Music and Climate

Situation / Context

The module has been running since 2022–23. It is a 5-ECTS course offered by the Music Department within the School of Creative Arts and is available to senior sophisters and visiting students. The student numbers are relatively low (c. 11–13), but this has played a key role in shaping the module’s teaching approach, assessment methods, and overall structure.

Task / Goal

I designed the module to explore various intersections between music and climate change. It focuses on three key areas: the music industry’s response to climate change (such as green initiatives at festivals and sustainable touring practices), musical representations of climate change over time (ranging from pop songs to experimental and classical works), and the industry’s long-term carbon footprint. The latter includes examining the environmental impact of physical media (plastics, rubber, etc.) and the energy demands of data centres powering streaming services.

Beyond fostering an understanding of eco-musicological principles and how composers engage with environmental issues, my goal was to equip students with industry-specific insights likely to be relevant to them should they pursue a music career. From an employability perspective, it helps students understand sustainability practices already in place and areas that are ripe for further research and development. Those interested in shaping sustainable practices—whether within the industry or at an individual level—will gain the knowledge base necessary to make more informed choices after taking the module.

Actions / Implementation

SDG’s - which ones did you cover, and have you followed the wedding cake approach?

While not devised with this intention, the module does embody some of the SDGs. Most explicitly, the module promotes SDG 4: Quality Education (belonging to the Society layer), particularly in regard to critical thinking and ethical considerations, by encouraging students to explore the role of music in societal change. This aligns with the aim of providing inclusive and equitable quality education that fosters lifelong learning opportunities. The module addresses SDG 13: Climate Action (part of the Biosphere layer). By analysing how music reflects and influences climate discourse, students gain a deeper understanding of environmental issues and the urgency of climate action. Lastly, as part of the Economy layer, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production is reflected in the module’s exploration of the environmental impacts of music production and consumption. This encourages students to consider sustainable practices within the music industry, promoting responsible consumption aligned with this goal. The wedding cake model applies insofar as the module demonstrates the interconnectedness of environmental, societal, and economic dimensions in the context of music and climate change.

ESD Competencies – which ones are embedded in the learning outcomes and how?

For reference:

• LO1. Understand ecocriticism and its applicability to music.
• LO2. Display a knowledge of the body of musicians and musical works addressing climate change.
• LO3. Grasp the ethical dilemmas surrounding the performance and consumption of music.
• LO4. Consider musicians’ responsibilities as activists and spokespeople.
• LO5. Relate modern musical expressions of climate consciousness to older traditions and practices.

The module integrates several key ESD competencies. Systems thinking is embedded through the application of ecocriticism (LO1), where students learn to analyse how music intersects with broader environmental, social, and economic systems. This competency is further reinforced by exploring the body of musicians and works addressing climate change (LO2 and LO5) and understanding how musical practices influence and are influenced by ecological systems. The module also supports anticipatory and normative competencies by challenging students to reflect on the ethical implications of their own music consumption and the sustainability of the music industry (LO3). In considering musicians’ activism (LO4), students are further encouraged to form values-based decisions around sustainability. Strategic competency is developed by evaluating sustainability strategies in music (e.g., carbon-neutral tours), while critical thinking competency is embedded in the analysis of music’s role in climate discourse and the effectiveness of musical activism (LO1, LO3, LO4).

Furthermore, self-awareness is promoted through reflections on personal habits (LO3) and engagement with music as a tool for activism (LO4). While not an explicit learning outcome, collaborative competency is encouraged through multiple Socratic seminars that occupy a significant portion of the lectures.

Teaching & Assessment Strategies – what was the teaching, learning and assessment strategy and how were students supported in completing the teaching, learning and assessment activity types?

Assessment of the module is as follows:

Assignment	Word count	Weighting	Due
Essay Topic	100	5%	Week 6
Presentation	N/A	20%	Week 8
Essay	1200	55%	Week 10
Viva	N/A	20%	Week 12

The essay topic selection in Week 6 provided an opportunity for students to define their research trajectory early. The presentation (Week 8, duration: 5 minutes + 1 minute Q&A) allowed students to articulate their findings concisely and practice effective communication skills, while the essay (Week 10) demanded sustained critical engagement with sustainability issues in music. Finally, the viva voce examination (Week 12) served as both a summative assessment and an opportunity for deeper engagement, challenging students to defend their arguments and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of their research. These methods encouraged deep engagement with module materials while allowing students to receive multiple rounds of feedback that could also work as feedforward for the next assessment component.

