MUS2018 : Contemporary Musical Materials
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Mr Phil Begg
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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, 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. |
| 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. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | Synchronous single and group tutorials. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 80:00 | 80:00 | 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, which permit students to explore the topic either primarily through academic writing, or through creative practice and critical reflection.
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 | 25 | Students will explore themes or materials covered by (or relevant to) the module by curating and submitting a playlist of 5-8 tracks alongside a 1000 word commentary or equivalent video/podcast. |
| Essay | 1 | A | 75 | 3000 word research-driven essay (written, video or audio), or equivalent creative project + commentary (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