Course coordinator
Dr Mary Broughton
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Music School
Understanding human psychology—how we think, feel, and behave—can help you to perfect your work as a music professional. Through this course, you will discover the psychological basis for the most effective musical practice and performance, in order to have a significant, positive effect on audiences. You will learn what makes an effective studio teacher in order to have the greatest impact on student motivation, learning, and engagement. You will learn how you can use your musical skills and knowledge to create meaningful musical events and experiences that will have a powerful effect on the well-being of others in various contexts. Learning through active and work-relevant tasks will help you to hone and elevate your professional skills and knowledge.
This course is designed for music professionals to develop an understanding of human psychology as it applies to work as a music professional.
Through a modular design, the course focusses on key areas of musicians' professional practiceﾠ- teaching, performing and project work, and wellbeing.
You will engage with influential theory and pertinent research that applies to musical practice from psychological perspectives such as perception, learning and cognition, emotion, and social processes.
You willﾠdevelop your understanding of how psychology applies to musical practice through active learning and assessment tasks designed to enable you to connect your professional practice with your academic learning.ﾠ
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Hannah Harley
Tutor
Dr Mary Broughton
Ms Susan Moore
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course develops an understanding of psychology as it applies to the work of music professionals. You will learn how questions and assumptions relating to musical practices can be examinedﾠthrough the perspectives, theoretical lenses, and methods of psychological science.ﾠ
Through the course, you are introduced to empirical psychological research on music performance, teaching and learning, composition/creativity, audience/listener response, and wellbeing related to human engagement with music. You will develop an understanding of psychological concepts from relevant perspectives as applied to music, such as perception, learning and cognition, emotion, and social processes. Active learning experiences and assessments will assist you to learning and applying concepts to topics that are relevant to your professional music practice.ﾠ
This course provides you with foundational knowledge and skills to understand, reflect on, and develop and refine your practice as a music professional.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate an understanding of music from different psychological and socio-cultural perspectives.
LO2.
Demonstrate an ability to understand, critically evaluate, synthesise, and apply information and relevant research in the psychology of music domain.
LO3.
Demonstrate an ability to create, justify, present, and use evidence in critical reflection on a project relevant to musical professional practice and the psychology of music domain.
LO4.
Demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively and effectively with others towards project goals.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Online Quizzes
|
30% |
3/03/2025 - 30/05/2025
The online quizzes occur weekly, from Weeks 2-13 (excluding the School of Music Project Week). |
| Project | Literature Review & Project Plan | 35% |
2/04/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation | Presentation | 20% |
12/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Presentations will take place during Weeks 11 & 12 of the semester. A schedule will be posted via Blackboard. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Report & Reflection on Project & Presentation | 15% |
9/06/2025 5:00 pm |
Assessment details
Online Quizzes
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
3/03/2025 - 30/05/2025
The online quizzes occur weekly, from Weeks 2-13 (excluding the School of Music Project Week).
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
The online quizzes will take place at the start of Tutorials from Weeks 2-13. The questions in the quizzes are based on the previous week's course topic (including pre-readings, lecture, and tutorial content). For example, the Online Quiz in Week 3 will test knowledge from Week 2 on the topic Teaching and Learning in the Music Studio.
The quizzes will include multiple-choice questions and a short answer question.
The multiple-choice questions test your knowledge and understanding of course content. The short answer questions assess your ability to apply a particular concept or theory to different situations or individual experiences.
Each quiz is worth 3 marks and will be open for 10 minutes.
Once all quizzes have been completed, these results will be aggregated to provide one overall result for the online quizzes.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Online. Detailed instructions will be available on Blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension requests must be received on or before the due date. No extensions will be grated afterwards.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
The late submission penalty applies to each individual week. If you do not submit the quiz on time, you will receive no mark for that week.
Literature Review & Project Plan
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Project
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
2/04/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Students choose a topic that is relevant to work as a music professional (e.g. performance or teaching) and conduct a literature review of pertinent psychology of music research. Based on the literature review and using an action-reflection framework, students prepare a plan for a small-scale individual teaching-and-learning project related to a particular practice-relevant issue. Students will report on their project to peers in class through the Presentation assessment which follows. Time will be made to discuss the emerging project plans during the scheduled lecture time.
Length
2,500 words (excluding reference list/annotated bibliography)
Structure
1. Introduction to the topic of choice: Explanation of your reason and rationale for choosing this topic area.
2. Literature review: Include at least 8 recent (e.g., within the last 10 years) high-quality journal articles or book chapters as references. These should be tightly relevant to your topic and aim for your planned presentation.
