MUS2018 : Contemporary Musical Materials
- Offered for Year: 2022/23
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Mr Phil Begg
- Teaching Assistant: Mr Fred Hollingsworth
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
This module aims to introduce the student to further contemporary and cross-cultural understandings of the nature of musical materials. Students will be considering specific case studies throughout the course and challenging preconceived notions about what musical materials are, how they can be analysed/understood, and how they are used in practice.
Outline Of Syllabus
Students will be introduced to a variety of different contemporary and popular practices, f, and will study these examples with reference to their musical material. These are directly related to the research interests of the staff delivering on the module and may reasonably include: study of the art of record production and its associated technologies, electroacoustic music, contemporary sampling practices, turntablism, popular music analysis, musical materials in film and video games. The approaches will be analytical, cultural and historical and will deal with musical forms that are seemingly resistant to conventional analysis.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Lectures with associated tasks and discussions. Present-in-Person, can be online asynchronus. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 16 | 2:00 | 32:00 | Reflect upon the learning outcomes and skills in relation to the assessment. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Research/reading tasks set for students to investigate using guided online research methods |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Discussions or practical demonstrations. Present-in-Person, can be online synchronous if needed. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Synchronous (PiP or online) single and group tutorials. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 79:00 | 79:00 | Student to analyse and evaluate their learning and then create from the skills being explored |
| Guided Independent Study | Online Discussion | 16 | 2:00 | 32:00 | Discussion group for the students to engage either synchronously or asynchronously |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The scheduled learning activities are designed to introduce the students to different types of contemporary musical material so that a plural and open definition can be understood, and so that alternative modes of analysis are presented to the traditional score based approach to music. The students will also be expected to place their learning in context so that the module outcomes are fit for purpose not only for their final year specialist study but also for when they graduate. The development of their critical voice is encouraged and supported throughout the module and assessed against the summative tasks: the first being an application for a job as a music researcher and the second being a position piece that the music researcher has been set from a brief.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 1 | M | 20 | 800 word review or case study |
| Essay | 1 | A | 80 | 3200 word research-driven essay or an equivalent project to be negotiated with the module leader |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The first task is weighted to reflect the student's engagement with the content of the module up to that point. The second task is larger, due to the need for the student to reflect upon their learning during the whole module.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MUS2018's Timetable