MUSONIC 1001 - Music & Sound Fundamentals 1A

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2021

Music and Sound Fundamentals 1A involves the theoretical and aural examination of musical concepts relevant to the fields of Sonic Arts, Sound Engineering and Music Production. Specifically, the course enables students to develop an understanding of the connections between the physical nature of sound and listening, while developing skills in music theory and aural that are relevant to audio professionals. A range of concepts are introduced, including the physics of sound, physiology of hearing and basic critical listening. These concepts are connected with the fundamentals of music theory including pitch, rhythm, texture and melody. By the conclusion of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of basic music theory concepts and developed skills in their application to music production. In addition, students will have developed an appreciation of the importance of listening and acquired basic critical listening skills that can be applied to studio situations.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MUSONIC 1001
    Course Music & Sound Fundamentals 1A
    Coordinating Unit Elder Conservatorium of Music
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Assumed Knowledge No prior knowledge of music required
    Restrictions Available to BMus, DipMus students only
    Course Description Music and Sound Fundamentals 1A involves the theoretical and aural examination of musical concepts relevant to the fields of Sonic Arts, Sound Engineering and Music Production. Specifically, the course enables students to develop an understanding of the connections between the physical nature of sound and listening, while developing skills in music theory and aural that are relevant to audio professionals. A range of concepts are introduced, including the physics of sound, physiology of hearing and basic critical listening. These concepts are connected with the fundamentals of music theory including pitch, rhythm, texture and melody. By the conclusion of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of basic music theory concepts and developed skills in their application to music production. In addition, students will have developed an appreciation of the importance of listening and acquired basic critical listening skills that can be applied to studio situations.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Mr Stephen Whittington

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. Understanding of the fundamental principles of sound from the perspective of physics, psychoacoustics, cognition and psychology.

    2. Understanding of how the physical. perceptual and cognitive  aspects of sound shape music and the human response to music.

    3. Ability to distinguish between various modes of description of sound and the ability to use appropriate vocabularies according to the context.

    4. Ability to apply understanding of acoustic and auditory aspects of sound to research.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 4
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2, 3, 4
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Summary of Assessments

    Attendance at Tutorials:   10%
    Online Exam Week 6:        10%
    Online Exam week 8:         10%
    Research Assignment:         30%
    End-of-Semester Exam:       40%

    Due to the current COVID-19 situation, modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching. Assessment details provided here reflect recent updates.
    1. Tutorial attendance has been replaced with a listening journal - weighting remains unchanged.
    2. End-of-semester exam will now be conducted online - weighting remains unchanged. 
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Please note the following:

    Assessments must be submitted by the due date. Late submissions may be accepted, but there will be a penalty (refer to individual assignment details for further information.)

    All assessments are submitted online for this course.
    Assessment Detail
    1. The online test in Week 4 will cover ideas, concepts and listening activities of weeks 1-4.2.

    2. The online test in Week 8 will cover ideas, concepts and listening activities of weeks 5-8.3.

    3. Tutorial and workshop attendance and participation is an essential part of this course.4.

    4.The end of semester on-line exam will test understanding of  all material discussed in this course.

    5. The research essay (1500 words) is an opportunity for students to research and write about ideas, concepts and material covered in this course, focussing in particularly on listening and writing about sound.
    Submission
    All submissions for this course are made online. Refer to individual assignments for details.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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