MusM Music (Performance Studies) / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Professional and Pedagogical Skills

Course unit fact file
Unit code MUSC60402
Credit rating 30
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This course prepares students for careers as professional musicians and music educators. The first part of the unit develops students' understanding of the contemporary cultural, economic, institutional and technological contexts in which professional musicians operate. It introduces the practical knowledge necessary for working successfully in the sector, covering the areas of career management, self-promotion, concert programming, stagecraft and the production of demonstration recordings. The second part of the unit gives students knowledge of the principles and practices of music teaching. It explores current theories and methods of instrumental and vocal pedagogy, enabling students to develop an understanding of different learning and teaching styles and the capacity to evaluate and enhance their own communicative and educative skills. 

Aims

  • to develop understanding of the cultural, economic, institutional and technological contexts in which professional musicians operate 

  • to give students the practical knowledge necessary for working successfully in the musical sector 

  • to develop knowledge of current approaches to music education, with particular reference to vocal and instrumental pedagogy 

  • to equip students with knowledge of a range of approaches to teaching and learning 

  • to help enable students to optimize their performance as communicators and educators 

Syllabus

Professional music-making and its contexts 

Career management for musicians 

Self-promotion and online marketing 

Principles of concert, festival and event programming 

Stagecraft for musicians 

Recording and editing techniques 

The musician as educator 

Principles of instrumental pedagogy 

Principles of vocal pedagogy 

Practical teaching and group evaluation (i) 

Practical teaching and group evaluation (ii) 

Teaching and learning methods

Weekly seminars and workshops 

Weekly office hours 

Knowledge and understanding

  • demonstrate understanding of the contexts in which contemporary professional musicians operate 

  • display their knowledge of the principles of concert, festival and event programming 

  • show a practical knowledge of a range of skills essential for professional musicians, including stagecraft and recording techniques 

  • show critical understanding of current vocal and instrumental pedagogy 

  • demonstrate the ability to describe, analyse and evaluate a range of teaching styles and methods, and an understanding of the personal qualities necessary for effective teaching 

Intellectual skills

  • demonstrate the ability to describe, analyse and evaluate different teaching approaches in theory and practice 

  • articulate their ideas cogently both orally and in writing 

  • contribute to discussions and defend their viewpoints effectively  

Practical skills

  • communicate effectively in a learning and teaching context 

  • demonstrate a practical knowledge of stagecraft 

  • record themselves to a professional standard; edit and upload a demonstration recording 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • manage their professional careers and promote themselves effectively 

  • show the capacity to evaluate their own effectiveness as communicators 

  • work creatively, effectively and empathetically with others 

Employability skills

Group/team working
demonstrate a practical and realistic knowledge of working environments
Problem solving
work with confidence and self-assurance as performers and teachers while possessing the capacity for reflection and self-criticism
Other
respond flexibly to rapidly changing professional and pedagogical environments

Assessment methods

Assessment task  

Formative or Summative 

 

Weighting within unit (if summative) 

Seminar participation and practical work 

Formative and Summative 

 

30% 

Record and produce a five-minute promotional demo recording, and upload it to the Programme YouTube site 

Summative 

 

30% 

Reflective essay or equivalent on teaching styles and methods (2,000 words) 

Summative 

 

40% 

Feedback methods

Feedback method  

Formative or Summative 

Weekly feedback on oral contributions 

Formative 

Peer evaluation of short one-to-one lesson 

Formative 

Demo recording and Reflective Essay 

Summative 

Recommended reading

Bauer, William I., Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing and Responding to Music (Oxford, 2014) 

Browning, Birch, An Orientation to Musical Pedagogy: Becoming a Musician-Educator (Oxford, 2017) 

Hallam, Susan, Instrumental Teaching: A Practical Guide to Better Teaching and Learning (Oxford, 1998) 

Rink, John (ed.), The Practice of Performance: Studies in Musical Interpretation (Cambridge, 2005) 

Rutter, Paul, The Music Industry Handbook (2nd edn Abingdon, 2016) 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Seminars 33
Independent study hours
Independent study 267

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