GES1020 / SSY2223

WESTERN MUSIC WITHIN A

SINGAPOREAN CONTEXT

Module Handbook
Semester 2 2016/2017

Module Leader and Tutor

Dr Marc Rochester
(Email: musmar@nus.edu.sg)
Telephone: 65162501
Office: Part-Time Academic Faculty Office, 3rd Floor, Yong
Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore
3 Conservatory Drive
Singapore 117376
Office Hours: Mon-Wed/Fri 8.30am-5.00pm

Contents
Introduction 3

Module Aims 3

Module Description 3

Teaching Methods 4

Indicative Syllabus 4

Assessment Outlines and Grading Procedures 5

Deadlines 6

Fieldwork Projects 7

Essay Projects 8

Resources 9

2
Introduction

This handbook gives details of the nature of the module, including its syllabus, learning
outcomes, agenda and assessment. It is not intended to be a replacement for lectures or
learning materials. You will need to attend class and access the module page on IVLE regularly
to keep up to date with course materials.

Module Aims

This module was created in order to further understanding of the role Western (Classical)
Music plays within Singapore society and how Singapore society adjusts Western Music to
increase its relevance to the local community.

There have been occasional studies looking at the cultural life of Singapore, but this is the first
time the focus has been exclusively on Western Music in Singapore and, as a result, much of
this module is intended more as a Journey of Collective Discovery than a simple presentation of
established facts and accepted opinions. Students are actively encouraged to formulate their
own opinions through both personal observation and research, prompted by specific tasks
undertaken as an integral part of the module, and through absorbing information delivered in the
formal weekly lectures.

By the end of the module, students should have developed a deeper understanding of
Singapores cultural environment.

Module Description

This module investigates the place of the Western Classical music tradition within the cultural
life of Singapore. It assesses the impact of majority cultures (particularly from the Chinese,
Malay and Indian communities) on the general reception of Western music, as well as on music
written by Singapore-born and/or based composers. Students will be introduced to the principal
figures in Singapores musical development and to the key venues where musical activity is
actively promoted. The module will also chart the growth of music education in Singapore, both
in the national schooling system as well as in private institutions and tertiary academies, and will
look at the role the graded music examination system has had on the development of
Singapores musical consciousness.

3
Teaching Methods

Three hours are set aside for weekly lectures and tutorial sessions. Formal lectures usually
take up 90 minutes of that time, followed by 30 minutes of informal discussion on topics raised.
The remaining 60 minutes are set aside for tutorial sessions involving presentations from figures
involved in the local musical scene. Additional online tutorial sessions are arranged throughout
the module. Students are expected to attend the entirety of each lecture, but only those
tutorials where presentations are scheduled (details to be made available during the semester).

Lecture notes, in the form of the PowerPoint presentation given at each lecture, are available
online for the duration of the module, and from time to time relevant documents are also made
available on the Module page of IVLE. Written work undertaken by students should also be
uploaded to the Student Submission folder open at specific times on IVLE.

Indicative Syllabus

Week 1 (Jan 10/11/13): Introduction and Definitions Fieldwork Groupings arranged

Week 2 (Jan 17/18/20): Singaporean Characteristics in a Musical Activity

Week 3 (Jan 24/25/27): The Concert-Going Culture in Singapore

Week 4: (Feb 1/2/4): Graded Music Examinations

Week 5: (Feb 7/8/10): Fieldwork Presentations

Week 6 (Feb 14/15/17): Discussion on Presentation issues

- Mid-Semester Break

Week 7 (Feb 28/Mar 1/3): The History of Concerts in Singapore

Week 8 (Mar 7/8/10) GUEST LECTURE: Singapore Ensembles (with Assoc. Prof Chan Tze
Law)

Week 9 (Mar 14/15/17): GUEST LECTURE: The Creative Mentality: Striving for a Singapore
Sound (with Assoc. Prof Ho Chee Kong)

Week 10 (Mar 21/22/24): Governmental Involvement in Music and Music Education

Week 11 (Mar 28/29/31): FIELD TRIP Visit to Victoria Concert Hall

Week 12 (Apr 4/5/7): Singapore Musicians on the World Stage

Week 13 (Apr 11/12/14): Class Discussion and Module Summary

4
Assessment Outline and Grading Procedures

Assessment will be through the following;

Attendance & Participation (25%)

o Attendance is assessed through students signing into lectures throughout the

module. It is the students own responsibility to sign the attendance sheet on arrival
at the lecture theatre students will not be allowed to retrospectively add their
names to this sheet.

o Participation is largely assessed through the final class discussion in weeks 12 and
13

Field Work (25%) - Survey of concert audiences OR music teachers in Singapore

Essays (50%)

o Essay 1 (500 words) - detailed study of a Singaporean-based ensemble specialising

in the performance of Western Music

o Essay 2 (750 words) - Personal assessment of Singapore's musical presence on the

world stage.

Gradings and, where relevant, comments for each individual element will be made available on
the IVLE Module Gradebook. These gradings refer ONLY to the specific assignment and are
largely created by a hierarchical assessment of the totality of submitted work by the student
body; they should NOT be read as indicative of a final grading for the module as a whole.

Students who submit work which is rejected (E grade) will have the opportunity to re-submit
under certain conditions (including a 25% penalty), while those who receive an F grade will be
invited to resubmit their essay at the end of the module.

Students may appeal against a grading if they feel the comments are unfair or the grading is
incorrect, but may not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES re-submit work which has already
received a pass grading.

5
Deadlines

7/8/10 February

Field Work Option 1). During the first four weeks of the semester students will need to attend
FOUR concerts, at least two of which must have taken place in Singapore. They will undertake
research into audience behaviour and expectations through general observations and face-to-
face interviews.

