COURSE SYLLABUS
MUSI 1210, SECTIONS 101 AND 102
FALL 2015
DR. ERIK JANNERS, CONDUCTOR
Meeting Time and Location
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M/W/F from 3:30 – 4:50 p.m., Varsity Theatre Stage
Instructor Contact Information
Dr. Erik Janners
Varsity Theatre, Room 016N
288-7125
erik.janners@marquette.edu
OFFICE HOURS: MWF 2-3 pm, other times by appointment
Course Description
The Marquette University Wind Ensemble is a competitively-auditioned ensemble for
upper level wind and percussion players, and provides a venue for students to participate
in high-level performance of wind band repertoire. The ensemble also provides music for
certain University functions. The Wind Ensemble is one of the two core ensembles from
which the Marquette Pep Bands are drawn. Students may enroll in Wind Ensemble for 1
credit or for 0 credits, but they must be enrolled in order to be granted card access to the
Varsity Theatre main doors, practice room area, and instrument storage area.
Attendance
Attendance at all rehearsals and performances is the general expectation for students
participating in the Marquette University Wind Ensemble. Documented class conflicts
will be accepted for the zero-credit participants. Other conflicts should be cleared with
the Director on a case-by-case basis. The Director reserves the right to determine an
individual’s eligibility to participate in any performance, based upon their attendance and
ability to execute their parts.
In addition to regular attendance at rehearsal and at all performances of the Wind
Ensemble, each member is also required to attend a minimum of 5 events as a part of the
Marquette Pep Band as a part of their grade for the fall semester for Wind Ensemble.
More information will be available about this when we begin pep band rehearsals.
Students who fail to attend at least 5 pep band events will receive a grade of
“Incomplete” for Wind Ensemble for the semester.
Attendance is tracked electronically through your MUID swipe cards. Every day when
you arrive to rehearsal and depart from rehearsal it is your responsibility to swipe your
card at the door in the basement of the Varsity Theatre, and again when you leave at the
door in the basement. If you do not swipe you will not receive credit for attendance. We
obtain an electronic record from public safety each week of the card swipes on that door,
making our attendance tracking absolutely foolproof. What it means is that the
responsibility for your grade and your attendance falls entirely on you – remembering to
swipe in and out.
If you should someday forget to swipe, you must contact both myself and the band
secretary THAT SAME DAY via email. It must be via email so we have a written record
of the communication.
Any course conflicts should also be documented with the band secretary so that your
attendance can be accurately tracked.
Grading
Students enrolled in Wind Ensemble for credit will be graded on the following criteria:
attendance, attitude, improvement, and performance. It is the general expectation that
students taking Symphonic Band for credit will be present at all rehearsals (excused
absences for special circumstances will be allowed). Additionally, students enrolled for
credit are expected to work diligently to improve their performance skills, to display a
willingness to work during rehearsal and a generally positive attitude, and to be present at
all performances.
Additionally, as mentioned above in “Attendance,” all Wind Ensemble students are
required to participate at a minimum of 5 pep band events for the fall semester as a part
of their grade.
Generally, students can expect to receive an excellent mark if they have perfect
attendance at rehearsals and performances, display a positive attitude, and work hard.
Any unexcused absence will have a strong negative impact on the grade. If the student
must miss rehearsal for an unavoidable conflict, it is the responsibility of the student to
communicate with the Director regarding the absence to resolve the situation.
The rehearsal immediately prior to each concert is a REQUIRED dress rehearsal for all
members of the Wind Ensemble. You must re-arrange any other commitments for this
one rehearsal – it is the only rehearsal which I will not excuse anyone from. Failure to
attend the required dress rehearsal will cause removal from the concert. Failure to attend
any performance scheduled by the Marquette Wind Ensemble will result in automatic
failure of the course.
Rehearsal Etiquette
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You are expected to arrive 5 minutes prior to the start of rehearsal, at the
latest, unless running from a class to rehearsal.
Rehearsal begins at 3:30 promptly, and you are expected to be on stage with
your instrument assembled at that time.
Absolutely NO cell phones or text messaging during rehearsal. To text or
play on your phone is rude in the extreme and totally unnecessary. Those
caught doing so will be dealt with extremely harshly.
Use good posture while playing at all times. Posture affects your ability to
breathe, as well as your attitude. If asked to sit up straight, do so without
giving any attitude.
Rehearsal Philosophy
The philosophy of the MU music program in general is to provide ensembles for students
to perform in which will require a minimum of outside practice time. Our effort is to
choose music for our ensembles which can be learned and perfected during rehearsal
time.
In the MU Wind Ensemble, I will be approaching rehearsal with the following points in
mind:
1. The first 5-10 minutes of rehearsal are for tuning and warmup. These activities are
extremely important to improving our sound, intonation, and ensemble tightness
throughout the year.
2. Intonation is different than tuning. While tuning your instrument puts it generally
in good tune with the rest of the group, intonation refers to specific pitches in
relation to other pitches. Our tuning might be good in a given situation, but our
intonation might be terrible.
3. Rhythm comes first! We must be able to play our music in the correct rhythm
before issues of intonation, balance and blend can be addressed. When reading
new music, get the rhythm correct first.
