Students

MMCC1012 – Music Literacies

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Convenor
Andrew Alter
andrew.alter@mq.edu.au
Rm 169, 10 Hadenfeld Avenue
Any time by appointment
Lecturer
Denis Crowdy
denis.crowdy@mq.edu.au
Hub 193, 10 Hadenfeld Ave.
Any time by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
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

Quizzes and Worksheets

A number of ongoing worksheets and quizzes will comprise this assessment task. These activities will be explained more comprehensively on iLearn and will be discussed in more detail during tutorials. Worksheets are self assessed, and guide tutorial work through weekly scaffolded self assessed learning activities. In addition, three online quizzes will occur in Weeks 5, 9 and 12. Results from the quizzes will determine the result for this assignment while worksheets provide a means for ongoing learning and feedback.

Case Study

A list of 5 song choices with audio files are provided in the Assessment Block for this unit in iLearn. Select one of these choices and create a Listening Chart for the song structured in a similar manner to those shown by Starr and Waterman in their book American Popular Music (2003). Consult the Leganto reading list to see examples of how the chart is placed in three columns showing ‘Form’, ‘Lyrics’ and ‘Descriptive Comments’. Your listening chart should demonstrate and/or comply with the following instructions. It should:

  • be laid out in three columns under headings ‘Form’, ‘Lyrics’ and ‘Descriptive Comments’.
  • demonstrate your ability to coherently identify elements of rhythm , pitch and form.
  • identify the primary key and meter of the song (or indicate why the primary key or meter is ambiguous).
  • identify the primary aspects of melodic contour in the song.
  • identify any significant modulations and/or rhythmic syncopation.
  • identify any noticeable production techniques.

Notation Task

Students will be required to design a musical piece that includes notation in some form. Thus, the piece should be musically successful and should demonstrate an understanding for notation practice. One tutorial session will be used to provide guidance on the format and content of the submission including its overall length and required elements.

Submission

Quizzes and Worksheets

Worksheets will be worked on weekly in tutorials. Incomplete worksheets may be completed individually in the week after the tutorial. Worksheets are self assessed against an answer sheet that further guides learning. There is no formal submission of worksheets. Quizzes that assess learning and knowledge from worksheets are set for Weeks 5, 9 and 12. Quizzes will be made accessible for a whole week but must be completed within one hour of commencement and before 23:59 on the Friday of the respective week.

Case Study and Notation Task

There is a Turnitin submission portal in iLearn for the Case Study (2) and Notation Task (3) assignments.

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 has been organised to only accept a single file submission. More detailed instructions for submission are given in iLearn.

Late Assessment Penalty 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. 

Please note that the University and the Faculty of Arts have launched a new assessment policy effective as of 1 July 2021. This new policy particularly affects LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS.

The Faculty policy in relation to late assessment submissions is as follows:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, etc.

To be very clear:

  • Unless you have applied for special consideration and had your application approved, for each day your assignment is late, 10 marks will be deducted. For example, if you submit your assignment 7 days late, 70 marks will be deducted, which means you will fail that assignment.
  • If your assignment is more than 7 days late (including weekends), you will get 0 marks for your assignment.

These are serious penalties that will substantially alter your final grade and even determine whether you pass or fail this unit. Please make every effort to submit your assignment by the due date.

If you find you cannot submit your assignment on time, please apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Make sure you read Macquarie University's policy regarding Special Consideration requests before you apply: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quizzes and worksheets 30% No Ongoing due 23:59 Fridays in Weeks 5, 9 and 12
Case Study 30% No 23:59 Friday 08/04/22
Notation Task 40% No 23:59 Wednesday 01/06/22

Quizzes and worksheets

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Ongoing due 23:59 Fridays in Weeks 5, 9 and 12
Weighting: 30%

 

A series of short quizzes and worksheets. 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: 23:59 Friday 08/04/22
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: 23:59 Wednesday 01/06/22
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

The lecture for this unit will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday mornings in room 187 (also referred to as the Drama Studio) in building 10 Hadenfeld Avenue. A recorded version of the lecture will be made available for viewing online shortly after the live delivery.

Tutorial sessions for the unit have been scheduled for various times after the lecture on Wednesdays. Some tutorials are designated as face-to-face and will occur in Room 187. Other tutorial sessions are designated online and will occur as scheduled zoom sessions. Select the tutorial you wish to attend either for f-2-f or online.

Students should sign up for, and attend, one lecture and one tutorial per week. 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.

Part of the lecture delivery for each week incorporates listening and/or reading tasks associated with each topic. Be sure to consult the iLearn Weekly Topic blocks and undertake this listening and reading if indicated in each week.

Feedback

Feedback in this unit is available in multiple forms: informal feedback in tutorials; guided answer sheets to worksheet tasks; 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.

 

Unit Schedule

Week 1: Introduction and 'The Score'

Week 2: Rhythm, Pulse and Groove

Week 3: Language for Production and Listening 1

Week 4: Tonality

Week 5: Formal and the Language of Musical Description

Week 6: Thirds, Fifths and Triads

Week 7: Harmony 1

MID-TERM BREAK

Week 8: Harmony 2

Week 9: Language for Production and Listening 2

Week 10: Bass Lines, 7th Chords and Blues 2

Week 11: Extra Considerations: Modality, Spacing, Texture and Instrumentation

Week 12: No lecture - Project Work and Consultation Period

Week 13: No lecture - Project Work and Consultation Period

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:

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

Instruction for notation practice is now directed completely towards digital forms of musical notation. Instructions will be given in the first week of classes regarding options for notation practice.

More activities related to guided listening and musical description will be provided this year as compared to previous years. 

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook