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March 29, 2024, 04:07:47 am

Author Topic: USyd Unit Reviews  (Read 41697 times)

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angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2020, 11:15:06 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: MCGY2010 Harmony and Analysis 3

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: MCGY1009

Assessment: Weekly assignments (50%), final examination (50%)

Lecture Recordings? Yes. I did MCGY2010 during COVID-19 so the lectures were pre-recorded but usually, they are uploaded after the lecture is delivered.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbook: Workbook for Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music 2nd Edition (Robert Gauldin)

Lecturer(s): Lewis Cornwell

Year & Semester of completion: 2020 Semester 1

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 78 DI

Comments: MCGY2010 builds on from everything that was covered in MCGY1008 and MCGY1009. The delivery of learning is consistent with the two previous units and had a great sense of continuity. I had a different tutor this semester which I was quite concerned about at first but Marcus was equally great at responding to emails and roasting me in my assignment feedback. I also found MCGY2010 one of the smoothest transitions to online learning out of all of my subjects. Initially, I found the Zoom tutorials quite challenging to stay engaged in but by forcing myself to print out the worksheets and actually participate in the classes, I ended up gaining a lot out of them.

As for the assessments, I actually am really relieved that weekly quizzes were not a part of this unit. I found these super stressful to complete in MCGY1008 and MCGY1009 so to only have to worry about the assignments and the exam was a relief. I also liked how Lewis made the exam open-book but still provided a time limit for us to submit it because it was basically just like every other Harmony exam but done from the comfort of my own home. The only assignment I really disliked was the "fugue fortnight", as I have now dubbed it, because it was a total nightmare. It was my worst mark out of all my assignments and dragged my final result down like crazy. Moral of the story is that I can appreciate good counterpoint; I just can not write it myself. Otherwise, MCGY2010 was far more enjoyable than last year's Harmony units because I knew what I was doing and learnt from my mistakes.

Overall, I think MCGY2010 was enjoyable and rewarding to do. Minus the fugue and canon weeks, everything else was a dramatic improvement for me from the previous semesters so I left the course feeling more confident in my analysis skills. As always, we owe a huge deal of the subject's success and enriching program to Lewis' delivery and effective communication with us via email and Canvas. I am keen to see how what we have learnt in the unit will translate into our final Harmony subject next semester  ;D
« Last Edit: July 24, 2020, 10:38:34 pm by angewina_naguen »
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angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #16 on: July 14, 2020, 10:37:59 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: MCGY1003 Aural Perception 2

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour Lab, 1x 1 hour Solfege tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: MCGY1002

Assessment: Weekly Lab assessments (25%), weekly Solfege assessments (15%), Lab examination (35%), Solfege examination (25%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; the tutorials were pre-recorded because of COVID-19.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbooks: Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing 2nd Edition (Gary S. Karpinski), Anthology for Sight Singing (Gary S. Karpinski and Richard Kram).

Lecturer(s): None; you will be assigned with a tutor for both classes. I had Anthony Hamad for Lab and Alex Chilvers for Solfege.

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 1

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating: 3/5

Your Mark/Grade: 0 UC; due to COVID-19, I received a Unit Continuing indicator, instead of a traditional grade. 

Comments: Doing this unit of study during COVID-19 was quite the struggle. With the shift to online learning, the unit's reliance on in-class attendance for everything to run smoothly was really tested this semester. I already found the jump from MCGY1002 to this unit significant prior to quarantine so not having face-to-face classes proved to be a challenge. I think it could have been better handled but I also understand that it was difficult given the unique circumstances we are in.

The changed assessment and examination procedures did help to an extent. It was really tedious and time-consuming scanning my homework for Lab and recording the exercises for Solfege but the flexibility of when we submit the assignments was great. I established for myself a routine of submitting them a day before which granted me a little more sleep on the morning Lab was usually due on and to only have to worry about watching the tutorial for Solfege. I felt like the final exam was poorly scheduled though because I had mine right in the middle of two other subjects and we were notified fairly last minute about it. Conducting it over Zoom also was not particularly the best move either because of my internet being difficult. Otherwise, I am glad they decided to make this unit UC instead of pass/fail or keeping the traditional grading system because despite the other problems with the unit, I did feel like a lot more stress that could have come from this unit was avoided.

