understanding music - online class

UNDERSTANDING MUSIC (ONLINE) – MUSIC 105

Course Description:

• The intent and thus design of this course is to introduce music in a wide variety of

styles, both modern and classical, to help broaden the listener’s knowledge of a topic to

which they are already acquainted. Every person has strong feelings towards music—it

partly defines who we are. In some cases this may be drawn into question.

• There is no requirement for previous musical experience or familiarity with musical

notation – however some experience certainly helps. Classical music becomes

increasingly understandable the more time is put in, which often comes with performing

on an instrument.

• One purpose of this course is to teach and encourage students to think critically about

the musical experience and to accurately record their reaction to various types of music.

• Another is to break any limitations we might instinctively set upon ourselves regarding

to artistic expression through music.

• Finally, we want to make a clear distinction between art and entertainment.

Required Textbooks/Materials:

• Textbook: Craig Wright, Listening to Music, 7th Edition Shirmer, Cengage Learning.

ISBN: 9781133954729

• Reliable Internet connection with Pandora and YouTube, Spotify, etc.

• CSUN Student Webmail account (ALL Course business conducted through university

email.)

THIS COURSE IS COMPLETELY ONLINE – WE WILL NEVER MEET

COURSE CONTENT CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP://MOODLE.CSUN.EDU

Course Objectives:

In addition to what is described above in the course description, the main objectives in this course are:

• To discuss music and its role in society

• To gain exposure to various musical genres, styles, and traditions.

• To gain an understanding of the political, social, philosophical, and economic

environments and motivations of traditional composers.

• To make connections between music and other aspects of human society and

development

• Identify with specific areas of western music tradition that appeal to the unique interests

of each individual student.

• To learn how to write and talk about music

Description (ONLINE):

This is a course in listening. Unfortunately since this particular section of the class is entirely online and will never meet as a class, listening must be done at home. Students are expected to know and be able to recognize ALL of the musical examples listed on the inside cover and back cover of the textbook. There will also be a supplemental listening list which students are expected to know and be able to recognize by the end of the semester.

CSUN Webmail

ALL Students must have a CSUN Webmail account. Email regarding this class will ONLY be sent to your CSUN university email address ([email protected]). This has caused enormous confusion in the past. Although I may reply to an email at whichever address you send from, I only keep student university email addresses on file – Mass emails concerning this course will only go to student CSUN addresses. PLEASE – ALL EMAIL THAT YOU WANT ME TO READ MUST CONTAIN

MUS105(ONLINE) IN THE SUBJECT LINE. If you do not follow these instructions your email will be routed to a “junk” mailbox and will never be seen.

QUIZZES/EXAMINATIONS:

ALL Quizzes and Examinations are ONLINE. Access to these is available through the course Moodle website (located at top of syllabus). The Mid-Term and Final are due at the usual times during the semester. As indicated, testing represents 100% of your grade in this course. Your final grade will be based on testing performance and assignments (which include at least one concert report and a short written assignment to be specified later). Testing is largely based on the reading. There will be a listening list of “additional” recordings which you will also be responsible for knowing and being able to recognize. There may also be supplemental readings which can also be “fair game” for testing

purposes.

A QUIZ OR EXAM IS DUE EVERY FRIDAY AT 5:00 PM (NO EXCEPTIONS)

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

• ALL Quizzes and Exams must be completed before the quiz/exam closes. If a

quiz/exam is submitted after the closing time then your grade for that quiz/exam will be

recorded as “zero”.

• I WILL NOT entertain, acknowledge, or respond to any requests for extensions or any

excuses as to why a Quiz/Exam was not submitted on time.

• You may ONLY take each Quiz/Exam once. Be absolutely certain you are ready to take

it prior to beginning.

• The Quiz/Exam begins as soon as you select “start quiz now”. Once you begin time

does not stop until that quiz is submitted.

• The “save without submitting” option at the bottom of each quiz/exam DOES NOT

STOP THE CLOCK. When you begin a quiz you must finish it within the designated

time frame or a “zero” will be recorded as your final grade for that quiz.

• Any problems experienced with a quiz/exam must be immediately directed toward

CSUN’s IT department at (818) 677-1400. They are available until 5:00 PM (when the

quiz/exam expires).

• NO EXTRA CREDIT IS AVAILABLE

QUIZZES (15) (midterm is scored separately) 50%

MID-TERM EXAMINATION 15%

FINAL EXAMINATION 15%

ASSIGNMENTS/CONCERT REPORT 20%

Grading:

At the end of the semester all student test scores will be factored together. The percentage of test questions successfully answered will determine your final grade.

Grades are determined on a hundred-point scale and strictly follow the table below:

A 95.00 – 100 B+ 87.00 – 89.99 C+ 77.00 – 79.99

A– 90 – 94.99 B 83.00 – 86.99 C 73.00 – 76.99

B– 80.00 – 82.99 C– 70.00 – 72.99

D 60.00 – 69.99 F Below 59.99

ALL GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON MOODLE.

GRADES WILL NOT BE CURVED

Moodle Interface

The Moodle interface includes a news blog. This will contain announcements of upcoming due dates. Every Sunday it will contain a list of things of what needs to be done by the following Sunday, including reading, listening, and quizzes/assignments.

The following topics are directly applicable to the work required in this course:

o Syllabus: Course Syllabus

o Reading Assignments: Arranged by week, this is the academic core of this class. All

assignments are directed through this folder. Assignments are listed by week –

QUIZZES ON READING ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY NIGHT AT 5:00

PM (17:00) OF THAT WEEK

Technological Requirements:

Students enrolled in this course must have regular access to a reliable computer with a reliable inter-net connection. Computer malfunction and/or operator failure are NOT reasons for failure to meet assigned deadlines. School computers are available in the music lab and Oviatt Library. Students are required to check email daily for updates. Please inform the instructor immediately of any technical problems with Moodle.

Concerts:

The live concert experience is one of the most important components of gaining an access to classical music. Classical music thrives best in a live format. Fortunately we live in one of most culturally diverse cities in the world and have access to a wide variety of music on a constant basis. Sadly knowledge of many events is sometimes difficult to come by. I will try to notify you of concerts I find out about which I think you would enjoy. Most concert halls offer extremely discounted rates to current students (often referred to as “student rush”). Concert halls have people employed to answer

questions by phone and email exactly how the student rush process works… it is very easy. The Valley Performing Arts Center VPAC on campus is a great option for concerts.

* The Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles holds concerts which are also available to students at a discounted rate. Call the ticket office ahead of time to see if they are offering “student rush” tickets. If so, each student with a student ID can see a concert at the Disney Hall for $10 - $20.

Quite an amazing experience!! The schedule can be found at www.laphil.org

Spotify:

Spotify is a service of streaming music on the Internet. It is free. THIS IS HIGHLY

RECOMMENDED AS IT WILL HELP IMMENSELY.

Textbook Disclaimer:

We are using the 7th Edition of Craig Wright’s Listening to Music. This is the only edition available to our bookstore. Due to music licensing fees for the included music, the price is somewhat high if you wish to purchase the textbook. I highly recommend renting the textbook from the Matador bookstore which offers an extremely discounted rate for rentals.

Older Editions:

Since I am only familiar with the 7th Edition I cannot offer any advice about any other editions. Ultimately it is up to the student as to which edition they would prefer to use, but understand that all readings, quizzes, exams, and listening examples are assigned as contained within the 7th edition.