'Dancing about architecture': Writing about music - MUS00199C

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Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2026-27

Module aims

You’ve probably heard the Hans Christian Anderson quotation: ‘Where words fail, music speaks.’ Lovely, isn’t it. What bothers me is what we do next: how we respond when the music speaks to us with such eye-opening, life-enhancing force that we have no choice but to respond to it, serve it, orbit it in some way – and so rather than grasping at straws, we reach back to that very substance of daily communication that we supposedly abandoned in the first place: words. Is writing about music really as futile as ‘dancing about architecture’, as some have (allegedly) claimed? Or is there merit buried somewhere in this messy act of trying to pin down one language with another?

This module explores ways in which we can address music through words. We will examine and experiment with a range of written approaches to music (descriptive, analytical, experiential, reflective, narratological, critical, pedagogical, poetic, promotional), both historical and contemporary: through the course of the sessions we will try out and workshop different styles and formats, sharing and reflecting on our approaches – as well as the approaches of other authors – to consider how we might write about music (listening to it, learning it, creating it) effectively across a range of contexts and purposes. Alongside honing our own writing about music, we will also develop our abilities to reflect on, analyse and critique our approaches, constructing a broader understanding of the ways in which musical experience can be enriched and expanded (or not) by its potential relationship with language.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the taught part of the module all students should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of various ways in which a range of music can be addressed through the written word;

• Critically analyse aspects of these written approaches to music, unpacking relationships between language, sound, and the experience of both;

• Adopt and experiment with different written approaches to music (academic and non-academic, artistic and analytical) that serve varied purposes and/or cater for distinct audiences;

• Reflect in detail upon their own approaches to writing about music, explaining and evaluating decisions made in the writing process.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

TBC.