I personally feel a bit worried about going into Aural Perception 3 given how I barely managed to get through this unit. I do commend Anthony and Alex's efforts to make the content as comprehensive as possible with the added challenge of navigating online learning and I appreciated the responsiveness to my questions over email. I hope our classes will be conducted in person next semester because it will make a world of a difference and will help me experience and apply the skills we use in the unit better.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2021, 07:22:19 pm by angewina_naguen »
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alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #17 on: July 16, 2020, 12:44:45 am »
+7
Subject Code/Name: MATH1902 Linear Algebra(Advanced)

Contact Hours: 2x 1 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge/Pre-requisite: HSC Extension 2 or 90 in HSC Extension 1

Assessment:  2x 5% assignment, 1x 10% assignment, best 10 of 12 weekly WebWork quizzes(10%), final exam(70%)

Lecture Recordings?  Yes, lectures were pre-recorded into different parts due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available:  Lecture notes from lectures are modified and uploaded

Textbook: David Poole, Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction(did not use)

Lecturer(s): Nathan Brownlowe

Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2020

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating:  5/5

Your Grade: Credit(screwed up final exam, was getting a mid DI average before that)

Comments: Didn’t know what to expect when enrolling into advanced stream at first, but it is worth it! It was different and new compared to high school maths(for whoever who see this in the future, you would have done some linear algebra in the new syllabus) and the lecturers and tutors made it easy to understand. It was also very helpful that the teaching team is almost always on Ed forums solving and answering our question, providing tips for assignments etc.

The assignments requires critical thinking and a great grasp and application of different concepts, which was quite challenging for me at first. But after looking at the normal level tutorial questions and assignments, which were quite straightforward compared to advanced, I decided to stay in advanced to challenge myself (and since it is first sem, why not just give it a go?), also meeting like minded people who loved maths.
Note: lectures go more in depth compared to normal level unit
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 11:07:14 pm by alisontungmy »
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #18 on: July 16, 2020, 10:33:31 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: MATH1921 Calculus of one variable(Advanced)

Contact Hours: 2x 1 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge/Pre-requisite: HSC Extension 2 or 90 in HSC Extension 1

Assessment:  2x 5% assignment, 2x 10% quizzes, final exam(70%)

Lecture Recordings?  Yes, lectures were uploaded around the usual  lecture times due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available:  Lecture notes from lectures are modified and uploaded, typed lecture notes also available on canvas and Kopystop

Textbook: Daniel Daners, Lecture Notes for MATH 1921/1931:. Available in print from KopyStop, 55 Mountain St, Broadway. (Available free on Canvas, only used this mostly)
Michael Spivak, Calculus, reference covering advanced topics
Gordon Monro, Proofs & problems in calculus, reference on how to think about proofs
James Stewart, Calculus, reference for routine exercises

Lecturer(s): Daniel Daners

Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2020

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating:  5/5

Your Grade: Distinction

Comments: Had the same initial feelings as linear algebra, Didn’t know what to expect when enrolling into advanced stream at first, but it is challenging and fun! It picked straight up from where the extension 2 syllabus ended(future students might find some overlap in high school and this unit due to the new syllabus. The discussions on Ed forums and the tutorial questions were challenging(but having detailed tutorial solutions were very helpful to understand where I get confused.

Not needing to wake up for 8am lectures due to COVID was great(while also messing up my daily study schedule by catching up at a different time ahaha)

The assignments again requires critical thinking and a great grasp and application of different concepts, which was quite challenging for me at first. Persistence and constant practice were really important as all of the assignments were challenging, and sometimes no one gets full mark in quizzes and in the final exams. Overall if you loved calculus in high school and have a passion for maths, you will enjoy this unit :D
Note: lectures go more in depth compared to normal level
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 11:09:15 pm by alisontungmy »
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #19 on: July 16, 2020, 11:36:48 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: BIOL1996 Life and Evolution(Special Studies Program)

Contact Hours: 2x 1 hour lecture(with Advanced), 1x 3 hour lab(with BIOL1998 Human Bio SSP)

Assumed Knowledge/Pre-requisite: 90 or above in HSC Biology

Assessment:  Lab book(5%), Pre lab quizzes(5%), MtDNA report(30%), Wildlife forensics presentation(20%), Final exam(40%)

Lecture Recordings? Yes, pre recorded due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available:  none

Textbook: Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B. & Saint, R. (2014) Biology: An Australian Focus 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney.

