- Year of study: Year 1, over two semesters
- Final assessment: Portfolio; in case of new assessment: Practical-oral exam
- Prerequisites: Admission to one of the study programmes in which the course is included
- Language of instruction: Norwegian/English
Course description
Aural training is predominantly a practical subject which requires the student to take an active part in the lessons and to work independently. During the course, the student should acquire fundamental aural skills relating to melody, rhythm and harmony. The course requires the student to acquire methodical insights and to apply those insights in musical performance. The work done on this course provides a basis for further specialisation in Year 2.
The subject is followed by Aural training II (GEHØR11).
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, the student is expected to
- have adopted basic methods for using their ear actively and independently when making music
- demonstrate basic listening skills to identify, remember and reproduce (sing/play/describe/write) both details and larger structures in a musical sequence
- be able to accurately read, structure, memorise and reproduce (sing/play) a musical score
Overview
The course covers tonal and atonal melody, tonal harmony and rhythm. Developing practical aural skills and strengthening the inner ear are central to the course. The learning materials will be taken from different musical genres. The work will involve both performed and written music.
Practical/oral exercises may include imitation, memorisation and improvisation exercises, tempo training, intonation, practising score-reading techniques, sight-reading, combination exercises and aural analysis. Written exercises may include notation techniques, dictation exercises, transcription, correction and completion exercises.
Detailed course contents can be found in the semester schedule.
Structure
Tuition takes place in groups. Lectures, discussions and study groups may also be used. The students are usually split into groups according to their level of skill/audition results, study programme and genre.
For a summary of indicative workload and structure, please see the “Structure” section of the relevant programme of study.
Course requirements
Attendance is mandatory for this course. This means that more than 20% non-attendance will normally cause the student to fail the course.
Final assessment
All course requirements must be approved prior to obtaining a final assessment.
Assessment is based on learning objectives. The final assessment is given as a pass/fail mark, which is determined by the course instructor based on a portfolio.
Portfolio
The student must submit 10 short written assignments related to the course progression, which will be included in the exam portfolio. Deadlines for submitting the assignments are specified in the course syllabus.
Deadline: By April 15 in the course's second semester, the exam portfolio must be complete.
New assessment
In the event of a fail, the student must sit a practical exam.
The new assessment is based on a practical/oral exam, consisting of prepared and unprepared tasks. The students' ability to actively apply the subject matter will be given great importance. The assessment is conducted by at least two internal examiners. Duration: about 20 minutes.