Course Prefix/Number	Semester/Term Offered	Enrollment
MUS 295:002	Spring 2015	8
MUS 295:002, 004	Spring 2016	20

Component Type	Contact Hours
Studio	3

Enrollment Component	Per Semester	Per Section	Multiple Sections?	Comments
Studio	20	10	Yes	Two sections each offering

Catalog Description

A class specifically for songwriters, musicians, beat makers, sample manipulators and scratch artists using digital audio workstations (DAWs) as composition tools. This course will also introduce basic audio engineering, gain structure, and signal flow from interface to DAW. The goal is to explore the broader DAW platform as a tool in the songwriting process. Students will explore editing, looping, effects, equalization, plugins and rack hardware. No specific prior mathematics, engineering, or computer training required. Students may be asked to provide their own transportation to and cover the cost of an on- or off-campus event.

Justification for each revision:

Digital music composition has grown radically over the past 30 years, becoming one of the most popular forms of music. This course recognizes the cultural shift occurring among music consumers in how music is performed, produced, distributed, and consumed. The Music Department is responding to a call within NC State student body to offer an interdisciplinary course that promotes technological innovation in the recording and editing of digital music composition. A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is a recording software suite that functions as the modern-day home recording studio. Knowledge of DAWs opens the door to several growing fields for the creative engineering, computer, or business professional, including video game audio engineering, film scoring, music management, and music therapy.

Does this course have a fee?

Yes

List amount and justification for fee:

Students may be asked to provide their own transportation to and cover the cost of an on- or off-campus event.

Is this a GEP Course?

Yes

GEP Categories

Visual & Performing Arts

Humanities Open when gep_category = HUM

Each course in the Humanities category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Humanities Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Engage the human experience through the interpretation of culture.

Measure(s) for the above outcome(s): Describe the assessments that will be used to determine if students have achieved the outcome. Including a relevant example assignment/question/prompt is encouraged for clarity.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Humanities Objective 2:
Obj. 2): Become aware of the act of interpretation itself as a critical form of knowing in the humanities.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Humanities Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Make academic arguments about the human experience using reasons and evidence for supporting those reasons that are appropriate to the humanities.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Mathematical Sciences Open when gep_category = MATH

Each course in the Mathematial Sciences category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Mathematical Sciences Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Improve and refine mathematical problem-solving abilities.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Mathematical Sciences Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Develop logical reasoning skills.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Natural Sciences Open when gep_category = NATSCI

Each course in the Natural Sciences category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Natural Sciences Objective 1:
Obj.O 1) Use the methods and processes of science in testing hypotheses, solving problems and making decisions

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Natural Sciences Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Make inferences from and articulate, scientific concepts, principles, laws, and theories, and apply this knowledge to problem solving.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Social Sciences Open when gep_category = SOCSCI

Each course in the Social Sciences category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Social Sciences Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Examine at least one of the following: human behavior, culture, mental processes, organizational processes, or institutional processes.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Social Sciences Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Demonstrate how social scientific methods may be applied to the study of human behavior, culture, mental processes, organizational processes, or institutional processes.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Social Sciences Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Use theories or concepts of the social sciences to analyze and explain theoretical and or real-world problems, including the underlying origins of such problems.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Interdisciplinary Perspectives Open when gep_category = INTERDISC

Each course in the Interdisciplinary Perspectives category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Interdisciplinary Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Distinguish between the distinct approaches of two or more disciplines.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Interdisciplinary Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Identify and apply authentic connections between two or more disciplines.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Interdisciplinary Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Explore and synthesize the approaches or views of two or more disciplines.

To assist CUE in evaluating this course for inclusion on the Interdisciplinary Perspecitves list, please answer these additional questions.
1. Which disciplines will be synthesized, connected, and/or considered in this course?

2. How will the instructor present the material so that these disciplines are addressed in a way that allows the students "to integrate the multiple points of view into a cohesive understanding"?

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Visual & Performing Arts Open when gep_category = VPA

Each course in the Visual and Performing Arts category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Visual & Performing Arts Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Deepen their understanding of aesthetic, cultural, and historical dimensions of artistic traditions.

Students will articulate the historical development of digital audio technology, discuss the role of digital audio technology in shaping musical culture over the past three decades, and examine, discuss, and re-create the aesthetic values of contemporary music by composing songs using DAWs.

During class, the instructor and students will lead discussions on reading assignments related to the historical development and cultural assimilation and use of digital audio technology. Students will discuss in groups and individually how issues of taste and beauty (aesthetics) in the DAW-generated songs they currently listen to shape the songs they compose during class and for homework.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Visual & Performing Arts Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Strengthen their ability to interpret and make critical judgements about the arts through the analysis of structure, form, and style of specific works.

Students will identify and discuss the validity of common and accepted compositional features in digital music composition, such as song forms, sonic textures, rhythmic patterns, editing, chord structures, and text underlay. NOTE: Students’ analysis of accepted compositional features within works of art strengthens their ability to interpret and make critical judgments about other works of art (i.e., do other works of art observe the same common and accepted features of composition that I am studying and applying to my own art?).

Through works composed by the instructor, those heard in popular culture, and student’s own projects, students will explain how common and accepted compositional features are used to provide coherence and unity to musical compositions and apply these techniques to their own works in lab activities, homework assignments, and individual projects.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Visual & Performing Arts Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Strengthen their ability to create, recreate, or evaluate art based upon techniques and standards appropriate to the genre.

Students will create audio recordings of their own compositions using digital and MIDI inputs of hardware interfaces.

