MUSIC 200 - INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY COURSE OUTLINE Section #1240 Monday and Wednesday 8:30-11:00AM Instructor: Chauncey Maddren (telephone (818) 947-2774, email: maddrecm@lavc.edu) Office Hours: For this section: Monday 12:45-1:45 (other office hours: M 5:30-6:30, T 11:15-12:30, Th 4:15-5:15, F 10:00-12:00) Text: Introductory Musicianship by T. A. Lynn, 8th edition Prerequisite: None. Intended for students majoring in music Corequisites: It is highly recommended that you also be enrolled in Mus 152 or 250, Mus 321 (or higher level of piano class), and a performing ensemble (Mus 501, 521, 563, 721, or 751) Other req's: You should have some music staff paper. You can buy some or print an original from on-line source and make a lot of copies. You should also have a good supply of pencils. All work for this class will be done in pencil. Don't come to class without one! Week 1 About the course. The Four Characteristics of a Tone. The Notation of Pitch. 08/29 & 08/31 Treble, Bass and "C" clefs. The Grand Staff. The Piano Keyboard. Sharps, Flats and Naturals. Enharmonic Equivalents. Week 2 No Class - 09/05 - Labor Day Holiday. Durational Symbols. Meter and Meter 09/05 & 09/07 Signatures. Beginning Rhythmic Exercises. Week 3 Written Test #1. Beginning Melodic Exercises. Beginning Dictation - Rhythmic. 09/12 & 09/14 Pick-ups, Triplets & Syncopation. Major Scales. Week 4 Skills Test #1. Major Scales, cont. Major Scales and Key Signatures. Scale Degree 09/19 & 09/21 Names. Solfeggio. Beginning Dictation - Melodic. Week 5 Major Scales and Key Signatures, cont. Intervals. Written Test #2. 09/26 & 09/28 Intermediate Rhythmic Exercises. Week 6 Intervals, cont. Aural Identification of Intervals. Inverting Intervals. 10/03 & 10/05 Skills Quiz #2. Week 7 10/10 & 10/12 Compound Intervals. Compound Meter. Week 8 Minor Scales and Key Signatures. Parallel and Relative Minor. Compound 10/17 & 10/19 Meter, cont. Written Test #3. Week 9 Other Scales: Modes, Whole-tone & Chromatic. Triads. Root Position and 10/24 & 10/26 Inversion. Week 10 Figured Bass for Triads. Melody Writing. Skills Test #3. 10/31 & 11/02
Week 11 Seventh Chords. Written Test #4. 11/07 & 11/09 Week 12 Seventh Chords, cont. Seventh Chords in Root Position and Inversion. No class - 11/14 & 11/16 11/16 - Instructor at conference. Week 13 Chord Progressions and Harmonization. Skills Test #4. 11/21 & 11/23 Week 14 Figured Bass for Seventh Chords. Performances - 11/30. 11/28 & 11/30 Week 15 Performances - 12/05. Skills Portion of Final Exam - 12/07 12/05 & 12/07 Week 16 Written Final 12/14 at 8:00AM. No class - 12/12 12/12 & 12/14
ATTENDANCE MUSIC 200 - INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY ATTENDANCE AND GRADING METHODS AND POLICIES Attendance is an important part of this class. Many activities such as rhythmic drills, note reading drills and in-class music writing assignments will take place during class time. No specific grade is attached to attendance. However, it is unlikely that you will acquire the knowledge and skills required to succeed in this class unless you attend regularly. If you are absent for more than two weeks worth of classes (four class sessions), you will be dropped from the class. However, it is ultimately your responsibility to drop yourself from the class. Those students who fail to drop and end up on the grade roster will receive a letter grade... regardless of how bad that letter grade may be! No incompletes will be given unless you have completed a significant portion of the class and there is a serious emergency that prevents you from finishing the semester. (I will require proof of such an emergency.) GRADING Your grade will be based on the assignments (both in-class and homework), tests, and final exam. There will be homework assignments every week (sometimes two or more), and there will be test either written or a skill-based, almost every week. Grading will be done on a point basis. Each assignment, test, and final exam will be worth a certain number of points. At the end of the semester, I will drop one assignment or test (your lowest grade) from the calculation of your final grade - except for the grade for your final performance or any part of the final exam. Then, your total points in the class will be compared with the total number of points possible to get a percentage. This percentage will determine your final grade as follows: 90% - 100% A 80% - 89% B 70% - 79% C 60% - 69% D 0% - 59% F The total number of points in the class will be about 1000. Of the total points possible, approximately half will be assignments and half will be tests and the final exam. Therefore, both completing the assignments and doing well on the tests will be of importance in determining your grade. I will accept late homework assignments. However, late homework assignments will be marked off 10% of the total point value of the assignment for each class session it is late. No portion of the final exam may be made up unless you provide me with proof of a significant emergency that required your immediate attention.