Lecturer(s): too many to list(they were all great), unit coordinator: Ros Gloag

Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2020

Difficulty: 2/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Your Mark/Grade: Distinction

Comments: This unit was amazing! All levels of this unit(1006,1906,1996) share the same lectures but what differs was the lab content and assignments. The lecture content overlaps quite a bit with HSC Biology so I didn’t find it hard to study for.
SSP didn’t have a mid-semester test unlike Advanced and normal, and the labs are more focused on the microbiology side(with DNAs) compared to the other 2 levels which is more focused on flora and fauna etc. I wish I can take all levels of this but i can’t :(
It was sad that we couldn’t complete much labs on campus, I would have loved analysing my own maternal ancestry through my MtDNA, but Ros, Madeleine and lab demos did a great job with online teaching. They gave very detailed and useful feedback for assignments which will be useful in future science assignments and presentations. I loved this unit so much :D
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #20 on: July 18, 2020, 08:42:45 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: EDUF1018 Education, Teachers and Teaching

Contact Hours: 1x 1hr lecture, 1x 2hr tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: n/a

Assessment:  Weekly reflections(60%), Critical Narrative(40%) (a group assignment was cancelled and weighting was re-distributed)

Lecture Recordings?  Yes, lectures are pre recorded due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available:  N/a

Textbook: n/a, but there are required readings every week available on library website

Lecturer(s): too much to list

Year & Semester of completion: 2020 sem 1

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating:  4/5

Your Mark/Grade: Distinction

Comments: A lot of interesting content about pedagogies are covered, it was interesting that certain pedagogical practices are always around us in school.
Although there are relatively less contact hours for this unit, the readings and weekly 300 word reflections takes up quite some time(it is hard to be concise, and I’m not a great writer)
Note that different tutors have different requirements for the weekly reflection, most wants a pure analysis of readings+lectures, while others want an interweaving analysis of readings+lectures+tutorial+real life examples(mine wanted the later)
Some lecturers repeat the content in the required readings, which was quite boring, but other lecturers did well by further exploring those pedagogical theories.
To be honest I didn’t expect the huge amount of writing and analytical thinking needed for this unit, I can say that I spent more time on this unit compared to my 6cp science units oops. Overall it was fun but it did made me doubt if I should transfer to B. Sci/M. Math science(as I hate writing)
Sorry for the lack of structure in comments XD
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #21 on: July 18, 2020, 09:08:04 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: GEOS1001 Earth, Environment and Society

Contact Hours: 1x 2hr lecture, 1x 2hr computer lab

Assumed Knowledge: n/a

Assessment:  Poster(15%), Group presentation(15%), Essay(30%), Final Exam(40%), tutorial participation(0% but marks can be deducted if you did not submit practical maps)
Lecture Recordings?  yes, lectures were delivered live on zoom and recorded due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available:  N/a

Textbook: no

Lecturer(s): Bree Morgan, Bill Pritchard, Damian Field, Sabin Zahirovic

Year & Semester of completion: 2020 sem 1

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating:  3.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: Credit

Comments: This was a fun unit overall, it covers the surface of various geological concepts and some political geography related to climate change. Some lecturers were quite dry, which made the 2hr straight of lecture dreadful XD. All the lecturers were quite nice and helpful tho.
The tutorials were...not so great off-campus. Being off campus made the already slow ArcGIS even more slower. One single click took 5 minutes to load and it took me 7 hours to finish a practical once. It also takes up a lot of storage space on my computer so it made my computer even slower. But otherwise, the practical concepts were fun(despite the horrible app)
Note: The poster and essay had quite a close due date, so start doing it whenever possible.
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #22 on: July 23, 2020, 10:23:15 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: ENSE2043 Choir 3

Contact Hours: 1x 3 hour rehearsal; this was adjusted due to COVID-19 though and all rehearsals were independently conducted.

