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Unit of study_
OLET1811: Writing About Music
2025 unit information
Music has a language all of its own, and many of us specialise in the study of that language. However, everyone listens to music, experiences music, feels music, and as a non-music specialist we may still want to describe it using accessible language. In this unit of study, students will learn the standard terminology of the elements of music, including pitch, rhythm, tempo, expressive techniques, texture, timbre and structure. They will learn to use these in a way that communicates musical content to a non-technical reader or listener by avoiding or defining musical jargon. Prior knowledge of music notation or music theory is not required. The music examples analysed range from well-known to obscure pieces and songs, come from Western and non-Western music, and include music from historical to contemporary genres.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Analysis, History and Cultural Studies |
| Credit points | 2 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Accurately describe different facets of a piece of music that is heard, using correct, non-jargonistic musical language.
- LO2. Use critical thinking in working through relative importances and functions of the musical elements in a given excerpt of music, and will provide justification of this based on evidence and consideration of other possibilities
- LO3. Use oral and written communication skills, including in digital formats, to present their analytical findings, and be able to communicate accurately about music in different contexts.
- LO4. Employ analytical inventiveness to piece together different musical elements from a musical excerpt, and then combine them to provide unique or individual insights into that music’s construction.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
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Semester 1 2025
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Online | Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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