MUB 131/132/231/232/331/332/431/432/433/531/532/533 – Applied Bassoon
Fall Semester 2014
Schedule TBD
Dr. Rebecca Mindock
LPAC #1129
LPAC #1129
Office Hours: posted and by appt.
251-460-6482 (o), 303-601-8096 (c)
Course Format: Web Enhanced
mindock@southalabama.edu
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Description
This course involves the private study of bassoon.
Required Materials
A working bassoon and at least three working reeds
For majors (recommended but not required for non-majors): Reed making materials,
especially a knife (with sharpening equipment) or files, pliers, plaque, holding mandrel,
forming mandrel, cutting block or tip cutter, reamer, thread, wire, and as much cane as is
necessary to sustain the student’s regular reed making throughout the semester
Sheet music/method books as assigned
Metronome and Tuner
Maintenance materials, especially swabs, a screwdriver, and cork grease or beeswax
Course Goals and Objectives
The goal of this course is to provide individualized instruction in order to help the student build his/her
skills as a bassoon player and work towards mastery of the instrument. This means that the student
will aim to develop the requisite physical skills required to succeed with the bassoon, such as tone
production, breath control, and finger technique, as well as the necessary aural and visual skills, such
as pitch adjustment and sight reading. There will also be an emphasis on stylistic interpretation and
musicality. Finally, the student will be expected to develop the skills to adjust their reeds, and students
majoring in the instrument will be required to learn to make their own reeds successfully. These goals
will be reached through the practice and performance of etudes and pieces as assigned by the
instructor, and through guided reed making practice.
Expectations
The student will be expected to attend each lesson prepared to play the exercises or pieces assigned
and to demonstrate that a reasonable amount of progress has been made throughout the week’s
practice. If the student is a major, he or she will be expected to demonstrate that attempts to make
reeds were made since the last lesson, and to bring those attempts to the lesson for instructor
inspection, no matter how successful.
The number of credits for which the student is registered dictate the minimum amount of daily
practice expected of the student, i.e., a student registered for one credit should practice a minimum of
30 minutes per day, a student registered for two credits should practice one hour per day, and a student
registered for 3 credits should practice two hours per day. To reiterate, these are the minimums;
especially since we bassoon players have to also set aside practice time for reed making, it will very
likely be necessary to spend double this amount of time each day in order to be adequately prepared
for each lesson.
Mindock Applied Bassoon Syllabus, p.2
Attendance Policy
Due to the individual nature of this instruction, attendance is of the utmost importance. If a lesson is
missed due to illness or documented emergency, notify the instructor as soon as possible, and a makeup lesson will be scheduled at the mutual convenience of instructor and student. If advance notice is
given for missing a lesson, a make-up can be more easily scheduled. Any unexcused absences will
not be made up. More than two absences may result in a failing grade. Due to circumstances
beyond anyone’s control, the lesson schedule may need to be modified with appropriate advance
notice given to the student.
Grading Policy
Studio Grade – 70%
Each lesson will be graded, with the exception of the first lesson, which will be an assessment and
planning period. Lesson grades will be averaged and will constitute 70% of the semester grade.
Grades are recorded for every lesson, and each student is always welcome to check on his or her grade
at any time during the semester. Grades are based on performance, progress/improvement, effort, and
attitude. As these terms can be rather subjective, it is in the student’s best interest to know his or her
grades as the semester progresses. Any student who is clearly unprepared for his or her lesson may
be asked to leave the lesson and instructed to find a practice room in which to practice for the
remainder of their lesson time; should this occur, the student will receive a failing grade for that
day’s lesson.
A = Exceptional progress, always prepared
B = Good progress, usually well prepared
C = Some progress, inconsistent preparation
D = Little progress, rarely prepared
F = No progress, never prepared
Further definition of grading (as it applies to lessons):
A = A thoroughly prepared lesson on the assigned material, with evidence of extensive practice.
Assigned lesson material is played near-perfect and performed musically. “Near-perfect” means
that the student knows the music sufficiently well that notes and rhythms are not a problem and
that the student has made a thoughtful effort to perform the piece musically. The student has made
several reeds and is ready to show them to the instructor.
B = An adequately prepared lesson, with evidence of substantial practice on the assigned material.