Assumed Knowledge: You will complete a short pitch and range test before rehearsals for voice placement. I did Choirs 1 and 2 last year which meant I was already placed in my voice part.

Assessment: Continual assessment of professional demeanour and ensemble skills demonstrated during rehearsals and performances (90%), Warm-up assignment (10%).

Lecture Recordings? None

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbook: None; you borrow the score for whatever work is being studied and performed for the semester from the Con library before the first rehearsal.

Lecturer(s): Elizabeth (Liz) Scott

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 1

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 82 DI

Comments: This semester, we did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem as our core repertoire for choir. Prior to the semester, I was involved in another choir which did Joseph Haydn's Requiem and the resemblance between the two still amazes me. I was initially excited to sing the work and have another semester of ensemble skills development but COVID-19 really jeopardised my experience of this unit.

The assessment for this unit was more formal than last year's. Due to the pandemic, we had to submit recordings of the allocated movements for the week. I tried to approach it with as much enthusiasm as possible and to give the whole shift to online learning the benefit of the doubt but the routine became incredibly tedious, energy-draining and even, to an extent, a nuisance. Finding a quiet place to complete the recording was a challenge because no matter where I was, there was always noise coming from either in or out of the house. I also am a huge perfectionist so each recording took an insane number of takes (the most difficult movement took me 74 times to perfect) to get through the movements with everything pitch perfect. Factor in as well the time I spent uploading and re-uploading (if it failed the first time) each video and I ended up spending an entire day just on this one unit. I did like completing the warm-up assignment because I felt like it gave me the opportunity to exercise my creativity and it allowed me to make an educational resource that I could use as a choral conductor myself one day. I also liked how it was something that was graded with an actual criteria, rather than based off abstract judgements like the rest of the marks I received/did not receive for my participation in the ensemble.

In short, this is not how choir is supposed to be at the Con and while I did find fun in singing the Requiem through each week, it was the worst of my units to do in quarantine. The only reason why I did not it rate it lower was because of how kind, responsive and encouraging Liz and the rest of the creative team who were in charge of the unit were with me. Choir really is one of those subjects that loses its effectiveness when conducted remotely and I hope next semester's students who enrol in it have a far more enjoyable experience aligning with the true joy that choir can give someone.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2020, 10:37:09 pm by angewina_naguen »
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Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2020, 10:20:35 pm »
+3
Subject Code/Name: MCGY3602 Understanding East Asian Music

Contact Hours: 1x 2 hour seminar

Assumed Knowledge: None

Assessment: Academic blog post (20%); Class participation (30%); Major essay (50%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; they are usually uploaded after the class but due to COVID-19, they were often pre-recorded.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbook: None; set readings are assigned on Canvas for each week and can be retrieved from the USYD library.

Lecturer(s): Catherine Ingram, Lewis Cornwell and weekly guest lecturers

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 1

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Your Mark/Grade: 94 HD

Comments: For this semester, I took MCGY3602 to fulfil my mandatory musicology ethnographical studies unit for my principal study. Unlike the other musicology units I have taken at the Con so far, this unit challenged myself and my peers to explore music with a variety of ways of thinking, especially those beyond the eurocentrism that had, for most of us, been ingrained as a result of our musical training and upbringing. The unit focuses on Chinese, Korean and Japanese music, with weekly guests that are invited based on the topic we were covering for the week. I initially came into the unit quite nervous and only really being familiar with the popular music of these cultures, and to an extent the traditional music of Japan because of my mum, but found myself engaging deeply with the diverse range of genres and musical styles explored in the unit.

For a 6cp unit, MCGY3602 was very light in workload and, to an extent, felt more like a 3cp subject. This made my experience taking it in quarantine really pleasant because I only had to focus on getting a reading (which was roughly 20-30 pages long) and maybe four discussion questions done each week. We were also assigned to do one in-class presentation based on one of the readings. I chose to do mine on the music in Akira Kurosawa's Ran which was heaps of fun because I actually studied it in Year 11 for English. Having the opportunity to analyse the music and to draw connections between it and the concepts we were learning about in class was highly beneficial for developing my critical analysis and thinking skills. I also enjoyed visiting the White Rabbit Gallery again for my first assignment and combining my passion for art with musical analysis. The only heavy aspect of this unit was the major essay which was 3000 words. I struggled with choosing the right works to explore at first because of how broad the essay questions were but found my footing, partially because I knew at last what I was doing but also because of the ever-increasing closeness of the deadline. Overall, the assessments were fun to complete and I have no regrets for the subject in terms of how I conducted myself with the work we had in it.

In hindsight, I wish I had asked more questions in class because we had many interesting and engaging guests come in to workshop with us. I felt like this was what made the unit so effective and moving for us as students. Catherine is also quite quiet and reserved from first impression but she was a highly inspiring lecturer and offered us many opportunities to exercise our creativity in this unit of study. I would strongly recommend anyone who has spare room in their degree at the Con to take this unit which will not only change how you experience music, but also how you appreciate it.
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Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2020, 11:10:25 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: MCGY2612 Music of the Classical and Romantic Eras

Contact Hours: 1x 2 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: The ability to read musical notation and basic knowledge of music theory.

Assessment: Essay (30%); Tutorial assignments and participation (30%); In-class tests (10%); 1 x 2hr exam (30%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; these were usually uploaded after class but due to COVID-19, they pre-recorded and uploaded the night before instead.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbook: A History of Western Music 9th Edition (J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca)

Lecturer(s): David Larkin

Year & Semester of completion: 2020 Semester 1

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 89 HD

Comments: If I could give this subject a 10/5, I would. This subject is compulsory for all classical students and music education majors to take in their degree. Despite my history of not being particularly fond of all the mandatory units I have been made to do, MCGY2612 has been hands down my favourite subject yet that I have done in university.

The assessments for this unit were difficult but intellectually stimulating. I chose to write about Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony for my tutorial assignment which I started researching for, as advice from an ex-student, as soon as the semester commenced. This really enabled me to develop a stronger grasp on the critical issues surrounding the work and to approach my assignment with more control. For my essay, I chose to write about the exotic portrayals in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers and Rimsky-Korsakov's Antar Symphony. The question was not only a thrill to respond to, but I also felt validated by the end of the unit because I took a fairly controversial argument in my essay and managed to have it approved, I assume since there was no criticism in the feedback for it, by my lecturer. I think a good unit of study should push for students to explore radical ideas and challenge accepted ways of understanding music and to inspire students to think bigger. The exams for this unit, while a total nightmare to study for because of the enormous amount of content, were great for differentiation purposes. My only qualm about the way assessments were conducted was using ProctorU for the final exam. A number of students were affected by this which meant they had to retake the exam and having to not accidentally make yourself look suspicious was just added pressure even if our exams were submitted successfully. Everything else about this unit was highly successful.

You could not imagine anyone more excited than I was to study this subject. I dedicated my entire Monday night to just completing my tutorial preparation and even doing extra reading to answer some of the general knowledge questions David asked in the tutorials. I chose to make MCGY2612 worth my time and effort and it paid off well not just with my result, but also my newfound confidence in my knowledge of Classical and Romantic music. Considering I was told by my distance education teacher in Year 11 that I was going to struggle in university if I could not handle Music 2, this unit felt like a destiny I was always meant to fulfil. All of this came down to David Larkin who really lives up to his name as being one of the best lecturers at the Con. I was fortunate to have him as a tutor as well and he responded to all my enquiries with immense help. His feedback for my assessments was also very detailed and I overall owe him the success and enjoyment I had in this unit. This unit has inspired me to take on another historical studies unit next semester for my principal study and if I were given the option to redo it, I would. In summary, I had nothing of an amazing experience in MCGY2612 and hope anyone else who picks it makes the most out of it too.
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97.50

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Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2021, 11:46:17 am »
+7
Subject Code/Name: MCGY2011 Harmony and Analysis 4

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: MCGY2010

Assessment: Weekly assignments (50%), final examination (50%)

Lecture Recordings? Yes. I did MCGY2011 during COVID-19 so the lectures were pre-recorded and are uploaded before the time of the lecture. Tutorials were not recorded though.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbook: Workbook for Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music 2nd Edition (Robert Gauldin)

Lecturer(s): Lewis Cornwell

Year & Semester of completion: 2020 Semester 2

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Your Mark/Grade: 81 DI

Comments: MCGY2011 was the final compulsory Harmony and Analysis unit I needed to complete to qualify for my degree and really brought all the knowledge I gained in the previous three units together. I had heard from multiple people that this was the most satisfying and fulfilling Harmony unit and having done it, I can definitely see why!

