2020 Bachelor of Music (Honours) curriculum changes

Information for Current Bachelor of Music (Honours) Students:
2020 Curriculum Changes and What They Mean For You

In June 2017, the School of Music did a review of our academic programs. We do these reviews every five years, so that we can assess how our programs are going and identify any changes we should introduce to improve them. We’ve been working over the past two years to implement the recommendations of the review and of other initiatives that are taking place at UQ, such as Program Architecture 2 (PA2), and we're grateful to staff and students for the extensive assistance and feedback they've provided by participating in meetings, interviews, and focus groups during that process.

We're pleased to announce that we've finished that work at last and have made changes to the BMus(Hons) curriculum for all new students from 2020. We'd like to let you know what those changes are and how they affect you as you finish your BMus(Hons) degree.

As of May 2020, we’ve had to make changes to our teach-out plans. We’ve made those changes in the "what courses change and when" section and highlighted them in bold, like this paragraph.

Information Flyer

What’s New in the 2020 BMus(Hons) Degree?

Our goals in making changes were to:

1. Provide a spine of compulsory courses throughout years one to three that better prepare you for your major research project in year four;
2. Provide semester-long instead of year-long performance courses in all years to give you more options to manage changes in your study plans; and
3. Provide more flexibility to students so that you can choose more courses that suit your particular interests and goals.

To achieve these goals, we’ve made the following changes:

• We’re spacing out the compulsory musicology and musicianship courses across years one to three of the curriculum. Previously, these courses were front-loaded into years one and two, which meant dual degree students couldn’t take any music electives until year three.
• We’re splitting our #4 year-long Practical Studies courses into #2 semester-long Performance Studies courses. This gives you more options when it comes to managing your study load if you want to study part-time, take a gap semester, or go overseas on an exchange program.
• The new Performance Studies courses include the option of studying composition from semester two of year two onwards. This means you can choose to focus on composition in an additional semester of specialist training.
• We’re making Performance Studies compulsory for all new BMus(Hons) students in their third year. At present, over 90% of the BMus(Hons) cohort take the Performance or the Composition major in third year: this change will ensure 100% of BMus(Hons) students maintain their practical skills through year three and are ready to undertake a creative practice research project in year four if they wish.
• We’re removing majors and minors from the course list. From 2020, new students will have to complete #12 from Part B, and can choose which courses they take. In combination with the spacing out of the compulsory courses across years one to three, this will allow dual degree students to take courses in popular music, music technology, and music psychology from year one.

We’ve made some other changes as well. Sometimes they’re a consequence of making the changes outlined above, and most of them are relatively small things, like changing the code or the name of an existing course so that it better describes what the course is about. We’re also discontinuing some courses (such as MUSC2800 World Music and MUSC3560 Historical Performance Practice) that haven’t been offered recently and that we don’t plan to offer again.

How Do These Changes Affect Me?

These changes affect you in two ways – what program rules and course list you are following, and what individual courses you are enrolling in.

As a general principle, you are expected to follow the program rules and course list for the year in which you commenced studying. This means the changes we are making to the structure of the BMus(Hons) in 2020 do not automatically apply to you. If you commenced in 2019 (for example), you are expected to complete the #22 of courses currently listed in Part A, either the #18 extended major in performance or a #12 major plus a #6 minor, the #8 of courses currently listed in Part H, and (if you aren’t in a dual degree) #16 of elective courses.

You have the option of completing your studies under the program rules and course list that apply in the year in which you graduate, so you can consider switching over to the new 2020 program rules and course list. This may interest you for a variety of reasons, such as feeling better prepared for your Honours project in year four or getting to choose to complete music elective courses rather than having to complete a predefined minor. If you would like advice about changing your study plan to complete under the 2020 program rules, please contact us at music@uq.edu.au or come to the drop-in academic advising sessions in O-Week.

The changes that are most likely to affect you are changes to what course codes are used for a course in different years. At a minimum, everyone now takes semester-long performance courses instead of year-long courses. Other examples include MUSC2640 Introduction to Music Analysis, which is being replaced with MUSC3580 Music Analysis and Criticism, and MUSC2620 Advanced Musicianship 1, which is being offered for a final time in 2020 and will be replaced from 2021 with MUSC3060 Musicianship 3. For your convenience, there’s a table at the bottom of this page that lists all the courses that are being replaced, the year in which they’re being replaced, and what the replacement course is called. If you would like advice about how these changes affect your current study plan, contact us at music@uq.edu.au or come to the session in O-Week.

As a current student, you may also have to request a variation to your major or program so that there’s no hold-up when it comes time for us to check your eligibility to graduate.

Let’s break this down for you by each year group.

I’m Starting Year Four in 2020

We recommend that students completing the fourth and final year of their BMus(Hons) degree in 2020 complete under the previous rules, and do not change to the new rules. There are #4 of compulsory courses in Part A of the 2020 course list that are not scheduled to be offered in 2020 (MUSC2501 Musicology and Early Music and MUSC3580 Music Analysis and Criticism), which makes it unlikely any fourth year student can complete under the 2020 rules by the end of the year.