It is advisable that you keep all your assignments, tests, etc. so that, in case a mistake is made in calculating your grade, the problem can be easily corrected. SKILL ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS Some of the assignments or test we will do in this class are performance-based - such as singing using solfeggio. For these performance-based assignments and tests, the grade I assign you is based on my subjective judgment of your performance. You are always permitted to ask me your grade afterwards and always free to discuss it with me (Preferably soon after so both our memories are still quite fresh.) MUSIC NOTATION Music is a language. And, music notation is a skill and an art. It must be written correctly and clearly or you cannot communicate your ideas effectively. Most class assignments and tests will be done using paper and pencil and part of this class will be learning how to write music correctly. At a certain point in the class, I will begin marking wrong any music incorrectly notated. So, part of your grades on assignments and tests will depend on your using correct musical notation. Make sure you learn the correct rules of music notation and develop a neat style of music notation. EXTRA CREDIT I will be offering extra credit for those students who volunteer to help out with the concerts of the LAVC Wind Ensemble. I will only need a limited number of students for each concert. I'll pass out a sign up sheet later in the semester for those students who are interested. COURSE DESCRIPTION * * * * * This is the entry-level course for Music Majors. It is an accelerated course in music theory including: musical notation, basic rhythms, major and minor scales, keys, intervals, transposition, chords, four-part writing, beginning sight singing and ear training. It is recommended that students concurrently enroll in Mus 321. COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Demonstrate fluency in beginning music theory Identify twelve key signatures in two minutes Write six key signatures in two minutes Construct eight intervals in two minutes Construct eight triads in two minutes Identify chords with Roman numerals Demonstrate beginning level aural skills Notate simple rhythms played by the instructor Aurally identify eight intervals Notate simple melodies played by the instructor Sing simple melodies using solfeggio Aurally identify the qualities of eight triads
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Students with a verified disability who may need a reasonable accommodation(s) for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. The SSD office is located in the Student Services Annex, Room 175 - (818) 947-2681 or SSD@lavc.edu. All information remains confidential. FINANCIAL AID If you need help paying for books and other college expenses, contact the Financial Aid Office (818) 947-2412 or financialaid@lavc.edu. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Academic dishonesty is defined as Dishonesty, such as cheating, or knowingly furnishing false information to colleges (Student Code of Conduct 9803.12). The consequences for academic dishonesty can be determined by the instructor and/or with the assistance of the Vice President Student Services. For repeat offenses, students will be subject to a system called progressive discipline, which affords students due process protocols. In-class academic dishonesty, or otherwise known as cheating, can occur when there is unauthorized looking at, procuring or sharing information from any unauthorized sources. An authorized source is from a college official. This can apply to looking at operating any kind of electronic device during class when directed not to. Out of class academic dishonesty, or otherwise known as cheating, can occur when students obtain an unauthorized copy of sealed test questions or any other kind of exam that has not been published to the public at large. It also applies to changing, altering, or any other kind of falsification of a Scantron, essay, exam, or any other kind of test or college document with the intent of procuring another grade or benefit. Plagiarism is the representation of expression of ideas from either published or unpublished work(s) as students own. We encourage students to always cite sources to avoid the appearance of plagiarism. Using text from internet sources without proper citation is considered to be plagiarism. Furnishing false information can take the form of forgery, falsification, alteration, or misuse of college documents, records, or identification in class or laboratory situations. Attempting to bribe a college official with an object of value or money to procure a higher grade than earned is considered to be academic dishonesty.