Contemporary Music Practice Principal Study
Subject details
Contemporary Music Practice Principal Study
MUSC1401 Contemporary Music Practice 1
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1hr lecture; 2hrs tut/wk Assessment: Chart and Brief (500 words) 20%; Demo recording and report (500 words) 25%; Refined demo recording and report (500 words) 35%; Journal (1500 words) 20%. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
In this unit of study, students will acquire research-based performance and ensemble skills based around a combination of repertoire areas relating to diverse genres of contemporary music. Students will work collaboratively in order to gain a greater level of understanding of performance and ensemble skills relating to diverse content areas, and will commence exploration of creative and technical facilities.
Textbooks
Byrne, David. How Music Works. Edinburgh: Cannongate Books, 2012.
MUSC1402 Contemporary Music Practice 2
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1hr lecture; 2hrs tut/wk Prerequisites: MUSC1401 Assessment: Group performance arrangement, recording and report (500 words) 50% in total; Song analysis (500 words) 15%; Multi-track recording and report (500 words) 35%. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In this unit of study, students will continue exploration of diverse repertoire areas as commenced in Semester 1, with a specific but not exclusive focus of experimental music genres from 1960s to the present day. Participants will utilize research abilities to perform and create their own music in direct response to repertoire areas covered.
Textbooks
Everett, Walter. The Foundations of Rock. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
MUSC2403 Contemporary Music Practice 3
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 1hr Lectures; 2 x 1hr Tutorials Prerequisites: MUSC1402 Prohibitions: MUSC3601 or MUSC3602 Assessment: Live performance with proposal (500 words) 20%; Songwriting journal (1500 words) 20%; EP demo recording, charts and report (500 words) 40%; Performance video and report (500 words) 20%. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Students will bring their composition, performance and music technology skills together to complete one project during the course of the semester. They will write, rehearse and perform their music. Then they will produce a high-quality demo EP. Finally, they will work with music industry professionals to create a plan to present their work to the public. Throughout the semester, students will engage in research, analysis and assessment of their own work and the work of their peers.
Textbooks
Appen, R. V., A. Doehring, D. Helms & A. F. Moore. Song Interpretation in 21st-Century Pop Music. Surrey: Ashgate, 2015.
MUSC2404 Contemporary Music Practice 4
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 1hr Lectures; 2 x 1hr Tutorials Prerequisites: MUSC2403 Prohibitions: MUSC3601 or MUSC3602 Assessment: Acoustic recording, chart and report (500 words) 25%; Electronic recording, chart and report (500 words); Horns/Strings recording, charts and report (500 words) 25%; Collaborative performance with proposal (500 words) 25%. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This subject is a continuation of Contemporary Music Principal Study 3. Students will bring their composition, performance and music technology skills together to plan, pursue and complete three projects in a studio setting. Students will also work on a semester-long performance collaboration with one or more other students. Throughout the semester, students will engage in research, analysis and assessment of their own work and the work of their peers.
Textbooks
Coryat, Karl. Guerrilla Home Recording: How to Get Great Sound from Any Studio (No Matter How Weird or Cheap Your Gear is). Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2008.
MUSC3405 Contemporary Music Practice 5
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr workshop per week Prerequisites: MUSC2404 Assessment: Progress Reports (Oral Presentation and Online) (15%); Project Proposal (15%); Major Creative Work (40%); Exegesis (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides students support to plan and create a major work at the culmination of completing previous principle study units, Contemporary Music Practice 1, 2, 3 and 4. A process of music composition, performance and recording will be supported by ongoing peer, instructor and industry feedback plus written critical self-reflection. Students will be asked to consider, justify and situate their practice and production of music within both broad and specific contexts. At the conclusion of this unit, students will have developed a body of work (approximately 15-20 minutes of music) to further refine and present to audiences in the following unit, Contemporary Music Practice 6.
MUSC3406 Contemporary Music Practice 6
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Clint Bracknell Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr workshop per week Prerequisites: MUSC3405 Assessment: Progress Reports (Oral Presentation and Online) (15%); Production Proposal (15%); Major Work (30%); Marketing Strategy (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Students will have developed a body of work (approximately 30 minutes of music) to further refine and present to audiences in this unit. Having developed skills and understandings of the nature of musical performance and presentation, students will experiment with various means of presenting and performing their music to the outside world. This will include consideration of online musical cultures, a range of live performance venues, synchronisation, radio, press and marketing.