Syllabus for MUS 111 - Music Theory I

Gustavus Adolphus College
Department of Music

 

Outline:

 

Course Information
Assessment
Academic Honesty
Instructors
Course Expectations
Required Texts and Materials
Hour Examinations
Course Content
Final Examination
General Education Information
Tonic Sol-Fa Chart
Course Objectives
Grading
Student Outcomes
Late Assignments
  Finale Workbook
Course Topics and Assignments

 

COURSE INFORMATION FOR:

MUS 111: Music Theory I (.75 course) - FAM 304 - M,W, F

 This is a required course for all music majors and minors. The Music Department has established a minimum grade of C - as being required for all courses counting toward the major or minor in music. IF YOU ARE PURSUING A MUSIC MAJOR AND RECEIVE A GRADE FOR THEORY I, II, or III THAT IS LESS THAN A "C-," YOU SHALL NOT REGISTER FOR THE NEXT COURSE IN THE SEQUENCE BEFORE YOU RETAKE THAT COURSE AND RECEIVE A "C-" OR BETTER. If you proceed with a grade that is less than a C-, you will not be able to meet the requirements for the Music Major.

INSTRUCTORS:

 

Instructor Office
Rick Orpen FAM 207
Brandon Dean FAM 301
Chad Fothergill FAM 101
Ruth Lin FAM 208

Academic Assistant: Dan Olson

 

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

Texts:
Materials:
Free Staff Paper

Software: (not required; your Benward Workbook comes with a dedicated version of Finale)

The Benward-Saker text and workbook should be brought to class each MWF.
Bring your notebook every day.

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COURSE CONTENT:

This course deals with the materials and structures of tonal music: time, melody, harmony, and form.  Musical awareness and perceptions will be developed through theoretical knowledge and its application.

GENERAL EDUCATION INFORMATION:

This course deals systematically with developing the ability to visually analyze and aurally discriminate musical events.  Music theory addresses basic questions about the processes and techniques used in creating musical works and develops a sense for the criteria by which music is critiqued.  By examining the content and form of a variety of musical examples, the student will learn the basic guidelines of the craft of music and gain an appreciation for the qualities inherent in a piece of music and the role of imagination in the creative process.  The development of the skill of listening is an important part of the course, the goal being to develop an understanding of what is heard and how it relates to the "larger picture."

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COURSE OBJECTIVES:

STUDENT OUTCOMES (for MUS 111 and 112):

ASSESSMENT:

Students will demonstrate their level of competence in understanding and mastery of these outcomes through their regular homework assignments, possible pop quizzes, and written examinations.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Attendance:
You are expected to be at every class session barring highly unusual conflicts or illness. It is not likely that you will successfully complete the work required unless you attend class regularly and are on time.  If you must miss a class, notify the instructor in advance by email or call the instructor's office.  It is the responsibility of the student to ask the instructor for assignments which were missed due to an absence.  Excessive absence may result in lowering of the student's grade.
Required Work Outside of Class:
In addition to class time, students should plan to spend 5 hours outside of class completing the assignments.
 
It is expected that daily work will be done in each area.

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HOUR EXAMINATIONS:

 

 

Each hour examination in class will ordinarily be given only at the scheduled time.  Should you have an acceptable excuse, obtained in advance, for missing an examination, a make-up exam may be arranged with your instructor. Please see the Topics and Assignments schedule for the dates.

FINAL EXAMINATION:

The final examination will be given only at the scheduled time.  If for some reason you cannot take it at that time, a make-up examination will be given at the beginning of the next semester and a final grade will be submitted then.  Finals are given in the regular classroom. Please see the Topics and Assignments schedule for the date and time.
 

 

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GRADING:

 

Written Skills: Written Work (approx.)
300
Written Hour Examinations (3 @ 100 pts)
300
Final Examination
200
Total Points for the Semester (approx)
800

(some quizzes may be added to this total)

The student should maintain an up-to-date and accurate record of his/her point total. The instructor is willing to meet with students at any time to discuss grades and often meets individually with students at mid-term to discuss progress and grades.

