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Syllabus

Schedule

Listening Reports

Multimedia Resources

Event Responses

SSU Concerts

Final Project

Study Questions

Exams and Class Records

 

 

MUSIC 150

SURVEY OF U. S. MUSIC

TuTh 4:00-5:15

Ives 119

 

INSTRUCTOR

Will Johnson

OFFICE

Ives 17

TELEPHONE

(707) 664-2631

e-mail

wj1707@aol.com

 

OFFICE HOURS: M 4:00-5:00; Tu 2:30-3:30, Th 1:00-2:00 or by appointment

If you are having difficulty with the material, or with any aspect of the class, or just want to speak with me for any reason, please come in and discuss the situation. I also urge you to connect with me via e-mail; I check the above address daily and respond immediately. If you must see me in person and cannot come to one of the assigned times, see me before class, call me or (best) send an e-mail to arrange another time.

 

COURSE INFORMATION

Music 150 satisfies 3 units of lower division General Education in category C1 (Fine Arts); it is also a required course for the Applied Music Concentration the Liberal Arts Music Major and the Music Education Concentration, and may be counted as part of the Jazz Studies Concentration. Music majors must take the course for a grade; non-majors may take the course CR/NC.

 

TEXT

Kingman, Daniel, American Music, A Panorama (Concise Edition.), Schirmer Books, N.Y. 1998. Accompanying three CD's of American Music. Both text and CD's are required; they are available in the campus bookstore. Supplementary listening resources and videos are housed in the Multimedia Center on the second floor of the Schultz Technology Center.

 

ACTIVITIES

 

 

Attendance

This class does NOT exist in a textbook! In-class listening to and discussion of heard music, and discussion of ideas about music and its role in society, are a crucial part of this class. If you are not here, you neither contribute to that part of the class nor derive the benefit from it. For that reason, I take attendance using a sign-in sheet every day.

 

Reading

Assigned portions of the text exploring aspects of specific types of music are the principal source of information for the class. (See Schedule of Reading and Listening page for specific assignments.) Questions highlighting important points in each chapter of the text are provided on the Study Questions page; these questions serve as the basis for exams.

 

Listening

Listening to music, in a variety of settings--in-class, on recordings or videos outside class, in live performances--is the heart of this class. The three CD's which accompany the text are the core of your listening; but you are expected to complete a minimum of three additional hours engaged in non-performance music listening activities--listening to recordings, watching vidoes about music--each week. .

See the Multimedia Resources page for a chapter by chapter list of recordings and videos available to you on reserve at the Multi-media section of the Schulz Tech Center. NOTE: These are to be used in the Tech Center; they may not be checked out. You may also use your own listening materials, the Internet or live concerts for your listening; but make sure that your listening for the class each week is to music appropriate to what we are studying in class that week. Use the Multimedia Resources list and the text as sources for suitable outside listening.

On Thursday of each week, you turn in a Listening Report on that week's listening activities . See Listening Reports page for more detailed information.

 

Live Performances

As part of your work for the class, you are to attend ten concerts of U. S. music; for each concert you are to write a brief response paper. See Event Responses page for more information. See SSU Concerts of U. S. Music for a list of on-campus concerts; as a student, you can attend most of these concerts free.

 

Exams

Three exams, each covering approximately one third of the semester's work. See Exams and Class Records page for more information about exams and for review sheets for each exam.

 

 

 

 

Final Project (optional)

A five page paper on some aspect of U. S. Music. See Final Project page for more information.

 

GRADING

 

attendance

11%

listening reports (12 @ 2 % each)

24%

event response papers (10 @ 2 % each)

20%

Midterm Exam

15%

Final Exam

30%

 

 

optional final project

up to 15% extra credit

 

 

EXAM REVIEW SHEETS AND CLASS RECORDS

Exam material is taken primarily from the text and the class CD's. For each exam, I provide a review sheet.

I keep a copy of the class attendance sheet and grade book on-line.. Exam Review Sheets, Attendance Roster and Gradebook are linked to the .Exams and Class Records page.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

If you must be absent, send me an e-mail before the class. If you let me know by e-mail before your absence, you wil always be excused from the class. I treat attendance in class like coming to work; if you aren't going to be at work, you call in before your absence. Of course, like work, if you miss a lot of classes, I will be contacting you to find out what is happening. If I do not hear from you before a class, your absence is unexcused. Unexcused absences will result in a lower final grade.

 

LATE WORK/GRADING CRITERIA

Listening Reports must be turned in on time to receive full credit. Reports turned in more than one class day late will receive only half credit. Incomplete Listening Reports will lose credit; make sure you follow the format described on the Listening Reports page.

Event Response Papers may be turned in at any time; but no Event Responses will be accepted after the last day of classes. These papers must follow the format described in Event Responses to receive full credit.

Optional Term Projects are due at the beginning of class Thursday, December 5.

Exams may be made up only by prior arrangement.