Music

This course examines indigenous musical instruments in Australia. Case studies introduce the cultural and spiritual significance of particular instruments, trace their creation (from sourcing of materials, to design, to methods of crafting), and demonstrate their uses in music and dance.

This course examines key stylistic, technological and industrial developments in contemporary popular music that have occurred since the late 1970s beginning with post-punk/hip-hop/MTV-driven genres. It's an objective assessment of the complex nature of both contemporary music and the music industry.

The Guqin is one of the most representative traditional arts in China, with a history of more than 3,000 years, and has had an important and profound impact on Chinese culture. This course combines the theory and history of the Guqin with performance practice, allowing students to understand and learn the art of the Guqin in a holistic manner and to gain a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture through the Guqin.

This course examines musical improvisation techniques by exploring the unique art of improvisation. 

This course offers a comprehensive overview of Blues and Jazz as a musical and artistic phenomenon. It distinguishes the main parameters of a Blues and Jazz piece in an audition. This course also discusses the different eras that have shaped Blues and Jazz, from their origins to the present day.  

This course is a critical study of select popular music traditions, integrating topical case studies and interdisciplinary discussion of related scholarly issues.

This course embraces several forms of digital media, with an emphasis on music and sound for the construction of structured environments in Human-Computer interaction. It provides a framework for the creation, discussion, and evaluation of interactive processes using real-time computer technology in sonic-centric scenarios. These may include various areas of interactive music and media composition, such as: acoustic instruments and live electronics and game-audio and procedural audio with physic-graphics-sound engines. 

This course provides an in-depth critical introduction to a range of important concepts, musical works, institutions and people in music of a given time period, and explores both their impact on musical culture and their relationship to wider political, social and artistic issues. 

This course offers an engaging introduction to creative music and sound production through the use of digital tools and techniques. Students will encounter a range of genres and formats, and gain practical experience with industry-standard tools and techniques including basic sound recording, manipulation and mixing. 

This course examines such issues as the ways in which the early recording industry transformed jazz, the blues and country music, how the presentation of music on radio and television changed the ways the music industry created new musical celebrities, and the challenges the music industry faces as digital technology transforms the creation, distribution and consumption of music.