Help with my course!!!! (1 Viewer)

[neonazi]

Hey everyone who is doing Music 2. How are you all? I am in desperate need of some help! I am doing Music 2 and extension by distance education and the teacher I have got has never taught any senior music couse before, let alone distance education.
My two main problems are doing my composition diary and finding extra works to study for my topics Australian Music of the last 25 years and 19th Century Music.
If anyone can help me out with what I put in my diary and where I can get good examples of works to study please do so. Just remember though that I live in Taree and resources are fairly limited for me. My email addresses are
Peter.Bourke@tareesc.mn.catholic.edu.au and
birdiepete69@hotmail.com
Thanks everyone.

 

[ujuphleg]

hi neonazi

sounds like you are in a pretty tough predicament, but i'll try my best :s

firstly, with your Aust. Music of the last 25 years, sounds like you have a pretty rough deal. there is a little place kinda like heaven for Music 2 students in Sydney called the Australian Music Centre or the AMC. have a look at this thread for more details: http://www.boredofstudies.org/community/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30077

I know its in sydney, but on their website http://www.amcoz.com.au there is a music search facility, where you can look at the music they have availible. its kinda like a library of Australian Music amongst other things. It costs $15 to become a member. heres the best bit: I know you live in taree but THEY CAN SEND THINGS TO YOU!! i live on the outskirts of sydney and i already find it hard to go in, but they can send stuff to you. it costs a bit, usually around 5 dollars but they have scores AND recordings for you and you just give them the address and they'll send it. dead useful i'll tell you.

ok, comp journal. now, thats tricky. how do you explain to someone over the internet? Chepas can help you more on the subject (he's our resident Comp Extension Major guru ) but basically the journal/portfolio is to record your progress and how you got to the final product. that being said, all musical ideas and things should be in your journal, as well as any research into style and things..... I go to Turramurra High in Sydney and a couple of years ago, my music teachers got so fed up about the lack of textbooks and things for music, they actually wrote one themselves -- a planning guide for comp. according to it, you should record in your comp portfolio the following:

• the performing media of your comp
• formal structure
• thematic material (ie, ideas)
• how you acheive unity and contrast
• all drafts and final drafts of your score

i'm sorry i can't be of anymore help, but please feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

good luck!!

 

[chepas]

Originally posted by ujuphleg
according to it, you shoudl record in your comp portfolio the following:

• the performing media of your comp
• formal structure
• thematic material (ie, ideas)
• how you acheive unity and contrast
• all drafts and final drafts of your score

i'm sorry i can't be of anymore help, but please feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

good luck!!

Yer, couldn't have said it better myself! That, and all drafts etc, ALWAYS annotate/write on them with what it is and stuff, comments on the material and where it came from, if it will be reused, if you hate it or love it, comments on how concepts are used etc.... I got the diaries marked and my big short coming was not annotating my drafts enough. Being specific is good.. helps you figure out what you want to achieve as well.

Also, I find - just write ANYTHING about the composition. Buy an exercise book and just write ideas that come to your head. And what I've done, if I'm on the run and think of something and don't have my diary on me, I write it down on a scrap of paper, pray that I don't lose it and shove it in a folder, and then call it Scrap #A1 or something, and refer to it specifically in the diary as new ideas/ new exxploration of material.

Argh, am being kicked out of school library now as school's finishing. Hopefully finish this post at home!

Chepas

 

[ujuphleg]

oh another thing -- this will be useful its in my book too. its entitled "A Self-Appraisal" but it's more like a checklist of stuff.

• Have I created interesting themes and motifs?
• Have I developed my thematic material in creative and interesting ways?
• Have I achieved interesting harmonic progressions?
• Have I achieved well balanced key relationships?
• Is my instrumentation appropriate for the chosen medium?
• Have I achieved structural coherence to my composition?
• Have I included clear performance directions?
• Is my score easy and clear to read?
• Has my computer printout been carefully edited?
• Have I achieved unity and variety in my composition?
• Was my comp playable?
• Is it within the time limit? (2 minutes for 2U core 3min for 2U elective and 6 combined for extension)

Also DON'T forget to date ALL entries. this is critical for verification of original work. if you don't, they can't see a process and they can't say its yours.

hope this helps. chepas will give you more tips I'm sure. are you doing just core comp or are you doing extension major too?

 

[neonazi]

Thanks guys heaps. ujuphleg, I'm doing just the core composition, my extension is performance. Anyways catch yas later. Thanks