Unit information: Music and Television in 2014/15

Unit name	Music and Television
Unit code	MUSI39004
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Heldt
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Music
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

While film music research has been a one of the boom areas of musicology for the last generation, the television music has received scant attention. But TV is second only to radio as a medium for the dissemination and contextualisation of music in the 20th and 21st centuries, and a closer look is long overdue.

The challenge of music and television as a topic is that literature is scarce, and so the unit will be not just an opportunity to come into contact with cutting-edge research, but will actually require students to do some of that research themselves, and to develop methods to approach the many potential questions, e.g.: What is the importance of sound in television in comparison to film, and how does that affect the role music plays in different types of programmes? What are the problems and the structural possibilities of writing music for a TV series, compared to music for a film? How, and to what effect, is music used in news and other fact-based programmes? How does TV present an art-music form such as opera? And what about all those operas commissioned by television? What did and do phenomena like MTV and casting or talent shows mean for pop music? What role does music play in advertising, and how is music promoted by TV?

Intended Learning Outcomes

Successful completion of this unit will enable students to

• situate current research into music and television in the contexts of television studies and of media musicology;
• show a clear understanding for the methodological problems and desiderata of research into music and television;
• discuss the production, dissemination and reception of music on television in the context of the functioning of the medium;
• discuss the specific role music plays in the context of different genres of TV programmes, and the role different genres of TV programmes play in the dissemination and contextualisation of music;
• argue effectively and at length (including an ability to cope with complexities and to describe and deploy these effectively);
• display to a high level skills in selecting, applying, interpreting and organising information, including evidence of a high level of bibliographical control;
• describe, evaluate and/or challenge current scholarly thinking;
• situate material within relevant contexts (invoking interdisciplinary contexts where appropriate).

Teaching Information

10 classes of 2 hours each. The teaching methods will include lectures, small group discussion, class discussion and student presentations.

Assessment Information

ONE coursework essay of ca. 3,000 words (50%) and a 2-hour examination (50%)

Reading and References

• Robert C. Allen, Annette Hill (eds.): The Television Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 2004.
• Bernadette Casey et. al.: Television Studies: The Key Concepts. London, New York: Routledge, 22008.
• K[evin] J. Donnelly: The Spectre of Sound. Music in Film and Television. London: bfi, 2005.
• Graeme Harper, Ruth Doughty, Jochen Eisentraut (eds.): Sound and Music in Film and Visual Media. An Overview. New York, London: Continuum, 2009.
• Ron Rodman: Tuning In: American Narrative Television Music. Oxford: OUP, 2010.
• Carol Vernallis: Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.