Studying at York
Social Interaction through Ensembles - MUS00188I
- Department: Music
- Module co-ordinator: Ms. Hannah Gibbs
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
This module will introduce the social implications of ensemble playing and group music making in a variety of settings. Interdisciplinary insights, from music psychology, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, education, community music, and music therapy, will combine to make sense of how making music in a group works, and the social function it serves.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
Making music as a group has the ability to strengthen social bonds, facilitate communication, and impact wellbeing on an individual level. Although humans have been making music together for potentially thousands of years, psychologists are only beginning to understand the underlying processes and functions it can serve. This module aims to provide an overview of how social interaction and cohesiveness arises through ensemble playing.
By the end of the project, students will have considered: psychological approaches to studying ensemble playing; why and how long humans have been making music collectively; how playing music together strengthens cultural identities; the links between physical, psychological and behavioural processes that occur during ensemble playing; how a group-based music session looks different between community, educational, and therapeutic settings, and how they are designed to meet specific outcomes.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the taught part of the project all students should be able to:
-
Explain the behavioural, psychological and social effects underlying ensemble playing.
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Apply these effects to their own personal experience of playing as part of an ensemble.
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Compare forms of ensemble playing based on inclusiveness and effectiveness with different populations.
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Synthesise interdisciplinary perspectives towards an understanding of how and why music holds social significance.
In their independent work,
- second-year students should demonstrate Learning Outcomes B1-6
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Essay |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Essay |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Mark and report within University designated turnaround time.
Indicative reading
Bartleet, Brydie-Leigh., and Higgins, Lee. ed. The Oxford Handbook of Community Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2018.
Fitch, W. T. ‘The biology and evolution of music: A comparative perspective’. Cognition 100, (2006) 2: 173–215.
Hallam, Susan, Cross, Ian, and Thaut, Michael, H., ed. The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Harvey, Alan, ‘Music and the meeting of human minds’. Frontiers in Psychology 9 (2018) 762.
King, Elaine, and Waddington, Caroline, ed. Music and Empathy. London: Routledge, 2017.
MacDonald, Raymond, Kreutz, Gunter, & Mitchell, Laura, ed. Music, Health, and Wellbeing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Miell, Dorothy, MacDonald, Raymond, & Hargreaves, David, ed. Musical Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Timmers, Renee, Bailes, Freya, & Daffern, Helena, ed. Together in Music: Coordination, Expression, Participation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.