 

The following chart will be used in determining letter grades:

 

possible points: 100 20 10
A 
95-100 
20
10
A- 
92-94 
19
B+ 
89-91
18
9
B 
83-88
17
B- 
80-82 
16
8
C+ 
77-79
C 
71-76
15
C- 
68-70
14
7
D+ 
65-67
13
D 
60-64
12
6
F 
0-59
0-11
0-5

 

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

Assignments which are one day late will receive a grade not higher than a C (75% of the possible grade), two days late - D, and three days late - F.  In addition, the work will be checked in the usual manner with point deductions from the C or D grade for errors.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

Matters concerning academic honesty in written work, reports, examinations, etc., will be managed by the faculty member in charge.  All violations must be reported to the Dean of the Faculty. Remember your Honor Code! “On my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, or tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid in completing this work.”

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS - Laurie Bickett (x6286)

“Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have a disability of any nature) and, as a result, need reasonable academic accommodation to participate in class, take tests or benefit from the College’s services, then you should speak with the Disability Services Coordinator, for a confidential discussion of your needs and appropriate plans. Course requirements cannot be waived, but reasonable accommodations may be provided based on disability documentation and course outcomes. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore, to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact Disability Services as early as possible. Disability Services (https://gustavus.edu/advising/disability/) is located in the Advising and Counseling Center.”

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Help for Students Whose First Language is not English
Support for English Language Learners (ELL) and Multilingual students is available via the College’s ELL Support staff person, Andrew Grace (agrace@gustavus.edu or x7395).

 

WARNING: COMPUTERS AND THE LOSS OF WORK - Anytime you are working on a computer, save your work frequently. Get into the habit of hitting command/S after changes and additions. Don't wait until its too late! Nothing is more frustrating than losing your work.

COMPUTER KEYBOARD TAPPING IS DISRUPTIVE DURING CLASS! Please do not use the computers for email, Instant Messaging, or other purposes not germane to this class during class time!

Using the Finale Workbook CD-ROM (you will need to do a Save using .mus)

MUSIC LAB COMPUTERS AND FINALE

PRELIMS

LOG ON! Directions for logging on are on the computer screen.


“MY HOME DIRECTORY” ICON ACCESSES YOUR HOME DIRECTORY – enter your username and password (your Home Directory will appear on the desktop; save your work to your My Documents folder)
Headphones are always working (if plugged into the splitter)
Speakers – turn volume knob on front up or down
Computer volume is changed using the Speaker Icon in menu bar

SOUND

1. OPEN FINALE – click on the Finale Icon in the Dock
2. SELECT DEFAULT DOCUMENT (or choose Setup Wizard from menu)
3. CHOOSE EASY OR SPEEDY NOTE ENTRY FROM PALETTE

IF NO SOUND OR TRANSCRIBING

1. NO SOUND – go to MIDI menu and select MIDI SET UP – click OK
2. UNWANTED TRANSCRIBING IN EASY NOTE ENTRY – select Speedy Note to stop this

CHANGE INSTRUMENT SOUND

1. GO TO VIEW MENU – select Studio View
2. CHANGE INSTRUMENT – under Staff 1 is an instrument, click on the arrow next to it, pull down to General Midi, select instrument from pop-up list
3. ACTIVATE NEW SOUND – click on Play button in Playback Controls and then click Stop Button, the new instrument will be selected


TROUBLESHOOTING - No sound or not responding
Speakers on or headphone plugged in?
Volume up on speakers and computer (see computer screen speaker icon)?
Fastlane device button out and LED flashing when piano key depressed?
Piano keyboard plugged in and on?
Sometimes it is helpful just to turn the piano off on its back panel, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.

Sometimes it helps solve problems if you log out, do a restart, and start over.

Finale does not like it when other applications/browsers are open and running - close all other programs including email.

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