LOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT MUS 111 – MUSIC APPRECIATION Spring 2017 – February 6 to June 5
Course Information Course Name: MUS 111 – Music Appreciation Course Section Number: 7436/7502 Meeting information: class conducted entirely online Professor Information: Instructor: Dr. C. Gengaro Office Location: CH 145 Office Hours: TBA Office Telephone: 323-­‐‑953-­‐‑4000 ext. 2884 Email for general questions: [email protected] Number to text questions (answers within 24 hours): 818-­‐‑254-­‐‑9485 Course Description MUS 111 is an introduction to western art music from the Middle Ages through the twentieth century. In this class, you will be introduced to a number of representative works by major composers from each major historical musical period. We will discuss musical forms and styles associated with various genres in each musical period. By the end of the course, you will have acquired a variety of critical listening skills that will enable you to listen to and understand music from the historical periods. You will also build a musical vocabulary that will help you discuss and analyze many types of music both in the class and beyond. Lectures and discussion are very important, therefore it is important that you keep up with the work and that you participate in class activities. Listening is extremely important for your grade. Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, the student will: • Explain terminology from various time periods in the history of music • Identify music aurally and contextualize musical works Exit Skills Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Define and explain the elements of music, including vocabulary, forms, instruments, • • • • • • and performers. Recognize and identify common instruments and voice types and their techniques of performance. Recognize and distinguish various styles of music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. Recognize various forms and styles of vocal music, both secular and sacred, solo, ensemble and choral, throughout the periods covered. Understand and describe the various forms of instrumental music, including symphonic, program music, and chamber music. Recognize the major composers of western classical music and their representative works. Successfully critique live concert performances. Required Text and Materials • Textbook: Listen (8th edition) by Joseph Kerman and Gary Tomlinson
• Access code to the online resources for the textbook either purchased with the
bundle from the bookstore or purchased directly from the textbook
website: https://digital.wwnorton.com/listen8
• You need access to a computer and a printer, and your computer should have
Adobe Acrobat or some other program that allows you to download PDF
files. Computers such as these are available on campus.
• Access to a computer with speakers so you can listen to the assigned music
Class Requirements Ø Reading quizzes Ø Listening quizzes Ø Midterm Ø Final Ø Participation in class Ø 2 concert reports Weekly Expectations 1. Read the module on Canvas (15 modules for 15 weeks of class) 2. Read the textbook assignment that goes along with the module 3. Complete the Listening and Reading quizzes that go along with the module 4. Answer the discussion board question/prompt for the week 5. Optional: Attend our live chat/discussion (times will change week to week) Grading Policies Listening Quizzes = 20% Reading Quizzes = 20% Midterm exam = 15% Final exam = 15% 2 Concert reports at 50 points each = 20% Class participation = 10% All assignments are done online. Please access the course management system, Canvas, here:
https://ilearn.laccd.edu/login/canvas
LoginID / UserID: Student ID number, example: 881234567
Password: 8888mmdd or 8888 + month + day you were born. Example: 88880101 for Jan 1
birthday UNLESS a student already changed their SIS PIN. Then it is 8888 before the SIS PIN.
