The technology of music
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| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This joint technology/arts course starts with an introduction to music theory and notation and the technological techniques needed in a study of music technology. You’ll study the principles of sound and acoustics and how musical terms and fundamentals relate to their physical equivalents. The course also examines the operation and characteristics of acoustic and electronic musical instruments; how music can be represented and stored; the fundamentals of recording; manipulation and transmission of sound; MIDI; current developments; and some associated legal/commercial issues. You will need a personal computer and a high-quality means of listening to music.
Course content
Throughout history, musical instruments and musical performance have been influenced by the prevailing technology. The recent explosion in technological developments has profoundly affected both music making and the recording and manipulation of music.
This course is designed for anyone who is involved with, or has an interest in, music. No pre-requisites are required, but any knowledge of music and musical notation, and a basic familiarity with numbers and simple sums would be helpful. The course is particularly suitable if you are an amateur or professional musician, or a music teacher who wishes to be able to appreciate how musical instruments work and perhaps exploit the opportunities that modern technology offers in your music-making. This course is also suitable if you have a technological background or perhaps work in the music industry.
A significant part of the course is allocated to practical activities that involve computer work, listening exercises, and video material.
In addition to learning about music and its associated technology, students will gain some important additional more general skills such as the ability to:
- listen to music critically from a technological viewpoint
- understand and follow basic music notation
- manipulate arithmetic expressions and insert values to obtain results
- use sound-editing programs, sequencers and other music-related computer programs, both specially written programs and commercial packages
- carry out a given project and prepare a report.
The course is divided into five blocks.
Block 1 contains mostly ‘levelling’ material which introduces you to some basic musical concepts and conventional music notation. It gets you to start to listen to music from a technological viewpoint and also gives you the arithmetic and technological skills necessary for a study of the technology of music.
Block 2 looks at the fundamentals of sound and their relationship to musical pitch, loudness, timbre, intervals, etc. This block also contains sections on hearing; listening and perceiving sounds and music; harmonics and harmonic series; attack and decay; reverberation; rhythm; duration; and accent.
Block 3 studies the construction, workings and sounds of musical instruments, in particular the main families of conventional orchestral instruments, electronic instruments, and the human voice.
Block 4 explains both the influence of technology on music and the current techniques that technology offers for the manipulation, storage and transmission of music. Topics covered here include recording, editing, mixing, storage systems, mastering, music printing, mechanical music and MIDI. The block ends with a short history, and a look at current and future trends, and contains a discussion of some of the commercial and legal issues that modern technology has created in the music industry.
Block 5 is designed as preparation for a project that forms the end-of-course assessment. The block first teaches you the skills necessary to prepare a report, then gives you further practice at some of the activities you will need to carry out during the project. There may be a choice of project or the project may be split into two or more separate parts.
See our course website for more detailed information.
Entry
This is a Level 2 course but you need no specific prior knowledge or qualification. Block 1 of the course provides the musical concepts you will need for the course. However, you may find the course easier if you have some basic knowledge of music through playing an instrument or singing or if you just enjoy listening to music. The ability to read music is not a requirement. You should be able to carry out basic file management activities on your computer and be able to use it to execute programs, access online resources, play MIDI files, listen to music from sound files and view video clips (although you can use separate CD/DVD players for these latter two activities).
Block 1 of the course also provides an introduction to the arithmetic and technological concepts you will need for the course; however, you will be expected to be able to carry out simple calculations using a calculator when necessary.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
There is no specific preparatory work, but the following would be helpful:
- practise any of the tasks listed in the Entry section
- practise exercises with simple number manipulation, powers of 10, and the use of a calculator
- listen to a range of musical styles through a variety of media (CDs, cassettes, radio, the internet).
Qualifications
TA212 is an optional course in our
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03)
- BSc (Honours) Technology (B20)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (B24)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The practical work may be difficult to carry out, especially if you have hearing loss. Please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for further details. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course material can be provided on request. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using your computer as well as some time using the internet. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books; other printed materials; software including commercial sound/music programs; sound and video clips; non-returnable home kit. The home kit will consist of a number of small non-returnable items, including a descant recorder and headphones and a small microphone designed for use with your computer.
You will need
A fast internet connection (e.g. broadband) is highly recommended. You may also need a CD player and hi-fi system to listen to the audio materials if your computer does not have high quality speakers; you can use a DVD player and television to view the video material if you wish.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your assessment work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. A number of tutorials or day schools will be offered that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper. The end-of-course assessment (ECA), which is a project, must also be submitted online.
Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.
Professional recognition
This course may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for Recognition leaflets 3.3 Professional Engineering Institutions, and 3.11 Other Professional Bodies for further information.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2010. We expect it to be available at the same time once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
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An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology and Social Sciences.
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