Erasmushogeschool Brussel
Nijverheidskaai 170, B-1070 BRUSSEL
Tel. 02 523 37 37 - Fax 02 523 37 57
info@ehb.be
MUZ11MUZ-GES-1-JAZZ - History of Music 1 Jazz38485/4516/2526/1/11
Study guide

MUZ11MUZ-GES-1-JAZZ - History of Music 1 Jazz

38485/4516/2526/1/11
Academic year 2025-26
Is found in:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music, programme stage 1
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music
This is a single course unit.
Study load: 5 credits
Weight: 5,00
Total study time: 180,00 hours
Possible deadlines for learning account: 30.11.2025 (Course takes place from beginning until end of academic year)
Nature: General mandatory course
Co-ordinator: Heyman Matthias (dut,eng)
Language course: No
Languages: Dutch, English
Scheduled for: Academic Year
This course unit is marked out of 20 (rounded to an integer).
Re-sit exam: is possible.
Possibility of tolerance: A result of less than 8/20 is not tolerablefor this course unit.
Preservability: The result of this course unit is preservable according to the terms of the program you are enrolled for.

Course Content

The course comprises a total of twenty lectures combined with occasional individual at-home tasks and self-study.

Music History 1 – Jazz aims to introduce students to the history of jazz and related musical genres from the late nineteenth century to the early 21st century. The emphasis is mainly on jazz styles that have historically emerged from the United States.

The course offers a chronological, historical overview, focusing on representative key (sub)styles, performers and musical works, typically recordings, that help place the musical style in question in a broad context. Thus, in addition to the musical impact of the performers and their work, the aesthetic, emotional, social, cultural, political, economic and technological influence is discussed, whenever relevant.

In this way, the student not only gains historical understanding of jazz and related genres, but also learns to understand, describe, criticize and, hopefully, appreciate it from both a musical and social perspective.

Type of Teaching

Education with personal contact
Lab30,00 hours
Lecture30,00 hours
Preparation for the course
Course preparation60,00 hours
Self-study
Coached study60,00 hours

Course Objectives

By means of artistic and scientific sources adapted to the educational level and music examples from the relevant repertoire (LO 3-5), the student progressively masters the knowledge and skills necessary for the chosen musical specialisation.

The student constructs under supervision from an authentic and well-founded artistic vision a fully-fledged artistic product and communicates efficiently about it. They reflects from a critical-artistic attitude and with attention to lifelong professional growth on his/her own work in relation to the music world and the broad socio-cultural context (LO 12-13).

Evaluation

Evaluation(s) for first exam chance
MomentForm%Remark
Exam period JunePaper40,00(see syllabus/study guide on Canvas for concrete information.)
Exam period JuneWritten evaluation60,00Written (closed book) exam (12 May 2025 – theory & practice). The student has 90 minutes to finish the exam. Once passed, the student doesn’t need to retake the exam. Re-examinations are possible based on the same program.
The exam contains several components:

practice:
style identification based on (aural) musical excerpt: name of (sub)style
style identification based on (written) score excerpt: name of (sub)style
canon identification based on musical excerpt from essential listening: title, name of artist, name of album (when applicable)

theory:
true/false with guess correction
multiple choice with guess correction
terminology: definition, synonym or in own words
knowledge question based on information shared in class, the course text, or the academic literature
insight question based on combining insights from various chapters
bonus question for extra points

Exact dates linked to people and recordings/albums aren’t to be known unless specified. Personnel of recordings/albums aren’t to be known unless specified.

Course Material(s): Mandatory

  • study guide
  • course text (complete)
  • slides (per chapter)
  • reading material (one academic article)
  • Spotify playlist: excerpts played in class
  • Spotify playlist: Core canon (listed in course text and embedded in Spotify playlist)
  • own notes (if need be)

Prerequisites

CodeDescriptionLevel
ESOFinal attainment level: secundary educationIntroductory

Acquired competences

CodeDescriptionLevelCategory
BMUZJLM_LO03LO3: Style insight The Bachelor graduate shows that he/she has the required style knowledge.IntroductoryDLR,SWT
BMUZJLM_LO04LO4: Musical language control and integration The Bachelor graduate shows that he/she has insight into different musical parameters, names them and uses them in his/her own performance practice. Theoretic and cultural knowledge is applied in practice.IntroductoryDLR,SWT
BMUZJLM_LO05LO5: Artistic research skills The bachelor in music applies methods and technics regarding artistic research on a starting level. He/she collects and processes information, sees changing contexts, develops ideas and acts in a problem solving way.IntroductoryDLR,SWT
BMUZJLM_LO12_25-26LO12: Socio-cultural position The bachelor in Music can reflect and communicate about his/her place in society and the international artistic scene, from an artistic and critical-reflective position. He/she can thereby place his/her practical and theoretical knowledge within a cultural context and is able to function within an intercultural environment.IntroductoryDLR,SWT
BMUZJLM_LO13LO13: Continuous artistic development The bachelor in music can explain the importance of developing him/herself continuously as an artist.IntroductoryDLR,SWT

Course Sequence

There are no prerequisites for this course.