MUSC 550 Applied Music

The purpose of this course is to develop technical fluency, expressive musicianship, and professionalism in performance. Private instruction is the most effective way to develop a high level of musical skill.

Readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Lesson Assignments (12)

Vocal/Instrumental Students will be assigned technical exercises, etudes, and/or repertoire. Technical facility will be demonstrated in all three of the these categories, while expressiveness will be demonstrated in repertoire. Performance should be stylistically appropriate, informed by both stylistic and theoretical analysis.

Recording Engineering and Producing/Songwriting/Filmscoring students will be working on individual projects and will be expected to show improvement each week in their applied lesson based on instructor feedback. The student will be expected to submit files each week showing steady progression as the student prepares for the final project.

Instructional delivery method is video conferencing through platforms like Zoom, Skype, or MS Teams. Grades are assigned in the learning management system. An accompanist, if required, can be present with the student. When an accompaniment track is appropriate, the track can be played from a phone through a Bluetooth speaker while the student’s laptop is used for the live video conference with the professor. A lesson grade will be assigned by the instructor each week based on completion of the assignments given in the previous lesson. 

Recording Engineering and Producing, Songwriting and film-scoring students will be required to use the appropriate software/technology as necessary for their weekly projects. 

Weekly lesson notes should be uploaded to the learning management system. These indicate how the learning from lessons has been implemented each week.

In addition to the lesson notes, recording engineering and producing/songwriting/film-scoring students will be required to upload the current files associated with their project for instructor review and feedback.

Using the Interact: The Jury System link provided within the same module as the assignment, the student will access the LUO School of Music’s Jury System website using his/her Liberty credentials to create an account. This website is used to assist with the collection of final performance links and faculty grading for these performances. After logging in and selecting an option to create a new record, the student will fill in the record with all basic information as provided by the prompts (student info, LUO degree, repertoire/project studied in the current semester) except for the information on Project Links, as this information will be added to the record later in the semester. The student will then take a screenshot of his/her repertoire list provided within the record to submit to the assignment in Canvas and save his/her record within the Jury System. 

Final Performance Assignment

Vocal/Instrumental: At the end of the semester, the student will video record a final performance and upload a link to this video to the learning management system. This performance consists of assigned selections prepared during the semester. In this performance, the student should demonstrate technical fluency and expressiveness, give a stylistically appropriate performance, and demonstrate professionalism in performance.

Recording Engineering and Producing/Songwriting/Film-scoring: The student will be expected to submit their his/her project, incorporating the feedback and changes requested throughout the term by the instructor. The final performance should exhibit solid understanding and application of the technology required for his/her final project.

Quiz: Lesson Scheduling Availability and Applied Background

In this quiz, the student will communicate his/her schedule availability to the instructor. Please communicate all available times when a lesson could occur, being clear about the time zone in which the student lives. The student must also indicate his/her top 3 preferred times.