BASIC MUSICIANSHIP LAB IV
MUSIC 2186 
Sample Syllabus

Spring 2000
Section 1: T&Th 9:00-10:00, Fletcher 374
Ed Jacobs; Fletcher 302; 328-4280 JacobsE@ecu.edu
Office Hours: MW 10-11, by appt., or whenever my office door (302) is open.

overview    course requirements    grades    office hours     homework assignments     schedule of classes

The aim of this course is to further develop your ‘musical literacy’, i.e., musicianship tools necessary for intelligent and critical listening, thinking, and performing. There are no tricks to achieving this goal; an awareness of the ways in which musical ideas unfold can only be brought about through practiced, active, conscious listening.

    Classroom attendance and participation is essential. You will be guided in the continuing development of your musical skills through a variety of classroom exercises and homework assignments. Consistent, active classroom participation and conscientious completion of homework assignments is the best way to succeed in developing these skills. There are two vitally important activities in this class: Always consider your ears to be your primary tool, and never stop asking questions about what you hear. Furthermore, never hesitate to inquire about something which is unclear to you, the only ‘stupid’ questions are the ones that are never asked.  (Actually, there's another kind of stupid question: the one where you ask me to cut you slack for not owning up to the responsibility for fulfilling the requirements of this class.  Don't even think about asking that one...)

    In addition to work in the classroom, you will be required to use an ear-training computer program, Practica Musica, to develop skills which require constant drill.  Skills such as interval and scale identification, melodic and harmonic dictation, etc. are best improved through regular practice.  This program is available for use in the Computer Lab in the Music Library (110-E), and I suggest that you make a habit of using this program for 20 minutes each day.

    At the conclusion of this semester, your ears will be smarter: As your musical awareness (of the basic melodic, contrapuntal, harmonic, motivic, and formal principles of music you listen to, perform, write about, etc.) grows, you will find that you address all music with greater sensitivity and awareness. The skills you develop in this class (and all Musicianship classes) are vital to success in your pursuit of any musical activity.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Regular prompt attendance and class participation are strictly required. You are permitted two unexcused absences. Only medical and Official School of Music off-campus performances and tours will excuse absence. Each abasence beyond the two allowed will reduce your final grade by 4 points (i.e., after 4 unexcused absences--two beyond the number permitted--the best grade you could earn--with 100s on all assignments--is a 92=A-).

2. Completion of all assignments.  Please be aware that late assignments are not accepted: they may be corrected, but will be graded as Fs.

3. Three quizzes and a final exam.

4. Please understand that, contrary to popular belief, dictation and sight-singing are not, by far, the only things we will work on in this class. In other words, if you expect your dictation skills to drastically improve based on the few minutes we work on dictation each week, that’s about as realistic as expecting your performing technique to improve based solely on the work you do in your weekly lessons. You must also practice on your own, using Practica Musica or MacGamut in the computer labs, or practicing with a colleague. Perhaps that deserves restatement: YOU MUST PRACTICE ON YOUR OWN!

GRADES

Your grade will be based on many components, roughly weighted as follows:

Class Participation, Preparation	10%
Transcription assignments (2)	20%
Aural Analysis Papers (2)	25% (10%, 15%)
Quizzes (see dates on schedule)	30% (10% each)
Final Exam (last two classes)	15%

Grading is on a standard scale

> 90% = A
> 80% = B
> 70% = C
> 60% = D
< 60% = F

HOW TO GET HELP, OR OFFICE HOURS

MW 10-11 a.m., by appointment, or whenever the office door is open: 302 Fletcher Music Center; 328-4280; E-mail address is JacobsE@ecu.edu. If you need help and want to reach me, don't ever be shy, that's why I'm here.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Ottman, Robert.  Music for Sight-Singing, New York: W. W. Norton, 1997 (available in bookstore).

ALWAYS bring some music manuscript and a few good pencils/erasers to class.

Also, there will be LOTS of handouts.  If you don't get a handout in class, YOU are responsible for getting a copy of the handout and its assiciated assignment from a colleague.  Don't tell me that you didn't do an assignment because you tried to come by my office to get the handout/assignment and I wasn't there.  I was there in class:   If you weren't then you find a way to get the assignment.  Missing a class is not an excuse for not fulfilling an assignment.  YOU get the assignment,  YOU fulfill the assignment, or YOU get an F for that assignment.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

PREPARED SINGING

For almost every class, you will be assigned passages (from the Ottman book and/or from handouts) to be sung—with correct rhythm, pitch, solfège syllables and conducting patterns—at the next class. You will be asked to sing these alone, but more often as part of an ensemble piece.

TRANSCRIPTIONS

    One of the best ways to improve one’s ‘ear’ while gaining insight into characteristics of varying styles of music is through the process of transcription. There will be two such transcriptions to complete for this class. In essence, these transcriptions are 'long-term' dictation assignments. The transcription you hand in (needless to say, you should also hand in a copy of the recording you transcribed) will be graded based upon its accuracy, notational correctness, and legibility.
    Since the process of transcription is an arduous one, you must be careful in choosing a piece, or section of a piece, to work on. You will be listening to this music repeatedly, so you should choose something that you truly enjoy, something that you would like to 'figure out,' and something appropriate to your skill level. I would suggest a popular song, a show tune, or a jazz standard, though you may think of something more suitable to your tastes.
    Your first transcription is to be handed in on February 15. Believe me, this assignment can not be completed in a few days, and February 15 will come sooner than you can imagine. (Please take my word for it, don't neglect this assignment.) Begin thinking NOW about what you'd like to work on transcribing, and see me about your choice (you MUST bring me a recording of the work you'll be transcribing!) no later than February 1. Do not start your transcription work until I have okayed your choice.
    [Oh, in case it isn't obvious, if you should choose a tune whose sheet music is readily available, your assignment will be found within the parts that aren't notated, i.e. improvised solos . . . why do you think I have to okay it?]