Lesson material is played well, with minor flaws, but lacks polish. The student has made one or
two reeds to show, or the student did not make any new reeds but has made a significant amount of
progress on reeds that had been previously started.
C = A somewhat prepared lesson, with evidence of moderate practice on the assigned material.
Lesson material is played moderately well, but with consistent note and rhythm problems. The
student has made a moderate amount of progress in terms of reed making, but nothing significant.
Mindock Applied Bassoon Syllabus, p.3
D = A lesson not well prepared, with evidence that some practice has taken place on the assigned
material. Lesson material is played rather poorly. The student has not made any new reeds and has
only a minimal amount of reed making progress to show the instructor.
F = A lesson not prepared at all. Evidence that little or no practice has taken place on the assigned
material. The student has no reed making progress to show to the instructor.
Applied Music Exams (Juries) – 30%
Students enrolled at the 200 level or higher for two credit hours will be required to perform an applied
music examination (jury) before the instrumental faculty at the end of the semester. The purpose of
this exam is to monitor the progress of the student in their instrumental study. There will be two
separate juries, the Technical Jury and the Studio (Artistic) Jury. Expectations will vary according to
the level of the student. You will be assisted in your lessons in the preparation of appropriate material
for this exam.
Studio Jury – 20% - schedule TBD
The student will perform a solo or concert etude with accompaniment as appropriate to the
repertoire. In addition, the student will be asked to sightread. The performance will be graded
on both artistic and technical merit by the members of the instrumental faculty. There will also
be sight reading during this component of the jury.
Technical Jury – 10%
The student will perform the technical requirements appropriate to their level of study for the
instrumental faculty.
Play patterns according to the bassoon studio directives, quarter note = 92.
• Semester 1 – all major scales, arpeggios, and thirds, full range (two or three octaves as
appropriate); full range chromatic scale (low Bb to high C)
• Semester 2 – all natural minor scales, arpeggios, and thirds; chromatic scale
• Semester 3 – harmonic minor scales and thirds, dominant 7th arpeggios; chromatic scale
• Semester 4 – melodic minor scales and thirds; diminished 7th arpeggios; chromatic scale
• Semester 5 – all whole tone scales (2), diminished scales (3), Blues scales (12), and
augmented arpeggios (4); chromatic scale
• Semester 6 – all Dorian and Mixolydian scales and minor 7th arpeggios; chromatic scale
All Technical Juries, with the exception of Semester 4, the Upper-Division/Barrier
Exam, will be performed via video, according to the following instructions. The UpperDivision/Barrier Technical Exam will be performed live before a panel of faculty.
Video Instructions
•
Each student must create an unedited video of his/her required scales &
arpeggios.
•
The student is encouraged to use a metronome during the video to play the scales and
arpeggios at the assigned tempo.
•
Any pause between consecutive scales must be no more than six (6) seconds.
•
All videos must be no longer than ten (10) minutes. Any video that exceeds this
limit will be immediately rejected and given a failing grade.
Mindock Applied Bassoon Syllabus, p.4
•
•
•
•
•
Students must perform all keys & patterns in either circle or chromatic order.
All patterns must be performed from memory. The video picture should display
the entire body of the player, showing clearly that no music is being used.
A student may record his or her video as many times as necessary to produce an
acceptable result. However, no editing within a video will be allowed.
The video must be uploaded to the student’s YouTube account (or Google Drive), after
which the student must email the web link URL for the video to his or her applied
professor by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 5th.
The members of the wind and percussion faculty will then observe and grade
the technique jury video.
Grading Scale
>90%
A
>80%
B
>70%
C
>60%
D
<59
F
Reed Making Class
At the discretion of the students and instructor, an additional time for weekly group reed making
practice, in conjunction with Dr. Mindock’s oboe students, will be arranged. The expectations and
requirements for reed making in lessons will then be shifted to this reed making hour, to allow for
more time in lessons on musical material. This reed making hour will not be required of non-majors,
but it will be strongly recommended.
Concert Attendance and Recital Class
As a bassoon student, listening to others perform is an important part of your education. Bassoon
students will be required to attend any student or faculty recitals featuring bassoon players. Other
performances featuring bassoonists, such as Mobile Symphony concerts, are strongly recommended.
