Feedback on the essay will be provided by annotating the script and by means of an assessment feedback form appropriate for the assignment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Mealor and Professor P Stollery

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Overview

Composition will consist of one or more discreet projects centred around a genre (eg piano work, piece for percussion ensemble) and/or taking inspiration from a particular body of work (eg Schoenberg and his legacy, impressionism). Students compose one or more pieces to make up a folio of compositions. The exact content varies from year to year according to the composers contributing to the course, and the opportunities for workshops involving visiting composers and performers.

Structure

18 one-hour seminar/workshops throughout the year.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Composition folio (100%).

Resit: Students resit failed components of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback on work in composition workshops
Written report on folio submission

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

MU 2007 Performance 3 or equivalent

Overview

Students study either one instrument/voice or may elect to divide the tuition between a Main and Additional study.

In addition, they are expected to participate in at least one designated University ensemble.

Structure

Normally students receive 20 hours of individual tuition through the year plus a designated ensemble.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 performance examination of 20 minutes (100%) and one essay (pass/fail). Exemption from the essay may be sought by students with exemplary attendance (at least 80% recorded attendance) at their designated ensemble.

Resit: Students resit failed components.

Formative Assessment

See below

Feedback

Formative feedback is provided by the student's Visiting Tutor(s) in the form of a mid-year report.

Written feedback is provided on the recital using a report form.

Written feedback is provided for the essay using a report form.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

My Ladye Nevells Booke is an anthology of keyboard music by William Byrd compiled under the supervision of the composer by John Baldwin in 1591. It provides a rare and fascinating insight into keyboard music composed in England before the turn of the century.

The course involves a practical engagement with the music in master classes during which students will be introduced to the kinds of instruments on which it would have been played; there will be an optional visit to the Russell Collection in Edinburgh.

Students will be introduced to the manuscript, the genres of music contained within it, as well as to the evidence it provides about performance practice (especially fingering and ornamentation).

Students will be expected to participate actively in performance activities, but assessment will be through written work.

Structure

10 two-hour seminars

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 3,000 words (100%).

Resit: Essay of 3,000 words (100%).

Formative Assessment

Students will be expected to practise one piece contained in the manuscript.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided on the formative assessment; practical experience of performing will feed into the essay.

Written feedback on the essay will be provided in the form of annotations to the script and a report form.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr E Campbell

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

Contemporary musical composition has been approached from a number of angles. We are now emerging from a more formalist period in which analysts were inclined to look at the music itself through the close examination and analysis of musical scores and the production of ever more recondite analytical meta-languages.

While the present course will be entirely respectful of purely analytical approaches to musical composition, it will go beyond the material of the score to contextualise a number of significant contemporary musical scores within the intellectual and cultural soil from which they have arisen. In practical terms, this will entail the analysis of musical scores, a degree of biographical study, knowledge of extra-musical historical events, and familiarity with a number of decisive philosophical, theological, political, literary and mythological notions, ideas and texts, all of which will be related to the production and reception of the composer's score

Structure

10 two-hour seminars

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 3,000 words (100%)

Resit: Students resit any failed elements of assessment

Feedback

Oral feedback will be given during seminars
Written feedback will be provided on essay in the form of annotations to the script and a report form

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Wilkins

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus Programme OR evidence of advanced musical literacy.

Overview

Weekly theory classes will be taught which introduce the student to the concept of soundscapes studies, deep listening, ear cleaning, sound walks, sound art and electroacoustic composition, sound objects, acoustic ecology, sound mapping, hi- and lo- fi sounds, notation and transcription of sound, noise pollution, and acoustic communication.

Weekly workshops will be enable students to put the theory into practice, and will involve activities including sound walks, ear cleaning exercises, team fieldwork, audio recording, transcription of sonic events, electroacoustic composition involving field recordings, reflections on sound, audio editing, and in-class presentations.

Structure

1 one-hour theory class per week
1 two-hour workshop per week

Teaching methods during this course will include lecture-seminars and practical workshops. Students will be expected to have a strong participatory role throughout the course and during workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions or multimedia field report (66%); 2 hour written theory examination (34%)

Resit: Students resit the failed elements of the assessment(s).

Formative Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the course by means of short in-course assignments as well as being monitored on a regular basis by teaching staff.

Feedback

Students will receive oral feedback following the in-course assignments and written feedback following the submission of coursework.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P A Cooke

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours degree programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree

Overview

Students will develop a critical awareness of form and structure in music both aurally and by means of studying various approaches to musical analysis which will draw on a range of analytical methods and musical genres.

The analysis of musical scores will be related to music as experienced aurally in performance.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture per week plus concert attendance

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%): folio comprising 1 analytical essay or graphical analysis of scores set by lecturing staff (length will vary according to approach, but should be the equivalent of at least 1,500 words), and 2 an analytical essay (1,500 words) of a work heard in live performance

Resit: Students resit failed components of assessment

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided on contribution to seminars
Written feedback will be given on written work, including annotations or scripts and feedback forms.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr F Wilkins

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

The bulk of the course will consist of seminars and tutorials. Each seminar will cover a specific musical tradition through multimedia presentations (video, powerpoint, audio), performances, and demonstrations.

Seminars will cover topics such as: Mbira music of Zimbabwe, Kora music of Mali, Jewish Klezmer music, Gospel music of the Southern United States, Canadian and Alaskan Fiddle Traditions, Indonesian Gamelan, Cuban music, Music of Central Asia, Chinese Folksong Traditions, and The Music of Rajasthan.

Tutorials will consist of listening exercises, computer aided learning, and discussions linked to course readings and listening exercises, and will include an element of practical experience through musical participation.

Structure

1 one-hour seminar per week and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 CD review (1,500 words) (30%); 1 listening exam of 30 minutes (30%); 1 written exam of 2 hours (40%).

Resit: Students resit failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided in classes.

Written feedback will be given on the CD review.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S-J Kim

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in music or another discipline, or entry to BMus designated degree

Notes

Course is not available to students studying Physics

Overview

Different facets of sound, such as frequency, amplitude, wave transmission and interaction will be studied through the lens of specific musical focus questions, for example: "why do choirs often go flat?" or "how many oboes are as loud as one trumpet?"

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); portfolio of assignments (50%)

Resit: Students resit any failed assignment(s) and/or the two-hour written examination.

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided for each of the assignments making up the folio.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs C Aldred

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme

Co-requisites

Placement 1

Overview

The course will consist of the following components:

• Concepts of community and key terminology, including social capital, community capacity building, communities of practice, culture, empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
• Methods of researching communities including eg questionnaires, interviews, observation, documentary analysis, and secondary data.
• Analysis of expressed and hidden needs and distinguishing between demand and need.
• Identification of the contribution of music and the arts to communities.
• Evaluation of how to respond using music and the arts to promote empowerment and/or wellbeing of individuals and groups.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 3,500 word essay (coursework).

Resit: Resubmission of failed components within original essay.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme.

Overview

Composition will consist of one or more discreet projects centred around a genre (eg piano work, piece for percussion ensemble) and/or taking inspiration from a particular body of work (eg Schoenberg and his legacy, impressionism). Students compose one or more pieces to make up a folio of compositions. The exact content varies from year to year according to the composers contributing to the course, and the opportunities for workshops involving visiting composers and performers. One of the projects will have direct relevance to a community setting of the student's choice.

Structure

18 one-hour seminar/workshops throughout the year.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Composition folio (100%).

Resit: failed components of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback on work in composition workshops written report on folio submission.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme.

Overview

The course will consist of practical workshops that will prepare students for their community placements but will also provide them with base-line skills in areas that will be necessary in their work as musicians engaging with a variety of community groups.

Skill areas:

• Keyboard
• Percussion
• Singing
• Rehearsing and Directing
• Guitar
• Improvisation

Structure

1 two-hour session per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In course assessments in each skill area (50%) and 20 minute formal presentation demonstrating skills in three chosen skill areas (50%).

