Students
MMCC1012 – Music Literacies
2021 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Andrew Alter
Contact via 98508877
Rm 169 - 10 Hadenfeld
Any time by appointment. Please email.
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| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
A range of musical literacies is essential for creative, performative and communicative approaches to music. This unit enables students to explore different forms of musical communication as well as diverse musical structures and practices. Students engage in composed and improvised exercises, music notation including staff and chord symbols, and melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures. The unit provides students with foundations for practical and critical awareness of musical structures, and includes conventional and contemporary approaches to musical practice. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: analyse and evaluate music theory.
- ULO2: identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
- ULO3: apply music theory through both notated and performed media.
- ULO4: evaluate and apply notation systems to creative practice in music.
General Assessment Information
Use of Notation in Assessment Tasks
Many of the assessments for this unit include tasks that require musical notation in some form. Depending on the task, the notation may be in various forms including hand written staff notation, forms of TAB, graphic notation, waveform diagrams and computerised notation software programs. Particular options will be discussed and explained in-class and/or online through iLearn and therefore students should follow the assessment instructions given in iLearn for each task.
In-Class Quizzes
The in-class quizzes will comprise a variety of smaller submissions and these will be explained in the tutorials and lectures. Some will be on-line quizzes undertaken in small groups during tutorial classes. Some will be in the form of handwritten worksheets that need to be scanned and/or submitted directly to the lecturers for the unit - either through an iLearn system or in-class. These tasks will be spaced out roughly in each fortnight of the semester, though there will be some variation to this.
Submission
There is a Turnitin submission portal in iLearn for each assessment (assignment) task.
Since Assignment 1 comprises a series of in-class quizzes and worksheets with direct feedback, special instructions for using Turnitin and/or other iLearn features will be explained in class and on iLearn.
Because there is notation associated with Assignments 2 and 3 in some way, it is presumed submissions will incorporate PDF scanned documents. Nonetheless, some segments of assignments will incorporate written text as well. In some cases, students will need to learn how to create and combine PDF documents into single files since the Turnitin system is only able to accept single file submissions. Again instructions for submission will be given in iLearn.
Late Submission
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-class quizzes | 30% | No | Ongoing throughout the semester |
| Case Study | 30% | No | Week 8 - Wed 28/4 by 23:59 pm |
| Notation Task | 40% | No | Week 13 - Wed 2/6 by 23:59 pm |
In-class quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Ongoing throughout the semester
Weighting: 30%
A series of short in-class quizzes. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate music theory.
- identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
- apply music theory through both notated and performed media.
- evaluate and apply notation systems to creative practice in music.
Case Study
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 8 - Wed 28/4 by 23:59 pm
Weighting: 30%
Students will prepare a short case study that analyses a musical work of their choice. A detailed task description will be included in the unit guide. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate music theory.
- identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
- apply music theory through both notated and performed media.
- evaluate and apply notation systems to creative practice in music.
Notation Task
Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 13 - Wed 2/6 by 23:59 pm
Weighting: 40%
Drawing on unit content and their own creative practice, students will propose and notate a musical work of their choice. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate music theory.
- identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
- apply music theory through both notated and performed media.
- evaluate and apply notation systems to creative practice in music.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Delivery
There is one lecture and one tutorial per week for this class. Lectures and tutorials begin in Week 1 and continue through Week 11. Weeks 12 and 13 have no classes as students are directed to use this time for their final assignment. Lecturers are available for consultation during this period as well as during the rest of the semester.
All lectures for this unit will be delivered on-line. They are shared between the two lecturers. The majority of these will be pre-recorded and contained in segmented files in iLearn. Part of the lecture delivery for each week incorporates listening and/or reading tasks associated with each topic. Be sure to undertake this listening and reading as given in each Week block within iLearn.
Some students may elect to join a face-to-face tutorial which meets in room 187 in the building at 10 Hadenfeld Avenue on campus. Others may choose to join online tutorial sessions. This is entirely your choice. Tutorials and marking will be shared by the two lecturers for the unit.
Feedback
Feedback in this unit is available in multiple forms: informal feedback in tutorials; face-to-face consultations; formal general comment, rubric, and/or in-text comments attached to assignments marked in class or in Turnitin.
Class Times
All lecture and tutorial times, as well as classrooms, are available on the MQ Timetables website: timetables.mq.edu.au
Lectures and tutorials for this unit begin in Week 1 and end in Week 11.
Late Submissions and Special Consideration
Please see the section below within "Policies and Procedures" regarding the "Late Assessment Policy."
Unit Schedule
The individual week blocks in iLearn give the list of topics for this unit. Follow these weekly topics and undertake the tasks given for each week.
In general the topics for this unit will cover the rudimentary knowledge required by musicians in the contemporary world. This includes the rudiments of notation practice as well as a theoretical understanding for tonal (keys) practice, harmony, rhythm and melody. In addition, some topics will focus on listening skills in an analytical way for understanding aspects of musical form and studio/production practice.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Late Assessment Policy
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook