Studying at York
Listen to This! (Music and Sound Recording) - MUS00195C
- Department: Music
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. Jack McNeill
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
This module will introduce you to technical and contextual listening skills through the introduction of a number of notable recordings, chosen and presented by staff. Each week you will be introduced to a recording, framed either through its historical and critical context or through an analytical and technical lens developing students' critical and technical ear.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
Listening to recorded music is central to our practice as musicians, recordists, producers, composers etc. Listening helps us train our ears to hear things that might give us clues to how something was constructed and the conditions it was constructed in. Throughout the semester you will be introduced to a number of works that are notable due to the historical or social conditions they emerged in, or for particular technical features (e.g. mix, master, sound design, synthesis). Lectures will be delivered by a broad range of staff across the Music and Sound Recording programmes and will give you insight into how practitioners approach listening. In the sessions you will also engage with the nuances of listening to recorded material and for your assessment you will be asked to explore this practice around recorded music of your choice.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the taught part of the project all students should have:
-
Broaden your knowledge of recorded music across a variety of styles and approaches;
-
Learned about technical issues and considerations by listening to and discussing recorded music;
-
Engaged critically with historical and contextual issues surrounding recorded music;
-
Become aware of the different ways in which music and sound recording can be studied;
-
Developed your written responses to recorded music of your choice.
Assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation/seminar/exam 15 minute video/audio presentation |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
The assessment for this module involves a 15-minute video or audio presentation which takes a piece of recorded music of your choice and discusses it in relation to its recording/technical context, social/cultural context, or both, considering themes and ideas discussed in the module. Further details on the assessment will be on the module VLE site.
Reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation/seminar/exam 15 minute video/audio presentation |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Mark and report within 25 working days of submission of assessment.
Indicative reading
TBC