| Unit name | Writing for Orchestra (Postgraduate) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSIM0053 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Pickard |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
MUSIM0043 Advanced Orchestration |
| School/department | Department of Music |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit introduces students to the essential techniques of orchestral writing. It will give students an awareness of the range and capabilities of the various orchestral instruments in their respective departments, and it will provide you with the ability to blend and balance instrumental colours in an orchestral context.
This unit is suitable for MA students who already have a foundation in musical notation, but who have not yet had the opportunity to study orchestral writing formally. It is an important optional unit for students on the composition pathway of the MA in Music who are interested in composing music for orchestra, but may also be of interest to performance of musicology students who want to gain a better understanding of the orchestra as a musical instrument.
Overview of content: We will begin by studying the capabilities of the individual instruments, section by section, using practical demonstrations wherever possible. We will then learn to blend instruments within their family groups and eventually to combine these groups into full orchestral textures. Examples used will be drawn mainly from Classical and Romantic orchestral literature, together with some from the early twentieth century.
What difference will the unit make: If you are interested in the orchestra as a medium of music, this unit will allow you to understand what orchestral instruments and orchestral sections can do and how they can be brought together into coherent textures. It will make you understand the orchestra and allow you to approach the writing of music for orchestra with confidence.
Learning outcomes: Students successfully completing this unit will be able to:
1. demonstrate a broad knowledge of all the main orchestral instruments, recognising their range, dynamic profile, technical limitations and potential for deploying more extended instrumental techniques within an orchestral context;
2. summarise and demonstrate a critical understanding of the essential principles of practical and effective combinations of the instruments in an orchestral context, together with an imaginative and creative approach to combining instrumental colours;
3. Illustrate their understanding by arranging passages in an appropriate style, using given examples and, in the final exercise; orchestrating an example of their own choosing under tutorial guidance;
4. design and lay out pages of score to a high professional standard.
Teaching will be delivered through lectures, tutorials and self-directed exercises. The unit will be taught alongside MUSI20141 Writing for Orchestra and will share lectures with that unit, but students studying the M level unit will have dedicated tutorials throughout the teaching block to prepare them for their assessments. Your own activity in self-directed exercises is crucial for the unit in order to be able to translate demonstrations and examples from the lectures into your own writing for orchestra.
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted): Two short exercises [0% of the unit mark, but required for credit] (ILOs 1 and 4)
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative): Two projects, both submitted at the end of the unit [50% + 50%] (ILOs 1-4)
When assessment does not go to plan: Re-assessment will be of the same format as the original assessments.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MUSIM0053).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
