Songwriting Online Class

MUS 294: SONGWRITING Class # 76930

Fall, 2014

Instructor information: Jeff Libman email: [email protected] Students are encouraged to contact the course email address with any questions or concerns. Office visits or telephone conferences may sometimes be necessary, and can be arranged via email.

Course URL: http://herbergeronline.asu.edu/mus294-songwriting There is no required textbook for this course. Course Description: This online course is an exploration of the craft of songwriting. After an introduction to general music terms and concepts along various song structures, students will have their first opportunity to submit a song or song fragment. After the study of five song genres (blues, folk, punk, country, and hip-hop), students will choose three of the styles and submit three corresponding songs or song fragments. The course concludes with students submitting a full-length song based on concepts discussed during the semester. Along the way, there are quizzes and exams based on lecture content as well as discussion board/participatory activities. No previous formal music study is assumed for this class; however, it will be necessary for students to have some facility in performing on an instrument (even computer sequencer will suffice for our purposes). Students also need not be experienced singers but must will willing to record themselves singing with their accompanying instrument. Students must have the ability to record sound files to mp3. Technical Requirements: Access to a high-speed Internet connection is required to take this course. Access to a non-wireless, high-speed Internet connection is required for test taking. The examinations may include audio and still images. Adequate bandwidth is essential. Exams and Quizzes: All exams and quizzes will be taken online through the course website. Do not use a wireless internet connection when taking exams or quizzes. Use the “practice test” immediately before each exam and quiz to verify that your computer is properly configured. Exam Reviews If you are surprised or concerned about your exam grade, please contact me at the course email address. We will examine the questions that you got wrong and reply with study suggestions for the next exam. Students are encouraged to contact the course email

address with any concerns or questions about study strategies or other aspects of this course. Exam Resets: If you experience computer or technical problems during an exam, DO NOT SUBMIT IT! Exams that have been submitted can NOT be reset, and those grades will stand as posted. Instead, exit the browser, and take appropriate steps to identify and solve the problem with your computer (by using the practice test, moving to a different computer, or contacting technical support). Once you have resolved the problem, then return to the exams page on your course web site to reset your exam. Use the practice test again before taking the reset. The system will allow you to reset your own exam if you have not already submitted or reset that exam. NOTE: only one online reset per exam is allowed, so you must take all reasonable steps to resolve any technical difficulties before attempting the reset. Two total resets are allowed for the semester. No resets will be allowed outside of the exam period. Make Up Exams: Make up exams will only be allowed in documented cases of bereavement or hospitalization. If one of these unfortunate circumstances befalls you, please notify your professor within 1 week (7 days) of the exam and be prepared to present documentation of your reason for missing the exam. No make-up exams will be given to students who “miss” or “forget to take” an exam, encounter work or transportation conflicts, do not follow the technical support guidelines outlined above, or do not notify the instructor of an illness or bereavement within 1 week of the test. Do not submit false documentation. Confirmation Numbers: All submitted exams and assignments are given a confirmation number via a submission results page if the submission is successful. It is your responsibility to print or write out each confirmation number you receive for each exam or assignment you submit. Inquires about missing grades sent to faculty, staff, or to the help page will be ignored if they do not have the confirmation number(s) for the exam/posts in question. Technical Minimums: Because this course is entirely delivered via the Internet, you are responsible for making sure that the computer you use to access all course materials meets or exceeds the specified computer minimum qualifications as listed on the course web site. If you are using a mouse with a “scroll wheel,” please use caution when taking exams. The exams have “pull down” menus, and using the scroll wheel can sometimes result in answers being changed accidentally. Please use headphones or stereo speakers when listening to musical examples. Built-in computer speakers offer poor sound quality, and may reduce scores on assignments. Students should install on their computers software for recording and/or editing sound files. Several free programs are available for download, including Garage Band (Mac),

