Glossary

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Music Studies - MUSCA13930

Stream Summary

Faculty: ARTSC - Faculty of Arts&Social Science

School: School of the Arts and Media

Contact: sam@unsw.edu.au

Program: 3930 - Science/Arts

Award(s):

Bachelor of Arts (Major)

View stream information for previous years

Stream Outline

The major stream in Music Studies examines music not only as a human intellectual product, but also as a specific reflection of experience, manifestation of culture and product of society. The disciplinary study of music has as a core the methodologies of Musicology. The major stream in Music Studies enables students to develop their musicianship, musical skills and contextual understanding of music in preparation for professional work in music areas as diverse as broadcasting, recording, arts administration and advocacy, concert planning, and music and general arts journalism.

The specific aims of the major stream in Music Studies are:

To develop in the student an awareness of the influence of music in the social, cultural, and political domains of human activity.
To nurture in the student an appreciation of the role of music, and its relationship to other disciplines in the Liberal Arts.
To establish a solid grounding in the key concepts and skills that form the basis of musical study and practice.
To recognise the role of historical, cultural, social and political contexts as fundamental to the study of music practice and criticism.
To understand and appreciate a diversity of music forms, values and practices in addition to the Western tradition.
To develop a deep awareness of the ethical dimensions of diverse musical practices.
To develop research skills and methodologies in documenting, analyzing, synthesizing and communicating information about musical practices and musical contexts.
To develop writing and critical skills necessary for the advocacy of music making and music literacy.

Graduate Attributes

At the end of the stream, students should have acquired all of the following graduate attributes:

Demonstrate cognitive skills that review, analyse, consolidate and synthesize musical knowledge as well as other forms of knowledge.
Respect for ethical practice and social responsibility are fostered through links with the music industry and music communities and discussions of professional practices in theory and practice alike.
Demonstrate knowledge of research principles and methods in music studies.
Demonstrate communication skills to present a coherent exposition of knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences.
An appreciation of, and respect for, diversity through participation in and study of diversity of musical practice and thinking.
Capacity for analytical and critical thinking and for creative problem-solving through practical and/or theoretical music studies.
Demonstrate a capacity for self learning and musical leadership in collaborative situations.
An ability to engage with music in its interdisciplinary context through the study of music history, music ethnography/anthropology, and music technology.
Demonstrate a broad and detailed understanding of Western music literature and the musical-theoretical concepts that underpin it.
The skills involved in scholarly enquiry, such as information literacy, critical analysis, and writing.
The skills to locate, evaluate and use relevant information.
An in-depth engagement with discipline-specific knowledge, such as, score reading and writing skills, inner hearing, music theory, repertoire knowledge and music technologies.

Stream Structure

The major stream in Music Studies is for students with less formal training in music and who wish to gain a general degree in music, one that explores music as part of the Liberal Arts.

Students intending to complete the major stream in Music Studies must complete 54 units of credit. At level 1 students must complete 12 UOC consisting of the core courses, Materials & Structures of Music 1 and Western Music: a Panorama. At Level 2 students must complete at least 18 UOC including the core course, Sound, Society and Self in World Music, and 12 UOC of prescribed music electives. At level 3 students complete 24 UOC including the music capstone course and any combination from the Performance Laboratory courses 1 & 2 and/or prescribed music electives.

Level 1