3. Project plan. Provide an overview of the individual project plan using an action-reflection framework. Provide a clear aim for the project, how you plan to achieve this, ethical considerations, as well as the limitations/scope of the planned project. In addition, include a plan to gather peer feedback to evaluate and reflect on your Presentation about your project in the subsequent assessment task. Consider the type of feedback data you wish to gather (e.g. qualitative or quantitative).
4. References and annotated bibliography (not included in the word count). Referencing style is APA 7th edition (in-text citations and reference list). The annotation following each reference must provide a summary and a critical evaluation of the scholarly source. The annotation for each article should be a single paragraph (e.g. 150-200 words). The citation and annotation is not included in the assessment word count length noted above.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI in each instance.
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Presentation
Use 12 pt Times New Roman font (or similar)
Use 1.5 line spacing
Margins must be 2.54cm (top, bottom, right, left)
For each assessment task, use an appropriate scholarly writing style and ensure that the material is appropriately referenced.
Submission guidelines
Submit the assignment via Turnitin by the due date.
All assignments submitted electronically need to have a receipt to prove the submission date and time. Without a receipt, the Course Coordinator will consider that your assignment hasﾠnotﾠbeen submitted. Students are advised to check their emails for this receipt andﾠto verify the successful submission of the assignment in Blackboard.ﾠStudents encountering technicalﾠdifficulties are advised to take screenshots of the issues encountered and contact the ITS Help Desk for support.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension requests must be received on or before the due date. No extensions will be granted afterwards.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
The reduction for late submission is 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24 hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Presentation
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
12/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Presentations will take place during Weeks 11 & 12 of the semester. A schedule will be posted via Blackboard.
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L04
Task description
Students prepare a 10 minute presentation of their small-scale individual teaching-and-learning project related to a particular practice-relevant issue based on their project plan. The aim of the presentation is to inform peers about a what they did, why, and what they discovered. Students will collect feedback from classmates for use in the subsequent assessment task (Report and Reflection) evaluating and reflecting on their project. Students should prepare supporting materials as appropriate for their presentation (e.g. PowerPoint slides, handouts, video material, etc.)
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Students give their presentation during class time as scheduled. Presentations will be recorded for marking purposes.
Submit any presentation supporting materials (e.g., PowerPoint slides) via the Blackboard course site 24hrs prior to the scheduled presentation.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension requests must be received on or before the due date. No extensions will be granted afterwards.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
The reduction for late submission is 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24 hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Report & Reflection on Project & Presentation
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
9/06/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L04
Task description
Students prepare a written report and reflection on their project and Presentation given to the class, incorporating the feedback from peers.
Assignment Length
1,000 words (excluding the reference list).
Assignment Structure
1. Summary of the purpose: Briefly state the purpose of the project on which you presented and the justification for choosing this topic area. Include relevant scholarly research to support your claims, as appropriate.
2. Report: Evaluate your achievement of the project purpose and the effectiveness of your presentation using the feedback provided by peers. Include relevant scholarly research, as appropriate, to discuss your findings.
3. Critical reflection: Critically reflect on your project and presentation. Use the readings provided via Blackboard to theoretically frame your critical reflection.
4. References. APA 7th edition style (in-text citations and reference list).
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Report Formatting and Presentation
Referencing style must use the APA system 7th edition style guide (in-text citation and reference list).
Use 12 pt Times New Roman font (or similar)
Use 1.5 line spacing
Margins must be 2.54cm (top, bottom, right, left)
For each assessment task, use an appropriate scholarly writing style and ensure that material is appropriately referenced.
Submission guidelines
Submit the assignment via Turnitin by the due date.
