Course Outline

MUS203 Songwriting 2

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

2026Trimester 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 unisc.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

Microcredential Information

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 40%
2-4 minutes original song + 800 word written document + annotated lyric sheet
Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 60%
approx 5-10 minutes of creative work (or equivalent) + 400 word written document
Exam Period Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Original Stylistic Songwriting
Goal:
The purpose of this task is to present an original song that demonstrates stylistic songwriting featuring expanded songwriting concepts.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
In this task, you will develop an original song that demonstrates an applied understanding of stylistic songwriting. You also need to incorporate expanded songwriting concepts in the song. You will present this song as an audio demo that demonstrates your songwriting, performance, arrangement and production ideas. You will also provide a written document to explain your critical listening and application of stylistic songwriting, an annotated lyric sheet, and a DAW session.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Applying critical listening to identify and evaluate stylistic features in reference tracks
5
2
Applying prosody of lyrical and narrative ideas in accordance with stylistic intention
3
3
Applying advanced musical concepts according to stylistic intention
3
4
Developing and applying expanded songwriting concepts at the service of meaning making
1
5
Developing industry-level communication of stylistic songwriting ideas in prescribed formats
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies
All - Assessment Task 2: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
Authorship Statement:
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 your contribution with the teaching staff. Professionalism and collaboration will be monitored throughout the entire process. You will also submit a written document detailing your contribution.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Collaborating with the Musical Director on developing relevant contributions through work-in-progress check-ins.
2
2
Applying advanced concepts of songwriting / music / sound design in your creative contribution to the interdisciplinary project.
3
3
Applying critical listening skills in the evaluation and refinement of contributions to the project, including implementing iterative feedback.
5
4
Developing industry-level effective communication of ideas in formats relevant to the project
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation

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

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

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 submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

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

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: