Creative Arts Department - Levelland

Syllabus

 (Link to Topical Syllabus)

Course Title:

MUSC 1311, Commercial Music Sight Singing & Ear Training I

Instructor:

Ed Marsh

Office:

CB 110 Office Hours: As posted Office Telephone: (806) 894-9611, ext. 2274 - voice-mail configured. E-mail: mailto:emarsh@spc.cc.tx.us

Office Hours:

As posted

South Plains College Improves Each Student's Life

I. General Course Information:

A.

Description: This course is an introduction to basic aural, visual, and vocal experiences in dictation and singing at sight with emphasis on identification of chord progression, motion, and melody/harmony relationships of popular music.

B.

Course Learning Outcomes: Through this course the student will:

  • Gain the vocabulary necessary to communicate intelligently with other trained musicians
  • Gain the ability to use computer-based music notation/performance programs
  • Gain the ability to listen to contemporary musical works and create basic musical charts of these
  • Refine his/her skill in aurally visualizing the sound of musical notation and the reverse -- notating the music one hears.

C.

Course Competencies: Students will be required to develop subtle music-listening and music-computing skills.

                Computer-Assisted Learning - South Plains College has and will continue to provide up-to-date computer assisted ear-training labs. Students will be given assignments in pertinent areas during the semester, and are responsible for timely completion of this work. The ear-training lab will have published hours and rules for student use. For further information, contact your instructor or John Reid (CB 137.)

D.

Academic Integrity: It is the aim of the faculty of South Plains College to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work which he or she has not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious offense and renders the offender liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension. Students should refer to the SPC General Catalog, pg.22-23, regarding consequences for cheating and plagiarism (see "Academic Integrity" as well as "Student Conduct" sections).

E.

SCANS COMPETENCIES: C-1, C-3, C-5, C-6, C-7, C-8, C-18, C-19.

FOUNDATION SKILLS: F-1, F-2, F-5, F-6, F-7, F-8, F-9, F-10, F-11, F-12, F-13, F-16            

F.

Verification of Workplace Competencies: Successful completion of this course will equip the student with many of the skills necessary to complete the capstone experience presented at the end of the second semester of study for certificate candidates and at the end of the fourth semester of study for degree candidates.

II. Specific Course/Instructor Requirements:

A.

Textbook and Other Materials: Sightsinging, The Complete Method For Singers, by Mike Campbell, 1998, by Hal Leonard Corporation. Software will include various ear training-, performance-, and notation software, selected and updated by the faculty on an on-going basis. Students should bring music manuscript and conventional notebook paper, pen, & pencil to each class session.

B.

Attendance Policy: Students are required to attend class and will be penalized for non-attendance unless excused by the instructor. Non-attending students will be marked absent when roll is taken. It is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor that he/she was tardy (this should be done only at the end of class), otherwise the absent mark will remain on the roll.  Two times tardy will equal one unexcused absence. It is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor his/her reason for absence. In the case of bona fide emergency, the instructor may excuse an absence. After three unexcused absences, the student's grade will be lowered one letter grade for each subsequent absence. The instructor will make the final determination as to what constitutes an excused absence with respect to this course.

C.

Assignment Policy: All assignments are to be submitted for grading at the time specified. Assignments missed due to absence may be excused, but late assignments will not be accepted.

• Students may be asked to turn in computer progress reports at assigned times.

• Failure to submit progress reports in a timely fashion may result in a grading penalty (at the discretion of the instructor). Failure to complete the assigned material may result in the student being given a final grade of "Incomplete" for the course.

D.

Grading Policy/Procedure: The final grade will be constituted of an average of each student's test scores = 90%, plus homework/labwork = 10%. Assignments missed due to absence may be excused by the instructor, but assignments will not be accepted late. Grades are assigned as follows: A: 90 - 100, B: 80 - 89, C: 70 - 79, D: 60 - 69, F: Below 60.

The weighting & valuation of test questions lies at the discretion of the instructor.

E.

Special Requirements: This course is intended to be taken concurrently with MUSC 1313, Commercial Music Theory I (prerequisite to which is a degree of skill in the fundamentals of music theory). Due to this “companion” course, students are expected to be familiar with some material covered in that course. Students will be required to develop subtle music-listening skills (in class and in the computer lab), and a moderate degree of skill using word-processing and music notation software on the personal computer (PC).

III. Course Outline:

Outline by Topic:

Establishing accepted terminology for discussing the form of contemporary songs and short instrumental pieces

  • The art of listening analytically to music and the methodology of charting the form of songs will be covered.
  • The structural analysis of contemporary songs will be discussed, as well as the terminology that trained musicians use to communicate with peers.

Developing awareness of textures

  • The roles and interrelationship of the individual instruments in the musical ensemble will be examined and appropriate terms explained.
  • Examples of contemporary songs will be used to illustrate how producers, arrangers, and songwriters employ "repertoire-based" styles to put both variety and cohesion into their work.

Conventional Ear Training

  • Melodic intervals
  • Identification of major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads
  • Basic drum "beats" and (their constituent) parts
  • Basic chord progressions
  • Rhythmic dictation

Computer Lab

  • Computer assisted exercises may be employed topically to enhance the learning experience and provide needed drill

Outline by Week:

A comprehensive outline explaining the topics to be covered day-by-day will be available on the computer at each work-station in the classroom. Students are welcome to make a copy of any and all class documents using the printers available there. NOTE: The instructor requests that students make as few hard-copies as possible in the interest of conserving paper. Remember: you can take notes in class using the word processor and save these files to disk. You can also copy class documents from the work-station computer to your disk. You can read, edit, and print these files at several locations on campus.

IV. Accommodations

South Plains College strives to accommodate the individual needs of all students in order to enhance their opportunities for success in the context of a comprehensive community college setting. It is the policy of South Plains College to offer all educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability or age (SPC Equal Opportunity Policy--General Catalog).

V. Disabilities

Students with disabilities, including but not limited to physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations in this class should notify the Special Services Office early in the semester so that the appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal law, a student requesting accommodations must provide acceptable documentation of his/her disability to the Special Services Coordinator. For more information, call or visit the Special Services Office in the Student Services Building, 894-9611 ext. 2529, 2530.