I took this unit online because of the pandemic still restricting the number of people available on campus but adapted quickly to learning the content since it was very much an extension of what we already knew. I also found that taking this unit remotely made the presence of a proper routine even more important than ever. I made it part of my week to spend time actually printing out my assignments which were usually handed to us in person for classes and doing the exercises in the workbook to consolidate my knowledge as I progressed through the course. I did have a week or two where I had to request an extension to get my weekly assignments done but Lewis was super understanding and always gave me adequate time to submit my work at its best. However, the final exam was really difficult, more so than the ones for the other units. While it was open-book, it was still under timed conditions which I think was a good way of going about it but it didn't exactly mean the exam was easier. Perhaps it was more challenging for me especially because I was also in the middle of my first teaching placement at the time and had less time to revise for it amidst all my lesson planning and prac work. I'm proud of my result for this unit though and am glad that my consistent effort during the semester paid off in helping me finally get above 80.

My thoughts about the unit have changed so much since my first review of MCGY1008. I now value the subject so much more and almost wish I had room to take Advanced Harmony in my degree. I'm definitely going to miss Lewis' wit and humour and am hoping I'll be able to make him proud when I am in a school and teaching counterpoint for the first time to my own students. I hope everyone who takes this unit finds their reasons to enjoy it because I certainly did!
« Last Edit: January 31, 2021, 10:10:33 pm by angewina_naguen »
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Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #26 on: January 31, 2021, 08:11:58 pm »
+4
Subject Code/Name: MCGY1003 Aural Perception 3

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour Lab, 1x 1 hour Solfege tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: MCGY1003

Assessment: In-class solfege exercises (20%), Transcription assignments (30%), Oral examination (50%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; the lectures were pre-recorded because of COVID-19 and were uploaded by the morning of the class. Tutorials were conducted on Zoom and not recorded though.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbooks: Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing 2nd Edition (Gary S. Karpinski), Anthology for Sight Singing (Gary S. Karpinski and Richard Kram).

Lecturer(s): Alex Chilvers

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Your Mark/Grade: 73 CR

Comments: MCGY2004 was run entirely online when I was enrolled in it due to the pandemic. I found that it was highly successful in execution and a really enjoyable unit overall.

Usually, Aural Perception classes are conducted as two tutorials with Lab (melodic dictation) and Solfege. However, the unit was changed instead to being a theory-based lecture and a practical tutorial which blended Lab and Solfege together. I actually preferred this system because it meant I was thinking about the applications of all the aural skills together. The pre-recorded lecture for 9am also meant I could watch it the night before and more time to sleep in/do my readings for the classes I had during the day. I also liked that we had transcription assignments and tutorial tests, rather than weekly homework to submit like in MCGY2003. The course content itself though was quite difficult and each week felt like an absolute overload of information. I still struggle with pitching the octatonic scale now and I had been trying to sing it for the full twelve weeks I was studying the unit. I found the exam really challenging at the end of the course but I attribute this to not revising as much as I could have during the semester and trying to cram all my study in the final weeks leading up to it. It is also a bit unreasonable, in my eyes, for 20 minutes of assessment to be worth 50% of the grade and I suspect most of my performance in the unit was affected negatively because I was so underprepared for that exam.

Despite these minor complaints which really are only present because of my own poor time management, MCGY2004 was a fun and beneficial unit. One thing I valued to a great extent was how Alex selected diverse examples for the unit's repertoire. I loved how he went from using 70's and 80's music to illustrate secondary dominants, to having us analyse the chord progressions for a Juice WRLD song. I felt that this demonstrated how the skills developed in Aural Perception can be applied to the music that I listen to and will ultimately be teaching more of in the classroom. I am looking forward to my final Aural Perception unit this coming semester and seeing how it will compare to this one!
« Last Edit: February 01, 2021, 03:13:56 pm by angewina_naguen »
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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #27 on: January 31, 2021, 10:03:17 pm »
+3
Subject Code/Name: MCGY2615 The Ultimate Art: 400 Years of Opera

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour lecture, 1x 2 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: MCGY2611 or MCGY2612 or MCGY2613 or MUSC1506

Assessment: Three module tasks (60%), Final essay (40%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; the lectures were presented live and uploaded afterwards for viewing. The tutorials were also run live and recorded.