Example: 88881995
Here's the link to the online text site:
https://digital.wwnorton.com/listen8
If you’re in section 7436, please choose course set 28917
If you’re in section 7502, please choose course set 28918
Make sure you sign into the correct set. If you’re not in the proper set, I won’t be able to see your grades. If you decide to stop participating in class, but you do not drop the class, it is likely that you will receive an F for the course. If you want to drop the class, it is YOUR responsibility to do that with the college. All Listening and Reading Quizzes can be found on the textbook website under "ʺQuizzes"ʺ: https://digital.wwnorton.com/listen8 I’ve made all of the due dates for the same day late in the semester; it is your responsibility to manage your time accordingly. The Midterm will be given during or around week 8 (dates TBA) The Final exam will be given during finals week (opening up on May 30 and closing a couple days after that) Concert Report due dates: Report #1 due by 11:59 PM on 3/6/17 Report #2 due by 11:59 PM on 5/8/17 Please email a PDF (and only a PDF) of your report to [email protected] by the due date. I will not accept or grade late concert reports. I will not accept or grade concert reports that are not in PDF format. If you don’t know how to do that, let me know. Concert Report Directions You must write about two live concerts during the semester. For each concert, you must write three full pages (typed, double-­‐‑spaced) on the experience. When I say three pages, please understand I don'ʹt mean two and a half. Get all the way down to the bottom of page three. A sample concert review is available for your perusal. Please read it to get a feel for what I'ʹm looking for. If you are unsure of the suitability of a concert, please ask. If money is an issue, there are some excellent free concerts at LACMA (classical and jazz) and around Los Angeles. Suitable concerts include: orchestral performances, operas, musicals, ballets, and jazz performances. To be safe, stick to classical music, jazz, and world music. Concerts that are NOT suitable include performances of rock, pop, hip hop, DJs, EDM, etc. We'ʹre trying to get you to experience something that goes along with what we'ʹre learning in the class. Ideally, you'ʹd attend a concert that is at least an hour long and has some kind of program or list of performed pieces that you can refer to during (or after) the performance. May I suggest the following FREE local concerts: Sundays Live at LACMA (all performances in the Bing Theater at 6PM on Sundays): LACMA -­‐‑ http://www.lacma.org/programs/music Some other suggestions for places to see concerts and/or local ensembles (remember to choose MUSIC to narrow your search): USC-­‐‑ https://arts.usc.edu (click on “Arts Events”) UCLA -­‐‑ http://arts.ucla.edu/calendar/ Cal State LA -­‐‑ http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/calendar/index.htm The LA Phil -­‐‑ http://www.laphil.com (Don’t pay full price; get student rush tickets.) Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – http://www.laco.org Colburn School -­‐‑ https://www.colburnschool.edu/page.cfm?p=2862 Using the terminology discussed in class, describe your reaction to the concert. Keep the following questions in mind when you are writing your concert report. Your paper should not be a list of answers to the questions. Try to incorporate the answers to these questions into an organized, well-­‐‑ written essay, but remember, these are just guidelines. Don'ʹt be afraid to be honest about your opinions. Ø Who is/are the performer(s)? What is his or her musical background? (Often the program will have short biographies of performers or short histories of ensembles. BUT, please do not copy the bio into your paper.) Ø What kind of music is being played? From what time period does the music come? Ø What are some stylistic characteristics of the music? Ø What kind of audience is watching the performance? Ø Do you feel the performer did a good job? Did you notice any mistakes, any problems? Ø Did you enjoy the concert? Explain why you did or didn'ʹt. Be honest and fair. Ø Write about anything else that you think was interesting about the concert. Your paper must follow all standard rules for grammar and spelling. If you hand in a paper with interesting content but which is written with poor grammar and spelling, you will receive a low grade. Plagiarism is a violation of our academic honesty policy. There are basically two types. The first type is intentional plagiarism: you knowingly hand in work you know is not yours in order to deceive someone (in this case, me) into thinking that it is your work. The second type is unintentional and stems from disregarding proper academic citation. In other words, you omit the important details about your source materials because you don’t know better. It’s like using a paragraph from a website or a book without making a citation saying, “hey, I got this from somewhere else.” Neither type is acceptable. And if your paper is plagiarized, you will receive a zero for the assignment. This website helps you figure out if what you’re writing is plagiarized: https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism Online Rules of Conduct
Please be respectful of your fellow students when you address them in the online forum, live
chat, or student lounge. Use appropriate language and be mindful of your words. Any student
who uses inappropriate or disrespectful language may be removed from the course.
Participation
This is an online class, so you are expected to join in discussion boards, live chat (if possible) and contribute to the online community as required. If you do none of these things, your grade will be negatively affected. I keep track of how many times you post in the discussion board, I see how often you are on the Canvas and textbook websites, and I make note of how many times you participate. Addendum to the Syllabus Please read the following and make note of the important information about drop dates, the
Office of Special Services, financial aid, and student code of conduct: http://effectiveness.lacitycollege.edu/academic_affairs/CourseSyllabiAddendum/MUSIC%2011
1.pdf