MUS 203 : Classical Theory and Musicianship 1

Creative Arts and Industries

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Continuation of work begun in MUS 104 on music theory, aural skills and musicianship. Includes a choral component.

Course Overview

Being a musician involves having knowledge of and control over a wide variety of musical materials. As such, students need to acquire skills in the areas of music theory (harmony, counterpoint, analysis) and musicianship (aural training, singing). These skills are transferable across all musical disciplines and pathways of study. They provide students with the confidence to articulate their musical thoughts and ideas in performance, in composition and in the various written formats associated with academic study.

This course enables students to develop essential skills while at the same time engaging with music from across historical repertoires. Students will arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the basic materials of music and how these materials inform all areas of musical practice.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: MUS 104

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Music

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate competency in basic harmony and analysis. Topics include: Expanding the basic phrase model; adding nuance to the tonic, pre-dominant, and dominant areas through voice leading chords, embellishing tones, harmonic sequences, and applied dominants; the study of form through period and sentence structure. (Capability 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
  2. Demonstrate materials of music skills including aural perception, musicianship, basic post-tonal theoretical concepts and terminology. Topics include: Diatonic modes, whole tone, pentatonic and octatonic scales, centric, non centric and non-tonal music, simple introduction to integer notation, definitions of syncopation, canon, hocket and uneven/asymmetrical time signatures. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
  3. Demonstrate understanding of ingredients of music (timbre, texture, pitch, harmony, rhythm etc) in listening examples from a range of periods, styles and genres. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
  4. Demonstrate competency in performance within a musical ensemble through the Applied Musicianship Workshop. In addition to musicianship skills this includes ensemble skills including reliability, punctuality, collaboration, and rehearsal etiquette (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1 and 8.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Harmony and Analysis/Materials of Music Coursework 40% Individual Coursework
Applied Musicianship Test 10% Individual Test
Final Test 50% Individual Test
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Harmony and Analysis/Materials of Music Coursework
Applied Musicianship Test
Final Test
Attendance at Applied Musicianship Workshops is compulsory. If you miss more than TWO sessions without independent evidence such as a medical note you will not be eligible to participate in any planned performance and you will not be eligible to take the Applied Musicianship test. It is your personal responsibility to sign the participation registers at every class. These will be available during the class and for a short while afterwards.

Assignments are to be submitted, according to submission type specified on Canvas, by the due date. If your
ability to complete assessed coursework is aected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your
control, please complete an application for extension form at the following link
https://www.forms.auckland.ac.nz/en/student/creative-arts-and-industries/te-whare-o-ng_-pkrero-poro---
school-of-music-undergraduate-exten.html
You must submit your extension application as early as possible before the assignment due date.
Late assignments that do not have an approved extension will be penalised 10% for each day or part thereof
and will be automatically deducted on CANVAS. No assignment will be accepted after that assignment has been
returned to students.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This course consists of two lectures and one tutorial per week, plus an applied musicianship project consisting of weekly timetabled rehearsals leading to a performance. The teaching strategies in this course are designed to foster the permeability and transferability of skills across the various components of music theory and musicianship and to highlight the holistic nature of these skills, which are also transferable across all musical disciplines. Applied Musicianship provides the opportunity for students to engage with these components in a practical and social musical environment.

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, 11 one-hour theory tutorials, 11 one-hour applied-musicianship classes, 48 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 56 hours of work on assignments, test preparation and performance preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including lectures and Applied Musicianship Workshop to receive credit for components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Tutorials will not be recorded; they are your chance to practice theoretical concepts and get individual feedback on your work.

Owing to its practical nature the Applied Musicianship workshop is not recorded and in-person attendance is required. If you miss more than TWO sessions without independent evidence such as a medical note you will not be eligible to participate in any planned performance and you will not be eligible to take the Applied Musicianship test (10%). It is your personal responsibility to sign the participation registers at every class. These will be available during the class and for a short while afterwards.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable, other than any specially arranged rehearsals or performances, of which you will be notified at the beginning of the semester.

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.

The course will use this textbook and workbook:

Clendinning, Jane P. & Marvin, Elizabeth W. The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis, Fourth Edition. New York: Norton, 2021.
Clendinning, Jane P. & Marvin, Elizabeth W. The Musician’s Guide Workbook, Fourth Edition. New York: Norton, 2021.

The workbook will be used in tutorials; all students must obtain their own copy. Purchase of the textbook is optional, but strongly recommended as it also allows access to online resources including video and audio examples pertaining to both the Harmony and Materials of Music sections of the course.  

The textbook, workbook and all online resources are also available together as an e-text subscription. Copies are available at the University Bookshop or through https://www.wileydirect.com.au.

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.

Tutorials are your opportunity to receive individual feedback on your work, as well as to discuss the course with the lecturer(s).

Other Information

Attendance in class as well as engagement with course activities and readings is vital to academic success. Owing to the nature of music teaching and learning, consistent attendance is essential at all lectures, tutorials and studio lessons. Students must make every effort to attend class and complete all the necessary in-class requirements. All planned absences of a week or more (such as overseas competitions, family events, masterclasses or work-related commitments) must be pre-approved by the Head of School. If approval is given, all Course Coordinators, Tutors and other teachers must be informed of your absence in advance. Unplanned absences relating to illness, bereavement, or other emergencies can only be excused with appropriate evidence from the a doctor, counsellor or other official source. It is students’ personal responsibility to make up all work missed, as individual catch-up classes will not be available.

Owing to its practical nature the Applied Musicianship workshop is not recorded and in-person attendance is required. If you miss more than TWO sessions without independent evidence such as a medical note you will not be eligible to participate in any planned performance and you will not be eligible to take the Applied Musicianship test (10%). It is your personal responsibility to sign the participation registers at every class. These will be available during the class and for a short while afterwards. You'll have seen that this block of text appears three times in the course outline. It's important.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations 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. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

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.

Extensions on coursework or alternate sittings of tests can only be approved with independent evidence such as a medical note.

Learning Continuity

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. In the event of a disruption, the University and your course coordinators will make every effort to provide you with up to date information via Canvas and the University website.

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 you may be asked to submit your 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. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 16/11/2024 08:33 a.m.