Notes/Materials Available: None

Textbooks: Cambridge Introductions to Music Opera (Robert Cannon)

Lecturer(s): Alan Maddox, David Larkin and Michael Halliwell

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 89 HD

Comments: MCGY2615 was my final principal study unit for my major in Musicology which I chose to fulfil the mandatory Historical Studies component of my degree. After greatly enjoying my time in my foundation units for musicology, I decided to choose this elective to take which I figured would be both strongly useful for my own performance practice as a classical singer and challenging for my academic study.

I took this course completely online and found that it was organised and run efficiently. Having three different lecturers at first was a bit of a concern for me because I really value consistency but I think it was the best way to run this unit since each tutor specialised in the period of history they were covering. I especially enjoyed the 18th century week and 19th century weeks in this course because they felt like a natural extension from MCGY2612 last semester. I personally did not use the textbook much in this course other than to complete the assigned readings for each week. Otherwise, it was only really handy when it came to my assessments and even then, I preferred to find my own resources for the more niche operatic works I chose to analyse. As for the actual assessments, I liked that we had options for each module task so we could play with our strengths and present work that was reflective of our own interests. I think my other units should adopt this as well. Furthermore, you were not marked on tutorial preparation which took off a lot of pressure for me each week and I could adjust how much I prepared for each class depending on the number of readings I had to do and my commitments to other subjects. The marking turnaround for this subject was quite slow compared to everything else I took this semester but my lecturers were understandably in the middle of major research projects themselves to do.

I most appreciated the compassion of my tutors in this unit. I was generously granted extensions for three out of the four tasks which enabled me to handle each task with care and perform to my best. I was fortunate that they were sympathetic to my situation and am forever grateful for the feedback I was provided after each assessment which has helped my academic writing improve drastically. There were so many fond memories I made in this unit. I enjoyed the Break Out room discussions with my classmates, the Die Meistersinger watch party that was held at the end of the semester and I overall think it was so worth it. I am glad I was able to take this unit since it only comes around every two years and I hope that I can continue to engage with operas and the issues surrounding them in the future.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2021, 10:07:27 pm by angewina_naguen »
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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #28 on: February 01, 2021, 11:50:08 am »
+3
Subject Code/Name: MUED3031 Teaching Jazz in Secondary Education

Contact Hours: 1x 2 hour seminar

Assumed Knowledge: None; MUED3031 is best taken in second year onwards though because the skills you gain in Harmony and Analysis and Aural Perception are transferrable into this unit.

Assessment: Philosophy of instruction (20%), Peer teaching workshop and resource kit (50%), Reflection on jazz pedagogy (30%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; the recordings for each seminar were uploaded by the end of the day of the class.

Notes/Materials Available: None; all the readings and resources for this unit were provided on Canvas for us to access.

Textbooks: None

Lecturer(s): Christopher Coady, Alexander Hone

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 87 HD

Comments: MUED3031 is a compulsory unit that Music Education students are required to qualify for the degree. I was actually scheduled to take this unit in 2019 but chose to wait a year and enrol in it alongside my friends who did it last year. I'm really glad I made this decision and took Composition in Music Education instead in my first year which helped me navigate well through this course.

This unit was run online for the first three weeks in which we did a jazz history and thinking about jazz pedagogy crash course with Chris Coady. The remaining weeks of the semester were taken on campus with Alex Hone running a practical approach to teaching jazz in high schools. I thoroughly enjoyed this structure for the unit because it meant we were provided with a comprehensive overview of the subject matter from a theoretical, historical and cultural perspective before diving straight into the music and methods of teaching itself. The assignments were a nice balance between written, reflective writing and practical resource-making and content creation that will be useful for us on our secondary school placements in the next two years. For the peer teaching workshop, I really appreciated that we were given the option to work in pairs because it definitely was easier to do and perform well in with a partner to share the workload with. I basically have no faults for how this subject was run at all and the nature of its assessments. I think the unit coordinators did a fantastic job at maximising what we could gain from the unit given the unique circumstances of the pandemic.

