MUSGEN 1301 - Life in Music

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025

This course introduces Music students to the practical realities of preparing for a professional career as a musician, and to the day-to-day challenges and rewards of studying music in the intensive environment of a university. The course will inform students of the wide range of potential music careers and pathways available to suitably trained musicians (including the `portfolio career?), and to the skills required to negotiate their music studies while at university to enable them to transition into the professional music industry. The course will also introduce students to the basic skills, concepts and expectations relevant to music research and scholarship as well as the communications skills necessary to speak and write about music, music performance and music creation. The course will also enable the students to approach their music-making, their music-creation, and their music teaching with an informed sense of cultural and social sensitivity and a mature sense of the collegial and collaborative role of a musician in society. This course prepares students for a life in music.

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Course Details

Course Code	MUSGEN 1301
Course	Life in Music
Coordinating Unit	Elder Conservatorium of Music
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Assumed Knowledge	Successful audition for the Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music Advanced degrees
Restrictions	Students enrolled in Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music Advanced degrees only
Assessment	Artist Prose Biography & Resume, Written Program Notes pre concert talk script or Press Release, Reflective Essay/Journal, Music Research Assignment, Participation

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Carl Crossin OAM

Associate Professor Luke Harrald (Head, Creative Practice)
Mark Ferguson (Head, Jazz Performance)
Dr. Emily Dollman (Head, Music Education)
Dr, Elizabeth Layton (Head, Classical Performance)
Associate Professor Carl Crossin (Course Co-Ordinator)

Dr. Ross McHenry
Proessor Mark Carroll

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Lecture: Thursdays, 12.10pm – 1.40pm in Napier Building - Lecture Theatre G04

Seminars: Wednesdays, 1 – 2pm as follows…

Creative Practice (Seminar Leader: Luke Harrald) in Madley Rehearsal Studio
Jazz Performance (Seminar Leader: Mark Ferguson) in Madley MB22
Music Education (Seminar Leader: Emily Dollman) in Hartley 108a
Classical Performance (Seminar Leader: Elizabeth Layton) in Hartley Concert Room

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

No information currently available.

University Graduate Attributes

No information currently available.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Teaching modes will include: lectures and seminars.

v Lectures will include interviews and discussions with guests (including recent Elder Conservatorium graduates).

v Seminars will focus on the detail of each topic in relation to the four broad cohorts.

v Online resources will also be provided.

Lecture: Thursdays, 12.10pm – 1.40pm Napier Building - Lecture Theatre G04

Seminars: Wednesdays, 1 – 2pm as follows…

COHORT STAFF RESPONSIBLE VENUE
- Creative Practice Luke Harrald Madley Rehearsal Studio
- Jazz Performance Mark Ferguson Madley MB22
- Music Education Emily Dollman Hartley 108a
- Classical Performance Elizabeth Layton Hartley Concert Room
Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

WEEK 1
TOPIC 1: The Course (structure, content & assessment) & Negotiating life within the University
TOPIC 2: What is a ‘life in music'?

WEEK 2
TOPIC 1: Telling your story, establishing your ‘brand’, writing your CV, EPK…
TOPIC 2: Negotiating life outside of the University

WEEK 3
TOPIC: Being a music practitioner (a performer, a player, a singer a ‘doer’…)

WEEK 4
TOPIC 1: Being a composer/song-writer, creator, curator…TOPIC 2: Intro to the FRINGE SHOW assignment

WEEK 5
TOPIC: Being a music educator

WEEK 6
TOPIC: The Arts Ecosystem

WEEK 7
NO LECTURE (ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY)

WEEK 8
TOPIC: The 'portfolio' career in Music

WEEK 9
TOPIC: Music research skills & knowledge 1

WEEK 10
TOPIC: Music research skills & knowledge 2

WEEK 11
TOPIC: Music, gender, societal norms and expectations, professional conduct…

WEEK 12
TOPIC: Music and cultural awareness

WEEK 13
TOPIC: The future of music & the future of work

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Task 1 - Branding

Weighting: 20%

Electronic Press Kit (EPK)… - prose artist biogs (self); CV/Resumé; head shots…

Task 2 – Event Curation

Weighting: 35%

Creating your own Fringe show (program notes/pre-concert talk script/press-releases etc…)

Task 3 – Music Research

Weighting: 35%

Music Research – writing about music, annotated bibliography, referencing, citation etc…

Task 4 – Active Participation

Weighting: 10% (marks given by seminar leader)

Active participation in weekly lectures and seminars

Assessment Detail

No information currently available.

Submission

No information currently available.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator