Course

Chamber Ensemble I

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
Music
Course Code
MUSC 1134
Credits
1.00
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
N/A
Method(s) Of Instruction
Tutorial
Typically Offered
Fall
Winter

Overview

Course Description
This course provides an opportunity for musicians to rehearse and perform together under the guidance of the music faculty. Students will be placed into ensembles of varying sizes and instrumentation, and will rehearse on their own as well as receiving instruction. All ensembles will perform in department recitals and concerts.
Open to all BMus students.
Course Content

Students will learn to make group decisions on all matters of ensemble rehearsal and performance.

  • Development of cooperation in rehearsal - identifying and agreeing upon matters of tempo, dynamics, intonation, articulation, phrasing and interpretation, etc.
  • Ensemble listening skills - hearing oneself within the group setting, relating aurally/musically to others in the ensemble
  • When to lead, when to allow others to lead (allowing solo expression within the ensemble)
  • Non-verbal communication during performance
  • What to do when the performance comes apart (when musicians get lost or make mistakes that derail the performance)
Learning Activities

Students will be placed into ensembles of varying instrumentation depending upon the instrumental/vocal makeup of class enrolment. Faculty will be assigned responsibility for ensembles based on the makeup of the ensembles and expertise of the faculty.  Much of the students’ ensemble rehearsal time will be unsupervised; they will receive approximately one hour per week of guidance by the instructor(s). After each performance, the members of each ensemble, aided by the instructor, will evaluate the performance and the preceding rehearsals to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the group’s performance, and discuss means of improvement.

Means of Assessment
Preparation for and participation in rehearsals (ongoing assessment, 30% at midterm, 30% at end of semester) 60%
Performance (at least once per semester) 30%
Group self-evaluation 10%
Total  100%
Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should possess an increased understanding of rehearsal and performance issues related to small ensembles, in particular, how to listen to and to communicate with each other.  Students should be able to identify problems within the ensemble, and have an understanding of how to address those problems to improve the performance.  Students should be able to make group decisions on various matters during rehearsal, including musical interpretation and expression.

Textbook Materials

Instructors will provide materials for the course, or will provide a list of materials to be purchased.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see

Institution Transfer Details for MUSC 1134
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC MUS 1XX (0.5)
University of Victoria (UVIC) DOUG MUSC 1134 (1) & DOUG MUSC 1234 (1) = UVIC MUS 181 (1)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025