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Independent Project for Music & Sound Recording - MUS00102H

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  • Department: Music
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Liam Maloney
  • Credit value: 40 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2021-22

Module summary

During your Independent Project you will develop a substantial piece of creative, technical or scholarly work which will be presented to professional standards.

Related modules

Pre-requisite modules

Co-requisite modules

  • None

Prohibited combinations

  • None

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2021-22 to Summer Term 2021-22

Module aims

The Independent Project is a substantial piece of work devised and researched during the 3rd year. It gives students the experience of real research planning, establishing a scholarly or creative project and seeing it through to a finished piece of work which will be presented to professional standards.

The Independent Project topic submission occurs at the end of year 2, term 3. Students submit an outline proposal, which is approved by the Music and Sound Recording course team.

Students are then allocated a supervisor, who oversees and guides the development of the project. All Independent Project submissions include a written element; and usually takes the form of one of the following scholarly and/or creative possibilities:

  • an extended essay/dissertation (of between 8,000 and 10,000 words) or
  • a substantial piece of creative or practical work, with accompanying documentation (typically, up to 45 minutes of audio, plus 3 – 4,000 word commentary). This can include:
    • a substantial piece of practical production work;
    • composition and production of an original album;
    • development of software systems;
    • organising and evaluating a themed event;
    • community-based project involving production;
    • the musicology of production and recording;
    • ethno musicological fieldwork in sound recording;
    • electroacoustic installation;
    • composition-based projects;

Students working on the Independent Project will be expected to deliver a formal summary of their progress, in the form of an interim report, or literature study, or preliminary sketch materials (for practical work) to be submitted as a formative assessment at the end of the spring term.

Because the Independent Project springs directly from the student’s own interests, it often develops skills appropriate to, or even acts as direct preparation for, a number of graduate career routes. The alignment between skills encountered in the Independent Project, and those the student wishes to focus on for future employment is monitored by the supervisor to steer provision in relevant, employable areas.

Module learning outcomes

Subject content

At the end of the module, students should:

  • Be aware of current research / practice in their chosen field, and be able to situate their own outputs within that context;
  • Have developed responses which extend or complement existing research / practice;
  • Be able to articulate the new ground that their approach investigates, and to evaluate its effectiveness;
  • Have developed specific musical / audio production or software / musicological / music-administrative skills in relation to their chosen area (compositional, performance, project-management, recording, etc.).

Academic and graduate skills

At the end of the module, students should:

  • Have developed experience in devising original research projects, monitoring their progress, and carrying them through to a successful conclusion.
  • Have developed successful strategies of time management in the production of the project over an extended timeframe;
  • Have developed skills in recognising a professional level of achievement, and in self-evaluation of the effectiveness of their project.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Folio of work		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Folio of work		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Written feedback within 4 weeks of assessment date.

Indicative reading

N/A


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.