Music Appreciation (MUSC/HUM-2573 - Honors)

Fall 2006 MW (2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.) 3 Credit Hours

Rogers State University Baird Hall

Professor: Dr. Hugh Foley Office Phone: 918-343-7566 e-mail: hfoley@rsu.edu

REQUIRED TEXT AND CDs:

1. Willoughby, David. The World of Music. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

The book should be packaged with either a set of three compact discs with the same title as the book.

2. Foley, Hugh W., Jr. Oklahoma Route 66 Music Guide. 2nd ed. Stillwater: New Forums, 2005.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: Music Appreciation seeks to inform the student about the indigenous beginnings of North American music, to explain 20th Century music in terms of the origins of the popular styles of blues, jazz, country, rock, and pop, and survey the Western "Classical" tradition from the middle ages to the 20th century. The class concludes with lectures on the significant music produced by Oklahomans. Goals for the class range from raising awareness of the various elements, origins, and developments in music, as well as enhancing critical thinking skills of evaluating music and then putting a cognitive critique in writing. By the end of the course, the student should have the background for appreciating the major genres of music with which they are most likely to come into contact in the United States.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1.       Listening Journal: After clicking on the link at the left, students will see the listening assignments to which they will be required to listen. The music is provided on the student CDs or cassettes. Students will use the terminology they have developed over the course of the semester in their analysis of the music. Journals are due by the last class period on December 6th, 2006.

2.       Each student will write two essays. The first essay will be a 1,000 word essay about a musical experience the student will attend. The student will describe the music in detail with regard to instrumentation, setting and staging, number of performers on what instruments, style of music played, musical arrangement, musicians’ playing styles, and audience response. Within the essay, students should incorporate at least twenty-five of the musical terms from Chapter 3 of The World of Music (pages 28 through 42). The terms used should be indicated in the essay by putting the terms in boldface type. The first essay is due Monday, October 16th.

3.       The second essay should be a 750-word essay taken from an interview with a musician, or someone involved in music. The interview may be a transcription of a recorded interview, or written in prose from notes taken during the interview. Included in the interview should be the person’s name, as well as place and date of birth. Also, the interviewer should find out the person’s first musical experience, whether or not family members played music, what started the person in music, what styles of music they prefer, what they do contemporarily in music, and how they feel about music being produced today. The second essay is due Monday, November 13th. If students wish for the essay to become part of a permanent archive of oral history about music in Oklahoma, please provide a separate sheet of paper that authorizes the interview to be used for educational purposes. See me for further details. Students may opt to switch the order of these essays but must adhere to the due dates.

4.   Each student must create an original work related to music and present it to the class in the context of its use for explaining an aspect of music covered in the course. Projects might include publicity for a musical event, an edited documentary video of a musical performance or interview - to include titles and credits, an original work of music such as a song or instrumental composition, or a performance of a non-original work with an explanation of how the work fits into the context of the course. Projects must be pre-approved by the professor. Presentations will be scheduled according to project topics.

5.   Each student will take a mid-term and final exam.

 

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to The World of Music

Week 2 Chapters 2 & 3 Listening and Understanding: The Nature and Elements of Music

Week 3 Chapter 8 Music of the Americas

Week 4 Chapter 8 Music of the Americas

Week 5 Chapters 4 & 5 Folk Music, the Blues, and American Religious Music

Week 6 Chapter 7 Country and Western Music

Week 7 Chapter 6 Jazz in America

Week 8  Chapter 7 American Popular Music (Pre-20th Century Music and Tin Pan Alley)

Week 9 MID-TERM EXAM

Week 10 Chapter 10 Music to 1600

Week 11 Chapter 11 Music of the Baroque (1600-1750)

Week 12 Chapter 12 Music of the Classical Period (1750-1820)

Week 13 Chapter 13 Music of the Romantic Period (19th Century)

Week 14 Chapters 14&15 Music of the 20th Century I & II

Week 15 Music of Oklahoma

Week 16 Review for Final Exam

GRADING PROCEDURES:

Mid-term Exam and Final Exam Average: 25%

Essay 1 and 2 Average: 25%

Original Music Project: 25%

Listening Journal: 25%

A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 F=Below 60

Absentee Policy: I do not have an absentee policy.

Late Work Policy: I will accept late work up to one calendar week after the listed due date. After that, work will still be accepted but lose 10 points per calendar week that it is late after the grace period has elapsed.

Academic Misconduct: Students are expected to follow university policies as put forth in the institution’s Student Code of Responsibilities and Conduct. See the code in its entirety at www.rsu.edu/scode.

Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism is representing someone else’s ideas or work as your own. To avoid plagiarism when you use someone else’s data, arguments, designs, words, ideas, project, etc., you must make it clear that the work originated with someone else by citing the source. Suspected plagiarism cases enact a nasty administrative process that no one will enjoy, and you can find out more about it in the student code www.rsu.edu/scode. Please avoid this hassle and do your own work.

Non-Academic Misconduct: In order to maintain an effective learning environment, students are expected to fully comply with The Student Code.

ADA Statement: If you have special physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities, please let me know as soon as possible so that your learning needs may be met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Office of Student Affairs in the Student Union.

 

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