Audacity (Win/Mac), Freecorder (Win), among others. You will need to be able to record your songwriting assignments, edit them into mp3 files, and upload them as instructed. You may wish to invest in an external microphone for improved sound quality, but this is not a requirement. PLEASE NOTE! You are strongly encouraged not to enroll, or to drop immediately, if you do not have computer experience, if you are not willing or prepared to assume the added responsibility of a computer-based course, or if you plan to be away from a computer site with internet access for an extended period of time during the semester. Necessary required skills include downloading mp3 audio files as well as digital video clips, surfing the net, conferring via email, and other intermediate computer knowledge. Student Conduct: All students are expected to abide by the ASU code of student conduct, which is available at: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/, and the Student Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found at: www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm No collaboration or use of outside sources of any kind is allowed on any tests, assignments, etc. This includes viewing the course website while taking the exam, listening to audio excerpts on another student’s exam, discussing the exam with another student before taking it, and other such behavior. The exams are not open-book or open- note. All words and ideas included in your work that are not your own must be cited. Do not share your course ID and password with anyone. Log out of the course website when you are finished with it. Do not allow another student to use the course website under your password, even if s/he is also in the course. Each student is fully responsible for all activity that takes place on the course website under his/her password. Any violation of this policy will result in sanctions and may result in further disciplinary action. Sanctions may include failure of the course (E), failure by reason of academic dishonesty (XE), and others as outlined by the ASU policy. All violations of the Code detected during the term will be sanctioned, even if the assessment has already been graded and points assigned. All necessary and appropriate sanctions will be issued to all parties involved with plagiarizing any and all course work. Plagiarism and any other form of academic dishonesty that is in violation with the Student Code of Conduct will not be tolerated. For more information, please see the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm Special Accommodations: To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the ASU Disability Resource Center (www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/# ; Phone: (480) 965- 1234; TDD: (480) 965-9000). This is a very important step as accommodations cannot be made retroactively. If you have a letter from their office indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, in order to assure that you receive

your accommodations in a timely manner, please present this documentation to me no later than the end of the first week of the semester so that your needs can be addressed effectively. Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawing The following dates have been established by Arizona State University and the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts; your professor cannot make exceptions to them or change them. August 21 1st Day of classes August 22 Last day to register or drop/add without college approval August 27 Tuition & Fees 100% Refund Deadline September 1 Labor Day Observed – no classes September 10 Herberger Institute Extended Registration Add/Withdraw Deadline October 6 Academic Status Report #1 Deadline October 11-14 FALL BREAK – No classes November 3 Academic Status Report #2 Deadline November 5 Course Withdrawal Deadline November 11 Veterans Day Observed – no classes November 27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday Observed – no classes December 5 Complete Session Withdrawal Deadline December 5 Last Day of Classes December 18 Final Grades Due Course registration changes are processed through MyASU: http://my.asu.edu. Religious Holidays: A list of recognized religious holidays may be found at: www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/interfaith/religious_holidays.htm. Students who will experience exam conflicts while observing any of these holidays must notify the professor within the first 3 weeks of class to arrange for accommodation.

Student Evaluation Breakdown

UNIT 1 - Intro and Song Elements Exam 1- Song Elements 80 points UNIT 2 - Song Forms Exam 2 - Song Forms 80 Songwriting Experiment 80 UNIT 3 - Genre Studies Quiz 1 - Blues 50 Quiz 2 - Folk Music 50 Quiz 3 - Country Music 50 Quiz 4 - Punk Music 50 Quiz 5 - Hip-hop 50 Genre Studies Songwriting Projects 80 80 80 Participation (Discussion Board/ Song Reviews) 150 Final Songwriting Project 120 TOTAL: 1000 points Grade scale: 895-1000 = A 795-894 = B 696-794 = C 595-694 = D Below 595 = E