Students were supported comprehensively throughout the module. Detailed marking criteria ensured transparency, while guidance on essay writing, research methodologies, and academic referencing was readily available. Blackboard served as a hub for resources, including recommended readings, assessment guidelines, and academic writing aids. Regular peer discussions further scaffolded the learning process—the second hour of the lecture was typically given over to small-group discussions. Additionally, the viva format provided an opportunity for verbal reflection, encouraging students to refine their analytical skills and prepare for future academic or professional settings. In the context of AI, I considered it vital that orality be hardwired into the assessment methods.

Outcomes

What feedback, of value, did you receive from the students who attended the module?

Formal feedback for the module isn’t as comprehensive as one would like; response rates to Trinity’s module feedback form were low due to the vivas coinciding with the week the link was made available. One response received highlighted the importance of the class size and the value of the module to future studies:

The small class size facilitated great conversation, we were quickly comfortable with each other and I felt confident to speak up more than I might have in a larger group. The material was not overwhelmingly [sic] but gradually got more in depth throughout the term. Across the board, the provided materials were insightful, engaging, and helpful in determining which direction to take in my research in the latter half of term. Overall throughly [sic] enjoyed the class, I look forward to bringing these ideas into my further studies in […]. The instructor was integral in making this course what it was, I am glad Trinity made this available to international students!

Anecdotally, individual students have shared highly positive feedback with me. The sample size leaves a lot to be desired, but from informal post-lecture chats, students have found the module both useful and enjoyable, but also revelatory of the music industry’s complicity in various forms of environmental degradation.

How would you rate student engagement with the module?

I've found engagement with Music & Climate to be among the highest of all the modules I teach. Attendance is consistently at or near 100%, which I attribute to several factors. I suspect its placement in Hilary term of the students’ SS year means that it attracts individuals highly motivated to perform well. The module content is diverse enough to appeal to students with a wide range of interests and abilities.

Crucially, the small class size allows me to know each student by name and ensure that every individual can contribute to discussions. The class benefits enormously from students regularly engaging with peers they know well and feeling encouraged to participate with alacrity each week.

Some of the module’s content inspired rich debate. Statistics on how music listening affects climate change, like streaming often being less eco-friendly than physical media, sparked many alternative ideas. The students responded with creative solutions, indicating the discussion’s immediate impact on how they perceived their own carbon footprint vis-à-vis music consumption and performance. Currently, I have no measure of how lasting the impact on their thought processes or behaviour will be, but in class, one could certainly see high levels of engagement and enthusiasm.

How would you rate student learning from attending the module

Exceedingly high. In the 2022–23 iteration of the module, there was an extraordinary prevalence of first-class grades—well above what is typical for any other module I teach—despite the arguably more demanding level of assessment. The viva component introduced in 2023–24 allowed for more gradation. While many students continued to demonstrate exceptional understanding, the viva revealed gaps in critical thinking and adaptability that were not as apparent in the presentations and essay assessments alone. As a result, the distribution of first-class grades became more reflective of a nuanced evaluation, distinguishing those with deep, flexible comprehension from those who excelled primarily in structured, pre-prepared responses.

Reflections

I learned that there is an enormous appetite for modules discussing this topic in the Music department.

Something I would like to do differently is vary the structure of the lectures. The ESD module put participants in small groups to reflect on ethical dilemmas from the perspectives of different stakeholders (workers, policy developers, politicians, etc.) and rank order options for actions based on a particular scenario. I found it a very effective approach for exploring worldviews, assumptions, and biases, and is a mode of engagement I’m keen to adapt in the near future.

I was surprised at how au fait students were about this topic and had reflected on it already as consumers of music.

The main advantages of the teaching and learning strategy were that they overlapped with undergrad and postgrad dissertation/thesis writing, and had some bearing on job interviews and group interaction not uncommon in workplaces.

The big challenge was the fact that two of the assessment components (the presentation and the viva) were in-class tests. Even with small numbers, this type of assessment puts a strain on teaching time and can be difficult to accommodate. A very tight schedule has to be in place so that every minute counts. This combination of components wouldn’t be feasible in even a slightly larger class. For colleagues attempting something similar, I would at a minimum drop one of the in-class components, and potentially spread the remaining one across two or more weeks.