Music Foundation

For many, the most exciting aspect of music is performance - a central component of the Music Foundation. Through expert instrumental tuition and master classes, you will be given the opportunity widen your repertoire, improve your technique and gain recital confidence.

Students interested in focusing closer on performance can select it as an elective unit and study the more intricate skills required for a competent performance. You will learn the art of improvisation, such as cadenzas, jazz chords and call and response, as well as learning how to rearrange and re-work a composition. This work and effort will culminate in a public performance at a specially arranged concert.

• Master classes: improvisation, performance techniques, performance of own composition
• Guest Artist / tutor lessons
• Alexander technique (the health of the performer)
• One-to-one instrumentals
• Exploration of the repertoire

You will be assessed by:

• Written supporting work
• Filmed rehearsals
• Comments
• Final performance
• Practical exams

Aural skills are central to becoming an accomplished musician. The art of listening is often neglected, but by mastering the ability to astutely perceive sound, you will be more able to critically assess what you hear, putting you on the path to becoming a more effective learner and musician.

The Listening Skills for Accomplished Musicians unit is a fully-integrated and on-going unit of the programme. Through recordings, live performance, field research, peer and tutor discussion and use of Auralia software, you will develop your aural perception and sound awareness. Special emphasis is placed upon musical transcription, chord recognition and acoustic and effect analysis, enabling you to create artful, well-balanced and compelling music.

• Acoustics
• Sound production
• Production effects
• Classical aural perception (describing / recognising intervals / chords)
• Field research

You will be assessed by:

• Exam
• Research and coursework
• Auralia (software)

In the composing unit, you will explore composition from project brief to product delivery. Making use of the school’s Sibelius Notation Package and the experienced tuition of CSVPA teaching staff, you will be guided through the entire composition process and taught to critically appraise both your own and others’ pieces.

By studying and replicating the techniques of the great composers, you will improve your own abilities, building up an assessed portfolio of work based on real-life briefs.

• Learning how to compose with technology (in response to a brief)
• Film scoring (film music and compilation of a folio of composition)
• Pastiche (compositional techniques)

You will be assessed by:

• Final piece
• Supporting documentation (Process / photos / written planning)

Music in the 21st Century is as much about electronics and computer software as it is about traditional instruments. This progression is reflected in the Sequencing unit of the Foundation. Using cutting-edge MIDI and audio sequencing equipment, you will develop the practical skill of sequencing through a mixture of theory, observation, composition and critical analysis.

• Sequencing from a written score
• Audio track: creating backing tracks
• Manipulating sound
• Matching sound

You will be assessed by:

• Final piece
• Supporting documentation

The Recording unit allows students with an interest in the art of musical recording to be introduced to the main aspects of the subject. By studying topics such as microphone technique, polar patterns and mixing, you will gain the valuable experience necessary to further your knowledge at University or in the workplace.

The assessment mirrors the practical and hands-on approach to the module, involving the production of an 8-track recording of your preferred music and creation of an EP, including artwork, cover versions and copyright.

• Microphone techniques
• Mixing techniques
• Learning the physics of sound

You will be assessed by:

• Final piece
• Supporting documentation (Process / photos / written planning)

The Music through Time element of the programme allows you to gain a broad overview of musical styles and genres throughout history. From Baroque music to 21st Century pop, you will reflect upon the cultural importance of music through the ages as well as understanding the development of popular musical trends in the UK and abroad.

You will be given the opportunity to demonstrate your theoretical understanding and knowledge by practical means, publically performing pieces of Classical, Modern, Pop and ‘World’ music.

• Score Reading
• Performance of works
• Research Skills
• Compositional Study

You be assessed by:

• Performance
• Research and Coursework
• Composition

Music in the Real World explores the relationship between music and society and culture.  This unit gives you the chance to gain hands-on experience of music in the real world, studying people’s connections to the music around them as well as the more practical issues surrounding music, such as copyright law, government incentives and the impact of technology.

To demonstrate your understanding of people’s connection to music, you will work in groups to design, plan and deliver a public music project within the community.

• Organisational skills
• Copyright laws
• Government incentives
• Community

You will be assessed by:

• Preparatory work and final event