Students

MMCC1012 – Music Literacies

2023 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Andrew Alter
andrew.alter@mq.edu.au
Contact via andrew.alter@mq.edu.au
Rm 250, 10 Hadenfeld Avenue
Any time by appointment
Unit Convenor
Denis Crowdy
denis.crowdy@mq.edu.au
Contact via denis.crowdy@mq.edu.au
Hub 193, 10 Hadenfeld Avenue
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:

  • ULO2: identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
  • ULO1: analyse and evaluate music theory.
  • ULO3: apply music theory through both notated and performed media.
  • ULO4: evaluate and apply notation systems to creative practice in music.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Penalty 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of‚ 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. 

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

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 23:55 Fridays in Weeks 5, 9 and 12
Case Study 30% No 23:55 06/04/23
Notation Task 40% No 23:55 02/06/23

Quizzes and worksheets

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Ongoing due 23:55 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:
  • identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
  • analyse and evaluate music theory.
  • 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: 23:55 06/04/23
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:
  • identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
  • analyse and evaluate music theory.
  • 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: 23:55 02/06/23
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:
  • identify and interpret melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures in music through aural and notated forms.
  • analyse and evaluate music theory.
  • 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 and Class Times

Lectures are delivered on campus. A recorded version of the lecture will be made available for viewing online shortly after the live delivery. 

Tutorials are delivered on campus (for in-person enrolments) and via Zoom (for online enrolments).  

Please check the MQ Timetables website for all class times: timetables.mq.edu.au 

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.

Unit Readings

Readings for this unit explore aspects of musical structure, form, and theory. They are available via Leganto on iLearn.

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: Form 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 2023.01R of the Handbook