Resit: In course assessments in each skill area (50%) (revisited) and 20 minute formal presentation demonstrating skills in three chosen skill areas (50%) (new).

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Music and Communities Project or equivalent; entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme.

Co-requisites

Understanding Communities 1

Overview

The course will consist of workshops that will prepare students for a community placement.

This will allow them to understand and engage with theoretical work that will then be put into practice in peer-group contexts before contributing to work in real situations in communities.

Workshops will allow students to try out ideas within peer-groups, undergoing peer-assessment activities as well as formal assessment themselves, as well as looking at how to evaluate their own practice.

The Community Placement will allow students to undertake activities with a variety of local agencies under the guidance of an expert. Agencies who have expressed an interest in becoming partners are Scottish Ensemble, Woodend Arts Association, Station House Media Unit, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen College and various City and Shire council supported activities, as well as community activities managed by University staff away from the University.

The placement aspect comprises a 3 week placement in a partner agency.

Structure

1 two-hour session per week for 8 weeks, 3 weeks on placement.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) Reflective Journal (25%).

Resit: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) (new placement) Reflective Journal (25%) (new).

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms P Black

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus Education Honours Programme, MU 2518 or equivalent.

Co-requisites

School Experience 1

Notes

Entry to the honours programme in Music Education is by interview mid-way through second year and subject to the approval of Head of Music.

Overview

Professional Studies: these lectures continue coverage of educational principles and practice begun in Professional Studies 1 (proposed new course to replace MU 2510). These would include topics such as Social Justice, Inclusion, Learning and Teaching, Frameworks for Thinking, Curriculum for Excellence, Assessment is for Learning, Creating a Climate for Learning and Child Protection.
Practical Skills: Music students continue to develop practical skills relevant to the classroom including World Music, keyboard, sound engineering, MIDI sequencing, guitar and drum kit skills.

Structure

Week 30: 1 two-hour introductory lecture/workshop.
Weeks 31 - 37 (7 weeks): 2 two-hour classes per week.
Total delivery hours for the course: 30 hours.
Students undertake a period of school placement in weeks 42-44.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 4,000 words on Professional Studies topic (40%); 20-minute Keyboard Skills examination (30%); Music Technology Resource production (15%), World Music Project essay of 1000 words (15%).

Resit: Failed components of individual assessment tasks.

Feedback

Essay: annotations on script and report form.
Keyboard skills: regular oral feedback in keyboard skills classes.
Music Technology: report form on work submitted.
World Music project: report form and annotations on submission.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms P Black

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus Education Honours Programme MU 2518 Music Education Studies 1 or equivalent.

Co-requisites

Music Education Studies 2

Notes

Entry to the honours programme in Music Education is by interview mid-way through second year and subject to the approval of the Head of Music.

Overview

School Experience: this takes place during wks 28-37 and allows students to put theory into practice.

Structure

School Experience: 8 weeks (weeks 28-35)

Assessment

1st Attempt: School Experience joint report from school and University following visit from University lecturer (100%).

School Experience joint report from school and University following visit from University lecturer (100%).

Resit: Students will be given one further opportunity to overtake a failed school placement.

Feedback

Oral feedback on progress will be provided by teachers during the placement. Oral feedback will be provided by lecturer during assessment visit, and will involve a discussion. Written feedback will also be provided.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Palmer

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

European music 1945-2000 presents a complex and confused picture with radical, conventional and traditional composers working simultaneously. This course will identify 'seminal' composers, compositions and theories to bring focus to the many different musics of the period.

Structure

6 one-hour lectures and 6 one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 3,000 word Essay (100%).

Resit: Students resit any failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback on discussion in class
Formal written feedback by annotation of essay and/or report form

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Cameron

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music.

Notes

This course is intended for students writing a dissertation in Music in their fourth year.

Overview

This course will introduce students to basic research methods. It will explore different categories of research in Music, and will provide a guide to formulating a research topic.

It will also cover bibliographic tools, research planning and organization, research presentation (including referencing).

