MUSPOP 2201 - Song Writing & Performance 2A

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2019

Building on concepts introduced in Song writing and Performance 1, this course enables students to further develop their creative and technical skills in composition and music production in a contemporary popular music context. Seminars introduce compositional techniques for more complex work including advanced considerations for arranging, instrumentation, electro-acoustic materials and approaches to a variety of contemporary genres. Students will develop key skills critical for composers and producers including reflective practice, critical listening, and oral communication skills. Workshops focus on more advanced strategies for the preparation and performance of live original music. Students work in small groups to prepare their original work for both studio recording and live performance, culminating in studio sessions with session musicians and off-campus performances.

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Course Details

Course Code	MUSPOP 2201
Course	Song Writing & Performance 2A
Coordinating Unit	Elder Conservatorium of Music
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	MUSPOP 1202
Incompatible	MUSPMACT 2011
Restrictions	Available to BMus, BMedia (Pop Music major), DipMus students only
Assessment	Online journal 20%, Improvisation proficiency exam 20%, Portfolio 30%, Recital 30%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Luke Harrald

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will develop:

1.	An understanding of compositional and music production principles
2.	An understanding of contemporary popular music idioms
3.	Creativity and individuality as an artist; leading to the development of their own compositional voice
4.	The ability to interpret and perform the compositions of others
5.	A thorough understanding of the roles, responsibilities and activities involved in live Contemporary Music performance.
6.	Time and project management skills relating to music production in order to manage creative and technical requirements and meet deadlines

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 4, 5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4, 5, 6
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	5, 6
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	3, 5, 6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

• Class handouts and materials placed on MyUni.
• Each week students will be required to bring their instruments, or other technology they require to realise their group work.

Recommended Resources

Reading

Bailey, D. (1980) Musical Improvisation: its nature and practice in music. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Beall, Eric (2009) The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs that Sell. Billboard Books: Crown Publishing Group, New York. Braheny, John (2006) The Craft and Business of Songwriting. Writer’s Digest Books, F+W Publications, Cincinnati.
Cacavas, John (1975) Music Arranging and Orchestration. Belwin Mills, Miami.
Chase, Wayne. (2006) How Music Really Works. Roedy Black Publishing, Vancouver.
Covach, John (2009) What’s that sound: an introduction to rock music and its history. Second edition. W.W. Norton & Company, New York.
Crook, H. (2002) How to Improvise. Advance Music, Rottenburg.
Forsyth, Cecil (1982) Orchestration. Dover Publications, London.
Gilreath, Paul (2010) The Guide to MIDI Orchestration. Focal Press, London.
Kachulis, Jimmy (2005) The Songwriters Workshop: Harmony. Berklee Press, Boston.
Perricone, Jack (2000) Melody in Songwriting: Tools and techniques for Writing Hit Songs. Berklee Press, Boston.
Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay (2013) Principles of Orchesration.
Wood, Clement (1936) The Complete Rhyming Dictionary and Poet’s Craft Book. Dell Publishing, New York.

Websites

Gary Ewers – The essential secrets of songwriting blog http://secretsofsongwriting.com/index.html
Logic Pro resources https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/resources/
Rhymer – a free online rhyming dictionary http://www.rhymer.com

Library

The Music Library is housed within the Barr Smith Library, and is an excellent source for music, literature and recordings.

Online Learning

Learning materials and assessment will be placed on MyUni. Usage of MyUni will include Announcements, Digital readings, External web-links and Recordings of classes; particularly student performances to enable students to critically reflect on their experiences in class.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course structure and content is delivered through a range of classes and materials. Class delivery modes include a weekly seminar and practical workshop. The classes in this course use a format where students are presented with theoretical and/ or practical content through the seminar. The theoretical content creates a topic framework that students then expand theoretically through discussions and exercises during the seminar, and practically through performing their work in the workshop. Students will also be expected to further expand the topics presented using out-of-class resources that are presented online, and rehearsing in their own time. The online resources will compliment, reinforce and extend the concepts presented.

The classes provide theoretical explanations of composition and song writing techniques; discussion of their creative and technical application in various styles and genres; and their practical application to creativity through students preparing their work for performance.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

WORKLOAD	TOTAL HOURS
1 x 2-hour seminars per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 2-hour workshop per week	24 hours per semester
6 hours rehearsals & readings per week	72 hours per semester
1 hours research per week	12 hours per semester
2 hours assignment preparation per week	24 hours per semester
	TOTAL = 156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

The course structure and content will examine the areas below through weekly theoretical and/or practical demonstrations and exploration. The following list of topics is supplied as a guide, and may change depending on needs arising through the semester. Further detail regarding weekly content can be found on MyUni.

