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  3. Music in Everyday Life

Music in Everyday Life (MUSI10037)

Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5Not available in 2025

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Overview

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This subject explores the types of music that constitute the soundtrack of our lives. We all experience music every day, but how deeply do we really listen to it?

What critical faculties do we employ when we stop to think about our taste in music, and why do we choose to listen to what we do? Active listening, as opposed to passive hearing of music, is a key element in this subject. We will help you develop a range of critical skills that will allow you to think conceptually about music and therefore to understand and enjoy music at a deeper level.

You will acquire a set of tools and a working vocabulary for discussing, describing and analysing music. You will be better equipped to discuss the music you love and talk about why, when, and how you choose to listen to it. You will be exposed to a wide range of musical styles, including popular classical, contemporary, jazz, and non-Western.

 

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • understand core musical concepts;
  • discriminate aurally between different musical styles according to their musical characteristics;
  • apply enhanced listening skills to analyse different types of music;
  • articulate your impressions about music coherently using an appropriate technical vocabulary;
  • engage with music on a critical and analytical level.

Generic skills

On successful completion of the subject, students should have developed:

  • an ability to think critically;
  • a capacity to communicate adequately in an academic context both in oral and written form;
  • the ability to apply research skills to specific contexts.

Last updated: 10 January 2025