At YST, we seek to open up platforms and pathways for people to pursue their passions and aspirations in music. For Semester 1 of the 2018/19 academic year, we are pleased to announce that 20 Conservatory modules are available to NUS students. Current students enrolled in an undergraduate programme in NUS may bid for these modules through the Centralised Online Registration System (CORS).

In addition, YST offers a Minor in Music & Society that is open to NUS students. The minor specifically focuses on music’s societal dimension, with broad disciplinary outreach that encompasses the study of music in potential social, political, economic and aesthetic contexts.

Read more about the available modules below, and we hope to see you at the YST Conservatory!

COMPOSITIONAL ENGAGEMENT

1. *MUT3214 CONCERTO AND CADENZA, 4 MCS

Dr Chen Zhangyi

Thursdays 10.00am – 12.00pm, SR5

This module provides a focused study on the concerto as a genre and how the cadenza evolved from improvisation to being an integral part of a concerto The chronological setting reinforces a historically-informed approach that encourages musicians to be sensitive to the stylistic differences of each era and composer.

The module aims to bridge compositional thinking with performance and interpretative analysis. Hence, analysis, composition and performance are equally represented as modes of learning. Major assessment is in the form of analytical work and music compositions that are performed in class and/or public concerts.

2) *MUT3215 FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPOSITION, 4 MCS

Ms Adeline Wong

Thursdays 10.00am – 12.00pm, SR8

This module looks at recent approaches to form, melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture. It is appropriate for students who are interested in exploring music composition in more depth but are not majoring in music composition. It encourages individual creative writing while exploring contemporary techniques of music from 1920 to the present.           

3) *MUT3221 WRITING FOR CHINESE ENSEMBLES, 4 MCS

Tuesdays 9.00 – 11.00am, SR3

The module introduces students to writing for Chinese instruments in small and large ensemble settings to convey musical ideas or present original compositions. Students will be introduced to works featuring a sound world different from Western traditions as well as performance techniques unique to Chinese instruments. Prior knowledge of instrumentation/orchestration is preferred.

4) *MUT3113 ORCHESTRATION, 4 MCS

Dr Nick Omiccioli

Thursdays 2.00 – 4.00pm, SR7

The terms “orchestration” and “instrumentation” go hand-in-hand. While instrumentation refers to the study of individual instruments, orchestration deals with the technique and process of writing for a group of instruments. The technique of orchestration is an important part in every musician’s education. This module will introduce students to the characteristics and abilities of the instruments in the symphonic orchestra, and how they work together. This will be accomplished through in-class listening and writing assignments, orchestration projects, and performance. The module will also address many problems faced by composers, conductors, teachers, and performers. 

5) MUT1201 INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPOSITION, 4 MCS

Choose one class: Thursdays 12.00 – 2.00pm or 2.00 – 4.00pm, SR7

The module uses the online course Write Like Mozart, which is available on Coursera, as the basis of its content. It introduces students to strategies for style-writing of European art music. Issues of harmonic progression, voice leading, and texture are addressed, as are relevant compositional concepts like repetition, variation, and elaboration. A blended learning module with video lectures and demonstrations, class time is dedicated to hands-on workshops. Simple compositions in the style of common practice European music form the bulk of the assessment. A familiarity with musical rudiments is highly recommended. Prior experience with composition is not required.

CONTEXTUAL ENGAGEMENT

1) MUH2202 CLASSICAL STYLES AND ROMANTIC SPIRITS, 4 MCS

Assoc Prof Greg Petersen

Choose one class: Tuesdays/Fridays 11.00 – 12.30pm, SR3 or Tuesdays/Fridays 12.30-2.00pm, SR3

Today’s most widely-known international concert repertoire is primarily made up of 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century European and North American composers and their music. This module presents a look, listen, and study of their music and legacy, focusing on two parallel movements in the European tradition: the Classical, Rococo, Galante, Empfindsamer Stil, and Neo-Classical; and Sturm und Drang, Romantic, and Neo-Romantic. The focus of learning in this course is through primary source materials.

