ChAURALation – an updated plan for Semester 1 2020
Hello everyone
We have all been coping with a number of significant changes over the last six weeks as we adapt to the conditions
forced upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of our courses are well-suited to online teaching, some less so.
It is what it is - and all of us will continue to do the best we can.
You will remember that we had one face-to-face ChAURALation class at the beginning of the semester and, from that
class, you will recall that singing together (exercises & repertoire) was the core activity of the ChAURALation
component of your Musicianship course.
Unfortunately, we can’t do that anymore so I have attempted to create a number of activities that will help you
achieve some at least some of the aims of the ChAURALation component.
Several things have changed with this component since our first class and the course information I gave out to you all
at that class.
• Irrespective of what the ChAURALation component weighting was before, it is now weighted at 15% of your
course irrespective of whether you are enrolled in Musicianship 1A, Jazz Musicianship 1A or Contemporary
Musicianship 1A.
o ChAURALation is not being offered as a component in the Sonic Arts course Music & Sound
Foundations in 2020.
• We will not be having Zoom classes for ChAURALation - it simply won’t work given that 95% of our activities
relies on us actually singing together in the same room at the same time! Unfortunately, ‘together’ is one
thing that Zoom does not do! There will also not be a ‘live’ ChAURALation concert this semester.
• I have also taken the repertoire element out of the course this year because, again, singing arrangements of
pieces in 2, 3 or 4 parts (SSA, TBB or SATB) relied on you all being actually able to sing together. I may revisit
that idea in the next few weeks and I’m working on the notion of a ‘virtual choir’ project for us – however, I
still have some technology to master first! Stand by! Such a project will probably be voluntary anyway - even
if it does get off the ground.
In 2020, learning in the ChAURALation component of your Musicianship course will take place individually and
privately as follows:
M SINGING
Rationale: Making musical sounds on our instruments is never as straightforward as simply pressing the right keys, or
depressing the right valves or knowing where to put the right finger on the string.
We have to have some inner sense of what the note is going to sound like in terms of pitch, tone, intensity, duration
and so on, before we can make a meaningful musical sound. Without that mental and aural preparation, we cannot
make music.
Similarly, we cannot sing any note unless we first hear that note in our mind. Remember the unsung final note of
“Happy Birthday” from our first class. It was a simple exercise but it showed that we all have a sense of inner hearing
– we all just knew where that final note was, and when required, we sang it!
We may not even be aware that we are hearing it internally before we sing it but we know what note we want and we
sing it – and, if we are familiar enough with our instrument, that usually happens subconsciously and virtually
instantaneously.
James Morrison was once asked in a Masterclass how he got those super high notes. He replied - somewhat
mischievously: “Well, I know where they are, so, when I need them… I just go and get them!”. Morrison is a musical
phenomenon and somewhat of an exception in the world of music but the basic principal is still the same. We need to
know where it is before we can go and get it!
Singing helps you develop that skill of knowing where the notes are. Every time we make a musical sound on our
instrument, our inner hearing has, or should’ve, already ‘been there’. Developing the link between our voice and our
inner ear is fundamental to our development as musicians.
1
Aim: Given the strong link between singing and the development of your ‘inner ear’, these exercises are designed to
use your voice in aurally reinforcing fundamental musical concepts.
• Each student will individually practice a number of given Set Exercises (modes/scales, triads, intervals & sight-
singing).
• These Set Exercises will be posted on the MyUni site for your Musicianship course on Friday in Weeks 7, 8, 9,
10 & 11. (See schedule below)
• The work for each week will be different and it is expected that you will practice the Set Exercises for that
week in your own time. The Set Exercises have been set up so that, each week, you will be able to
download…
o a PDF of the actual music for each Set Exercise plus instructions.
o a number of audio files of each exercise (usually 3 or 5) to help you learn and practice. The number
of audio files varies from week to week but you will see that they are all there to help you sing each
set exercise. The weekly instructions will give you more guidance for each Set Exercise.
o NB. I strongly suggest you listen to the audio files using Quicktime or VLC or some other audio
player rather than iTunes. There is something quirky about the iTunes playback of these audio files
that I have not been able to rectify!!
o Spoiler Alert: This could end badly - or it could end well….
You could leave all of this work until the final week. 😃
You may be that good! 👍 🤩
But you may not! 😳 🤡 ☹
I have a hunch though, that you’ll probably all gain more in the long term by spending a little time
each week developing the skills. Luckily, you get to choose! 🙂
M LISTENING
Rationale: If you keep listening to new music, absorbing new ideas or seeing new ways of doing things, you will
definitely be putting yourself in serious danger of learning something!
Aim: To provide opportunities for you to hear, think about and respond to, new vocally based music.
• For each of weeks 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 there will be a series of listening projects. For each of these you will be
required to…
o Listen to the excerpt(s) made available for each week’s listening assignment (the URLs will be posted
on MyUni with the Set Exercise material). There will usually be 1, 2 or 3 URLs each week.
o Write a short personal response to the music you have heard (Total of 200 – 400 words for each
week’s listening). If you want to write more, be my guest!
o Each week’s assignment must be submitted as a PDF by the date outlined in the Assignment
Schedule below. It should be done on the template provided and include your name, ID number,
information about each excerpt (title, performer(s), composer) as appropriate, and the URL itself.
o I will provide a template for you to use and your response should talk about things like:
§ How familiar you are with the music, genre, style, performer, composer, sound world,
conceptual basis…. etc.
§ Your own personal emotional and intellectual response to the music and performers.
§ The effect, if any, that this music has on your own development as a musician.
§ Whether or not this URL prompted you to go in search of any other music like this?
2
Assessment Summary
ChAURALation assessments will include:
• PRACTICAL VOCAL WORK – SET EXERCISES
Individual submission in Week 13 (by June 12) of a pre-recorded video of each student individually singing
selected Set Exercises chosen by the lecturer.
o Weighting: 50% (5 Set Exercises, each worth 10% of your final ChAURALation mark)
o Students will be informed in Week 12 (June 5) which set exercises will be required.
o the pre-recorded video should be uploaded to MyUni by 11.59pm on Friday (June 12) in Week 13.
• LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
Weekly submission of written assignments based on selected weekly listening projects.
o Weighting: 50% (5 weekly assignments, each worth 10% of your final ChAURALation mark)
o Students will up load each completed written assignment on Friday in the week following receipt of
the assignment. Late submissions will not be accepted. (See the Assignment Schedule below)
ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
Week 7/8 Set Exercises 1 & Listening Assignment 1 available… Friday May 1
Listening Assignment due… Friday May 8 (11.59pm)
Week 8/9 Set Exercises 2 & Listening Assignment 2 available… Friday May 8
Listening Assignment due… Friday May 15 (11.59pm)
Week 9/10 Set Exercises 3 & Listening Assignment 3 available… Friday May 15
Listening Assignment due… Friday May 22 (11.59pm)
Week 10/11 Set Exercises 4 & Listening Assignment 4 available… Friday May 22
Listening Assignment due… Friday May 29 (11.59pm)
Week 11/12 Set Exercises 5 & Listening Assignment 5 available… Friday May 29
Listening Assignment due… Friday June 5 (11.59pm)
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FINAL PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT
Week 12/13 Selection of required Set Exercises available… Friday June 5
Set Exercises Submission (video) due… Friday June 12 (11.59pm)
