• Offered by School of Music
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject ANU College
  • Areas of interest Musicology, Music

The Music Theory & Aural Skills courses are a series of courses compulsory for all Bachelor of Music students that develop core skills underpinning analytical and practical engagement in a variety of musical idioms, including common practice, jazz, and popular styles. In this course, students apply their knowledge of functional harmony to gain a deeper appreciation of music while developing greater fluency in reading and interpreting music notation and shorthands. The theory component is complemented with the sequential and aligned development of relevant aural skills, including audiation (inner hearing) and aural awareness of related melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic structures, through individual and group listening, reading and performing (singing), and dictation activities.

This course is only available to students enrolled in the Diploma of Music (EMUSI)

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
1 Define and describe, through prose and music notation, the core elements of music, including pitch, harmony, rhythm, and form.
2  Fluently apply theoretical knowledge through analysis of music scores using appropriate terminology and notation.
3 Demonstrate an ability to read and interpret relevant music notation, including inner hearing of melody, harmony, and rhythm, through sight-singing, sight-reading, and performance activities.
4 Aurally identify and creative interpret the various elements of music, including pitch, chords, harmony, and rhythm, as demonstrated through notation and performance tasks.

Indicative Assessment

50% In-class Activities and Assignments (LOs: 1,2,3,4)
20% In-class tests (LOs: 1,2,4)
20% Final exam (LOs: 1,2,4)
10% Class Participation (LOs: 1,2,3)

Hurdle requirement: Achievement of 50% minimum in both Aural and Theory components.
 

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 48 hours of contact: 24 hours of Theory workshops and 24 hours of Aural classes
b) 82 hours of independent reading, writing, and music practice (rhythm and singing activities)

Requisite and Incompatibility

You will need to contact the School of Music to request a permission code to enrol in this course.

Prescribed Texts

Clendinning, J. P., & Marvin, E. W. (2011). The musician's guide to theory and analysis. New York: W.W. Norton.
Edlund, Lars (1976). Modus Vetus. Stockholm: AB Nordiska Musikförlaget.
Palmqvist, Bengt-Olov (2003). Refinement of Rhythm, Vol. 1. Canberra: Bopac

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $3108
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $4140
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
4889 19 Feb 2018 27 Feb 2018 31 Mar 2018 25 May 2018 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions