MUS10210 Musicianship

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module covers the rudiments of music, including writing and reading scores, and the fundamentals of music theory (melody, rhythm, tonality, key, intervals, etc.). Basic concepts in writing and analyzing harmony are introduced (including degrees of the scale and Roman numeral notation). These fundamentals are reinforced and developed through aural analysis, which focuses on listening skills, score-reading and the basics of musical genres (instrumentation, texture, timbre, etc.).

At the end of the course, students should be able to write and read music fluently, to listen intelligently to recordings whilst following a score, and to identify basic technical features in music of different styles.

This module caters for students who have limited knowledge of music theory and common practice music notation, and it is designed to get students up to the level they need to be at to take Music Theory 1 in the second trimester. You SHOULD take this module if you need to learn or revise any of the following material: the notation of pitch and rhythm, rhythmic duration and rests, simple and compound meters and anacrusis; treble, bass and C clefs, major and minor scales, major and minor key signatures and circle of fifths, relative and parallel keys; simple and compound intervals and inversions of intervals, quality of intervals, consonance and dissonance; triads and seventh chord construction, quality and inversions; Roman numeral notation (including inversions).

If you have a strong grasp of the above skills, you can instead opt to take MUS10020 Listening to Music instead of this module.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module students should be able to:
-demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the notation of pitch and rhythm, rhythmic duration and rests, simple and compound meters and anacrusis; treble, bass and C clefs, major and minor scales, major and minor key signatures and circle of fifths, relative and parallel keys; simple and compound intervals and inversions of intervals, quality of intervals, consonance and dissonance; triads, quality and inversions; Roman numeral notation (including inversions)
-identify and correct rudimentary errors in a given score
-engage critically with basic questions of harmonic analysis, using the technical names of the degrees of the scale (tonic, dominant, etc.) and Roman numeral notation
-read confidently the score of a work from the Baroque, Classical or Romantic periods and be able to identify and explain the use of transposing instruments and basic Italian musical terms
-demonstrate an awareness of the development of the orchestra through the period 1750 until c. 1900, and display the ability to recognize orchestral instruments aurally
-be able to identify aurally the distinctive characteristics of works from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods with reference to the basics of orchestration, musical language, genre, form and structure

Indicative Module Content:

Fundamental music theory and literacy.
Basics of harmony and analysis.
Score-reading.
Basic instrumentation.
Repertoire from the period c. 1750-c. 1900.
Listening skills.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

18
Tutorial

9
Specified Learning Activities

18
Autonomous Student Learning

55
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures.
Small group tutorials.
Peer assessment.
Online quizzes.
Task-based learning.
Self-study (aural skills).
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Class Test: In-class theory test: enharmonic equivalents, C clefs, scales, intervals, degrees of the scale, time signatures. Week 6 n/a Graded No

10
Class Test: In-class listening test: questions on set works, unheard excerpts, and aural skills exercises (interval recognition, dictation). Week 12 n/a Graded No

40
Continuous Assessment: Tutorials - attendance, preparation and participation Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

30
Class Test: In-class theory test: score-reading, key signatures, musical terminology, basic chords, C clefs, octave transposition, rhythm, intervals. Week 7 n/a Graded No

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

L. Poundie Burstein and Joseph. N Straus, Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony (New York & London: W. W. Norton, 2016).