As a student with next to no jazz experience prior to the unit, I found it difficult at times to grasp some of the more complex content in the class and felt really conscious about my ability level as a performer/improviser. That being said, the class was highly welcoming and growth-oriented which made me feel comfortable with making mistakes and asking questions. I am hoping to possibly audit another Chris unit next semester when I have more free space in my timetable because I was so inspired and fascinated by jazz history by the end of his weeks of teaching. I also felt blessed to have Alex as a tutor; his sense of humour, professionalism and approachability made him a hit with our cohort. Another side note about this unit is that it often runs in the evening from 5:30pm-7:30pm which might seem a bit inconvenient but it was so worth the travel and the late finish. I almost wished some weeks we could stay the whole night! I hope future students also find the level of enjoyment I did in this unit and find their own way of harmonising jazz with their identity as a music teacher through it.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2021, 03:13:40 pm by angewina_naguen »
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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #29 on: February 01, 2021, 03:11:01 pm »
+3
Subject Code/Name: MUED1009 Psychology of Learning and Instruction

Contact Hours: 1x 1 hour lecture, 1x 1 hour tutorial

Assumed Knowledge: None

Assessment: Tutorial presentation (25%), Collaborative learning task (20%), Quiz (25%), Essay (30%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; all classes were run live and recordings were uploaded by the end of the day.

Notes/Materials Available: None; all the readings and resources for this unit were provided on Canvas for us to access.

Textbooks: Educational Psychology: Constructing Learning 6th edition (D. McInerney & Valentina McInerney)

Lecturer(s): Deborah Chadwick

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 4/5

Overall Rating: 2/5

Your Mark/Grade: 72 CR

Comments: MUED1009 is a compulsory unit for Music Education students and is the first of two educational psychology classes we have to take. I don't really like complaining and being critical for no reason but this unit was really upsetting. I was told by a lot of people in the cohorts about me that this would be one of the best units I would take in the degree and it was far from being a unit I enjoyed, let alone my favourite.

This unit was run entirely online this semester but while I honestly want to attribute this as the key reason why the subject was unsuccessful, there were just so many other things that went wrong that I could only give my lecturer the benefit of the doubt from the fact that it was conducted remotely. Firstly, the assessment tasks were incredibly demanding and unreasonable. Four tasks, of which three involved major research and two being presentations, is already too much to work within what is supposed to only be a 3 credit point subject. Our first task which asked of us to have a presentation, resource and script was due in the third week of semester when we had hardly gone through any content. The marking in this subject was so jarring and inconsistent; it is no wonder only a small handful of people managed to get Distinctions in it. The essay question was horrible (I could rant for hours about this but I won't) and I received next to no feedback explaining why I barely passed the assessment. I felt so much stress because of this unit in terms of the workload alone but the classes themselves were just as disappointing. The content was okay but I was really disengaged throughout the semester. The textbook is outdated, the slides have definitely been recycled and I felt as though I learnt more from doing outside research and making my own notes in preparation for the quiz than from the actual course itself.  To top all of this off, I had never been so unimpressed by a lecturer ever. I was okay with Deborah not being experienced in online teaching but it didn't help that she chose to be uncooperative with students who raised concerns to her, act passive aggressive to us after our quizzes and treat us poorly due to her own struggles with navigating Zoom. I am sympathetic to her because last semester was such a challenge for all of us but unlike her, my other lecturers were humble, compassionate and helpful.

Overall, my final impressions of the unit are rather negative and I am slightly dreading my second educational psychology unit this semester. However, I am hoping to put my performance in MUED1009 aside and to work harder so I can improve. I hope having Deborah in person this semester will also increase my engagement in her classes because I strongly believe in second chances and look forward to reporting about Adolescent Behaviour and Development with more positive remarks.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2021, 03:13:10 pm by angewina_naguen »
-HSC 2018-

-ATAR-
97.50

-UNI 2019-2022-
Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music