Graduate Composition, Arranging, and Sound Design 2 explicitly builds on Graduate Composition, Arranging, and Sound Design 1. It is designed for graduate students who wish to continue to specialise at an professional level in composition, arranging and/or sound design.  Students will work with a supervisor in preparing a composition portfolio of works, or a series of projects based upon advanced principles of sound design that reflect the student's own interests and professional focus. This learning will be supplemented with attendance and participation at Composition Seminar.  To support this creative work, students will analyse at an advanced level theories, structures, methods, approaches and techniques in a range of styles and in a range of instrumental and vocal repertoire.  They will also study advanced principles of sound design in relation to music for film and television, theatre, videogames, and sound installations. The study of instrumentation, orchestration and arrangement, and sound design will reference scores and musical sound design creations from a range of historical periods and styles complements the compositional work.

Upon successful completion of this course students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate professional proficiency in composition, arranging, and/or sound design in one or more styles (classical, jazz, contemporary, or a blend of these) or genres (music for film or television, video games, sound installations, or theatre).
2. Compose and present works of a professional standard utilising correct notation, instrumentation and orchestration techniques with the ability to produce work according to deadlines.
3. Demonstrate emergence of an original musical voice and higher-level cognitive skills in the synthesis and analysis and practical application of information, skills and concepts.
4. Describe at an advanced level relevant compositional, arranging and sound design issues in aesthetic and technical terms.
5. Communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, the creative decisions made in the course of composing, arranging and sound design.

A substantial portfolio of original compositions and/or arrangements and/or sound design projects (scores, recordings and\or multimedia)   (80%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]

A written exegesis (c. 2,500 words) describing the rationale for the creative decisions made (20%) [Learning Outcomes 4-5]

3 hours of formal contact per week: 

• One hour of individual supervision per week
• Two hours attendance and participation at a composition/arrangement workshop per week    

 17 hours of private study per week.

Prerequisite: Completion of Graduate Composition, Arranging, and Sound Design 1 with a mark of at least 65, or submission of a portfolio of works of equivalent standard.

See Requisite Statement