2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

MUSS1020 Understanding Music

20 creditsClass Size: 111

Module manager: Dr Clive McClelland
Email: c.mcclelland@leeds.ac.uk

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

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

Basic music reading skills required.

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 pre-university studies, so that familiar ideas are deepened and enriched, while some topics and themes will be entirely new. This course aims to help students prepare for the analysis modules at Level 2 (Interpreting Music) and Level 3 (Analysing Music), and to support aural, historical and compositional studies.

Learning outcomes
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;
• Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of music notations and their application;
• 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)

Indicative syllabus



You will have 20 weekly lectures; there will be 10 lectures in each semester. In the first semester, many lectures will be followed by a supporting seminar in which you will work on practical exercises in smaller groups following the models presented during the lecture, with formative feedback and demonstrations of ‘ideal’ solutions where appropriate. During these weeks you will be studying two broad topics. The first concerns tonality, looking at the different kinds of tonal music. This leads into a study of harmonic principles, including chromatic chords and figured bass. In the second semester we look at counterpoint in order to understand the voice-leading principles that underpin tonal music. We then move on to look at form and its relationship with tonality in a variety of genres. Your weekly lectures will be supplemented with supporting on-line material that will allow you to test your understanding of the module. In both semesters you will be expected to spend time between teaching sessions on preparatory exercises, background reading and listening.

The module is assessed by two exams - one at the end of each semester. At the end of semester one, the exam requires you to complete one exercise in tonality and one in harmony. In semester two, there will be one counterpoint excerise and a structural analysis of a piece prepared in advance.

Syllabus

Indicative syllabus

Semester 1
Weeks 1–5: Introduction to Harmony

This block seeks to introduce the principles underpinning tonal harmony through the study of figured bass. Sessions will gradually build up the fundaments of harmony, including, but not limited to, voice-leading, seventh chords, and chromatic chords.


Weeks 6–11: Species Counterpoint

The traditional discipline of species counterpoint provides a focused introduction to issues concerning voice-leading, dissonance preparation and treatment, and finally, a bridge towards free composition of tonal music. Over the course of this block you will explore these concepts through the composition of adding a melodic line in counterpoint to a given melody.

Semester 2

Weeks 1-10: Introduction to Form

In the second semester, you will build upon the principles introduced in the first in order to explore form in classical and popular music.

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; 10 hours viewing on-line podcasts

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

In both semesters, the lectures are supported by seminars. These have the dual function of allowing 1-1 correction of exercises appropriate for the subject matter, as well as providing support for first-year undergraduates as they adapt to university. There is also a voluntary one-hour ‘catch-up seminar’ in week 6 of each semester, to allow students an opportunity to seek additional help.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored in a variety of ways:
In Semester 1, following each lecture session there 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.
In Semester 2, there will be formative exercises posted on the VLE for students to complete on-line; staff will be able to view the results of these exercises in order to gauge student progress and address them as appropriate.

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Unseen exam	1 hr 30 mins	50.00
Unseen exam	1 hr 30 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

The first exam will be a 90-minute exam in which students are required to complete two technical exercises: the first, a Set of scales to write out, the second a short passage of four-part harmony with figured bass. The second exam will be a 90-minute exam where an exercise in mixed species counterpoint must be completed, and a prepared piece of music analysed by means of a blank table and short essay.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 23/10/2018

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