4. Rhythm-Intonation-Dynamics-Ensemble, or RIDE, is the order of approach to
our music. First comes Rhythm, which includes articulations (the beginnings of
notes) and releases (the endings of notes). After rhythm is perfected comes
Intonation, the note-to-note pitch relationships that may be wrong even if your
tuning is right. After intonation is Dynamics, including all extremes, crescendo
and decrescendo. Finally comes Ensemble, which includes all of the above plus
balancing voices, blending sounds, tone colors, rubato, and general polish.
5. You are expected to watch the conductor and be responsive to the baton or hand
gestures in terms of articulation, tempo, dynamics, and releases. Responding to
conducting gesture will be a part of the daily warmup. Pattern size should indicate
dynamic level, and there are four basic articulations that you should be able to
recognize in conducting:
Legato – A smooth, flowing beat pattern
Tenuto – A flowing beat pattern with a heavy baton that drags behind the
hand
Staccato – A beat pattern with quick, clear beats
Marcato – A heavy beat pattern with a stop after each beat
6. Markings on your parts are there to help you learn the music more quickly and
should be observed and used to help you. Common marks you will see include:
Breath mark – this means to end a note earlier than notated and breathe
prior to the next attack
Crossed-out note – This means that this note should be omitted and should
become a rest of the same value. Most often seen at the end of tied notes.
Triangle – Used to show longer beats or note groupings in odd meter
Single slash – Used to show shorter beats or note groupings in odd meter
Emarq Usage
In accordance with the University Official email usage policy, regular class
information forwarded via the University emarq email system will be assumed to be
received and read – communications are regularly sent via emarq, so make sure you
are using it. Please follow the links on d2l to review the policy. Feel free to contact
Dr. Janners with any questions.
Academic Dishonesty
In accordance with the high standards of excellence set forth by, and for, all members of
the Marquette University community, the College of Communication finds it imperative
that each student understand that the responsibilities associated with high standards of
excellence include ensuring that all class work undertaken in this College is performed in
an environment that promotes serious scholarship and moral rectitude. Therefore, the
College herein delineates a zero-tolerance policy for acts of academic dishonesty. All
acts of suspected academic dishonesty will be thoroughly investigated in a manner that is
fair, timely, and efficient and done so in a manner that protects the rights of both the
faculty member and the student. Any individual that is found to have committed an act
of academic dishonesty may receive a penalty, up to and including expulsion from
Marquette University.
Special Needs
Please inform the instructor during the first week of class if you have any conditions that
may limit or affect your ability to participate in this course so that we can make necessary
arrangements. You may also contact the Office of Student Educational Services (OSES),
located in AMU 317 (288-3270) for additional information (see also:
http://www.marquette.edu/oses/).
Emergency Plan
Every Marquette University campus building has emergency shelter and evacuation
plans. Please familiarize yourself with the plans of each building in which you take
classes or attend meetings. Make sure to note the routes to the lowest level of the
buildings for shelter during inclement weather, as well as exits from the buildings in the
event of fire or other emergency.
Counseling Center
Sometimes personal issues or health issues, such as depression, anxiety, stress, career
uncertainty, and/or relationships, can interfere with your ability to function as a student.
If you feel that this is happening to you, please contact the Counseling Center. The
Counseling Center offers free, confidential counseling services for all full time students.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 414-288-7172, or visit their
website at www.marquette.edu/counseling.
Performance Attire
Men – Tuxedo (short coat) with black tie and cummerbund or vest
Women – Black dress (below the knee) or pantsuit
Tasteful personal jewelry is acceptable
Fall Semester Performances and other events
Holidays:
Labor Day September 7
Fall Break October 22-25
Thanksgiving Break November 25-29
Pep Band:
Men’s and Women’s Home Basketball Games
Women’s Volleyball Matches
Wind Ensemble Concert Dates:
October 4
November 22
December 6 (Holiday)
Wind Ensemble Concerts:
Family Weekend (42 minutes)
Sunday, October 4, 11 am, Varsity Theatre
Xerxes – Mackey (5 minutes)
Second Suite in F – Holst (11 minutes)
Paris Sketches – Ellerby (16 minutes)
Cartoon – Hart (10 minutes)
Concert II – “Angels in the Architecture” (61 minutes)
Sunday, November 22, 2 pm, Varsity Theatre
Abram’s Pursuit – Holsinger (5 minutes)
“La Vita” Symphony – Ito (19 minutes)
Angels in the Architecture – Ticheli (15.5 minutes)
Mystic Chords of Memory – Jager (9 minutes)
Danzon No. 2 – Marquez (9.5 minutes)
Zenyatta – Speck (3 minutes)
Music Area Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 6, 2 pm, Varsity Theatre
Various Holiday Music/TBA
Concert III – Guest Artist Adam Frey (59 minutes)
Sunday, February 28, 2 pm, Varsity Theatre
Rocky Point Holiday – Nelson (5 minutes)
October – Whitacre (7 minutes)
Piece of Mind – Wilson (20 minutes)
Symphonic Variants – Curnow (19 minutes)
Adam Frey, Euphonium Soloist
Scootin’ on Hardrock – Holsinger (8 minutes)
Concert IV – “Carmina Burana” (60 minutes)
Sunday, April 17, 2 pm, Varsity Theatre
Poet and Peasant Overture – von Suppe (10 minutes)
Mars and Jupiter from “The Planets” – Holst (15 minutes)
Toccata and Fugue in D minor – Bach (9 minutes)
Carmina Burana – Orff (26 minutes)