Structure

12 hours (1 hour per week)

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: Research Proposal of 2,500 words (100%).

Resit: Research Proposal of 2,500 words (100%).

Feedback

Oral feedback and advice will be provided to students during the course to enable them to select a suitable dissertation topic.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Ms G Jack

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours degree in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Overview

The course will focus on the Kodaly concept of music education and will cover the following areas:

• Using singing as a starting point for musical development through the use of age-appropriate singing games and rhymes
• Introducing music notation using the tools of rhythm games and solfa
• Using could ie tools in a variety of music contexts for example composition and instrumental work
• How to choose appropriate repertoire across all primary stages
• Using music as a cross-curricular tool with reference to Curriculum for Excellence

Structure

1 two-hour session per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: 3,000 word essay including 1 suite of lesson plans as an appendix (75%)
1,000 word song analysis (25%).

Resit: Students resit failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Continual oral feedback from tutor in practical sessions directed both at individuals and at the group.

Feedback on written work will be provided on a report form and, where appropriate, by annotations to the script.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Stollery

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

Acousmatic Music is music composed using recorded sound and presented over a loudspeaker system. Acousmatic listening, the separation of pure sound from the meanings and symbols usually associated with it, is central to the understanding of this music.

Students will attend lectures and workshops covering developments in acousmatic music, including an understanding of philosophies behind the music (Schaeffer) and familiarisation with technology required to create it. Following this, they will be required to create an original piece of acousmatic music for performance at the end of the course, where their sound diffusion will be assessed alongside the piece itself.

Structure

1 three-hour workshop, 2 two-hour seminars, 10 one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 performance (40%), 1 composition submission (60%).

Resit: 1 composition submission (100%).

Feedback

Oral feedback in the context of seminars and tutorials.
Written report on final submission.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs C Aldred

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme.

Co-requisites

Placement 2

Overview

The course will consist of the following components:

• Examination of community organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors focusing on legal and political context, policy, finance, systems, structures and procedures.
• Theory and practice of working with individuals and groups in an educational and community context.
• Clarification and analysis of values though reflection and reflexivity.
• Interdisciplinarity and partnership working.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 3,500 word essay (coursework).

Resit: Students to resbmit failed components of original essay.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr E Campbell

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

Contemporary musical composition has been approached from a number of angles. We are now emerging from a more formalist period in which analysts were inclined to look at the music itself through the close examination and analysis of musical scores and the production of ever more recondite analytical meta-languages.

While the present course will be entirely respectful of purely analytical approaches to musical composition, it will go beyond the material of the score to contextualise a number of significant contemporary musical scores within the intellectual and cultural soil from which they have arisen. In practical terms, this will entail the analysis of musical scores, a degree of biographical study, knowledge of extra-musical historical events, and familiarity with a number of decisive philosophical, theological, political, literary and mythological notions, ideas and texts, all of which will be related to the production and reception of the composer's score

Structure

10 two-hour seminars

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 3,000 words (100%).

Resit: Students resit any failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be given during seminars.
Written feedback will be provided on essay in the form of annotations to the script and a report form

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to Year III, BMus (Hons) Music and Communities.

Overview

Students will be supported to develop creative, research and business practice skills. They will be required to collaborate on and develop a project proposal for a music and communities context which will directly inform the field of work to be subsequently undertaken in MU 401C (Placement 3) and MU 4097 (Dissertation in Music and Communities).

Structure

4 six-hour Seminar/Workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 3,500 word or equivalent multi media assignment (100%).

Resit: One new 3,500 word or equivalent multi media assignment (100%).

Formative Assessment

Three 500 word MyAberdeen forum posting(s) including appropraite comments on peers' proposals.

Feedback

Formative - Written feedback will be provided by peers and tutors given through the appropriate discussion forums on MyAberdeen.
Summative - Annotated scripts and written feedback forms.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr E Campbell

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or another discipline, or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

Not available to students studying Philosophy.

