MUS 180 : Creative Practice in Popular Music 1
Creative Arts and Industries
2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate personal initiative and awareness in your own independent musical research practice. (Capability 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 8.1)
- Demonstrate a growing understanding of creative self-reflection, creative process skills and creative research practices. (Capability 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 8.1)
- Compose songs in a contemporary popular style employing a range of commonly found elementary metric and rhythmic structures, textual constructs, harmonic/modal and melodic concepts, and in varying forms (structures). (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 5.1)
- Evaluate and reflect upon how your creative practice is beginning to engage with different cultural contexts (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Develop and demonstrate an understanding of fundamental word setting skills with in the context of songs and musical arrangements. (Capability 1.2, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)
- Compose song lyrics that employ elementary lyric writing techniques appropriate to a chosen musical style and reveal an understanding of the use of coherent depiction and imagery in the lyric (Capability 1.2, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Demonstrate an understanding of of the foundational skills required to produce clearly and accurately written rehearsal charts and analysis chord charts and lyric sheets encompassing a range of song structures, styles and layouts. (Capability 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Describe and analyse with increasing accuracy one’s own creative work and the creative work of fellow students, other songwriters and musicians (Capability 1.2, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 8.2)
- Demonstrate a foundational understanding of vocal and instrumental performance techniques that contribute to and enhance the presentation and communication of the student’s original songs and compositions (Capability 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Develop and demonstrate an understanding of basic instrumental arrangement and music production techniques. (Capability 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| General Coursework | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Creative Practice Assignments | 50% | Individual Coursework |
| Creative Practice Performance Assessment | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| General Coursework | ||||||||||
| Creative Practice Assignments | ||||||||||
| Creative Practice Performance Assessment | ||||||||||
Assignments are to be submitted, according to the submission type specified on CANVAS, by the due date. In the event of illness or other circumstances that prevent completing an assignment, please contact the course coordinator with independent evidence as appropriate before the due date. Late assignments that do not have an approved extension will be penalized 10% for each day or part thereof. No assignment will be accepted after that assignment has been returned to students.
Teaching & Learning Methods
During this course, students will compose songs and song arrangements applying a prescribed set of composition techniques and songwriting parameters. The inclusion of these parameters is designed to focus and advance each student’s skill base. The effectiveness of their composition process is assessed through the successful completion of exercises, songs, recordings, charts and analyses, live performances and via thoughtful peer review and written reflection.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 24 hours of lectures, 12 hours of tutorials and songwriting assessments, 96 hours to complete weekly exercises, creative assignments and daily practice and research, and 18 hours to prepare and rehearse for songwriting ensemble concerts.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials and workshops to complete components of the course.
Learning activities including seminars and tutorials will not always be available as recordings.
The course may include some live online events such as small group tutorials.
Attendance on campus is required for the songwriting and performance assessments.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a three-week modular timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Health & Safety
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Students will have earlier access to upcoming assessment overviews and resources
Other Information
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.