Assignment Descriptions Quizzes and Exams: All quizzes and exams are based on lecture content, including the listening examples found within the lectures. They are comprised of multiple choice and true/false questions. Exams are 80 points and quizzes are 50 points. The total number of points for the two exams and the five quizzes is 410 points. Songwriting Experiment: This is your first songwriting assignment for this class. Being that some of you are likely experienced songwriters while others may be just getting started, I am allowing you to tailor this assignment to your experience. For the songwriting experiment, you will have the option to write either a part of a song, which I will call a song fragment, or you can write a complete song. Should you choose to write a song fragment, it should be at least two sections long -- i.e., a verse and a chorus, or two verses, a chorus and a bridge, etc. The song/song fragment should be an original work. Though many songs have some similarities to preexisting songs, the good ones all have unique elements that differentiate them from all others. Song fragments will be eligible for full credit. Challenge yourself if you would like to complete a full song. Though your

later genre studies songwriting projects will receive feedback from other students, this project will only be evaluated by the instructor. Since this may be your first ever songwriting experiment, you get a little more privacy to start with. You will need to save your songwriting assignments as mp3 files and upload them as instructed. The recording/vocal quality does not have to be immaculate, but make an effort to make it as clean as possible. When you upload a song or song fragment, you will also be asked to submit it with a description of the process you went through to write your music. These are called process papers, and they can be relatively brief (one page double-spaced, 12 point font; it can be longer if you wish). What style did you write in? What musical elements and/or forms that we discussed were utilized? Did you stick with the conventions of that style, or did you bend them somewhat? What came easily in the composition process? What was difficult? How could you complete this song or make it better? Is this song supposed to sound similar to a particular artist (or artists) that inspires you? These are the kinds of questions you can write about in your process paper. The recorded songwriting experiment itself is worth 60 points, and the process paper is worth 20 points, for a total of 80 points. Genre Studies Songwriting Projects: For these three songwriting projects, you will compose songs/song fragments in three different styles chosen from the five genres discussed in the class: blues, punk, folk, country, and hip-hop. The same general rules of the songwriting experiment apply: submissions are to be updated in mp3 format, song fragments should be at least two sections long, the submissions should be your own original material, and process papers are also due. Again, song fragments are eligible for full credit, but feel free to challenge yourself and write more. These projects, however, will receive song reviews, or constructive commentary, from other members of the class. See the Participation description below. Each recorded genre studies song/song fragment is worth 60 points, while each corresponding process paper is worth 20 points. Therefore, each of the three projects is worth 80 points, bringing the total to 240 for all three projects. Participation (Discussion Board/Song Reviews): Throughout the course on Fridays, I will be posting discussion questions related to songwriting. Your assignment will be to post a response by the following Friday at 2:00pm. When you do so, you can either respond to the question itself, or you can respond to another student. Full credit for this participation will be determined by whether your comments are substantive. Also, it's fine to disagree with another member of the class, just do it cordially and defend your point. There will be twelve questions over the course of the semester on the discussion board. These questions can be found under the Discussion Board forum called Discussion Questions. You will also be asked to write song reviews. These are comments on other students’ songs/song fragments from the genre studies projects. After you've uploaded your own songs/song fragments, you'll be assigned three others at random, and you'll be asked to

make comments for your fellow students. Please make these comments constructive and substantive. The twelve discussion questions responses and the three song reviews are all 10 points for a maximum total of 150 points. Please note there is also a Discussion Board forum called Student Topics, where you can create either your own discussion threads and/or respond to other members of the class. There is no grade related to this portion of the course website, but it provides a forum for class members to communicate with each other, where groupthink can occur for the benefit of everyone’s songwriting development or related skills. Final Songwriting Project: Like the previous songwriting projects, the final project is comprised of an mp3 submission and a process paper. The original song for your final project may be of any style of your choosing. It does NOT have to be in any of the styles mentioned in class, but if you opt to go a different route, you should briefly discuss the characteristics of that style in your process paper. The song may be of any style, instrumentation, subject, tempo, mood (etc!) that you like. There is no time minimum or limit, but the song must be a complete song, with a beginning, middle, and end. Most submissions will be between two and six minutes long. The song portion of the final project is worth 100 points, and the process paper is worth 20 points, for a total of 120 points.

