Stage One courses
Courses available at Stage I in 2026.
Degree planning
In the first year of the Bachelor of Music, students should enrol in:
Semester One:
- MUS 130
- MUS 199A
- General Education or Stage 1 elective
- One of the following depending on your specialisation:
- MUS 110 (Composition)
- MUS 120 (Performance)
- MUS 170 (Jazz)
- MUS 180 (Songcraft and Production)
- MUS 110 or MUS 180 (Music Education or Musicology)
Semester Two:
- MUS 125
- MUS 162
- MUS 199B
- General Education or Stage 1 elective
- One of the following depending on your specialisation:
- MUS 111(Composition)
- MUS 121 (Performance)
- MUS 171 (Jazz)
- MUS 181 (Songcraft and Production)
- MUS 111 or MUS 181 (Music Education or Musicology)
BMUS Conjoints
As a conjoint student, you need to plan your enrolments carefully to ensure you meet the requirements of both sides of the degree. It is suggested that BMus conjoint students enrol in courses as below in the first year of their degree. However, depending on the degree structure for the other half of your conjoint, some courses might need to be delayed until later on (for example, Engineering).
Semester One:
- MUS 130
- MUS 199A
- One of the following depending on your specialisation:
- MUS 110 (Composition)
- MUS 120 (Performance)
- MUS 170 (Jazz)
- MUS 180 (Songcraft and Production)
- MUS 110 or MUS 180 (Music Education or Musicology)
- Two courses from the other side of the conjoint
Semester Two:
- MUS 125
- MUS 162
- MUS 199B
- One of the following depending on your specialisation:
- MUS 111(Composition)
- MUS 121 (Performance)
- MUS 171 (Jazz)
- MUS 181 (Songcraft and Production)
- MUS 111 or MUS 181 (Music Education or Musicology)
- One courses from the other side of the conjoint
- The below list of course offerings includes all specialisation-specific and open-enrolment Stage One MUS offerings. Please review the 'Programme Restriction' section of each course for details on who can enrol.
- If you have any questions, contact the Student Hubs.
MUS 103 - Music Fundamentals
- Course prescription: A practical and theoretical overview of the fundamental written and aural skills required for music literacy. This course prepares students for MUS 104 and further university-level study and practice in music.
- Semester availability: Summer School
- Restriction: MUS 100, MUS 101, 104, 174, 184, 284
- Points: 15
MUS 104 - Music Literacies
- Course prescription: The development of music theory, aural skills and perception necessary to be an effective musician. The study of basic theory, harmony, analysis, aural perception and musicianship with exemplars from classical, jazz and popular music genres. Includes a choral performance component.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Prerequisite: MUS 103
- Points: 15
Note: This course is only available to students who started their Bachelor of Music degree in 2025 or prior.
MUS 110 - Composition Studio 1
- Course prescription: Foundational studies in music composition and sonic arts. Modular content includes: rhythm and meter, melody and harmony, structure and gesture, time and meter, synthesis and notation and repertoire study. Students may complete Composition 1 and Composition 2 in any order.
- Semester availability: Semester One
- Points: 15
MUS 111 - Composition Studio 2
- Course prescription: Foundational studies in music composition and sonic arts. Modular content includes: rhythm and form, timbre and texture, aesthetics and function, style and idea, material and manipulation, creative planning and processes and the composer in society. Students may complete Composition 1 and Composition 2 in any order.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Points: 15
MUS 120 - Performance Studio 1
- Course prescription: Individual lessons and performance classes on an approved instrument or voice. Students will also study corresponding theoretical concepts including intervals, rhythm, harmony and aural skills.
- Programme Restriction: Performance, Creative Practice: Classical
- Points: 15
Instrument workshops:
- W01C - Voice
- W02C - Piano
- W03C - String
- W04C - Brass and Wind
- W05C - Wind
- W00C - All other instruments
MUS 121 - Performance Studio 2
- Course prescription: Continuation of work undertaken in MUS 120. Students will continue studying corresponding theoretical concepts including intervals, rhythm, harmony and aural skills curriculum requirements.