Overview

This course explores music from a philosophical viewpoint. What is music? How does it relate to the other arts? Is music purely an aural phenomenon? Can we speak of good and bad music? Can we speak of musical progress? To what extent is music merely a product of wider societal forces? These and other questions will be considered in relation to the writings and ideas of a number of key philosophical writers.

Structure

12 weekly one-hour lectures and 12 weekly one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 10 minute presentation(40%) and 2500 word essay (60%).

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s)(100%).

Feedback

Generic feedback will be given to the whole group as the course progresses. Students giving presentations will receive a completed report and, where required, oral feedback. Written feedback will be provided on the essay, comprising annotations to the script (where appropriate) and a completed report form.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme; Placement 1.

Co-requisites

Understanding Communities 2

Overview

The course will consist of workshops that will prepare students for a community placement. This will allow them to understand and engage with theoretical work that will then be put into practice in peer-group contexts before making a range of contributions to work in real situations in communities.

Workshops will allow students to try out ideas within peer-groups, undergoing peer-assessment activities as well as formal assessment themselves, as well as looking at how to evaluate their own practice.

The Community Placement will allow students to undertake activities with a variety of local agencies under the guidance of an expert.

Agencies who have expressed an interest in becoming partners are Scottish Ensemble, Woodend Arts Association, Station House Media Unit, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen College and various City and Shire council supported activities, as well as community activities managed by University staff away from the University.

The placement aspect comprises a 4 week placement in a partner agency.

Structure

1 two-hour session per week for 6 weeks, 4 weeks on placement.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Report (combined University/agency) (75%) Reflective Journal (25%).

Resit: Report (combined University/agency) (75%) (new placement) Reflective Journal (25%) (new).

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music or entry to BMus designated degree.

Notes

This course does not run every year please contact the Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

Students will work with one another to develop a facility for conducting vocal music using chorale settings as material. The course covers instrumental conducting, using Classical minuets arranged for piano duet and/or small ensemble.

Students will explore the history and theory of conducting as well as the challenges presented by contemporary repertoire.

Structure

6 two-hour workshop sessions of conducting experience.

3 two-hour seminar sessions of students' presentations, each one of which will be of 15 minutes duration.

There may be opportunities to work with visiting conductors in masterclasses and workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: A performance of a small ensemble (either voice, or instruments or a mix of both) conducted by each individual student of between 6 and 12 minutes in duration, repertoire to be approved by Course Co-ordinator (80%). Tutorial presentation (20%).

Resit: Students resit the failed assessment(s).

Feedback

There will be constant formative oral feedback in workshops.

Written feedback on the performance and presentation will be given on a report form.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

Entry to fourth year of an honours programme in Music.

Notes

This course does not run every year.

Overview

This course is intended for both those interested in Renaissance music and for composition students who wish to explore the many possibilities of musical invention within a very controlled compositional enviroment. To acquire the basic tools of Renaissance composition, students progress through species counterpoint exercises in two and three voices. Through more advanced exercises in motivic placement, canon (with and without cantus firmus), invertible counterpoint, and the fundamentals of improvised counterpoint, students learn to structure a composition, culiminating in a motet for three voices. In addition, contemporaneous works are studied through analysis of compositions and investigation of treatises.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions.

Resit: Students resit failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Feedback will be provided on individual elements comprising the portfolio as the course progresses to allow students to learn from their mistakes. It will take the form of annotations to the work. The folio itself will be assessed at the end of the course, and a report written on it.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor D Smith

Pre-requisites

Entry to fourth year of an honours programme in Music.

Notes

This course does not run every year: please contact Department of Music for up-to-date information.

Overview

This course will cover the main music and dance traditions which can be found in Scotland. Within the course the student will learn about instrumental and vocal traditions of Scotland, the ways in which music is integrated into Scottish society, the function and meaning of musical performance historically and in the present day, competition and education, the link between music and dance, folk music revivals, the music of the Scottish diaspora, and the shift towards commercialisation and institutionalisation of traditional music in recent years.

This course will consist of two weekly seminars and tutorials.