Performing before a live audience is an important and invaluable learning experience, and each student
will do so at least once a semester. It is also recommended that one take advantage of the Recital Class
performing opportunities and perform more often than the minimum requirement.
Upper Level Study
At the end of the second year of study at the 200 level, the student will be required to pass the Upper
Division Barrier audition for the faculty jury. Specific requirements are as follows:
1. All major, harmonic and melodic minor scales and arpeggios (including dominant 7th
and diminished 7th) from memory.
2. The student must present a list of etudes studied that semester, any of which the
committee may ask to hear.
3. Two solos (or excerpts) in contrasting styles. At least one should be accompanied.
4. Sight-read a selection chosen by the committee.
5. Exhibit a standard of musicianship that the faculty associates with upper division
applied study
Mindock Applied Bassoon Syllabus, p.5
International Double Reed Society
It is strongly recommended that all majors become members of the International Double Reed Society
(IDRS). The fee for student membership is $30 annually, and membership gives the student access to
large online databases of music and information as well as copies of the four print journals published
annually. Information can be found at www.idrs.org. IDRS has a conference every summer, and the
next conference is in Tokyo, Japan on August 15th-20th, 2015. Any students who have the means to
attend are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this rare opportunity.
JagAlert
JagAlert is a program intended to help students be successful in 100-200 level courses. If you are not
doing well, you will receive an email instructing you to see your professor along with instructions to
access an online tutorial intended to help with common problems affecting academic performance.
Watch for this email during week 8 of this semester.
Final Drop Date
The final date to withdraw from the course is December 24, 2014.
Hearing and Musculoskeletal Heath and Injury Prevention
Hearing and musculoskeletal health, as well as injury prevention, is important for everyone, but
especially for student musicians. If you have concerns regarding your hearing or musculoskeletal
health or for injury prevention, please discuss them with your applied professor, area coordinator,
ensemble director, or department chair. The Department of Music website has a page dedicated to
links and resources to provide information on these topics. Visit www.southalabama.edu/music and
click the link in the sidebar titled “Protecting the Health of our Student Musicians.”
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with bona fide disabilities will be
afforded reasonable accommodations. The Office of Special Student Services (OSSS) will certify a
disability and advise faculty members of reasonable accommodations. If you have a specific disability
that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify the instructor/professor and provide
certification from the Office of Special Student Services. OSSS is located at 5828 Old Shell Road at
Jaguar Drive, (251-460-7212).
Counseling and Testing Services
Counseling and Testing Services provides a variety of free and confidential services for students. For
further information regarding this resource go to www.southalabama.edu/counseling or call the office
at 460-7051.
Changes in Course Requirements
Not all classes progress at the same rate thus course requirements might have to be modified as
circumstances dictate. You will be given written notice if the course requirements need to be changed.
Academic Disruption Policy
The University of South Alabama’s policy regarding Academic Disruption is found in The Lowdown,
the student handbook.
http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown/academicdisruption.shtml
Mindock Applied Bassoon Syllabus, p.6
Disruptive academic behavior is defined as individual or group conduct that interrupts or interferes
with any educational activity or environment, infringes upon the rights and privileges of others, results
in or threatens the destruction of property and/or is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance of order
in an academic environment. The coordinator expects all students to be cordial, courteous and
respectful of faculty members and fellow students.
Student Academic Conduct Policy
The University of South Alabama’s policy regarding Student Academic Conduct Policy is found in
The Lowdown: http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown/academicconductpolicy.shtml
The University of South Alabama is a community of scholars in which the ideals of freedom of
inquiry, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of the individual are sustained. The
University is committed to supporting the exercise of any right guaranteed to individuals by the
Constitution and the Code of Alabama and to educating students relative to their responsibilities.
Penalties may range from the loss of credit for a particular assignment to dismissal from the
University. Degree revocation may be warranted in cases involving academic misconduct by former
students while they were students at USA. Note that dismissal from any University of South Alabama
college or school for reasons of academic misconduct will also result in permanent dismissal from the
University. Faculty, students, and staff are responsible for acquainting themselves with, adhering to,
and promoting policies governing academic conduct. Students are expected to complete their own
coursework and not provide unauthorized information or materials to another student. Students may
learn about the meaning of plagiarism and how to avoid it at the following link:
http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/instruction/plagiarismforstudents.html