TYPICAL CLASSROOM EXERCISES

    Improvisation of melodies and rhythms and imitation of others' improvisations,
    Individual and group singing, both prepared and on sight,
    Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation,
    Aural 'analysis' of in-class listening.

AURAL ANALYSIS

    As stated above, a central goal of this course is to develop tools necessary for intelligent and critical listening, thereby developing your ability to perceive a musical work’s events and internal relationships. There are no tricks to achieving this goal; an awareness of the ways in which musical ideas unfold can only be brought about through practiced, active, conscious listening.
    In pursuit of this goal, we will spend a substantial portion of time in class listening to works whose organizational components may not be obvious at first. Through listening to a variety of works, primarily from the 20th century, we will develop perceptual skills by listening to works in a critical manner. Emphasis will be placed on identifying the elements of each works' musical organization, on gaining experience with the variety of compositional procedures and formal designs, as well as beginning the process of determining appropriate aesthetic criteria.
    While our classroom work on aural analysis will undoubtedly be fairly discursive and 'free-wheeling', you will also be required to construct concise, well-organized essays that present your individual aural analysis work. You should begin these projects by choosing a work with which you are initially unfamiliar, preferably by a composer whose work you do not yet know. Then, after repeated listening, possibly aided by a score, you should construct an essay that identifies the primary organizational components of the piece and describes how these elements are developed and/or 'played out' in the course of the piece. Our classroom work should help in giving you an idea about how to develop these papers, which should be limited to five pages.
    All written work—must be typed, and in the following format; doublespaced, one-inch margins on top, bottom, left and right; name in the top left corner. Your paper must be stapled; do not include a cover page. Carelessness in typping, speling, and grammar ain't acceptable in ‘college level’ writing assignments (it distracts the reader from the content of the writing, doesn't it?). Please proof-read your writing. Do not guess how to spell words with which you are just becoming familiar; consult a reference source. I will read as many drafts of your paper as you care to submit, but a paper submitted at the deadline may not be rewritten, and will be graded as submitted.
    Also, you are urged to make a duplicate copy of all written work (a good practice for any class), so that if your dog, or mine, eats your paper, you can readily provide another copy.
    Although these are not research papers, you are expected to properly footnote any primary or secondary resource material consulted. Plagiarism is a serious and difficult issue, but is easily avoided if you simply do your own thinking and writing. Questions about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it are always welcome.

QUIZZES/FINAL EXAM

    All quizzes, and the final exam, will consist of some (quizzes), or all (final exam) of the following: prepared singing, sight-singing, and dictation of melodies, rhythms and chord progressions. Each dictation excerpt will be played four (4) times, with a pause between each playing.
    DICTATION: Strategies for taking dictation will be a constant topic of discussion for us in class, so don't worry if this sounds incredibly difficult right now. We will spend some class time--a few minutes each class--practicing this skill, and you'll also have a practice quiz before the 'real' ones kick in. By the time the quizzes come along you should know what to expect, and have developed a strategy for how to go about the task of taking dictation..
   Again, while we will practice this skill in class, you must understand that the skills necessary to take dictation are not the sole goal of this class: Dictation is not, by far, the only thing we will work on in class. In other words, if you expect your dictation skills to drastically improve based on the few minutes we work on dictation each week, that’s about as realistic as expecting your performing technique to improve based solely on the work you do in your weekly lessons. You must also practice on your own, using Practica Musica or MacGamut in the computer labs, or practicing with a colleague. Perhaps that deserves restatement: YOU MUST PRACTICE ON YOUR OWN! If you do not take responsibility for working on developing your listening skills outside of class, then you should expect to fail all dictation quizzes. Get it?
     PREPARED SINGING: One week before each quiz, you will find a sign-up sheet on my office door. Use that sheet to sign up for a time to have your individual prepared singing and sight singing quiz. On the bottom of that sheet, you will see a listing of several examples from the Ottman book which you will be expected to prepare to the best of your ability. During the individual singing quiz you will be expected to sing the examples I choose from beginning to end, without pause, with correct pitch, correct rhythm, and appropriate solfege syllables and conducting patterns.
     SIGHT-SINGING: During that individual quiz I will also ask you to sing an example that you will not have prepared. You may take a pitch from the piano, you may sing a scale and/or arpeggio (without the piano) to establish the tonality in your ear, you may take a few moments to mentally sing the example through in your head. Then, you will be expected to sing the example from beginning to end, without pause, with correct pitch, correct rhythm, appropriate solfege syllables and conducting patterns..

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COURSE OUTLINE AND PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE: to be adapted as necessary

MU 2186, Section 1; TTh, 9-10, Rm. 374
MU 2186, Section 4; TTh, 11-12, Rm. 200