Seminars will be based on topics such as: Gaelic song, ballads, piping, fiddle traditions, dancing and dance music, Scottish identity in music, music in religion, learning and teaching environments, contemporary music and musicians, composers and soloists, and revival and transformation of Scottish music in the twentieth and twenty-first century. They will include cases studies of ethnomusicologists in Scotland.

Tutorials will include reading, listening, transcription, workshops in fieldwork techniques, student presentations, and practical exercises. They will also give students the opportunity to discuss aspects of Scottish traditional music within their peer-group and to develop critical listening skills.

The concert review will encourage students to attend performances of Scottish music in the surrounding area, thus engaging with current musical performance during the course. Students will also be encouraged to take part in practical music-making in an area of Scottish traditional music where possible to complement their studies.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 2 one-hour tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 concert review (25%); one 3,000 word essay (75%).

Resit: Students resit failed components of assessment.

Formative Assessment

Continuous assessment - in-class exercises.

Feedback

Feedback on formative assessment will be given to the whole class collectively, or targeted at individuals as appropriate (and will depend on the learning needs of particular groups of students).

Written feedback will be provided on a report form for the essay and concert review, and scripts will be annotated as necessary.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms P Black

Pre-requisites

Entry to year 4 of BMus Education Programme.

Co-requisites

Students must also take MU 401D Music Education Studies 3 course.

Overview

School Experience: this takes place during wks 18-28 and allows students to put theory into practice.

Structure

School Experience: 8 weeks (weeks 18-28).

Assessment

1st Attempt: School Experience joint report from school and University following visit from University lecturer - (100%).

School Experience joint report from school and University following visit form University lecturer - (100%).

Resit: Students will only have one opportunity to resit School Experience.

Formative Assessment

N/A

Feedback

Oral feedback on progress will be provided by teachers during the placement. Oral feedback will be provided by lecturer during assessment visit, and will involve a discussion. Written feedback on standard School of Education report form will also be provided.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to final year of BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme; Placement 1 and Placement 2.

Co-requisites

Understanding Communities 3

Overview

The course will consist of workshops that will prepare students for a community placement.

This will allow them to understand and engage with theoretical work that will then be put into practice in peer-group contexts before making a significant contribution, including taking a lead role in some aspects, to work in real situations in communities.
Workshops will allow students to try out ideas within peer-groups, undergoing peer-assessment activities as well as formal assessment themselves, as well as looking at how to evaluate their own practice.

The Community Placement will allow students to undertake activities with a variety of local agencies under the guidance of an expert. Agencies who have expressed an interest in becoming partners are Scottish Ensemble, Woodend Arts Association, Station House Media Unit, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen College and various City and Shire council supported activities, as well as community activities managed by university staff away from the university. The placement aspect comprises a 8 week placement in a partner agency following an intensive workshop-experience in university.

Structure

2 two-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks, 8 weeks on placement.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) Reflective Journal (25%).

Resit: Report (combined university/agency) (75%) (new placement) Reflective Journal (25%) (new).

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms P Black

Pre-requisites

Entry to year 4 of BMus Education Programme.

Co-requisites

MU 401A School Experience 2 course.

Notes

The Professional Studies component of this course is studied along with students following ED 4084.

Overview

Professional Studies: these lectures continue coverage of educational principles and practice begun in Professional Studies 1 and Professional Studies 2. These include topics such as Literacy and Numeracy across the Curriculum and Children on the Autism Spectrum.

Practical Skills: Music students continue to develop practical skills relevant to the classroom including World Music, keyboard, sound engineering, MIDI sequencing, guitar and drum kit skills.

Structure

Professional Studies: 1 one-hour lecture, 1 two-hour workshop per week for 10 weeks.

Practical Skills: 2 two-hour workshop per wk for 6 wks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 4,000 words on Education Studies topic (100%).

Resit: Resubmission of components of essay on Education Studies topic identified as having failed (100%).

Feedback

Oral feedback is provided in practical skills classes (keyboard skills etc).
Written feedback is provided on the essay in the form of annotations to the script and a feedback form.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to the 4th year of BMus (Hons) Music and Communitites programme.

Introduction to Research Skills or equivalent.

Co-requisites

Placement 3

Overview

Students will be supported to select a subject area which is related to their chosen field of work in MU 401C (Placement 3). This work will also seek to enhance a broad and integrated awareness of the challenges of working in a variety of music and community contexts.

The dissertation will require students to have an understanding of educational theories, community pedagogies, academic knowledge of music and the use of practical musical techniques.

Structure

Group and one-to-one supervision throughout the year of up to 6 hours.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Dissertation of 10,000 words (100%).

Resit: Dissertation of 10,000 words (100%).

Formative Assessment

Submission of 2,500 words in total as MyAberdeen discussion forum posting(s) including appropriate comments on peers' proposals.

Feedback

Formative - Written feedback will be provided by peers and tutors given through the appropriate discussion forums on MyAberdeen.
Summative - Annotated scripts and written feedback forms.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Cameron

Pre-requisites

Entry to fourth year of an honours programme in Music Introduction to research course or equivalent.

Overview

Dissertation of 10,000 words on an approved musicological topic.

Structure

Group supervision throughout the year of up to 6 hours.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Dissertation of 10,000 words (100%).

Resit: Dissertation of 10,000 words (100%).

Formative Assessment

Submission of 1,500 words.

Feedback

Written feedback in the form of annotations to formative work
Feedback on final submission on report form.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor P Mealor

Pre-requisites

Entry to year 4 of an honours programme in Music and normally a mark of 16 or above in Composition 2.

Overview

Submission of portfolio of compositions to last c20 minutes in performance.

Candidates should be able to show competence in a variety of styles and genres, which may include electroacoustic music.

Structure

Supervision throughout year.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Portfolio of compositions which normally should last about 20 minutes in performance.

Resit: Students resit any failed elements of assessment.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the supervisor on draft work during the year.

Written feedback on the portfolio will be given on a report form.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F Jurgensen

Pre-requisites

Entry to an honours programme in Music and normally a mark of 16 or higher in Performance 4.

Notes

Recitals should be given on one instrument/voice only.

Overview

Students work with a Visiting Tutor throughout the year to prepare an approved recital programme of 25-30 minutes duration.

Structure

20 lessons throughout the year.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Public performance recital (100%).

Resit: Recital in front of examiners only (100%).

Formative Assessment

Opportunities will be provided for students to perform in public during the year.

Feedback

Oral feedback on a weekly basis from the Visiting Tutor
Report form on final recital.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Cameron

Pre-requisites

Entry to Year 4 honours programme (BMus or MA with Music).

Overview

This course will examine historical and contemporary performance practice. The practice of conducting and directing musical ensembles will take further the concept of application of musical knowledge into the situation of performance. Musical analysis and its influence on performance techniques will form an important component part of the course.

Structure

Weekly one-hour lecture (to be arranged) and a fortnightly seminar of two hours (to be arranged) and a weekly tutorial. Attendance at a minimum of one major ensemble of the University.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Seminar presentation analysis (50%) and essay performance practice (50%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr C Gray

Pre-requisites

Entry to final year of BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme.

Overview

The course will consist of thee distinct elements:

a) Practical Musicianship Skills
These workshops will build on those first encountered in the level 3 course of the same name and will develop the base-line skills (keyboard, percussion, singing, rehearsing and directing, guitar and improvisation) required by students to work as musicians engaging with a variety of community groups.

b) Instrumental/Vocal Tuition
Students will be able to continue the one-to-one tuition they have been receiving at level 1-3 and to prepare for the end of course recital component.

c) Ensemble Development
Students will be required to set up an ensemble (or continue working with one that they have already set up) and work with this group throughout the session. They will create work for this group using their composition and improvisation skills in preparation for the improvisation element of the final recital. The ensembles will be entirely student-led with only minimal intervention from academic staff and students will be required to undertake a variety of peer-assessment techniques during this part of the course.

