Students

MMCC2063 – Vocal Studies: Song, Composition & Arranging

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Diane Hughes
diane.hughes@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
10HA 191
By appointment, email for a time
Lecturer/Tutor
Nadine Manion
nadine.manion@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
By appointment, email for a time
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on singing, song, composition and musical arrangement in a range of styles. It aims to facilitate critical listening and singing through the exploration of vocal stylistic nuances and musically arranging for voice. Creative approaches to repertoire and songwriting are introduced. Students research songs and musical styles/genres and are encouraged to pursue specific interests such as Blues, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Country, Pop and Rock. The unit fosters the development of creative, interpretive, performative and analytical skills appropriate to a variety of contemporary music genres. Original songs may also be explored. No prior knowledge of singing is required.

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: engage in, and maintain, vocal practice.
  • ULO2: compose lyric and melodic components for ensemble arrangements.
  • ULO3: apply reflexive strategies for collaborative and solo musical projects.
  • ULO4: research and analyse stylistic exercises that employ appropriate vocal technique and vocal health/care strategies.
  • ULO5: demonstrate or identify through critical listening a range of stylistic nuances in singing.
  • ULO6: apply academic conventions in writing and referencing.

General Assessment Information

Assessment

  • Rubrics are used for all assessments and will be available on iLearn.
  • Assessment standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors.
  • A computer and Internet access are required. Music playback facility is also required.

Written and Performed Submissions

No songs that have been performed or analysed for assessments in other units may be used for assessment tasks in this unit.

Any written component for assessment tasks must be submitted through Turnitin by the due date/time shown. 

Assessment tasks

  • Individual times for the final assessment will be scheduled in Week 13.
  • Due to copyright, no practical assessments may be recorded or posted to social media or any online platform.
  • Performances are to be from memory. That is, no reading of scripts (e.g., spoken song analyses), lyrics or music.
  • No vocals are to be on any backing track that may be used for assessment.
  • Singing in a language other than English is permitted. Please email a translation of the lyrics to the unit convenor prior to the assessment date. 

Referencing Style

For all written work, students are required to use the APA 7th referencing style for all in-text referencing, reference lists and spoken song analyses. This also includes references for recorded material where appropriate.

Please use the Library databases for your own research purposes and do not use Wikipedia as a reference.

iLearn Forums

Students are required to participate in iLearn Forums for all group discussions. Please do not use social media, e.g., do not use Facebook. Due to copyright issues, the posting of lyrics, sheet music and/or videos on iLearn is not permitted. If appropriate, please post only links to resources such as websites/YouTube. Please ensure that these are legitimate sites (e.g., artist's websites).

Return of marked work

Work will be marked and returned with feedback in order for students to incorporate feedback in subsequent assessments.

Late Assessment Submission 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. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Musical Style Exercises 15% No During Week 6 Tutorials (2/9)
Composing and Arranging 35% No During Week 10 Lecture (14/10)
Song Project 50% No TBA Week 13 Schedule to be announced

Musical Style Exercises

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: During Week 6 Tutorials (2/9)
Weighting: 15%

 

Students perform a range of style related vocal exercises and undertake a viva voce as part of their performance. These exercises are set and are available on iLearn. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • engage in, and maintain, vocal practice.
  • research and analyse stylistic exercises that employ appropriate vocal technique and vocal health/care strategies.
  • demonstrate or identify through critical listening a range of stylistic nuances in singing.

Composing and Arranging

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: During Week 10 Lecture (14/10)
Weighting: 35%

 

For this assessment, students are required to individually write lyrics and compose a melody to a group theme consistent with a 12 bar blues structure. Collectively, students structure a musical arrangement of those segments for performance. Students are required to submit their individual lyric segments. Each group will engage in a viva voce component. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • compose lyric and melodic components for ensemble arrangements.
  • apply reflexive strategies for collaborative and solo musical projects.
  • demonstrate or identify through critical listening a range of stylistic nuances in singing.

Song Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: TBA Week 13 Schedule to be announced
Weighting: 50%

 

Students are required to research, analyse and musically communicate two contrasting songs through an individual performance and engage in a viva voce OR a formal presentation and engage in a viva voce. In both options, students are required to discuss the style, composition and arrangement of their songs citing at least two academic sources. They will also detail the vocal nuances that are evident in the songs. The performance or formal presentation must be delivered from memory, that is, no reading of lyrics or scripts is permitted. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply reflexive strategies for collaborative and solo musical projects.
  • demonstrate or identify through critical listening a range of stylistic nuances in singing.
  • apply academic conventions in writing and referencing.

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

Lectures commence in Week 1. 

For this unit, tutorials will commence in Week 3 and conclude in Week 12. This will enable students consolidated rehearsal time for the first assessment - the content of which will be covered first two lectures.

 

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 connect.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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, 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.

Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook