THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Music

Undergraduate Course: Fundamentals of Music Theory (MUSI07001)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryFROM AUGUST 2023 This course only available to students in Music subject area.

This course introduces the foundational concepts of Western European music theory, providing basic skills needed to read and write conventional stave music notation, as well as to analyse musical notation and sounds. The course includes material such as pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, metre, phrases and cadences, and basic common practice harmony.

Please use the interactive LEARN resource, 'Fundamentals of Music Theory Diagnostic', to help you decide if this course is suitable for you.

- Follow these steps for LEARN self-enrol: Go to Learn / Self-Enrol / search for course ID: ZU_Music_Diagnostic
Course description This course will introduce you to the foundational concepts of Western European music theory, providing basic skills needed to read and write five-line staff music notation, as well as to analyse musical notation and sounds.

The rudiments of music theory describes a set of concepts and skills derived from historical and contemporary musical traditions, which are widely used to communicate about musical ideas. This course covers the fundamentals of this approach, from the absolute basics to some more advanced concepts, including material such as pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, metre, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony. While the concepts and skills that generally define music theory are useful ones to interrogate many forms of music, the area of study as a whole has most commonly been developed to explain compositions of Western European art music. However, you will be encouraged to value and draw upon your prior experiences in music listening and performance to contextualize your learning, as you acquire this particular set of skills.

The syllabus is delivered through online video lectures and a supplementary course textbook. These are available for self-directed study during the 11 weeks of teaching, supported by small-group supervised classroom and keyboard lab tutorials to reinforce and develop your learning. This will support you in achieving a working grasp of music theory rudiments which you can apply by reading and writing musical notation reasonably fluently.

Assessment takes place through online quizzes during the semester, and a final coursework submission.

Please use the interactive LEARN resource, 'Fundamentals of Music Theory Diagnostic', to help you decide if this course is suitable for you.

- Follow these steps for LEARN self-enrol: Go to Learn / Self-Enrol / search for course ID: ZU_Music_Diagnostic
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements FROM AUGUST 2023 This course only available to students in Music subject area.

This course is NOT recommended if any of the following apply:
i) You have completed the Coursera University of Edinburgh MOOC, 'Fundamentals of Music Theory' including the final exam; or
ii) You achieved an A-grade qualification in either Advanced Higher or Advanced Level (A Level) Music; or
iii) You have passed ABRSM Theory of Music at Grade 7 or 8.
However, entry is at the discretion of the Course Organiser and managed through a course diagnostic site. You must self-enrol to access this resource. Log in to MyEd » Learn » Self-enrol » Search catalogue for 'Music Theory Diagnostic'.
Additional Costs c£5 to buy headphones if student does not already have them.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  23
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 3, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Online Activities 22, Formative Assessment Hours 3, Summative Assessment Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 144 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) There are three components of assessment for this course:

Component 1: Online quiz in week 6 (10%)

Component 2: Online quiz in week 9 (30%)

Component 3: Problem sheet coursework submission (60%)
Feedback Formative Feedback
You will receive immediate (written) guidance and feedback on your progress by completing weekly online revision quizzes. You will receive practical, verbal feedback and guidance through participation in tutorials and keyboard labs.
The weekly online revision quizzes directly prepare you for assessment components 1 and 2, and also for parts of component 3. Feedback through participation in classroom tutorials further prepares you for component 3.

Summative Assessment
Your submissions in all components are marked and returned in a timely fashion as per University regulations. The course organiser offers verbal feedback meetings after the final component is marked and returned.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Identify elements including pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, and metre.
  2. Use conventional stave notation to communicate musical elements including pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, and meter.
  3. Notate simple cadential phrases on a grand stave.
  4. Describe the function of basic chords in an excerpt of notated music.
  5. Articulate a critical and contextual awareness of the utility and limitations of stave notation in relation to musical performance.
Reading List
Nikki Moran et al. Fundamentals of Music Theory. 2021. Edinburgh Diamond.

Floris Shuiling and Emily Payne (Eds.) Material Cultures of Music Notation: New Perspectives on Musical Inscription. 2022. Routledge.

Trevor Herbert. Music in Words: A Guide to Researching and Writing About Music. 2009. Oxford University Press.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Skills for research and enquiry
- Evaluate ideas that are routine to the discipline of music theory.
- Convey complex ideas in well-structured and coherent form

Skills for personal and intellectual autonomy
- Exercise some initiative and independence to self-manage the pace and use of rich online learning materials
KeywordsTheory,Notation,Rudiments,Music analysis,Music theory,flipped classroom,video lectures,online quiz
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nikki Moran
Tel: (0131 6)50 2423
Email: n.moran@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Laura Duff
Tel:
Email: lduff4@ed.ac.uk
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