Structure

Practical Musicianship Skills - 1 two-hour session per week
Instrumental/Vocal Tuition – One 30 minute session per week
Ensemble Development – One 30 minute session per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 40 minute recital/presentation a) performance on main instrument (50%). b) improvisation using a variety of instruments (50%).

Resit: Resubmission - 40 minute recital/presentation. a) performance on main instrument (50%) (revisited). b) improvisation using a variety of instruments (50%) (revisisted).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mrs C Aldred

Pre-requisites

Entry to final year of BMus (Music and Communities) honours programme

Co-requisites

Placement 3

Overview

The course will consist of the following components:

• Comparison and analysis of legal context, policy guidance and standards across disciplines which contribute to community development
.

• Theory and practice of self management and project management and their application to community settings.


• Models of evaluation and their application to community settings.


• Analysis of exemplars of creative projects and their contribution to community development.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One 3,500 word essay (coursework).

Resit: Students submit failed components of original essay.

Feedback

Oral feedback will be provided by the lecturer on draft work during the year. Written feedback will be provided on report forms following submission of the assessment.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr E Campbell

Pre-requisites

Entry to year 4 of an honours programme in Music.

Overview

In the mid-twentieth century, it seemed that opera was a moribund art form, surviving at best on the back of a canon of great historical works. While its future prospects looked bleak, the composition of over 150 new operas in the period between 1978 and 2003 marked a perhaps unexpected renaissance of the genre in a number of new forms.

This course will engage students in studying the factors which led to the resurgence of operatic/music theatre composition in Europe. A number of works by composers from France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom will be studied by a number of points of view (analysis of music scores, libretti, vocal style, stage design, recordings etc).

Students will be expected to view and listen to a number of operas/music theatre pieces, to analyse aspects of scores and libretti and to think critically about the cultural significance of this late flowering of these important genres. Students will give a number of short presentations throughout the course.

Structure

12 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

First Attempt: Essay of 3,000 words (100%)

Resit: Students resit any failed elements of assessment.

Formative Assessment

Students will give a number of short presentations during the course.

Feedback

Oral feedback during seminars (see formative assessment above). Written feedback on essay in the form of annotations to the script and a report form.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr S-J Kim

Pre-requisites

Entry to fourth year of an honours programme in Music.

Overview

Practical, studio-based classes will provide a technical overview of software applications ProTools, Audiosculpt and Max/MSP, and of sound recording techniques and the microphone. Running concurrently, seminar-based classes will provide an historical overview of electroacoustic music that utilizes the voice as sound object. The theme of each seminar, focused each week around a different aspect of the voice and technology, will provide the theoretical, philosophical, and aesthetic basis for practical applications. Drawing from readings, close analysis and listening of key electro-vocal works from the twentieth-century and beyond, we will assess particular cultural and aesthetic issues that concern the mediated voice in recorded sound. The course will probe the role and influence of technology in compositions that involve the voice and technology, particluarly looking at the way the voice is rendered, represented or transposed through the electronic medium.

Topics include the microphone and recording technology, sound recording technology and its implications for voice recording, early vocal immortalizations onto the phonograph, the theremin, musique concréte, the looped voice, the mechanical voice, the synthesized voice, the fictional robotic voice, human beat-boxes, the interactive voice, sampling the voice and plunderphonics, the electroacoustic voice, and lastly the spoken narrative in contemporary music composition.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week; 1 two-hour studio class per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Written journal (25%); in-class participation (10%); mid-term composition project (25%); final compositional project (40%).

Resit: Written journal (25%); composition project (75%).

Feedback

Oral feedback during studio work. Written feedback on compositions and journal using report forms.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Cameron

Pre-requisites

Entry to the fourth year of an honours programme in Music.

Overview

The course offers an introduction to the principles of editing Baroque sacred vocal music. It will focus on Vivaldi's and Ruggieri's settings of Gloria and will address the relationship between these works. Analytical approaches suitable for such music will be considered. Students will also be introduced to archival research: source documents and scores will be examined and discussed.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essay of 2,500 words (100%)

Resit: Students resit any failed assessment.