Popular Music Performance: Songwriter

Course Description

Applied instruction in popular musical styles on any instrument or voice. Instruction takes place in weekly 50-minute one-on-one lessons, plus one hour of small group sessions. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; Notes: May be repeated for credit.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

MUP-262-11, Songwriting, is a weekly individual lesson for students studying songwriting. Because each individual student begins the sememster at different levels, assessment is relative to each individual student. Objectives for the semester include: Improvement and maturing of writing lyrics, melodies, and chord structures. Understanding the songwriting profession: writing for the job, for commission. Writing beyond “inspiration.” Songwriting as a practice and discipline. Other objectives are designed at the begining of the semester with each student and the instructor. Group songwriting seminars are also required and considered with equal weight as individual lessons.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure

Percentage/Points

Attendance/Participation -- individual and group

50 points

Assignments

25 points

Final Juried piece/performance

25 points

Grading Scale:

Percentage

Letter Grade

95

A

90

A-

87

B+

83

B

80

B-

77

C+

73

C

70

C-

67

D+

63

D

60

D-

59 and below

F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendence is mandatory. Every two unexcused absences will drop a full letter grade.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.