Course overview
This course introduces students to the creative, technical and professional skills used by composers in a contemporary popular music context, with a focus on the creation and presentation of new original music. Seminars introduce composition and song writing techniques, including creative impetus, the musical materials of rhythm, pitch, melody, chords progressions and song structures, and approaches to writing lyrics. Stylistic idioms used in contemporary popular music styles are contextualized in relation to established song-writing forms. Through Workshops, students will work in small groups to prepare their original work for live performance. Rehearsal, improvisation and performance techniques will be introduced, culminating in on and off-campus student performances.
Course learning outcomes
- Develop an understanding of basic composition and music production principles used by professional songwriters;
- Develop an understanding of their own compositional voice at a basic level
- Develop a cogent and quality portfolio of songs in a recorded and notated format;
- skills in the interpretation and performance of the compositions of others;
- an understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and activities involved in live Contemporary Music performance; and
- basic abilities in the evaluation of performances and the communication of instructions and technical requirements to others.