- Semester availability: Semester One and Two
- Prerequisite: MUS 120
- Programme restriction: Performance, Creative Practice: Classical
- Points: 15
Instrument workshops:
- W01C - Voice
- W02C - Piano
- W03C - String
- W04C - Brass and Wind
- W05C - Wind
- W00C - All other instruments
MUS 125 - Music in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Course prescription: An introduction to the ways in which music is and has been situated in Aotearoa New Zealand, concentrating on the issue of music’s connection to place and the contexts of music composition and performance across classical genres, jazz and pop, contemporary and traditional Māori music (including taonga pūoro), and music from Asia and the Pacific region.
- Semester: Semester Two
- Restriction: MUS 143, MUS 343
- Points: 15
MUS 130 - Introduction to Music Technology
- Course prescription: An introduction to how we encounter music through systems of acoustics, technology and notation. Topics include: sound genesis, time and frequency, harmonics and harmony, musical perception, fundamentals of audio processing, microphones and recording, MIDI and basic editing, sound properties, notation, and spectrographic analysis.
- Semester: Semester One
- Points: 15
MUS 145 - Western Music Across the Centuries
- Course prescription: A comprehensive overview of the enormously rich repertory of Western music, from the beginnings of a literate tradition, through the classical giants, to the present day.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Prerequisite: MUS 125 or 143
- Points: 15
MUS 149 - Rock to Reggae: Tracking Popular Music in New Zealand
- Course prescription: An introduction to New Zealand’s home-grown popular music, from the 1950s to the present day. A broad range of musical styles will be considered and situated within various social contexts. The issue of cultural identity in music – at national and local levels – will also be explored.
- Points: 15
- Semester availability: Summer School, Semester One and Two
MUS 162 - Introduction to Music Teaching and Learning
- Course prescription: A conceptual and practical introduction to music teaching and learning in its various forms and contexts, including a range of foundational concepts and practices and a focus on developing critical awareness of contemporary music education issues in Aotearoa and elsewhere.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Restriction: MUS 160
- Points: 15
MUS 170 - Jazz Studio 1
- Course prescription: The development of instrumental technique, improvisational skills, theory and performance practice. This course includes one-to-one tuition and group-based improvisation classes on an approved instrument or voice.
- Semester availability: Semester One
- Programme restriction: Jazz, Creative Practice: Jazz
- Points: 15
MUS 171 - Jazz Studio 2
- Course prescription: Continuation of the work undertaken in MUS 170.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Prerequisite: MUS 170
- Programme restriction: Jazz, Creative Practice: Jazz
- Points: 15
MUS 180 - Songcraft and Production Studio 1
- Course prescription: Explores the fundamentals of songwriting and music production in a practical hands-on environment, giving students the tools to create and develop original songs. Students learn key techniques in lyric writing, melody, harmony, rhythm and arrangement, while gaining foundational skills in recording, editing and mixing with industry-standard software. Students will also analyse existing songs to examine successful songwriting and production techniques and will have opportunities to present and/or perform aspects of their coursework in workshop settings.
- Semester availability: Semester One
- Programme Restriction: Creative Practice: Popular Music, Songcraft and Production, Music Education, Musicology
- Points: 15
MUS 181 - Songcraft and Production Studio 1
- Course prescription: Builds on the skills developed in Songcraft and Production Studio 1, enhancing students’ songwriting and production abilities. Explores more advanced techniques in writing, production and arrangement. Students will analyse a wider variety of songs, applying insights from their analyses to their own songwriting and production work and will have opportunities to present and/or perform aspects of their coursework in workshop settings.
- Semester availability: Semester Two
- Prerequisite: MUS 180
- Programme restriction: Creative Practice: Popular Music, Songcraft and Production, Music Education, Musicology
- Points: 15
MUS 199A/B - Musicking
- Course prescription: The development of musical performance and collaboration skills through ensemble work.
- Semester availability: Semester One commencement only
- Restriction: MUS 190-197
- Points: 15 total (students must enrol in MUS 199A (7.5pts) and MUS 199B (7.5pts) as this is a double-semester course)