Curtin University students have the opportunity to learn about popular music with five newly-introduced units.
The semester-long units, offered by the School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts, can be taken as electives by second and third-year students studying for Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees.
Programme Coordinator, Dr Kara-Jane Lombard, said the units cover a range of topics including how to write about popular music, and the influence of popular music on society and culture.
“Students will learn about the impact of new technologies, music consumption, and the industries of popular, local and transnational music. They will also get the opportunity to work on a real-life client brief for the production of a music or promotional video.
“The popular music units can be taken to complement or extend a chosen major, or allow students to sample a different area of interest and expand their portfolio of skills and experience,” Dr Lombard said.
For semester two, commencing on 4 August, three units will be offered.
Local Musics includes local music production and consumption, Indigenous and popular music, the transnational music industry, popular music and national identity, and site-specific local music.
The Industry of Popular Music examines the structure and organisation of the popular music industry, focussing on new technologies, downloading and the renewed emphasis on live performance.
Adverts and Music Videos includes the design and production of an original music video for an album or EP launch, explores development, interpretation and realisation of the creative brief as well as the history, theory and context of music videos. Students wanting to take this unit will need to have completed a first-year unit preparing them for making videos.
The other two units were offered during the semester one.
The first, Popular Music and Identity, explored how music frames the notions of generation, gender and sexuality, race and nation, and class.
The other, Writing about Popular Music, taught students about being a commentator on popular music for newspapers and magazines, writing album and live performance reviews, and how to interview artists.
“Eligible second and third year students can take any number of these units as electives. This gives students flexibility in tailoring their degree,” Dr Lombard said.
