Competences developed in the course

Transversal Competencies

CT3: Solve problems and make decisions that respond to the objectives of the work being carried out.

CT13: Strive for excellence and quality in professional practice.

CT15: Work independently and value the importance of initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit in professional practice.

CT17: Contribute, through professional activity, to raising social awareness of the importance of cultural heritage, its impact across different fields, and its capacity to generate meaningful values.

General Competencies

CG1: Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical principles of music and develop the skills required to recognize, understand, and memorize musical material.

CG8: Apply the most appropriate working methods to overcome challenges arising in individual study and collective musical practice.

CG9: Understand the characteristics of the principal instrument in relation to its construction and acoustics, historical development, and interactions with other disciplines.

CG17: Be familiar with different musical styles and practices, enabling an understanding of one’s own field of activity within a broader cultural context and enriching it.

CG24: Develop the ability for lifelong self-directed learning throughout one’s professional career.

CG25: Know and be able to apply study and research methodologies that support the continuous development and innovation of musical practice throughout one’s career.

CG26: Be able to relate one’s musical activity to other scientific and humanistic disciplines, to the arts in general, and to other musical disciplines in particular, thereby enriching professional practice through a multidisciplinary perspective.

Specific Competencies

IN4: Express oneself musically through the instrument/voice, based on thorough knowledge and mastery of instrumental and bodily technique, as well as of acoustic, organological, and stylistic characteristics.

IN5: Communicate musical structures, ideas, and materials rigorously as a performer.

IN6: Articulate and express informed views on musical performance and address the challenge of facilitating the audience’s understanding of the musical work.

Learning outcomes (general objectives)

1. Broaden musical and professional horizons and complement overall training through familiarity with an instrument.
2. Develop versatility, adaptability to a variety of situations, and the capacity for lifelong self-learning.
3. Assimilate and apply in practice the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological elements specific to the music associated with the chosen instrument, while deepening understanding of its specific performance practices.
4. Where the instrument is harmonic, use it as a tool for formal, aesthetic, and harmonic study, as well as for creating original arrangements and compositions.
5. Use improvisation, whether free or based on historical styles, as a valuable means of expression in a wide range of musical contexts.
6. Deepen understanding of historical styles and develop instrumental and musical versatility through improvisation.
7. Apply knowledge of harmony to improvisation and accompaniment, fostering the productive interaction of these elements.
8. Perform improvised basso continuo accompaniment in ensembles of different sizes and configurations, covering repertoires from different styles and periods while applying appropriate historical performance practices.
9. Develop versatility, spontaneity, and coordination skills with other performers through improvisation.
10. Explain the tuning issues associated with early music and the differences between historical temperament systems.
11. Tune instruments requiring adjustment appropriately before each performance.
12. Perform with accurate intonation using both the voice and instruments with variable pitch.
13. Expand knowledge of the relevant historical period, particularly its most significant repertoire, in both historical and modern editions.
14. Place a work within its stylistic or historical context by recognizing its compositional, stylistic, and formal features and drawing well-founded conclusions.
15. Develop sound criteria and a broad perspective for programming diverse repertoires according to the characteristics of a given musical context.

Contents

Instrument-specific characteristics and repertoire adapted to the needs of each student. Performance criteria applied to the instrument’s repertoire. Conceptual elements that vary according to the programme or academic context. Structural elements and fundamental principles of technique. Performance and communication techniques specific to the instrument within the relevant field, following an individualized curriculum. Applications of the relationship between the instrumental specialization and the musical field to the student’s principal study. Instrumental techniques applied to a comprehensive understanding of the specific musical field. Sight-reading. Improvisation criteria based on historical styles. Figured bass notation systems and continuo realization techniques adapted to different periods, styles, and schools. Historical sources on basso continuo practice. Application of criteria appropriate to the nature of the instrument and to a variety of practical situations in improvisation. Free improvisation based on historical basso ostinato patterns. Improvised realization of basso continuo on a harmonic or bass instrument (harpsichord, organ, harp, or plucked string instruments), applying appropriate historical and stylistic performance practices. Theory of temperaments. Acoustic, historical, and documentary foundations of temperament systems. Meantone temperaments. Closed-circle temperaments. Tuning keyboard and plucked string instruments in any historical temperament, whether meantone or closed-circle, without the use of a programmable electronic tuner. Historical and stylistic overview of the general repertoire of the relevant period across different genres and instrumental and vocal ensembles. Periodization of this repertoire. Parameters for historical and stylistic differentiation. Critical listening, analysis, and reading of works and performances from the relevant repertoire from a comprehensive perspective. Identification of works according to styles, historical periods, schools, and aesthetic trends.

Teaching methodology

The teaching and learning methodology in individual lessons involves continuous monitoring of the student’s progress. Independent work consists of studying and preparing the repertoire to be worked on during lessons.

The teaching and learning methodology in semi-group lessons is based primarily on individual and ensemble music-making. Independent work consists of personal study and practice.

Assessment systems

The assessment system is based on continuous assessment, founded on an initial diagnostic assessment and culminating in a summative assessment that determines the final grade.

Continuous assessment is carried out through a range of assessment instruments derived from specific assessment activities, including progress demonstrated during lessons and participation in auditions or concerts.