Course Syllabus for MUSI 1306 Section 047 Music Appreciation 2010 Fall Standard Semester

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1 ADMINISTRATIVE MENU HOME LOG IN Course Syllabus for MUSI 1306 Section 047 Music Appreciation 2010 Fall Standard Semester Note to Students: Syllabi are the most recent available at the time they were posted to the VCT website. They will be updated, as appropriate, on the syllabi disseminated on the class start dates. For current textbook information, refer to the Course Details accessed by clicking the course title in the online Course Schedule. NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS MUSIC APPRECIATION MUSI 1306 Course Description: An introduction to musical elements, forms, styles, and genres. Students will develop listening skills to increase their understanding and appreciation of music. Creative skills will be utilized and developed through the use of digital media. Instructor Information: Name: Beth May Phone: (office) Office: PCA 105h Office Hours: TBA Prerequisites: None Textbook: (no text required) Course Overview: This course broadens students understanding and appreciation of music through an inquirybased exploration into many musical styles and traditions and the cultures they come from. Students will gain a familiarity with musical elements by engaging in basic rhythm and pitch training as well as creative activities using digital sound tools. The course will include music of the Western classical tradition together with folk music, jazz, popular music, and the music of India, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

2 Course Outcomes - By the end of the course, students will: 1. Be able to put together and conceive short pieces of music using two different digital media. 2. Be able to identify selected elements of music, including rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tone color, melody, harmony, texture and form, upon hearing them. 3. Listen to a variety of musical styles. 4. Be able to read basic music notation and perform simple rhythmic patterns. 5. Be able to define basic musical terms. 6. Be able to listen critically and discuss music using appropriate terms. 7. Demonstrate an understanding of the origins of several musical styles and traditions. Materials: Students will need regular access to a computer with internet capabilities. A fast internet connection will make the class go much more smoothly; if students use dial-up connections at home they may wish to access some of the course materials at a library or other site that offers a faster internet connection. Evaluation: Your final grade will be determined as follows: 1. Quiz 5% 2. Assignments 10% 3. Paper 10% 4. Essays 20% 5. Creative project 15% 6. Concert critique 15% 7. Class participation 25% 100% Quiz: Students will take one quiz at the beginning of the semester to demonstrate their understanding of the syllabus and netiquette. Online Assignments: These will be found on the Music Appreciation website, on the Assignments tool. Online assignment due dates are found on the course calendar and in

3 the assignments tool. Assignments will be submitted using the Blackboard Vista assignments tool. Paper: Students will prepare one paper midway through the semester. This paper will not be research based, but some research may be involved. Writing the paper will allow you to improve not only your knowledge about your chosen topic, but also your writing skills, researching skills, and your ability to use information in an effective way. Learn your responsibilities and proper methods of citation. Do not hesitate to meet with your professor if you have any questions about proper citation/research methods. Professor May is genuinely interested in helping you negotiate these grey areas and in helping you gain confidence in your research and writing, but you must take the initiative to work with her in advance. In addition, the college librarians are available to assist you in these areas, as are the writing tutors in the writing centers on campus. Creative Project: Using digital tools, each student will create one musical composition, and a narrative description of that composition, that will demonstrate his/her learning in the class. These projects will be assessed for their thoughtfulness and their application of the materials covered, not for their beauty or skill level. Class Participation: Students will be expected to participate in discussions on the class bulletin board in order to receive credit for class participation. Brief guidelines can be found below; more detailed guidelines, with examples, are located on the page entitled grading procedures. For each topic there will be one or more discussions.. Each discussion will be worth points, and for each discussion you must post twice, making each individual post worth up to 50 points. You must post your first post for the discussion before the due date. After that, you have two weeks to make up the remaining points that you need to receive full credit. I will be grading your posts periodically once the due date has passed, so you can check and see if you ve made up enough points. If you want more points within the two weeks, just post again! After two weeks has passed following the due date, the discussion will not be closed, but any comments you make will not earn additional points. Each post has one or more items. These items are questions, responses, and ideas for discussion. Questions can be about the reading, about the topics we are discussing, or about the instructor s or another class member s posts. Responses may be to a question or topic in the book, or anything posted by the instructor or any other class member. Ideas for discussion include new ideas, new opinions, or anything that takes a conversation in a new and relevant direction. The first thing I do is determine how many items a post has. Once I figure how many items are present, I grade each one individually (0 to 25 points), and assign an overall grade to the post with a maximum of 50 points, so that each post can earn up to 50 points. Grades are assigned based on relevance and thoughtfulness. Relevance is usually pretty easy to achieve. As long as you are staying on topic that is, as long as you are still posting on things related to the unit we are covering, you are satisfying the relevance requirement. Thoughtfulness is normally the main factor in the grading. A 0- point item is usually very brief, and often does not offer much support, elaboration, or explanation. A 1-12 point item is better detailed, better explained, and better supported. Perhaps an example is used, or a quote from some source. Or maybe the author has simply spent the time to explain what he or she means in a more careful and thorough way. A point item is very well-supported. It is clear that the author has given her

