Instructor: Mr. Stevenson Office: Band Room Office Hours: By Appointment Office Phone: 410-751-3575 E-Mail: JRSteve@carrollk12.org Honors Music Theory South Carroll High School 2015 2016: Fall Semester COURSE DESCRIPTION: 1 Credit elective course. Fulfills fine arts graduation requirement. Students gain academic proficiency in reading and writing music notation, scales and intervals, basic harmony, basic melody, and form. Successful completion of the course will provide an understanding of melody, harmony, rhythm, and form, thereby equipping the students to better understand existing music and to compose music using the principles of music theory as a guide. Training on notation software will be included when available. By the end of the course the student will compose a short original composition utilizing four-part chorale texture and score it for a mixed quartet of instruments. This course will provide the students foundations in music theory in preparation for Advanced Placement Music Theory. Prerequisites and other notes: Students should complete 1 Credit of music course work or recommendation of instructor. COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives below have been adapted from the Expanded Course Specifications posted on the AP Music Theory Home Page on the AP Central website. By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1) Fundamental Terminology and Fundamental Notational Skills a) Notate and identify pitch in treble and bass clefs. b) Notate, hear, and identify simple and compound meters. c) Notate and identify all major and minor key signatures. d) Notate, hear, and identify the following scales: chromatic, major, and the three forms of the minor. e) Notate, hear, and identify all perfect, major, minor, diminished, and augmented intervals inclusive of an octave. f) Notate, hear, and identify triads including inversions. g) Define and identify common tempo and expression markings. 2) Score Analysis a) Notate, hear, and identify authentic, plagal, half, Phrygian half, and deceptive cadences in major and minor keys. b) Small-scale and large-scale harmonic procedures, including: i) Identification of cadence types
ii) Roman-numeral and figured-bass analysis, including nonharmonic tones c) Melodic organization and developmental procedures: i) Identify in score scale types and modes ii) Identify melodic patterning d) Rhythmic/metric organization: i) Identification of meter type (e.g., duple, triple, quadruple) and beat type (e.g., simple, compound) e) Texture: i) Hear and identify types (e.g., monophony, homophony, polyphony) ii) Hear and identify types devices (e.g., textural inversion, imitation) 3) Aural Skills: a) Detect pitch and rhythm errors in written music from given aural excerpts. b) Notate a melody from dictation, 6 to 8 bars, major key, mostly diatonic pitches, simple or compound time, treble or bass clef, 3 to 4 playings. c) Sight-sing a melody, 4 to 8 bars long, major key, duple or triple meter, simple or compound time, treble or bass clef, using solfege, pitch names, numbers, or any comfortable vocal syllable(s). UNITS OF STUDY: Note that this course meets for 90 minutes a day for a 60 day semester, divided into two quarters. Reading assignments and written assignments are given at each class meeting. Aural skills will be taught and practiced daily for the duration of the course. Written Theory Benward: Chapters 1 & 2 Notation Scales, Tonality, Keys, Modes Benward: Chapters 2 & 3 Scales, Tonality, Keys, Modes (cont.) Intervals and Transposition Benward: Chapters 2 & 4 Scales, Tonality, Keys, Modes (cont.) Chords Benward: Chapter 5 Cadences and Non-Harmonic Tones Benward: Chapter 6 Melodic Organization Aural Theory Phillips: Chapters 1 Pitch and Pitch Class Phillips: Chapters 1 (cont.) Pitch and Pitch Class Phillips: Chapters 2 Beat, Meter, and Rhythm: Simple Meters Phillips: Chapters 3 Pitch Collections, Scales and Major Keys Phillips: Chapters 4 Minor Keys and the Diatonic Modes PRIMARY TEXTS: Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Music in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1 with Anthology CD, 8 th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Phillips, Joel, Jane R. Clendinning and Elizabeth W. Marvin. The Musician s Guide to Aural Skills, Vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Benjamin, Thomas, Michael Horvit and Robert Nelson. Music for Analysis, 6 th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis (with Postmodern Update), 6 th ed. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2008. Ottman, Robert. Music for Sight Singing, 6 th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004. Refer to class website for additional online resources MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION: (Required by Friday, September 4 th ) 1) A 1-inch wide, three-ring binder (or a section of a larger binder used for other classes). Contents of binder must include: a) Plenty of 8 ½ X 11 lined loose-leaf notebook paper b) Plenty of 8 ½ X 11 loose-leaf 5-line staff paper (will be supplied by instructor) c) Section dividers for: i) Written theory class notes and handouts ii) Aural theory class notes and handouts iii) Graded homework, tests, and quizzes 2) Pencils only for all handwritten classwork and homework GRADING: Grades communicate a measure of student achievement of content standards and course outcomes. They also provide feedback and guidance regarding student learning. Grades in Honors Music Theory will be based upon demonstration of course outcome competencies, as evidenced by: Quizzes (Formative) Homework (Formative completion) Unit Tests (Summative) Final Project (Summative) Group and individual projects (Formative and Summative) Summative assessments will constitute 60% of the course grade. Formative assessments will constitute 40% of the course grade. Extra credit will be given judiciously. If awarded, it will be awarded only as an extension of student learning of course outcomes and not as a substitute for missed learning or as a way to accumulate points for activities not related to course outcomes. Attendance, effort, volunteering in class, lateness to class, and other student compliance behaviors or disciplinary action will not be considered when calculating student grades, unless