Field Work Option 2). Alternatively, students can visit FOUR educational establishments
(including at least one general school and one private music studio): a request letter from the
Module Tutor can be obtained if necessary. On these visits students should observe
teaching methods and survey music teachers by means of face-to-face interviews.

The results of this work should be delivered as a verbal presentation (with visual support
materials) in Week 6.

17 February

Submission of Fieldwork diaries in hard copy or by email directly to the Module Coordinator

18 March

Essay No.1. Students should select an appropriate ensemble to research for the First Essay
which needs to be submitted by 22.00 on Saturday 18th March.

2 April

Essay No.2. Students must submit the written work by 22.00 on Sunday 2nd April.

4/5/7 April

All students will be expected to participate in a class discussion covering six key aspects of the
module.

All deadlines will be strictly observed and no late submissions will be entertained for whatever
reason. You are urged to submit work early and not leave it until a few minutes before the
deadline. Electronic breakdowns and computer crashes cannot be used as a means to request
a late submission; where this happens, students should submit a screen shot or other
documentary proof which will be considered only in the final assessment for the module. No
submissions via email or hard copy will be accepted.

6
Field Work Projects

Students should form themselves into groups of between 4 and 8 people in order to undertake
this research and prepare in-class presentations in which they reveal the results of their
research work. They are encouraged to present their findings in as objective a way as they can
in class presentations which are invited to employ audio and/or visual displays.

Each individual student must create a diary or document detailing the specific concerts attended
(or educational establishments vested) and describe the methodology they have adopted in
undertaking this task. This should include specific details of hours involved in undertaking the
fieldwork and in preparing the presentation. This diary is a PERSONAL statement and must be
submitted without reference to the work undertaken by other members of the group.

The class presentation will form around 80% of the assessment for this project, and will be as
much on the quality of the presentation as on its content. Not all members of the group are
expected to participate physically in the presentation, and the group will be given a corporate
grading. The remaining 20% will be an individual marking derived from the evidence of
involvement and interest revealed in the individual diaries.

Audience Behaviour This is intended to identify characteristics which are indicative of a

particular approach common to Singaporean audiences, which may or may not differ from those
elsewhere. Students who can compare local audiences with those overseas are encouraged to
draw on this knowledge, but only specific concerts detailed in the diary can be used as a valid
basis for any conclusions reached. Through observation, interaction and one-to-one and group
discussion/interviews with audience members, students should devise a systematic approach to
recording the behavioural aspects of audiences in Singapore. Such elements as dress, prior
knowledge of music, involvement with other audience members, attention to performance,
interest in written materials provided to concert-goers, attention to irrelevant media (ie
handphones) could be used as a guide, but the more imaginative the approach to gathering
relevant material, the better the grading for the project.

Teaching Methods This is intended to identify the ways in which teachers in Singapore
address their task. By observation of teaching and discussion with teachers, pupils and
parents, students should be able to identify common characteristics within the music education
community which may indicate a peculiarly Singaporean approach to the work. Use by teachers
of resources, especially (but not exclusively) electronic and digital ones, as well as focus on
motor skills, listening skills and reading skills, should form a significant element of this work.

7
Essay Projects

Although drawing on information delivered during lectures as well as on written and published
materials unearthed by the student, each essay involves a considerable amount of personal
research, and their grading will be largely based on the quantity of individual research
undertaken.

The first essay is essentially an OBJECTIVE study of an ensemble which regularly performs
Western Music in Singapore, and should involve a factual account of its history and current
composition, as well as some assessment of its relevance to the local community and its place
within Singapores cultural life. Students should ensure their chosen ensemble meets the
criteria of the module, and gradings will be reduced if the essay moves outside the context of a
Singapore-based ensemble performing Western Music (within the definition outlined in Lecture
1). Students are expected to use recognised referencing systems and to present their essay
according to accepted academic procedures.

The second essay is more SUBJECTIVE. Students are expected to offer a personal
assessment of the place of Western Music in Singapore within the current International Context.
The topic chosen should address this issue directly, although it can look at it as Singapore
addressing the global market or as Singapore attracting attention from the international musical
community. Grading will depend largely on the students ability coherently to draw conclusions
from the information given and absorbed throughout the module. Referencing is not expected,
although a bibliography giving an indication of the breadth and scope of research is essential.

In both essays, students must devise their own original title, and may not simply restate the
assignment brief. Grading criteria specific to each essay will be explained in lectures.

8
Resources

Specific published materials relevant to this module;

Ho, C. K., and Zubillaga-Pow, J., Singapore Soundscape Musical Renaissance of a Global
City (2014) Singapore: National Library Board, 2014

National Arts Council (2014) Singapore Cultural Statistics 2014 Singapore: MCCY:
www.nac.gov.sg/docs/statisticspdf/mccy_culturalstats2014.pdf

Singapore Government (2015) Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Available at:
www.mccy.gov.sg (Accessed: 18 July 2015).

Dairianathan, E., Phan, M. Y., (2005) A Narrative History of Music in Singapore 1819 to the
Present.. National Institutes of Education. Singapore [Online]. Available at
https://repository.nie.edu.sg (Accessed: 2nd September 2013)

Lee, T. S. (2000) 'Singapore', in Sadie, S., Tyrell, J. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Music
and Musicians. New York: Macmillan, Vol.23 pp. 421-423.

Lee, T. S. (1998) Singapore, in Miller, T. E., Williams, S. (ed.) The Garland Encyclopaedia of
World Music. London: Garland, Vol.4 pp.518-525.