4 or his post a good deal of thought and consideration, because he or she has explained things very clearly, has given good examples, and has given the class something to think about. Two such items within a post would make the post worth its maximum of 50 points. Finally, students are expected to keep up with all BB discussions, and can earn points only for new questions, responses, or ideas. (In other words, simply repeating what someone else has already written will not earn you any points.) Examples of posts worth various amounts can be found through the course homepage click on the link entitled Grading Procedures. Concert Critique: Each student will be required to attend one concert and write a critique covering different aspects and observations of the event. Guidelines for concert critiques are listed in the assignments tool. Essays: Each student will complete two essays during the class. Guidelines are available on the course website in the assignments tool. Late Policy: Assignments and projects will be reduced by five percent for each three days that they are late. After two weeks, assignments will no longer be accepted and students will receive a zero (0) on the assignment. Details about discussion grading and late policies can be found on the grading procedures page. No class work will be accepted after the end of the semester. Other Policies: It is the student s responsibility to drop the course if he/she feels that his/her progress is insufficient. The instructor will not drop students. A Few Words about Interacting with Professor May: Your professor truly is interested in your growth as a student. She cannot stress enough the value of dropping by her office hours if you have questions, or if you just want to brainstorm with her. She is also readily accessible by on a daily basis, though given the obligations on her time for teaching, creative work, and research, she cannot promise to respond to in less than 24 hours. Please take note of the following: Use common sense in writing

5 If you want advice/clarification on something, ask at least 24 hours before it is due. Think before you hit the send button remember, everything you do affects the way your professor perceives you. You are not expected to be perfect, but please make your writing comprehensible and respectful. s that are riddled with typos or are disrespectful in tone will be returned for editing before they will be answered. Treat conversations as you would stopping by Professor May s office Writing e- mail upon arrival home from last call is not recommended. Questions that will require in-depth discussion or are conceptual in nature would be better served by making an appointment to meet in person. Use to set appointments and to ask easily answered questions. Always wait 24 hours before asking about a grade. Professor May spends a great deal of time writing copious comments and feedback for you, a task she takes very seriously. Take a day to look over her comments and try to understand them before contacting her for clarification. Try to find the answer to your questions before contacting Professor May. Check your syllabus or do a Google search to see if you can find what you need first. If you have honestly tried to find an answer to your question and are unable to do so, then contact her. Always contact Professor May at the first sign that you may be struggling in class or in life so that she can do her best to help you succeed. Early contact enables your professor to work with you to help you succeed in ways that are simply not possible at the end of the semester. She welcomes the chance to share success strategies with you, and wants you to know that she has probably heard it all before, so don t hesitate to bring your concerns to her. For more information about VCT or help with the VCT website, please contact the Website Manager VCT Group M7 design