Course description
Foundation Music
Have you ever wondered how music can tell a story without words? Do you listen to the works of Stravinsky, Elgar, or Strauss and wish you could write something like it? Then this course is for you.
Our Open Foundations Music is a bespoke course designed to help you develop as a composer, musician, or music critic.
It will give you a firm grounding in many aspects of music, including music theory, basic composition and arrangement, and music history. You will also develop skills in the use of the notation software Sibelius which is integral to the course.
Whether you are starting completely from scratch or topping up your skills, our Open Foundations Music course is designed to give you a well rounded basic music education, taking you from beginner or novice to higher education ready.
During the course you will learn music theory to around Grade 5 standard (ABRSM/TCL). You will then be able to utilise this knowledge practically in a range of composition and music arranging tasks. You will also learn how to start writing about music, how to perform basic research and how to write academically. This will be in manageable chunks, and with personalised guidance from your tutor. The course helps students to learn independently and to reflect on their listening and learning experiences.
The course has five sections and, with feedback from your tutor, you can expect to make rapid progress. On completion of the course you can go with confidence to further study with the Open College of the Arts, or elsewhere, and be able to decide on the nature and direction of your studies or musical practice.
The course is suitable for students who are unsure whether they are ready to engage in degree level study and require a re-introduction to the subject, or to those who wish to study a single stand-alone course to develop their skills and understanding.
So don’t wait, get your creative energy flowing and enrol with OCA today!
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Outcome / Qualification etc.
Course Outcomes
Through the course, you will:
- Learn music theory to Grade 5 (ABRSM/TCL).
- Gain skills to apply this theoretical knowledge to practical tasks.
- Develop basic compositional and arranging techniques.
- Have gained an understanding of the main historical musical periods.
- Have begun to critically reflect on your learning and listening.
- Have researched a personally chosen subject, with guidance from your tutor, and written academically about it.
- Have acquired basic skills in using the notation software, utilising it to organise and experiment.
Training Course Content
Each part of the course includes elements of the following core strands:
- Music Theory & Ear Training - the language and grammar of music
- Music Composition - the art of writing music and expressing your ideas
- Typesetting and Publishing Techniques - how to use the Sibelius notation program
- Historical Contexts - musical periods, instruments and composers
- Special Subject Investigation - A personalised academic investigation, to be agreed with your tutor, gradually producing an academic essay.
The five strands appear in each of the five parts of the course, enabling you to combine your skills in each of these areas. The course is divided into five parts, each of which culminates in an assignment which you’ll send to your tutor for review. A number of projects and practical exercises are also included in each section of the course.
Course delivery details
This course represents around 400 hours of learning time. Allow around 20% of this time for reflection and keeping your writing diary. The course should take about a year to complete if you spend around 8 hours each week on it.
Expenses
- Fees for UK students: £900 per course
- Fees for students outside of the UK: £1,050 per course