Developing Pedagogical Tools for the Teaching of Songwriting at Postgraduate Level
Andy West, Senior Lecturer, Department of Music, Bath Spa University
Disciplines: Music
Status: Complete
Start date: 1/7/2006
Outcome format:
Outcome available: Yes
I am currently involved in designing a Songwriting MA to be delivered at Bath Spa University from October 2007. Having taught the subject at undergraduate level for the past three years, I recently conducted a series of interviews with HE songwriting teachers and students both in the UK and abroad with the aim of developing a broader overview of current pedagogical practice. This study, which was helpful in locating a number of visible learning stages, will be used, in its capacity as a subjective indicator of earlier level academic practice, to inform a postgraduate teaching and learning strategy.
Postgraduate programmes of study need to involve the learner on a professional level. To inform the MA Songwriting programme, I intend to interview music publishers in order to elicit views on the nature of professional songwriting expertise. Further interviews will be conducted with undergraduate students of songwriting with a view to developing an idea of the types of qualities and experiences they would expect to acquire from an MA in songwriting.
Prior to publishing a student handbook, I intend to chronicle stages of curricular development, identify pedagogical areas of subject debate and discuss challenges faced during the developmental process. In doing so I would seek to inform the HE community on two levels: as a piece on current thought and opinion in the field and as an overview of the challenges that this subject area creates for academics.
The outcomes
The project is complete and the following outcomes are available:
Talk Songwriting website (including a report about the project)