Important Course Dates and Windows

UNIT 1 Opens Thu, Aug 21 at 8:00am Exam 1 Thu, Sep 11 at 9:00am - Fri, Sep 12 at 2:00pm UNIT 2 Opens Fri, Sep 12 at 2:00pm (immediately after Unit 1 exam) Exam 2 Thu, Sep 25 at 9:00am - Fri, Sep 26 at 2:00pm Song Experiment (song or song fragment) Students have an entire week to upload this project. Fri, Sep 26 at 2:00pm - Fri, Oct 3 at 2:00pm UNIT 3 Opens Fri, Oct 3 at 2:00 pm (immediately following song experiment deadline) Quiz 1 Thu, Oct 9 at 9:00am - Fri, Oct 10 at 2:00pm Quiz 2 Thu, Oct 16 at 9:00am - Fri, Oct 17 at 2:00pm Quiz 3 Thu, Oct 23 at 9:00am - Fri, Oct 24 at 2:00pm Quiz 4 Thu, Oct 30 at 9:00am - Fri, Oct 31 at 2:00pm Quiz 5 Thu, Nov 6 at 9:00am - Fri, Nov 7 at 2:00pm Students have an entire week to upload each genre studies songwriting project. Upload 1: Mon, Nov 10 at 9:00am - Sun, Nov 16 at 11:59 pm Upload 2: Mon, Nov 17 at 9:00am - Sun, Nov 23 at 11:59 pm Upload 3: Mon, Nov 24 at 9:00am - Tue, Dec 2 at 11:59 pm (extended for Thanksgiving) Song Review 1: Mon, Nov 17 at 10:00am - Wed, Nov 20 at 11:59pm Song Review 2: Mon, Nov 24 at 10:00am - Wed, Nov 27 at 11:59pm Song Review 3: Wed, Dec 3 at 10:00am - Fri, Dec 5 at 11:59pm UNIT 4 Opens Wed, Dec 3 at 9:00am Final Project Wed, Dec 3 at 9:00am - Fri, Dec 12 at 11:59pm

**LATE  ASSIGNMENTS  WILL  NOT  BE  ACCEPTED.**   Please  note  that  make-­‐up  exams  and  quizzes  will  NOT  be  offered  in  the  case   of  “forgetting”  or  “missing”  the  exam  windows,  so  be  aware  of  these  dates!

Schedule of Discussion Board Questions: Question  1:  opens  Thu,  Aug  21  @  start  of  day,  closes  Fri,  Aug  29  @  2pm   Question  2:  opens  Fri,  Aug  29  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Sep  5  @  2pm   Question  3:  opens  Fri,  Sep  5  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Sep  12  @  2pm   Question  4:  opens  Fri,  Sep  12  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Sep  19  @  2pm   Question  5:  opens  Fri,  Sep  19  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Sep  26  @  2pm   Question  6:  opens  Fri,  Sep  26  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Oct  3  @  2pm   Question  7:  opens  Fri,  Oct  3  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Oct  10  @  2pm   Question  8:  opens  Fri,  Oct  10  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Oct  17  @  2pm   Question  9:  opens  Fri,  Oct  17  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Oct  24  @  2pm   Question  10:  opens  Fri,  Oct  24  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Oct  31  @  2pm   Question  11:  opens  Fri,  Oct  31  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Nov  7  @  2pm   Question  12:  opens  Fri,  Nov  7  @  2pm,  closes  Fri,  Nov  14  @  2pm   As you can see, answers to discussion board questions will be due Fridays at 2:00pm starting the first full week of the semester. There will be discussion questions for 12 consecutive weeks.

Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to adjust this syllabus as necessary to meet the needs of the class.