2) MUH2203 MUSIC OF THE CHURCH AND STATE, 4 MCS

Dr Marc Rochester

Tuesdays 9.00 – 10.00am, SR1 and Fridays 9.00 – 11.00am, SR1

A study of music produced in religious and political settings, with an emphasis on music of the European Baroque tradition. The course explores issues of patronage, audience reception and performance, both in Baroque Europe and modern Singapore and Southeast Asia. Students will investigate and analyse musical genres and styles, and the religious beliefs, political ideology and artistic movements which form their context. (Non-Conservatory students that can read music may take this course as a free elective.)

GENERAL EDUCATION MODULES

1) GEH1047 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES THROUGH MUSIC, 4 MCS

Assoc Prof Ty Constante

Tuesdays 12.00 – 2.00pm tutorial and Fridays 12.00 – 2.00pm lecture, SR8

This module provides a cross-cultural introduction to music both as an art and as a human, socio-cultural phenomenon. Through lectures, reading and listening assignments, and playing different styles of music, students will learn how music works, why people listen to and make music, what its roles are in a society, and how these things vary in different cultures. The module introduces a variety of musical styles and cultures that represent an enormous wealth of human experience. At the end of the course the students will have access to a much wider variety of music to listen to, participate in, enjoy, and understand.

2) GET1019 PATRONS OF THE ARTS, 4 MCS

Assoc Prof Greg Petersen

Choose one class:

• Mondays/Thursdays 12.00-1.00pm, SR6;
• Mondays/Thursdays 1.00-2.00pm, SR6; or
• Mondays/Thursdays 2.00-3.00pm, SR6

This course is a conceptual and practical introduction to the complex networks that drive “patronage,” including multifarious kinds of patronage. Issues raised and debated include exploring money, religion, politics, social classes, and many other social constructs that influence what art people support, and why they – especially you – support different kinds of art. Students will need to grasp and evaluate critically each set of issues that drive and affect patronage of the arts, and demonstrate their critical understanding of the interplay of these factors through written assessments, classroom discussions, and contributions to blog postings related to the module materials.                                                                      

3) GEH1060 SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE PIANO, 4 MCS

Dr Koo Siaw Sing

Choose one lecture: Thursdays 10.00 – 11.00am or 11.00am – 12.00pm, SR4

Choose one tutorial from four sessions: Mondays 9.00 – 10.00am, 10.00 – 11.00am, 11.00am – 12.00pm, or 12.00 – 1.00pm, at SR2

An interdisciplinary study of how societies and different generations responded to the invention of the piano. This module focuses on the social history of the piano throughout the past three centuries, canvassing a wide array of performers, composers, supporters, manufacturers, “heroes”, politicians, teachers and students. Various expressions of ideologies from differing periods eventually revolutionized and effectuated the versatility of the piano, shaping a legacy which led to the “globalization” of the piano, including in China. Students will learn through lectures, readings, discussions, listening, playing, and attending piano recitals and masterclasses.

4) GES1020 WESTERN MUSIC WITHIN A SINGAPOREAN CONTEXT, 4 MCS

Dr Marc Rochester

Choose one lecture: Tuesdays 2.00 – 4.00pm, SR8 or Fridays 2.00 – 4.00pm, SR8

Choose one tutorial from five sessions:

• Tuesdays 4.00 – 5.00pm, SR8;
• Wednesdays 2.00 – 3.00pm, SR8;
• Wednesdays 3.00 – 4.00pm, SR8;
• Wednesdays 4.00 – 5.00pm, SR8
• Fridays 4.00 – 5.00pm, SR8.

Please note that you will have to form your groups before registering for the tutorial session. The majority of the tutorials will likely take place on Wednesday.        

This module will look at the place of the Western Classical music tradition within the cultural life of Singapore. It will assess the impact of majority cultures (particularly from the Chinese, Malay and Indian communities) on the general reception of Western music, as well as on music written by Singapore-based composers. Students will be introduced to principal figures in Singapore’s musical development. The module will also chart the growth of music education in Singapore, both in the national schooling system as well as in private institutions and tertiary academies. A prior knowledge of music is helpful but not required.