Principal Study Traditional Music 1

The Principal Study is the primary focus of your learning experience, supported by regular individualised lessons in your discipline. The role of the lessons will be to help and guide in developing a firm but flexible and open-minded repertoire of technical, musical and performance skills, stemming from and interpreting anew Scottish (or related) traditional music through your unique idiomatic voice. These lessons will form part of an ongoing cycle of individual practice and reflection, and will require you to devote a substantial amount of time to independent learning.

There are two principal areas on which you can focus depending on your goals and discipline: solo performance or collaborative performance (group work or band), though in practice many students choose to explore a mixture of the two as this often reflects the profession. You will decide in negotiation with your Principal Study tutor and the Head of Traditional Music (or Head of Piping Studies) to concentrate on one or both of these areas, with the freedom to develop your knowledge and skills through live performance, studio recorded performance and/or the composition of new traditional-idiom works.

Module aims

This module is designed to:

• Foster technical and expressive mastery in the specialist area within Scottish (or related) traditional music.
• Develop a mature musical personality vis-à-vis Scottish traditional idioms and practices, and provide opportunities for its projection in-and-through such practices.
• Expand a knowledge base that supports understanding and facilitates the solving of complex musical problems.
• Enable you to acquire the skills to pursue and sustain fulfilling, lifelong interpretation of Scottish (or related) traditional music, leading to informed performance at a professional level.

Learning outcomes

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

• LO1 Demonstrate technical and expressive mastery in your principal study
• LO2 Project a mature musical personality in-and-through your principal study
• LO3 Employ a range of knowledge and understanding in-and-through the process of making music

Assessment

Assessment 1: Performance B (50%)

Assessed LOs: 1, 2, 3.

Assessment 2: Performance A (50%)

Assessed LOs: 1, 2, 3.

The Assessment Specifications associated with this module outline a number of different options from which to choose according to your specialism, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate the learning outcomes of the module across a range of contexts and repertoires.

Assessment criteria

Assessors will look for:

LO1 – Demonstrate technical and expressive mastery in your principal study

• musicality in relation to technique (technical freedom and mastery to realise musical intent)
• expressive qualities vis-à-vis style and repertoire
• agility and rhythmic fluency
• range and quality of production / projection of sound / tone / timbre
• exploitation of the capabilities of the instrument
• melodic shaping, line and texture
• dynamic range and shaping
• accuracy (technical and textual)
• pronunciation/scansion/diction/breathing (Gaelic or Scots Song)

LO2 – Project a mature musical personality in-and-through your principal study

• projection and clarity of a unique idiomatic voice
• committed, communicative and engaging response to the music
• performances which can challenge both the artist and audience
• creativity in performance
• ability to communicate maturely and fluently in live contexts
• give and take in ensemble partnerships

LO3 – Employ a range of knowledge and understanding in-and-through the process of making music

• quality and projection of artistic vision
• articulation of structure and form
• understanding of genre, style and idiom
• appropriate structure and order of programme
• informed programme choices
• knowledge of the repertoire
• contribution to audience experience

In relation to Studio Recording Projects:

• an informed and considered choice of recorded sound quality appropriate to the repertoire
• an informed and considered choice of editing points appropriate to the recording
• ownership of and engagement in all aspects of process
• rationale for choice of repertoire, sound quality and edit points
• an understanding of context with reference to other recordings

Feedback

You will receive immediate verbal feedback in the course of your one-to-one lessons. In the final lesson of Terms 1 and 2, you will undergo a Recital Audition assessment as outlined in the Traditional Music Departmental Handbook. This will be followed in each case by formal written feedback by your tutor, which will be recorded as part of your Supporting Studies profile.

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 Traditional Music 1
SCQF level	11
Credit rating	80 SCQF (40 ECTS)
Total notional student effort hours	800
Status	Core
Module coordinator	Head of Department
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	Supporting Studies 1
Anti-requisites	None
Next steps	Principal Study Traditional Music 2 or MA Negotiated Study
Learning modes	Indicative hours
Scheduled study	30 (minimum)
Independent study	770 (maximum)
Total notional student effort	800