MUS 111: Music Theory I - FAM 304, - M,W, F

8:00-8:50 am (rise and shine!)

 

INSTRUCTORS:

 

Period

Instructor

Office

Phone

email

I (8:00)

Rebekah Richards

FAM 211

7364

rrichard

VII (2:30)

Ann Pesavento

FAM 307

7316

apesaven

IV (11:30)

Rick Orpen

FAM 207

7348

orpen

V (12:30)

Rick Orpen

FAM 207

7348

orpen

RR/PP

Yumiko Oshima-Ryan

FAM 305

7303

yumiko

 

Academic Assistant: Becky Strobel (email: bstrobel)

 

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

Texts:

¥ Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Music in Theory and Practice. Vol. I, 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

¥ Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Workbook to Accompany: Music in Theory and Practice. Vol. I, 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

 

Materials:

á       3-ring notebook with score paper (81/2 x 11: white paper with black staves) and notebook paper to fit. This notebook will keep pages from the Workbook that you tear out and turn in for grading.  If you do not want to remove pages from your Workbook, you will need to photocopy the page and turn it in.  This notebook is for you to save these pages for reference when studying.

á       Graphite pencil.

 

Free Staff Paper:  Go to http://www.freestaffpaper.cjb.net/  Or http://people.virginia.edu/~pdr4h/musicpaper/

There is blank staff paper in the back of your workbook that you can photocopy.

 

HOW DOES THIS COURSE FIT INTO MY DEGREE?

á     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 from Theory I-IV that is less than a ÒC-Ò, you cannot register for the next course in the sequence until you retake that course and receive a ÒC-Ò 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.     

á         Students entering the college before Fall 2005 may use this course to meet the Arts Appreciation (ARTSA) requirement of Curriculum I.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

á       Provide understanding of musical concepts and musical analysis that will prepare the student for further study in music history, form and analysis, music education, and performance.

á       Provide instruction in basic composition and notation skills that will prepare the student for further study in arranging, orchestration, and composition.

á       Provide an understanding of the Ôstructure of beauty.Õ  Music theory aims to understand the structure and patterns that allow music to communicate emotions and beauty. 

 

 

STUDENT OUTCOMES

á       The student will write clear, appropriate music manuscript by hand.

á       The student will write short musical examples in common practice four-part chorale style.

á       The student will analyze music using roman numeral analysis and popular chord symbols.

á       The student will analyze and discuss small musical forms.

á       The student will use Finale¬ software for musical notation.

á       The student will compose short pieces using traditional compositional techniques.

 

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.

 

ATTENDANCE:

Come to class every day!  I expect to see you in class every day unless you are ill or have unavoidable family conflicts, please e-mail me before class (rrichard@gac.edu) if you are sick.  Please speak to me in advance of other absences. It is your responsibility to check the on-line syllabus, or ask me, 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:

This class will require a significant amount of study time outside of class. Set aside a minimum of 1 1/2 hours to do daily homework for this class. You will not be able to master the material by cramming the night before tests.

 

HOUR EXAMINATIONS:  We will have three hour exams:  Monday, 9/22 on Chapters 1-2; Friday, 10/17 on Chapters 3-4; Monday, 11/24 on Chapters 5-6.

 

FINAL EXAMINATION:   Wednesday, December 17, 3:30-5:30pm, Room 304

         The final examination will only be given at the scheduled time. 

 

GRADING:

Written homework (approx.)

  300 points

Written exams

  300 points

Final Exam

  200 points

Total points for the Semester (approx.)

800 points

 

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:

Earn your own grade, do your own work.  Remember your Honor Code:  ÒOn my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, or tolerated othersÕ use of unauthorized aid in completing this work.Ó

 

DISABILITY SERVICES

If you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, learning, or attentional disability that may have an effect on your ability to complete assigned course work, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Laurie Bickett (x6286) in the Advising Center.  She will review your situation and help me make accommodations for you.

 

MUSIC LAB

The Music Lab, FAM 304, contains sixteen MIDI Workstations.  These are to be used for ear training work, composition and arranging assignments, music papers, and other music related assignments or projects. Under no circumstances should the computers be used to access, create, or disseminate inappropriate matter.

 

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 itÕs too late! Nothing is more frustrating than losing your work.

 

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)

á       To install Finale Workbook on your computer: Load the CD-ROM into your computer (Mac or Windows) and double click the Installer Icon, follow the directions and do a complete installation, YOU WILL NEED TO RESTART YOUR COMPUTER (these instructions are also on the Finale Workbook Tutorial found at the website listed below), THE CD-ROM MAY NEED TO BE IN YOUR COMPUTER DRIVE IN ORDER TO SAVE YOUR WORK!

á       Instructions for setting up sound on your computer are also found on the website tutorial

á       Go to http://www.mhhe.com/mtp7 Select Student Center; select Finale Workbook Tutorial

á       To download assignment templates to your computer: click on Finale Workbook Assignment, choose download all of the templates and you will create a folder with your templates (you may need to check your computer's Downloads folder to find it - "completed_mgh Folder")

á       MAKE A DUPLICATE TEMPLATE: You may wish to create a duplicate template before beginning your assignment, in this way you will save the original should you need to return to it.

 

If you use the lab computers to do your assignments, use SAVE AS for .mus files.  You may save this to your home directory.

 

MUSIC LAB COMPUTERS AND FINALE

Always log on as guest!

Open ÒMy Home DirectoryÓ icon to access your home directory Ð 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

Speakers: turn volume knob on front up or down

Computer volume is changed using the Speaker Icon in menu bar

To get the keyboards to sound:

1.     OPEN FINALE Ð 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 happens after the above steps, go to MIDI menu and select MIDI SET UP, then click OK.

If you have unwanted transcribing: IN EASY NOTE ENTRY Ð select Speedy Note to stop this.

To change the instrument sound:

1.     GO TO VIEW MENU Ð select Studio View

2.     CHANGE INSTRUMENT Ð 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 Ð click on Play button in Playback Controls and then click Stop Button, the new instrument will be selected

 

TROUBLESHOOTING  No sound or not responding:

a.              Are the speakers on or headphone plugged in?

b.              Is the volume up on speakers and computer (see computer screen speaker icon)?

c.              Is the fastlane device button out and LED flashing with input?

d.              Is the piano keyboard plugged in and on?

e.              See Student Lab Monitor