All assignments submitted electronically need to have a receipt to prove the submission date and time. Without a receipt, the Course Coordinator will consider that your assignment hasﾠnotﾠbeen submitted. Students are advised to check their emails for this receipt andﾠto verify the successful submission of the assignment in Blackboard.ﾠStudents encountering technical difficulties are advised to take screenshots of the issues encountered and contact the ITS Help Desk for support.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension requests must be received on or before the due date. No extensions will be granted afterwards.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
The reduction for late submission is 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24 hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to satisfy all of the basic requirements. Responses to assessment tasks do not demonstrate understanding of course content and submissions do not meet minimal expectations for scholarly communication and length. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to satisfy most of the basic requirements. Responses to assessment tasks demonstrate very limited and/or faulty understanding of course content; lack required length, and reveal very limited awareness of scholarly communication and referencing skills. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Fails to satisfy some of the basic requirements. Responses to assessment tasks reveal less than adequate understanding of basic concepts; limited and/or faulty integration of ideas and multiple errors in application of scholarly communication and referencingﾠskills. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Satisfies all of the basic requirements.ﾠResponses to assessment tasks reveal adequate understanding of basic concepts; coherent integration of a range of relevant ideas to address the topic; and few errors inﾠapplication of scholarly communication and referencing skills. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Responses to assessment tasks demonstrate: understanding of key concepts and their interrelationships; awareness of related issues; analysis, synthesis and application of relevant information to address the topic; and appropriate use of scholarly communication and referencing skills with minimal errors. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Responses to assessment tasks demonstrate: comprehensive and deep understanding of course content and insight into relevant issues and problems; use of critical analysis and synthesis of a range of pertinent ideas in addressing the topic; and very effective use of scholarly communication and referencing skills. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Responses to assessment tasks demonstrate: deep, comprehensive, and complex understanding of course content, and its application in varied contexts; insight into related issues and problems, and critical,ﾠcreative and effective ways of addressing these; sophisticated use of scholarly communication and referencing skills. |
Additional course grading information
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
All assignments submitted electronically need to have a receipt to prove submission date and time. Without a receipt the Course Coordinator will consider that your assignment hasﾠnotﾠbeen submitted. Students are advised to check their emails for this receipt andﾠto verify the successful submission of the assignment in Blackboard.ﾠStudents encountering technicalﾠdifficulties are advised to take screenshots of the issues encountered and contact the ITS Help Desk for support.
For Written Assessment Tasks:
- Use an appropriate scholarly style in written and spoken communication.
- Ensure that material is appropriately referenced.ﾠReferencing style must be APA, 7th edition (in-text citation and reference list).
- You must submit written assessment electronically via Turnitin using the assignment link on the course website. By submitting your assignment, you are certifying that it is your original work and that it has not been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at university (unless resubmission is part of the requirements for the course assessment).
- If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you complete the university’s academic integrity module before you submit your assignment. The module can be found at:ﾠhttps://www.uq.edu.au/integrity
- ALWAYS keep a copy of your submitted assignment, as well as drafts in English showing your progress
For the Online Quizzes:
ALWAYS keep a copy of your answers to each question inﾠcase technology fails.ﾠStudents encountering technicalﾠdifficulties are advised to take screenshots of the issues encountered and contact the ITS Help Desk for support.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Students should consult scholarly journals in the discipline on a regular basis. These include but are not limited to:
Psychology of Music
Musicae Scientiae
Music Perception
Empirical Musicology Review
Psychomusicology
Music Performance Research
Frontiers in Psychologyﾠ
Music and Science
British Journal of Music Education
International Journal of Community Music
International Journal of Music Education
Music Education Research
Research Studies in Music Education
There are many other journals beyond music that publish psychology of music research, such as the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being andﾠNature.
Internet Websites
Australian Music and Psychology Society (AMPS): http://www.ampsociety.org.au/
Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC): http://www.musicperception.org/
European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM): http://www.escom.org/
The Asia-Pacific Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (APSCOM): https://apscom.weebly.com/about.html
Music acoustic basics - an excellent website by Joe Wolfe and his team at UNSW: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/basics.html
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lecture Series Topics will include:
There will be no lectures during the School of Music Project Week. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Series Topics match each lecture topic, including:
There will be no tutorials in the School of Music Project Week. Student presentations will be held during tutorial time in Weeks 11 and 12. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Additional learning activity information
Lectures
Lectures are delivered asynchronously as videos that are available on Blackboard.
Tutorials
Tutorials are delivered as synchronous, face-to-face sessions. Tutorials include active learning experiences to consolidate learning and assist in preparing for assessment items. Attendance is expected at tutorials, which are not recorded.
Active Learning
Students are expected to complete the pre-readings and watch the lecture recording before attending the weekly tutorial session. Tutorials are designed to build on students' knowledge of course content from independent work before attending the weekly face-to-face tutorial session. Weekly tutorial sessions support student understanding of course content and preparation for assessment through active learning experiences. Engagement and contribution of thoughts and ideas in tutorials is expected in this course. Messages relating to the course and responses to common student queries will also be included in tutorials.
Blackboard Website
Additional learning resources, important announcements, and information and resources relating to assignments are included on the Blackboard website. It is imperative that students access the course information on the Blackboard website at least twice a week.
Guest Lecturers
The course may have guest lecturers (to be announced).
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:
- Health and Wellbeing for Musicians