Music Journal Portfolio

Contexts: Personal: e.g. Chinese/Western Music

Local: e.g. Washington DC

Global: e.g. World music/ Music tech

Exploring portfolio 30%(EXTERNAL)

analyse musical material (through critical listening and by reading scores) referring to conventions and practices
explore unfamiliar media, stimuli and techniques
extract musical information from the music examples studied in order to identify the purpose and
use of musical structures, creating conventions, performing practices and techniques.
investigate how music is made and performed in different contexts
listen and respond to a wide variety of music, developing aural awareness of musical devices and musical elements, such as melody, harmony, texture, tonality, structure, articulation and dynamics.

Researcher

When exploring music as a researcher, students will learn to:

analyse music to identify musical findings
specify the exact location of musical findings in the audio excerpts (using minutes and seconds)
specify the exact location of musical findings in scores (using bars/measures, beats, instruments/ voices or other markers, as appropriate)
identify extra-musical findings that are relevant to contextualize musical findings
explain musical and extra-musical findings using accurate terminology
explain the implications of findings on practical exercises.

Creator

Students will learn to effectively explain the implications of their research findings on creating exercises through clear and concise writing that addresses:

the stylistic creating conventions or practices that are demonstrated.
specific points of interest within the exercise, for example, places where conventions have been specifically realized or demonstrated.
challenges of the exercise (if applicable).

Performer

Through practical exercises, students will explore the performing conventions and practices of stimulus music, and will adapt these to their own instruments, voices or chosen medium. The adaptations will be:

based on the findings of performing conventions and practices
based on stimulus music from local or global contexts
adapted for the students’ own instruments, voices or chosen medium
performed by the student.

Experimenting portfolio 30%(INTERNAL)

In the process of experimenting with music, students engage more deeply with music to develop and refine their musical decisions, practise their musical skills and develop musical works as they:

select musical prompts or stimuli for their work and to inform their musical decisions. Students work with selected relevant findings from diverse musical material
apply their knowledge, conceptual understandings and skills to their work while experimenting with musical material
develop ideas and work as creators by experimenting with creating conventions and techniques, and as performers by experimenting with performing practices and techniques
practise through the processes of trialling, refining and revising musical material. Students learn to control and personalize practical and technical skills in creating, producing and performing music
evaluate/reflect critically on their music-making and consider how the use of their findings will affect their work. Students discuss the challenges encountered—and any possible solutions.

Researcher

Through experimenting as researchers, students gain deeper understanding about music by:

analysing music to inform their own work
reflecting on how the music they are studying will inform their own practice
reflecting on how to develop the music they are working on
making musical decisions in relation to their findings
experimenting with musical material, musical findings and musical skills.

Creator

Through experimenting, students gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and composed. They apply their findings to their own work, paying attention to:

the intention and purpose of music in context
the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, harmonic and/or melodic developments, pitch, rhythm, structure and form, texture, timbre, tonality
use of production elements and techniques.

Performer

As performers, students should consider the intention, purpose and context of the music. They will experiment with the ways in which music can be communicated, paying attention to:

- performance techniques
- the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, ornamentation, instrumental or vocal range, pitch, rhythm, texture, tempo, timbre
- interpretation(s), including, but not limited to, use of articulation, effects and other expressive and productive techniques, phrasing.

Presenting portfolio 40% (EXTERNAL)

Throughout the course, students should be offered multiple opportunities and approaches for sharing their work with others, including, but not limited to:

communicating musical and artistic intentions with consideration to relevant and appropriate styles, conventions and practices
interpreting diverse musical material to convey its meaning in a personal way
expressing the intentions of diverse musical material to convey its meaning
demonstrating technical skills and proficiency as students develop, improve and polish musical works
informing others through coherent and concise written material using appropriate terminology and notation, including programme notes, analysed scores, research notes and commentaries.

Researcher

In music, common written or spoken presentations include:

annotations
commentaries
essays or reports
lecture presentations
notations
programme notes
written analyses.

Creator

In presenting, students will prepare original works, which may include compositions and improvisations. Students may also work from a stimulus, for example, for improvisations or for theme and variations. Stimuli may include, but are not limited to:

chord progressions
motifs
lyrics
visual stimuli, for example, films or images
programmed loops.

Performer

In presenting their work and thinking about the impact of the music on the listener, students should consider:

performing as a soloist
performing as part of an ensemble
performing with an accompaniment
interpretation
expression
technical proficiency.

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