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Norges musikkhøgskole Norwegian Academy of Music Search

Applied organ

Year of study: Two semesters, autumn and spring.

Final assessment: Assessment from course coordinator.

Language of instruction: Norwegian/English


Course description

The course is aimed at students who have organ or piano as their main instrument and provides an introduction to chord playing and accompaniment.

Course coordinator:
Conducting, Voice and Church Music Department


Learning objectives

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to:

  • masters chord playing, figured bass, accompaniment patterns, and transposition
  • be able to create their own organ arrangements based on recordings
  • apply theory about scales and styles to improvise
  • accompany songs by ear


Overview

Based on the student's prerequisites and future professional situation, the course shall include working with:

  • ensemble playing and accompaniment
  • basso continuo
  • chord playing
  • transposition
  • playing by ear
  • improvisation


Structure

The teaching is provided individually and/or in groups of up to four students. Each lesson is 90 minutes over a periode of 8 weeks.

Course requirements

  1. Participation in the lessons is compulsory. Absence of more than 20% will normally lead to failure of the course.
  2. At the end of the course, the student must present a repertoire list of minimum 15 minutes including:

    - melodies with chords demonstrating different accompaniment and rhythmic patterns
    - improvisation using various types of scales such as church tonal scales and Messiaen's modes
    - basso continuo
    - melodies played by ear based on sound recordings of the students own organ arrangements


Final assessment

All coursework requirements must be approved prior to obtaining a final assessment.

Students are assessed in correspondence to the learning outcomes of the course. The final assessment will be given as a mark of “passed”/”failed” for each individual student, which shall be determined on the basis of her or his level demonstrated through the course work.

New assessment

Students failing the course will have to apply to re-follow the course for a new assessment. Students who have failed the course will not be prioritized for re-enrollment.

Published: Apr 3, 2022 — Last updated: Apr 5, 2024