Relevant course changes for year four students staying with the pre-2020 rules:

• Performance major and extended major: MUSC4255 Performance Studies 7 and MUSC4265 Performance Studies 8 replace MUSC4211 Practical Studies 4; MUSC4750 Ensemble Studies 7 and MUSC4755 Ensemble Studies 8 replace MUSC4145 Advanced Chamber Music Performance 2
• Composition major: MUSC4255 Performance Studies 7 and MUSC4265 Performance Studies 8 replace MUSC4231 Composition 4
• All students: enrol in either MUSC4500 or MUSC4550 for your #6 Honours project – do not enrol in MUSC4610 or MUSC4630.

I’m Starting Year Three in 2020

We recommend that you weigh up whether it’s better for you to complete under the pre-2020 rules or change to the 2020 rules. We will progressively teach out courses over the next three years, so you have time to finish your major or extended major if you stay with the pre-2020 rules. At the same time, you have four semesters in which to complete the requirements of the 2020 rules, which are more flexible because they do not require you to complete a major and a minor.

Whatever you decide, please tell us at music@uq.edu.au by 31 January 2020 whether you have decided to stay with the pre-2020 rules or change to the 2020 rules.

Relevant course changes for year three students staying with the pre-2020 rules:

• Performance major and extended major: MUSC3255 Performance Studies 5 and MUSC3265 Performance Studies 6 replace MUSC3211 Practical Studies 3; MUSC3750 Ensemble Studies 5 and MUSC3755 Ensemble Studies 6 replace MUSC3145 Advanced Chamber Ensemble Studies 1
• Composition major: MUSC3255 Performance Studies 5 and MUSC3265 Performance Studies 6 replace MUSC3231 Composition 3
• Musicology major: changes to course offerings significantly affect this major, please contact us straightaway for advice if you plan to take this major
• All students: For year four in 2021, please follow the advice given above for year four students
• All students: If you failed MUSC2620 Advanced Musicianship 1 or MUSC2630 Advanced Musicianship 2, please ensure you enrol in it again in 2020, as it will not be offered in future years

Relevant course changes for year three students changing to the 2020 rules:

• Enrol in MUSC3255 Performance Studies 5 and MUSC3265 Performance Studies 6 in 2020
• Enrol in MUSC2501 Musicology and Early Music and MUSC3580 Music Analysis and Criticism in 2021
• Enrol in either MUSC4610 for your #8 Honours project in 2021 – do not enrol in MUSC4500
• Do not enrol in MUSC4255 Performance Studies 7 and MUSC4265 Performance Studies 8 in 2021 – they are teach-out courses for pre-2020 students. Students undertaking performance and composition Honours projects have the option of receiving lessons as part of their enrolment in MUSC4610

I’m Starting Year Two in 2020

We recommend that you change to the 2020 rules so that you can take advantage of the opportunities and greater flexibility provided by the new structure. Changing to the new rules also means you don’t have to worry about making sure you complete all courses that you’re required to take under the pre-2020 rules before the teach-out period ends.

Whatever you decide, please tell us at music@uq.edu.au by 31 January 2020 whether you have decided to stay with the pre-2020 rules or change to the 2020 rules.

Year two students changing to the 2020 rules follow the study plan for new year one students with the following variations:

• Enrol in MUSC2501 Musicology and Early Music in 2021, as it is not scheduled to be offered in 2020
• Substitute an elective course for MUSC2060 Musicianship 2 in Semester One 2020, as you have already completed that course in Semester Two 2019
• You can count MUSC2051 Music in Society 2 towards the #6 of level 1 or 2 courses you are required to complete in Part B

Relevant course changes for all year two students staying with the pre-2020 rules:

• MUSC2250 Performance Studies 3 and MUSC2260 Performance Studies 4 replace MUSC2201 Practical Studies 2
• MUSC2750 Ensemble Studies 3 and MUSC2755 Ensemble Studies 4 replace MUSC2145 Chamber Music Performance
• The course name for MUSC2510 has changed from Music in Society 3 to Contemporary Art Music
• Enrol in MUSC2620 Advanced Musicianship 1 and MUSC2630 Advanced Musicianship 2 in 2020 – this is final offering of both courses
• If you have not yet completed MUSC2051 Music in Society 2, please contact us straightaway – you will need to request a variation to substitute MUSC2501 Musicology and Early Music for MUSC2051 Music in Society 2
• For year three in 2021 and year four in 2022, please follow the advice given above for current year three and four students

How Can I Get Specific Advice About My Study Plan?

If you are interested in completing the program under the new rules, please contact us at music@uq.edu.au for academic advice.

If you aren’t sure how the general advice given above applies to you and your specific situation, please contact us at music@uq.edu.au so that we can answer your questions and, if necessary, help you with a customised study plan for completing your degree.

We will be offering drop-in academic advising sessions during Orientation Week.

If you want academic advice about what courses would be best for you to take given your interests, strengths, and career goals, the best person to contact is the 2020 Bachelor of Music (Honours) program convenor, Associate Professor Adam Chalabi, a.chalabi@uq.edu.au.

What Course Changes Happen When