Principal Study Composition 2

This module builds upon the work of Stage 1 of the programme, allowing you to extend and deepen your musical creativity in a range of contexts.

Module aims

This module is designed to:

• Foster advanced technical and expressive mastery in composition
• Develop a mature and individual musical personality and provide opportunities for its projection in-and-through practice
• Nurture, develop and promote compositional ability to the highest level, with a view to the pursuit of a professional career as a composer
• Consolidate powers of perception, listening skills, self-criticism and the expression of one’s own musical language
• Further prepare students for the pressures and demands of a professional career in composition by promoting the appropriate skills, attitudes and disciplines, by developing their critical faculties and by nurturing their commitment to the art of music
• Establish research, reflection and analyse in relation to the student’s own work and that of others
• Generate the potential for the continuing refinement of compositional skills, knowledge and aspirations

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

• LO1 Show advanced technical and expressive mastery in composition
• LO2 Project a mature and individual musical personality in-and-through composition
• LO3 Employ critical thinking in-and-through the process of making music

Assessment

Assessment 1: Portfolio and Viva (100%)

Work in this module is assessed by means of a submission of a substantial portfolio of compositions, negotiated with the specialist teacher and agreed through Student Outcomes. The portfolio may also include work arising from participation in the Agential Artist project alongside students from the MFA Classical and Contemporary text, or an Independent Project. Further information on submission requirements is detailed in the Assessment Specifications.

The viva voce examination takes place after the submission of the final portfolio. It is conducted by the same panel of examiners who have marked the folio itself, normally by the Head of Department, one internal examiner (not the candidate’s tutor) and the Specialist External Assessor. It allows the candidate to talk at length about the folio and to defend, through cross-examination and discussion, the rationale for techniques and other musical decisions within the folio, and to show a heightened understanding of the folio’s context both in the development of the candidate’s compositional voice and the wider context of contemporary culture.

A single holistic grade is given for the portfolio and viva.

Assessed LOs: 1, 2, 3.

Assessment criteria

Assessors will look for:

LO1 – Demonstrate advanced technical and expressive mastery in composition

• confident handling of structure
• clear understanding of texture, colour and balance
• effective and imaginative use of musical materials
• a high level of technical control of musical materials
• understanding the physicality of instruments
• signs of creative originality
• willingness to experiment
• clarity of intention in the score

LO2 – Project a mature and individual musical personality in-and-through composition

• originality and creative imagination
• consistency and individuality of style
• experimentation in different musical genres
• awareness of panoply, context and trend
• a knowledge of the repertoire

LO3 – Employ critical thinking in-and-through the process of making music

• idiomatic and imaginative use of resources
• professional level of score presentation
• technological expertise in software
• willingness to absorb contemporary influences to enhance personal musical language
• consultation and collaboration with practitioners
• a pragmatic approach regarding performance opportunities

Feedback

You will recieve regular formative feedback from your tutor in your lessons, and a written report twice a year. In some departments the tutor report will take the form of a mutually constructed feedback session.

You will receive a written feedback report on each A and B assessment.

Resources

Essential

Key resources will be recommended by principal study tutors.

Summary details

Module title	Principal Study Composition 2
SCQF level	11
Credit rating	90 SCQF (45 ECTS)
Total notional student effort hours	900
Status	Core
Module coordinator	Head of Department
Pre-requisites	Principal Study Composition 1
Co-requisites	Supporting Studies 2
Anti-requisites	None
Learning modes	Indicative hours
Scheduled study	30 (minimum)
Independent study	870 (maximum)
Total notional student effort	900