Arranging & Composition 1

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Artificial Intelligence and its Impact

Data Fluency

Elective 1

Human Experience and Behaviour

Psychology is the foundation for understanding users. This is integral to the user experience (UX) process which underpins the MAD core modules. In this module, students will learn how humans process information, how our personalities and motivations shape us, and how media and the people around us influence our emotions and behaviours. They will also learn basic concepts in secondary research to enrich their understanding of users, audiences, or stakeholders to create more effective ideas that appeal best to their users, audiences or stakeholders.

MAD Taster

Choose 2 out of 5 taster modules.

Musicianship & Performance 1

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Music Production Techniques 1

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

PlayLab

Creativity, as well as the ability to explore problems through transdisciplinary lens, are key skills needed to solve complex real-world issues. PlayLab aims to cultivate these skillsets, by getting students to understand how we can disrupt the thinking process, to trigger creative ideas, in a playful, purposeful and meaningful way. PlayLab is an interdisciplinary, studio-based project module that aims to teach students how to approach complex problems in a systematic yet creative way, through playful and creative problem solving. To further expand their scope in generating novel and innovative solutions, they will also be introduced to prototyping with technology. These skills will provide them with opportunities to arrive at solutions, from a holistic standpoint, beyond the parameters of their respective disciplines.

Principles of Design

Design plays a vital role in shaping and improving the user experience across all disciplines in the creative industry. It is a basic skillset that is core to the creation of effective animations, games, videos, marketing campaigns, etc that users interact with daily in the real-world. This module aims to cultivate these skillsets through the introduction of the basic principles of design. Students will engage in hands-on photography, digital imagining and illustration exercises to expose them to the importance of visual hierarchy and flow, colour theory, typography and other core design elements. They will undergo training to understand the importance of the design process from developing creative concepts, to sketching for communication and finally art directing effective designs for their users across various platforms.

Production Workshop 1

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

Story Craft

Stories are the most powerful way to communicate. A good story captures our attention, makes us feel, shapes the way we think and even influences our actions. Telling a good story is essential in the media and creative industry whether you choose to be a writer or a journalist, a games developer or a designer, a brand specialist or an animated content creator. Through the study of storytelling, students will recognise the power of story in connecting people and shaping the way we see the world. They will learn key concepts from ideation to character development, story world building and narrative structure. They will examine themes and create original stories that will resonate with a target audience. They will learn tools in video storytelling. Ultimately, students will present their story in the form of a media product using audio visual technology.

Thinking Critically about the UN SDG

Arranging & Composition 2

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Arranging & Composition 3

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Creative Entrepreneurship

This module will equip students in the creative profession with a mind-set and toolkit of skills and competencies to identify entrepreneurial opportunities that align with their creative skills and aspirations. With an emphasis on learning from practice, students will work in teams driven by creativity to package, pitch and deliver innovative solutions to the market. Prior experience in entrepreneurship – or even a desire to become an entrepreneur in the future – are not required or expected. Reflecting on their experiences will form the centrepiece for their learning in the module. Gathering from what they have learned in the programme, students will then chart their pathways in the Creative industry.

Elective 2

MAD Studio Project

The MAD Studio Project aims to build on the interdisciplinary practices taught in PlayLab in order to further develop students’ ability to understand issues through research, and craft interventions to shape behaviour. Students will work in mixed groups and take on complex, real-world industry projects. They will draw on the domain knowledge and skills from their own tracks, as well as those of their peers from other tracks, in order to gain a deeper understanding of an issue, synthesize their learning and create innovations to meet the challenges. This module is a facilitated time and space for students to explore across the disciplines of creative perspectives, including in research and design, problem-solving and communication of ideas. The teaching facilitation will also embrace the design inquiry cycle that enables learners to mind shift and lead into a convergence of viewpoints.

Musicianship & Performance 2

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Musicianship & Performance 3

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Music Production Techniques 2

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

Music Production Techniques 3

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

Persuasive Communication with Data Storytelling

Production Workshop 2

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

Production Workshop 3

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

The Business of Music

This module aims to equip students with strong fundamental knowledge of the music business as well as practical skills, allowing graduates to carve a viable career in music. This module will cover topics such as the organizational structure of the music industry, key players within the music industry, music publishing, digital distribution, Music PR as well as legal, ethical, functional and fiscal aspects of the music world. Students will also learn topics such as music entrepreneurship, marketing, building a strong ecosystem and other soft skills to ensure that students are able to keep up in the fast paced and ever changing digital music landscape.

Scoring for Visuals

This module aims to provide students with comprehensive, up-to-date and relevant information in the use of music to enhance visual. This module will expose students to various styles of music through the film and commercial medium and the associated technologies for music creation. Students are expected to apply composition techniques and sequencing techniques. The application of these related skills will help to expand creativity in producing their music for visuals.

Sustainable Innovation Project

Work in multi-disciplinary groups to apply the design thinking method and tools backed by research and qualitative data, to tackle local issues mapped to the UN SDGs. You will also tap on what you have learnt in the CCC modules that come before this module to create sustainable and innovative prototype solutions for real-life issues faced by a local community in need. In the process, you will develop empathy for the community you have identified for your project and a better understanding of yourselves.

Effective Writing for the Workplace

Elective 3

Ensemble Lab

Ensemble Lab is a laboratory for exploring ensemble interaction. Students will apply musical skills that they have learnt in years one and two to musical ensemble performance situations. Students will produce a number of live performances/performance videos of improvised and prestructured material.

Internship

This module aims to provide students with work exposure to an industrial environment, with opportunity to relate what is taught in the classroom to actual work situation. This module creates a valuable learning opportunity for students to sharpen their skills and knowledge, as well as contributing to the development tasks of participating organizations.

Personal Branding and Career Agility

Portfolio Development

Students plan and produce four contrasting works to be included in their professional portfolio. The projects showcase a variety of skills and knowledge that they have acquired during the course. Students are expected to present a proposal, arrange, compose, rehearse, record, and produce their own original work.

Show Production

To equip students with the ability to set-up, mix and run a ‘live’ show/concert. Students will be able to perform both FOH (Front of House) and monitor mixes and be able to handle the logistics, set-up, stage management, and running of a ‘live’ show/concert.

Transdisciplinary Project

The TD Project/ Final-Year Project is an opportunity for students to integrate, apply and deepen the knowledge, skillsets and competencies (both technical and general) they have gained over the course of their study. Building on the skills taught in PlayLab and the MAD Studio Project, students will work in mixed groups to tackle complex real-world issues through industry projects. They will learn how to research and generate new, innovative solutions that go beyond a single domain, while considering other factors such as meeting a business-end, dealing with resource constraints, as well as taking advantage of social, cultural and economic trends. They will also learn how to communicate with their stakeholders and manage a project. By the end of this module, students will deepen their skills in acquiring and synthesising knowledge from across disciplines and develop resilience and an entrepreneurial spirit in tackling complex problems.