Music

In this course, students investigate how music influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Students study foundational methods, concepts, and theories of music psychology and critically debate empirical studies. Students get an overview of the wide range of topics in the subject, and they carry out independent literature research on a music psychological issue, to create experimental designs and to be able to assess experiments.

This course explores the techniques involved in music creation and production using digital audio workstations and mobile and online applications. Students investigate how computers, tablets, and mobile technologies can be used as tools for creative music making. The course provides a practical understanding of the capabilities and limits of computer-based music technology. Students also gain a basic theoretical background to the nature of music and organized sound through experimentation with technologies which enable sound to be recorded, sampled, and programmed. Topics covered include music studio setups and workflows, audio recording, multi-track mixing, MIDI sequencing, virtual instruments, and sound design. This course employs a "flipped" course model consisting of weekly laboratory sessions and online content in place of traditional lectures.

This course exposes students to representative opera works by era and genre. It instructs on the elements of opera and the correct sentiment map to answer the questions: What is Opera? How do you fully enjoy Opera? 

This course examines the music business, with an emphasis on the Asian markets. It covers the basics of music contracts; the economics of deals; issues unique to the Asian market; record labels, producers, managers and lawyers; new business trends and opportunities such as NFT, AI, and Metaverse.

This course offers an introduction to New Zealand’s home-grown popular music from roughly the 1950s to the present day. A broad range of musical styles are considered and situated within various social contexts. The issue of cultural identity in music – at national and local levels – is also explored.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the world’s national music, with specific focus on the relationship between music and culture. It focuses less on traditional music analysis, and starts from the cultural perspective and spirit of different nations' music. Topics include world ethnic music, cultural characteristics of music, and music appreciation through culture.

This course instructs students on the history and understanding of choral music and vocalization through appreciation of choral music masterpieces.