2015/16 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

MUSS1020 Understanding Music

20 creditsClass Size: 111

Module manager: Edward Venn
Email: E.J.Venn@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2015/16

Pre-requisite qualifications

Normally A level Music or equivalent, with a minimum knowledge of harmony and tonality at ABRSM Grade 6 Theory standard. Ability to understand musical notation is essential.

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The module seeks to introduce students to a variety of core strategies for engaging with and understanding music at tertiary level. On successful completion of this module, students may be expected to:• Have demonstrated an understanding of core, tertiary level strategies for engaging with a variety of musics;• Show an awareness of fundamental principles of the same musics, including, though not limited to, form, polyphony, counterpoint, and harmony (each in both aural and, broadly conceived, written forms);• Evidence a developing ability both to replicate stylistically and critique the musics engaged with using appropriate tools and terminology;• Appreciate the way in which basic analytical approaches to music can enrich and inform broadly aesthetic approaches.

Objectives

The module seeks to introduce students to a variety of core strategies for engaging with and understanding music at the tertiary level. Some overlap may be expected with A-level study, such that familiar ideas are deepened and enriched, while some topics and themes will be entirely new.

To take account of the differing interests and backgrounds of a diverse student body - some of whom position themselves principally as 'classical' musicians, others as 'popular' or 'world' musicians - some parts of the module are normally delivered together; others deal with more specific topics, providing the possibility for students to develop internal pathways across the broadly 'analytic' portion of the undergraduate programme.

Nevertheless, students may choose these internal pathways freely (according to particular internal pre-requisites) rather than feeling at all bound to any specific 'tradition'.

Learning outcomes
Subject-specific
On successful completion of this module, students may be expected to:
- Have demonstrated an understanding of core, tertiary level strategies for engaging with a variety of musics;
- Show an awareness of fundamental principles of the same musics, including, though not limited to, form, polyphony, counterpoint, and harmony (each in both aural and, broadly conceived, written forms);
- Evidence a developing ability both to replicate stylistically and critique the musics engaged with using appropriate tools and terminology;
- Appreciate the way in which basic analytical approaches to music can enrich and inform broadly aesthetic approaches (especially in the context of other modules within the programme as a whole).

Generic
On successful completion of this module, students may be expected to:
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of how procedural modes of engaging with complex information (through analytical strategies) juxtapose with more intuitive modes of thought;
- Have begun making links between in-class working practices and self-directed study;
- Show a developing awareness of the relationship between 'theory' (broadly conceived) and 'practice' (such that students are moving toward becoming not only 'informed practitioners' but also practical theoreticians).

Syllabus

Indicative syllabus

Semester 1
Weeks 1–5: Introduction to Form

This might include, but not be limited to, song forms, dance forms, repetitive, and developmental forms

Weeks 6–11: split sessions dealing with Polyphony & Counterpoint

Sessions would typically introduce species counterpoint and/or a broader range of polyphonic traditions, including the polyphony of the Aka Pygmies, Georgia’s ancient Svaneti polyphony, and counterpoint in popular song

Semester 2
Weeks 1–5: Introduction to Harmony

This might include, but not be limited to, 18th-century harmonic styles and popular song harmony

Week 6: reading week

Weeks 7–11: split sessions developing work on Harmony

Sessions would typically introduce harmonic reduction and/or an approach to harmony as a listening practice

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Group learning	20	1.00	20.00
Lecture	20	1.00	20.00
Private study hours			160.00
Total Contact hours			40.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

4 hours preparation for each timetabled session = 160 hours.

As outlined below, following each lecture session, students will work on practical exercises in groups, with formative feedback and demonstrations of 'ideal' solutions.

At the end of these sessions, students will be directed to further examples of practical work (hosted on the VLE, but completed 'offline') for them to work on in their own time. Wherever possible, ideal solutions will also be posted on the VLE a week later for students to compare against their own work.

Students will also be guided towards contextual and theoretical materials, both in written and aural forms.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Following each lecture session will be a large-group session (the class being divided into two for these purposes), in which practical exercises will be carried out in groups following the model(s) presented during the lecture. Members of academic staff (or RPGs if available) will lead these seminar sessions, helping students to develop their work and commenting upon progress. If RPGs run these sessions, they will be expected to feedback to members of lecturing staff to ensure that they are aware of any difficulties arising.

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	1 hr 30 mins	50.00
Exam with advance information on questions	1 hr 30 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

The first exam will be a 90-minute aural exam. To take account of the different pathways within this module, students will be split into two separate groups, in which all take a common first question, and different second questions, according to which pathway they have taken. The second exam will be a 90-minute formal written exam (with options for questions, according to pathway in this case). Recordings of the music which will appear on the exam will have been available on the VLE for a week in advance, to enable students to become acquainted with it.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 23/09/2015

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