those behaviors are specifically outlined in a student s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or are part of the essential course outcomes. MAKE-UP WORK DUE TO ABSENCE: Work missed because of absences may be made up at a time mutually convenient to the teachers and students involved. Students are expected to take the initiative in planning such a time and students should do so no later than the second day following their absence from class. Students are reminded that long-term assignments or projects are due on the date announced regardless of the absences which may occur in between the time the announcement is made and the time the assignment or project is due. In the case of verified illness, or an emergency, which extends over a period of time, arrangements should be made with the teacher involved to consider a revised date. Parents are to e-mail the student s teacher for missed work. Students shall have the number of days equal to the number of days absent to turn in completed make-up work, unless a greater extension is granted by the teacher. SECOND CHANCE LEARNING: Second chance learning is not meant to be used as a substitute for effort on regular assignments, but rather as a safety net. Students will have one opportunity to redo/retake assignments at the teacher s discretion. To qualify, students must have submitted the original assignment by the due date. Students must arrange for remediation during the next available FLEX after the assignment was returned. Students must submit the revised assignment, along with the Second Chance Learning Reflection Form, within ten days following the return of the original assignment. The higher grade shall be the grade of record. Formative assignments are not eligible for second chance learning after the end of the unit of study. The end of the unit is determined by the deadline of the unit Summative assignment. Summative unit assessments are not eligible for second chance learning after a date to be determined by the teacher. Final marking period or semester assessments are not eligible for second chance learning. No second chance learning will be accepted during the last week of the grading period. Students may request to come to FLEX to work on assignments or meet with the teacher at any time. HOMEWORK: The purpose of homework is to prepare for subsequent lessons, to practice or review, to strengthen concept and skill development, and to evaluate what students know by applying, extending, or integrating their knowledge and understanding through projects or other
assignments. Homework shall be assigned on an as needed basis for these reasons only. Homework will be evaluated on completion. LATE WORK: Students must submit Formative and Summative assignments by the date due, unless absent or completing make-up work per CCPS policy. Whatever portion of work submitted by the due date will be graded. Work not submitted by the due date must be submitted per the Second Chance Learning guidelines. ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty is an essential part of any school community. Carroll County Public Schools seeks to promote the importance of honesty as a basis of respect and cooperation among all of its members. All parties students, teachers, administrators, and staff have the obligation to act in a consistently honorable manner with one another. Academic dishonesty/cheating, in any form on a graded assignment, will not be tolerated. Examples include, but are not limited to; turning in work as your own when someone else has done all or part of the assignment, knowingly giving or receiving information about answers to homework, quizzes, or tests, and plagiarism. Schools develop honor codes to encourage students to value personal integrity and to emphasize the responsibility that individuals have for their own honesty. All students need to be fully aware of definitions and expectations related to their specific school s honor code. Questions should be directed to school administrators. CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS: Students are expected to come to all classes with an open mind and cooperative spirit. In order to ensure productive, positive classes, students must: Be on time (to be early is to be on time to be on time is to be late) Have their stuff Be respectful of property and each other Have an attitude to learn Students may use their personal electronic devices in Honors Music Theory per the CCPS BYOD policy. However: Students may only use appropriate educational applications on their device as determined by the teacher based upon the learning taking place at the time. Students are not to call, text message, email, post to social networks, or electronically communicate with others from their personal device including other students parents, guardians, friends, and family unless is it part of classroom instruction.
CONSQUENCES: A behavior will be recognized with praise and positive notes or phone calls home. However, when self-discipline problems arise the following steps will be taken to help students learn to solve problems: First time student falls short of the expectations: Warning Second time: Time away from the class and conference with the student to develop a plan for solving the problem Third time: Consequence(s) appropriate to the behavior(s) or action(s) in question and contact parent Fourth time: Referral to counselor and/or administrator Severe incident: Refer directly to administrator
Honors Music Theory Syllabus Acknowledgement Please sign and no later than Friday, September 4 th I, (Print student name), have read and understand the Instrumental Music syllabus/guidelines. I will take it home for my parent/guardian to read. (Student signature) I, the parent/guardian of the above named student, have read and understand the Instrumental Music syllabus/guidelines for South Carroll High School. (Print parent/guardian name) (Sign parent/guardian name) Thank you for your time and effort. Please don t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Mr. Stevenson