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Study Composition at Otago

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    A comprehensive training in Composition (including Music Technology and Song-Writing) for students at all levels of study.

    Broad-ranging in content, composition offers students training in many forms of musical creativity and music style.

    In the first year of study, students may specialise in one area or mix different interests, such as Classical Music or Popular Music. In the following years, opportunities are made available for specialisation in writing for other media such as film, dance, television or theatre.

    There are no minimum entry requirements for the first-year composition papers, although students with little or no music reading ability are strongly encouraged to up-skill in the first semester through the paper MUSI 191 Introduction to Music.

    Students who complete the 36 point third-year paper MUSI 331 Composition Projects can choose to have their Bachelor of Music (MusB) degree endorsed in composition.

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    Requirements

    MUSI papers

    Paper Code Year Title Points Teaching period
    MUSI101 2024, 2025 Materials of Music 1 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI103 2024, 2025 Popular Music 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI104 2024, 2025 World Music 18 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 1
    MUSI105 2024, 2025 Music Matters in Human Life 18 points Semester 1, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI131 2024, 2025 Composition 1 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI132 2024, 2025 Music Production 1 18 points Semester 1, Semester 2
    MUSI135 2024, 2025 Songwriting 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI140 2024, 2025 Performance Studies 1 18 points Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
    MUSI141 2024 Performance 1 36 points Full Year
    MUSI143 2025 Instrumental or Vocal Performance 1 18 points Full Year
    MUSI144 2025 Music Ensemble 1 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI146 2024 Contemporary Music Performance 1 36 points Full Year
    MUSI191 2024, 2025 Introduction to Music 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI201 2024, 2025 Materials of Music 2 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI207 2025 Radical Works 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI223 2024 Classical Music 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI232 2024, 2025 Music Production 2 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI233 2024, 2025 Electronic Music Production 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI234 2024, 2025 Contemporary Composition 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI240 2024, 2025 Performance Studies 2 18 points Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
    MUSI241 2024 Performance 2 36 points Full Year
    MUSI243 2025 Instrumental or Vocal Performance 2 18 points Full Year
    MUSI244 2025 Music Ensemble 2 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI246 2024 Contemporary Music Performance 2 36 points Full Year
    MUSI249 2024, 2025 Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy: How to Teach Contemporary Voice 18 points Summer School, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI259 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Summer School, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI260 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI261 2024 Music and Visual Culture 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI265 2024 Music and Theatre 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI266 2024, 2025 Film Music 18 points Semester 1, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI267 2024, 2025 Music in Aotearoa 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI268 2024, 2025 Performance in Asia and the Pacific 18 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 2
    MUSI269 2024, 2025 Popular Music 2 18 points Semester 2, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI270 2024 David Bowie 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI301 2024 Materials of Music 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI307 2025 Radical Works (Advanced) 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI310 2025 Materials of Music 3 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI323 2024 Classical Music 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI331 2024, 2025 Composition Projects 36 points Full Year
    MUSI332 2024, 2025 Music Production 3 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI333 2024, 2025 Electronic Music Production (Advanced) 18 points Semester 1
    MUSI334 2024, 2025 Music Production Projects 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI340 2024, 2025 Performance Studies 3 18 points Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
    MUSI341 2024 Performance 3 36 points Full Year
    MUSI343 2025 Instrumental or Vocal Performance 3 36 points Full Year
    MUSI344 2025 Music Ensemble 3 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI346 2024 Contemporary Music Performance 3 36 points Full Year
    MUSI349 2024, 2025 Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy: How to Teach Contemporary Voice 18 points Summer School, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI361 2024 Music and Visual Culture 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI365 2024 Music and Theatre 18 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI366 2024, 2025 Film Music 18 points Semester 1, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI367 2024, 2025 Music in Aotearoa (Advanced) 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI368 2024, 2025 Performance in Asia and the Pacific 18 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 2
    MUSI369 2024, 2025 Popular Music 3 18 points Semester 2, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI371 2024, 2025 Research Methods and Approaches 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI375 2024, 2025 Music Performance Pedagogy 18 points Semester 2, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI379 2025 Performance, Health and Well-being 18 points Semester 2
    MUSI386 2024, 2025 Community Project 18 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 1
    MUSI401 2024 Materials of Music (Advanced) 20 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI407 2024 Radical Works 20 points Not offered in 2024
    MUSI431 2024 Composition Portfolio 60 points Full Year
    MUSI432 2024 Studio Production 60 points Full Year
    MUSI440 2025 Performance Studies 4 30 points Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
    MUSI441 2024 Performance 4 60 points Full Year
    MUSI442 2024 Repertoire Studies 20 points Full Year
    MUSI443 2025 Creative Project 60 points Full Year
    MUSI446 2024 Contemporary Music Practice 4 60 points Full Year
    MUSI471 2024, 2025 Research Methods and Approaches (Advanced) 20 points, 30 points Semester 2
    MUSI475 2024, 2025 Music Performance Pedagogy (Advanced) 20 points, 30 points Semester 2, Not offered in 2025
    MUSI479 2025 Performance, Health and Well-being (Advanced) 30 points Semester 2
    MUSI486 2024, 2025 Community Project (Advanced) 20 points, 30 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 1
    MUSI487 2025 Creative Practice 30 points Semester 2
    MUSI490 2024, 2025 Dissertation 40 points, 60 points Full Year
    MUSI590 2024, 2025 Research Dissertation 60 points 1st Non standard period (1 March 2024 - 21 February 2025), 2nd Non standard period (12 July 2024 - 4 July 2025), 1st Non standard period (28 February 2025 - 21 February 2026), 2nd Non standard period (11 July 2025 - 3 July 2026)

    Qualifications

    Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.

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          Email spa@otago.ac.nz
          Website  otago.ac.nz/performing-arts

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          Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.

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