Portfolio of Compositions

Code

MUSI3055

School

Music

Level

3

Credits

40

Semesters

Full Year UK

Summary

In this module, students will compose at least 15 minutes of original music and organise a performance of their work. The submitted compositions will be judged on technical merit and originality. The goal of the module is for each student to begin to build a body of work expressive of his or her individual creative voice.

Target Students

Only available to Year 3 Single and Joint Hons Music students including Liberal Arts. Students must have passed MUSI2024 Creative Orchestration OR MUSI2029 Composing for Words, Theatre and Moving Image OR MUSI2019 Digital Composition in order to enrol on this module. There are limited places on this module.

Classes

• One 3-hour un assigned
• One 3-hour un assigned
• One 3-hour un assigned each week for 2 weeks
• One 1-hour-30-minute un assigned each week for 6 weeks
• One 1-hour tutorial each week for 10 weeks
• One 3-hour lecture each week for 3 weeks

3 lectures, 3 hours each 6 Research colloquia, 1.5 hours each 2 Presentation sessions, 3 hours each 1 reading session, 3 hours each 1 recital, 3 hours each 10 tutorials, 1 hour each

Assessment

• 80% Coursework 1: A portfolio of compositions of 15-18 minutes, at least a portion of which must be performed by live performers.
• 20% Coursework 2: Essay of 3250-3500 words explaining underpinning compositional research.

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be able to:  
• Compose a substantial piece of music in an original style
• Assess and develop the potential of original musical ideas 
• Write idiomatically for instrumental, vocal and/or technical resources
• Notate idiomatically and correctly at an advanced level for instrumental and/or vocal ensemble (for those writing for acoustic forces), and/or present electroacoustic/acousmatic works following accepted industry norms and practices
• Lead rehearsals and present performance of new composition
• Analyse music from different periods and articulate compositional techniques employed, drawing on the framework of ‘practice-based’ research
• Discuss compositional processes and ideas at an advanced level, both orally and in writing, which will require students to:
• Explain how musical composition can function as ‘practice-based’ research  
• Create research questions to address through their own creative practice
• Compose new music that engages with original research questions
• Reflect on and evaluate their own compositions-as-research to find new ways forward in their creative practice

Conveners

• Dr Elizabeth Kelly