Cal Poly SLO - Department of Music
Course Syllabus - Music 104 (Musicianship I) - Fall 2000

Lab Hours will be announced in class.

Materials:Introductory Musicianship (Fifth Edition) by Lynn; New York: Harcourt-Brace-Jovanovich, 1996.

Please bring your materials to every class meeting AND to your performance tests.

A reminder of mnemonics you can use to identify intervals is linked to this page.

Here is a link to a web site that may interest you: MacGamut

Course Description: Music 104 is a beginning course in the practical skills of being a musician. Some of these skills may come easily to you, and others will require more work (i.e. practice!). Like private lessons, practicing will be on your own; the time you spend with me is only the tip of the iceberg, and probably will not be sufficient for you to master all the areas we will cover (so you'll need to practice–maybe with a buddy? Some computer programs and cassette tapes are also available). The course will consist of discussion, class, group and individual exercises, homework, written quizzes, and oral examinations (and did I mention practicing?) All course requirements must be satisfied in order to earn a passing grade in the course.

Prerequisites: previous or concurrent enrollment in Music 101 or its equivalent (essential–you must know or be learning your clefs, key signatures, time signatures, and intervals).

Course Requirements:

I. Nine quizzes. Each quiz will count as 6% of the final grade, although I will drop the lowest grade. The quizzes will be given every Wednesday beginning second week (except 10th week, when the quiz will be on Monday). There is no quiz in Week 11, but the final exam will be on that Wednesday. Missed quizzes: Make-up quizzes are a privilege, not a right. One missed quiz will be treated as your "dropped" quiz. A make-up quiz for a second missed quiz will be allowed only when 1) the reasons for your absence are beyond your control, and 2) you keep me informed about your status (via any of the means suggested at the top of the syllabus!). If we agree that you are eligible to take a make-up quiz, I generally require that you take the quiz before the class has had that quiz returned–usually two days after the quiz was given. If you miss three quizzes, we may need to discuss withdrawing from the course.

II. A final (which is cumulative), which will constitute 17% of the course grade.

III. Three individual performance tests. These will be conducted in my office by individual appointments outside of class, during the 4th, 7th, & 10th week of the course. You will sign up for an appointment during class shortly before each week of testing, and the schedule will be posted next to my office if you forget . Each is worth 8% of the total course grade. Class meets as usual during these weeks! Don't worry, you'll survive (no casualties yet!) If you know you're struggling with a performance skill, tell me before your performance appointment; I will do my best to help you master any problems and may be willing to delay your test, if you talk to me beforehand. Once you come in for your appointment, you need to be prepared. Please try to give me 24 hours notice for appointment changes; missed appointments will lower your grade by a letter grade.

IV. Attendance. It's important that you make it to class every day (with your books, pencil, and music paper), because this is not the kind of course for which you will take many notes (well, lots of musical notes -- ha, ha, ha. . . .) Trying to catch up by photocopying a classmate's notes won't work; if you have to miss, see (or phone) me as soon as possible to find out what we covered and how we approached it. You are responsible for finding out about our daily homework assignments. Don't lose momentum!

V. Weekly Practicing + Homework Grades. A two-unit activity class is expected to meet 4 hours a week. However, we meet as a group for only 3 of those 4 hours; we require that you spend at least one hour a week practicing the skills we are mastering (many of you will practice longer). You will also be given daily homework assignments. Each week, you will be given a grade that averages your "practicing" grade with your grade(s) on homework assignments for that week. Each of these averaged grades counts for 1% of your overall grade (therefore, 11 grades will equal 11% of the course grade). Homework will be graded as follows:

The Practice Log will be checked every Monday ("late/forgotten" logs will lower your week's grade by a letter grade). The grading scale for each week's practicing will be based on the time you spend:

A	161-180(+) minutes	B-	81-100
A-	141-160	C+	61-80
B+	121-140	C	60
B	101-120	F	<60

There are many "practice" activities you can undertake to fulfill your practice requirement, including work on the computers (either in the Piano Lab or in the Department Office), work with the course cassettes, practice with a partner, the teaching assistants, or me, and, of course, practice on your own. All practice time recorded on your log must be initialed–by the department secretaries, the teaching assistant, your partner, me, or yourself (if you worked alone). DO NOT fill out your practice log just before it's due; like a 'food diary', the log is most effective when it is accurately filled out as you go. Bring your log on Mondays!

Contract Policy: We often say that small amounts of daily practice are more beneficial to musicians than long but infrequent "cramming" sessions. In order to underscore this point, you may elect to become a "contract" student, in which a lower weekly total (140 mins.) is required to earn an "A"–but your practicing needs to be at least 20 minutes daily. Details are at the top of the practice log.

No Free Lunch: Since Music 104 is primarily a 'skills' course, absence (or tardiness) undercuts the amount of time you spend working on your musicianship skills. Therefore, absences or tardies need to be 'made up' during your weekly practice to maintain your practice-log grade for that week. In other words, if you miss a day of class (50 minutes), you'll need to put in 110 minutes over the course of the week to get a "C" for that week. If you're 10 minutes late one day, you'll need to show 70 minutes of practicing on that week's log for a "C." Please—it is your responsibility to talk to me about what was covered before the next class meeting! A practical note: just like private lessons, it is far better for you to practice ten minutes a day every day than to cram in an hour once a week; try to spread out your practice time so that you don't burn out on any one skill

VI. All portions of the course requirements must be completed in order to receive a passing grade.

Course Outline - Music 104 - Fall 2000

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this page was modified on 9-16-99