WEEK	SEMINAR TOPICS / WORKSHOP TOPICS
1	Course Introduction, Reflecting on song writing and creative practice / Improvisation class 1
2	Extending your timbrel palette – expectations of Genre / Improvisation class 2
3	Considerations when writing for string instruments / Improvisation class 3
4	Melodic writing and textural considerations when writing for string quartet / Improvisation class 4
5	Considerations when writing for winds / Improvisation class 5
6	Considerations for full orchestra / Improvisation assessment
7	Interviewer – interviewee exercise / Band Rehearsal
8	Interviewer – interviewee exercise / Band Rehearsal
9	Interviewer – interviewee exercise / Band Rehearsal
10	Revision of scores for string quartet / Band Rehearsal
11	String Quartet workshop in Recording Studio / Band Rehearsal
12	String Quartet workshop in Recording Studio / Class Performance in preparation for Recital

Specific Course Requirements

EMU Facilities

This course will involve using the resources of the Electronic Music Unit (EMU). This includes facilities such as studios, recording spaces and digital audio workstations. For more information about these facilities and how to make bookings go to the EMU website:
Access and use of EMU is based upon the following:

Users must complete and pass the EMU Guide Assessment (EGA). In order to pass the EGA users must receive a 90% or above grade. Users will have a maximum of 3 attempts at passing the EGA before being prohibited from taking the assessment further. If a user fails to pass the EGA after 3 attempts, or doesn’t pass by the end of week 4 of the course, they will not be permitted to continue the course and won’t be provided access or permission to use any of the EMU facilities.

Users agree to and sign the EMU User Agreement (EUA). Users found in breach of the EUA will automatically have their access and booking privileges suspended. An initial breach will result in a 4-week suspension. Any subsequent breach will result in suspension until the start of the next academic year. Information is available on the EMU website:
Rehearsal Spaces

This course will also require that students rehearse both individually and as a part of their group. For individual practice, students may book and use any of the rehearsal rooms contained within the Conservatorium with a limit of two hours per day for any individual space as per the Conservatorium’s Rehearsal guidelines. For more specific group work, rehearsal space with a backline (Drumkit, Guitar and Bass Amplifiers and an electric piano) and PA system has been provided in Schulz B14. Bookings of this space may be made through the EMU online booking system:
A dB meter is installed in this space. If you exceed the set dB limit for the space, the lights will flash. Levels should not exceed the 88dB limit, which is considered the safe working limit for venues around Australia. Students found exceeding these levels will have their booking privileges revoked for two weeks, and repeat offenders may have their booking privileges revoked for the remainder of the academic year.

All spaces must be left in a neat and tidy state ready for the next user when you finish rehearsing.

Small Group Discovery Experience

Through this course, students will compose original creative work. In small groups, students will prepare their original compositions for live performance. Through this process, students will learn collaborative and research skills, enhance and further develop their creative process, and disseminate their new work publicly through live performance. Students will meet with mentors each week during weeks 7 – 12 in small groups of 5. Groups rehearse simultaneously in individual rehearsal spaces, with the mentor moving between the groups as required.

A variety of performance venues are used semester-to-semester, including on-site venues such as UniBar and Scott Theatre, and off-site venues such as The Wheatsheaf Hotel, The Promethean, Jive, and The Jade Monkey.

In addition to this, students will undertake an interview task, where they disseminate the impetus behind their creative work through a series of panel discussions, the premise for this is the preparation for radio interviews. Students will share their creative work with other students and then prepare a series of interview questions on it. During the panel presentations, they will also take questions from the floor, in a similar format to the Q&A program on the ABC.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

ASSESSMENT TASK	TASK TYPE	WEIGHTING	COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Online Journal	Summative	20%	1, 2, 3, 6
Improvisation Proficiency Exam	Formative and Summative	20%	2, 4, 5, 6
Portfolio	Summative	30%	1, 2, 3
Recital	Summative	30%	1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Assessment Related Requirements

Expectation & Penalty

As per Conservatorium policy, active and positive participation in 100% of classes is expected. Any student who attends less than 80% of required classes without approved leave may result in a 5 (five) mark penalty for each unapproved absence. The penalties will be applied to the final total percentage mark for the semester for the relevant component i.e. after all other assessments have been completed and calculated. Arrival after the scheduled starting time or departure before the scheduled finishing time may, at the lecturer or co-ordinator’s discretion, be regarded as an unapproved absence.

Leave

The Conservatorium recognises that extenuating circumstances may occasionally affect a student’s ability to participate in a rehearsal, workshop, class, lecture, tutorial or performance. In such cases leave may be approved by the relevant staff member - students should contact the lecturer and gain approval prior to taking the leave.

Assessment Detail

Online Journal: Students will complete a weekly journal reflecting on their experiences applying the techniques presented in class to their songwriting, composing and performing. The journal will include a critical reflection on students’ song writing, composing and or improvisation of approximately 200 – 250 words per week, which is informed by readings from the reading list and musical examples listened to in classes. A log of rehearsals will be also be required as part of this assessment. The Journal gives context to each student’s creative practice and will be compiled online via a Wordpress blog.

Improvisation Proficiency Exam: Students will be assessed practically in class on skills they have learned through the workshop via solo and small group improvisations.

Portfolio: The Portfolio represents the major practical assessment for the semester and will involve the creation of a minimum of three songs, one of which will be a set work; ie. students will be required to write to a brief. All creative works will be required to be recorded for submission, either through groups assigned in the workshop, or alternatively students may organise their own groups. String Quartet recordings will be completed during the workshop for the set work, and expanded on by students in their own time.

Recital: Students will be assessed on their contribution to the preparation and delivery of a public recital of their work, held during the examination period. Central to this assessment is the role they play in the delivery of both their work, and that of other students, and their level of performance in the Recital.

Submission

All written and recorded materials will be submitted online via MyUni. Practical assessments will take place either in-class, or at the off-campus performance. Note that due to practicalities, extensions for practical assessments are not possible.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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