Students will produce several independent recording and editing projects using their newly composed songs on DAW software. Independent projects will entail the writing, recording, and digital manipulation of their own compositions.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Health and Exercise Studies Open when gep_category = HES

Each course in the Health and Exercise Studies category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Health & Exercise Studies Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Acquire the fundamentals of health-related fitness, encompassing cardio-respiratory and cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, muscular flexibility and body composition.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Health & Exercise Studies Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Apply knowledge of the fundamentals of health-related fitness toward developing, maintaining, and sustaining an active and healthy lifestyle.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Health & Exercise Studies Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Acquire or enhance the basic motor skills and skill-related competencies, concepts, and strategies used in physical activities and sport.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Health & Exercise Studies Objective 4:
Obj. 4) Gain a thorough working knowledge, appreciation, and understanding of the spirit and rules, history, safety, and etiquette of physical activities and sport.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Global Knowledge Open when gep_category = GLOBAL

Each course in the Global Knowledge category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to achieve objective #1 plus at least one of objectives 2, 3, and 4:

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Global Knowledge Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Identify and examine distinguishing characteristics, including ideas, values, images, cultural artifacts, economic structures, technological or scientific developments, and/or attitudes of people in a society or culture outside the United States.

Please complete at least 1 of the following student objectives.
List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Global Knowledge Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Compare these distinguishing characteristics between the non-U.S. society and at least one other society.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Global Knowledge Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Explain how these distinguishing characteristics relate to their cultural and/or historical contexts in the non-U.S. society.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP Global Knowledge Objective 4:
Obj. 4) Explain how these disinguishing characteristics change in response to internal and external pressures on the non-U.S. society.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

US Diversity Open when gep_category = USDIV

Each course in the US Diversity category of the General Education Program will provide instruction and guidance that help students to achieve at least 2 of the following objectives:
Please complete at least 2 of the following student objectives.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP U.S. Diversity Objective 1:
Obj. 1) Analyze how religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age identities are shaped by cultural and societal influences.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP U.S. Diversity Objective 2:
Obj. 2) Categorize and compare historical, social, political, and/or economic processes producing diversity, equality, and structured inequalities in the U.S.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP U.S. Diversity Objective 3:
Obj. 3) Interpret and evaluate social actions by religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age groups affecting equality and social justice in the U.S.

List the Instructor's student learning outcomes that are relevant to the GEP U.S. Diversity Objective 4:
Obj. 4) Examine interactions between people from different religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age groups in the U.S.

Attach Additional GEP Information if applicable

Requisites and Scheduling

What percentage of the seats offered will be open to all students?

100

a. If seats are restricted, describe the restrictions being applied.

N/A

b. Is this restriction listed in the course catalog description for the course?

N/A

List all course pre-requisites, co-requisites, and restrictive statements (ex: Jr standing; Chemistry majors only). If none, state none.

None

List any discipline specific background or skills that a student is expected to have prior to taking this course. If none, state none. (ex: ability to analyze historical text; prepare a lesson plan)

None

Additional Information

Complete the following 3 questions or attach a syllabus that includes this information. If a 400-level or dual level course, a syllabus is required.

Title and author of any required text or publications.

o Bartlett, Bruce and Jenny Bartlett (2012). Practical Recording Techniques, 6th edition. Burlington, MA: Focal Press ($39.23 at Amazon)
o Simos, Mark. Songwriting Strategies: A 360-Degree Approach. Boston, MA: Berklee Press, 2014. ($16.75 at Amazon)
o Goodman, John C. Poetry: Tools and Techniques. Toronto, CA: Gniess Press, 2011. ($8.99 at Amazon)

Major topics to be covered and required readings including laboratory and studio topics.

Please see attached syllabus

List any required field trips, out of class activities, and/or guest speakers.

None proposed for fall 2016, but field trips, out of class activities, and/or guest speakers may be included in subsequent offerings.

Consultation

Instructional Resources Statement

Additional resources would include funding for an adjunct instructor. Until 2018, this funding has been secured via commitment from DASA Vice Chancellor and Dean Mike Mullen.

Course Objectives/Goals

Please see attached syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, the student will:

Successfully operate, maintain and use a DAW

Demonstrate familiarity with rudimentary song structures and sampling

Execute basic editing commands and file conversions

Use poetic meter as a primary component in text underlay

Apply rudimentary music theory to create basic chord progressions

Create audio recordings of student compositions using digital and MIDI inputs of hardware interfaces

Identify and manipulate separated and captured regions and memory locations

Explain basic engineering, microphone types, polar patterns and microphone techniques.

Student Evaluation Methods

Evaluation Method	Weighting/Points for Each	Details
Discussion	20%	Class Discussion, Participation, and Lab Exercises 20%
Homework	20%	Homework 20%
Project	30%	Independent Projects (i.e.: portfolio creation) 30%
Midterm	20%	Midterm 20%
Final Exam	10%	Final exam (= portfolio presentation) 10%

Topical Outline/Course Schedule

Topic	Time Devoted to Each Topic	Activity
Please see Course Calendar on attached syllabus	Varies	Please see attached syllabus

Syllabus

Syllabus_Songwriting Using DAWs_2016.doc

Additional Documentation

MUS 270 Consultation.pdf

Additional Comments

Instructor changed to Gary Beckman per request of Tom Koch.

Justification for this request

History

Viewing: MUS 270 : Songwriting using Digital Audio Workstations

Last approved: Fri, 24 Jun 2016 08:01:16 GMT

Last edit: Fri, 24 Jun 2016 08:01:16 GMT