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Course Outline

MUS203 Songwriting 2

Course Coordinator:Briony Luttrell (bluttrell@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2024Semester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

In this course, you will develop your songwriting knowledge and skills into a community-facing skillset. You will be guided by lecturers and other industry practitioners as you engage in intermediate songwriting tasks including expanded concepts of lyric writing, pitch and rhythm, sound design, and musical direction. These tasks will culminate in an interdisciplinary collaborative project presented in a community-based environment with you as part of the musical direction team.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 12 times

Course Topics

  • Intermediate songwriting
  • Community-facing music making
  • Musical Direction
  • Stylistic songwriting
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Critical listening
  • Advanced music theory.

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Develop an advanced and industry-informed practice of songwriting. Knowledgeable
2 Work collaboratively with other songwriters and creators to produce works of song, music & sound. Engaged
3 Apply advanced concepts of popular songwriting including lyric, rhythmic, melodic, structural, and arrangement elements. Creative and critical thinker
4 Develop modern songwriting technology practices based on industry-level practices. Empowered
5 Apply critical listening skills to evaluate and refine songwriting practices. Empowered

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

MUS100 or MUS101

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

There are regular opportunities in workshops to share ideas and work in progress for peer and teaching staff feedback.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 30% 
2-5 minute song + an annotated lyric sheet / visual representation
 Week 6 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 30% 
2-5 minutes original song + a 500 word written document
 Week 10 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 40% 
approx 5-10 minutes of creative work (or equivalent) plus 200-400 word written document
 Exam Period To be Negotiated
All - Assessment Task 1:Song Sketch - expanded practices
Goal: 
The purpose of this task is to demonstrate your developing knowledge of songwriting
by showcasing your understanding of selected expanded concepts.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Format: 
In this task, you will develop a song sketch which demonstrates a selection of expanded concepts from this course in the service of enhancing meaning making in the song. This
submission is delivered as an audio artefact and a visual representation.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Developing industry-informed lyric and narrative elements of songwriting
 1
2 
Applying advanced concepts of songwriting at the service of narrative.
 3
3 
Applying expanded songwriting concepts at the service of meaning making.
 3
4 
Developing industry-level communication of songwriting ideas in prescribed formats.
 4
All - Assessment Task 2:Original Stylistic Songwriting
Goal: 
The purpose of this task is to present an original song that demonstrates stylistic songwriting.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Format: 
In this task, you will develop an original song that demonstrates an applied understanding of stylistic songwriting. You will present this song as an audio file that demonstrates your songwriting, performance, and production ideas. You will also provide a short written document to explain your critical listening and application of stylistic songwriting.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Applying prosody of lyrical and narrative ideas in accordance with stylistic intention
 3
2 
Applying musical concepts according to stylistic intentions
 3
3 
Applying critical listening skills in the identification and evaluation of stylistic songwriting choices
 5
4 
Developing industry-level communication of stylistic songwriting ideas in prescribed formats
 4
All - Assessment Task 3:Songwriting and Musical Direction
Goal: 
The purpose of this task is to gain experience in the role and associated skillsets of Musical Director in a collaborative community-facing environment.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Format: 
In this task, you will work as part of an interdisciplinary team to design, create, and realise a community-facing creative work. Your creative contribution can take the form of songwriting, musical works, and/or sound design elements. You can also be involved in the logistical or sound crew roles in the production. You will need to negotiate the specifics of the format with teaching staff. You will submit a written document detailing your contribution.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Applying concepts to develop original song/musical/sound works in line with the teams intentions
 3
2 
Developing industry-level effective communication of ideas in formats relevant to the project
 4
3 
Collaborating with interdisciplinary team to develop and realise a cohesive and effective work.
 2
4 
Applying critical listening skills to evaluate and refine collaborative song/music/sound contributions
 5

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Students are required to bring headphones to each class (with an adaptor for 1/4 inch sockets). Students will also need a storage device either cloud-based or flash/hard drive of more than 16 GBs.

Students are expected to make themselves available for autonomous group rehearsals/recordings. Students must therefore consider their availability on evenings and weekends as well as normal working hours, especially from week 9 onwards.

How are risks managed in this course?

Risk assessments have been performed for all studio and laboratory classes and a low level of health and safety risk exists. Some risk concerns may include equipment, instruments, and tools; as well as manual handling items within the laboratory. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation.  It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline.  This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person.  You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin.  This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:

The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%
The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: 
- 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 
- 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 
- A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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