LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Music Department
Division of Arts and Sciences
Spring 2010
Syllabus for
Introduction to Music/Music Appreciation – Musi 1306 - 01
Room 110 Academic Center, TU/TH 4 PM – 5:45 PM
Instructor: Dr. Don Ball, Jr.
Office: Room 210 Student Center
Office Phone: (409) 882-3310
Cell Phone: (409) 883-3409
E-Mail Address: don.ball@lsco.edu, texasbellguy@hotmail.com. Please use both addresses
when sending email.
Office Hours: After Each Class
Course Description:
Catalog: Musi 1306 - Music Appreciation is a broad overview of academic music from the
Middle Ages to the present, designed to develop a basic understanding of the elements of music.
It serves as a Fine Arts credit.
General/Objectives: In Musi 1306 the student will study the musical elements of melody, harmony,
tone, texture, style, form, dynamics, and tempo, in Western Civilization Music since 1300 A.D. Upon
completion of this course, formal concert etiquette and critical listening skills will be demonstrated
through written reports on concerts attended. Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills as
evidenced by the ability to analyze facts, synthesize factual information, and evaluate
opinions in light of the information presented throughout this course.
Credit Transfer:
Students must check in advance with the particular college to which they plan to transfer
credit. (If an academic course, note that state rules require that the course be transferable to
any state institution.) MUSI 1306 is an academic elective and fulfills requirements for
Humanities, Fine Arts, and with a different course number [MUSI 1307] and extra work, it is
one of the core classes in a music degree.
Prerequisites: The ability to hear well, and competence in writing English papers.
Required Textbook: Music: An Appreciation (Newest Edition) with accompanying CD Set by Roger
Kamien.
Supplementary Materials: Required Concert List – supplied by the instructor in this syllabus.
Make-up exams. Make-up exams will generally not be given unless prior arrangements have been
made. Make-ups will be considered on a case by case basis. Students have (3) three days from the
mixed exam to arrange make-ups unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Exams will cover the information in the text, from class notes, and from listening to and identifying
musical examples on CD. Each exam or quiz will cover material since the previous one, with the
exception of music fundamentals that will be built upon during the semester. Students will recognize
the elemental themes of melody, harmony, form (structure), texture, tone, style, dynamics and tempo,
and in the case of vocal/choral music, textual meaning.
LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Course Outline:
1. Introduction and Course Syllabus presented. Short Lecture: Traditional Expectations for
Audience Participation. Short Lecture: “What does music mean?” Brief Listening: Stravinsky
Firebird Symphony.
2. Kamien Part I – Sound, Instruments
3. Kamien Part I – Elements of Music
4. Kamien Part I – Instruments and Elements of Music
5. Review – Kamien Part I – Instruments and Elements of Music. Quiz # 1 – Kamien Part I.
6. Start Kamien Part II – The Middle Ages. Library Search (Quiz # 2) Distributed.
7. Continue The Middle Ages
8. Finish The Middle Ages. Start Kamien Part II – The Renaissance
9. Library Search (Quiz #2 on Middle Ages) Due. More on Renaissance
10. Finish Renaissance
11. Kamien Part III – The Baroque Period
12. Continue Baroque
13. Continue Baroque
14. Finish Baroque, Exam Review
15. Exam I on Kamien Parts II and III. Start Kamien Part IV – The Classical Period
16. More on Classical Period
17. Finish Classical Period and Review for Quiz 3
18. Quiz 3 on Classical Period. Start Kamien Part V – The Romantic Period
19. Continue Romantic – First Concert Report Due
20. Continue Romantic
21. Continue Romantic – Opera and Oratorio
22. Finish Romantic Period and Review for Quiz 4.
23. Quiz 4 on Romantic Period. Start 20th Century – Kamien Part VI
24. Continue 20th Century, Start Class Presentations
25. Continue 20th Century, Class Presentations
26. Finish 20th Century – Jazz Rock and Country, Discuss Rap. Class Presentations
27. World Music
28. World Music, continued
29. Review for Final Exam on Kamien Parts IV, V and VI. Class Presentations
30. Second Review for Final Exam – Class Party with Jazz and Light Refreshments
Last Chance for Class Presentations.
TBA: Final Exam on Kamien Parts IV, V and VI – Second/Final Concert Report(s) Due
Be an active member of the class by reading your textbook, taking notes, asking questions and
preparing for exams as the class progresses. This will create success much more quickly than by
“cramming” at the last minute for exams.
Library Search: You will be given a short list of questions that can be answered by exploring the
music reference section of the university library. The exercise is intended to familiarize you with
available resources that may be helpful to you when you work on your class presentation. Internet
sources are not always reliable. Confirming them in the library, or finding them first in the library
can be invaluable, and much more accurate. The library search is one of the quizzes.
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LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Class Presentation: You will play a recording of a musical work (or section) of your choice for the
class. You will give the reason you chose the piece and you will give an oral presentation, telling
about the composer and giving a description of the musical elements of the work. The instructor will
approve your selection and your sources by the due date in the course outline. If you miss this
deadline, you will receive zero points for the presentation.
Critical Listening Concert Reports: In this course, MUSI 1306, Music Appreciation/Introduction to
music, students will be required to attend at least two concerts/recitals. An approved list of concerts
is provided. Other concerts may be approved with advance notice. As a critical listener, students will
be challenged to us all their training and knowledge to effectively report on the concerts they
attended. They must show their mastery of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the performances
attended, according to the music elements they have studied and the listening skills they have
developed in class and in homework assignments. Mastery will be demonstrated through written
concert reports that are 300-400 words in length. A sample concert report is included with this
syllabus.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a process involving higher order thinking skills. These skills include, but are not
limited to, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of factual information. Lamar State
College – Orange Advances Critical Thinking Skills (LSC-O ACTS) through assignments of varying
natures within the course that are designed to challenge and improve the student’s critical thinking
processes.
A well cultivated critical thinker1:
• Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively;
• Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and
standards;
• Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as
need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
• Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.
1
Paul, Richard & Elder, Linda (2005). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts & Tools.
Dillon Beach: The Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Evaluation Method: (The evaluation method includes the attendance formula).
Attendance Policy: Research has shown a cause and effect relationship between class attendance and
college success. There are 30 class sessions for this course. Students may receive up to 150
points for attending class. Zero absences = 150 points. 1 absence = 125 points.
2 absences = 100 points. 3 absences = 75 points. 4 absences = 50 points.
5 absences – Please see the instructor, because the student may be failing the course at this
point. There are no excused absences. However, additional concert reports may be allowed
to replace an absence with the instructor’s approval.
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LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Evaluation Method (Continued)
Grading Formula
Individual Presentation for Class
250 points
or 25% of the grade
1 Exams (150 each) and 4 Quizzes (50 each) 350 points
or 35% of the grade
2 Concert Attendance Reports*
250 points
or 25% of the grade
Class Attendance*
150 points
or 15% of the grade
Bonus Points – 50 points each for up to 2 additional concerts – (attendance with reports).
A concert report may replace an absence with the instructor’s approval.
[*Music Literature 1307 will need 5 Concert Reports to achieve 250 points, and the
bonus points will remain the same.]
Grading scale.
For example: 100 - 90 = A
89 - 80 = B
79 - 70 = C
69 – 60 = D
Below 60 = F
Policy on a Grade Incomplete:
The grade of “I” may be given when any requirement of the course, including the final
examination, is not completed with instructor approval. Arrangements to complete deficiencies in a
course must be made with the instructor. Incomplete work must be finished during the next long
semester; if not, the Admissions and Records Office must change an “I” grade to the grade of “F.”
The course must then be repeated, if credit is desired. An “I” grade also automatically becomes an
“F” if the student registers for the course before removing the deficiencies and receiving a grade
change. The instructor may record the grade of “F” for a student who is absent from the final
examination and/or is not passing the course. All efforts must be made to prevent the grade of “I.”
Procedure for Review of Test Grades:
If the student has an issue about his/her grade, the instructor must be contacted no later than
three (3) days after receiving the grade.
Exam Schedule:
Quizzes and report due dates are in the syllabus course outline. The Final Exam will follow
college finals schedules, May 6-12.
Classroom Policies:
No food, drink, tobacco, cell phones, listening devices (other than hearing aids), etc. Bottled
water is permitted.
Withdrawals and Drops:
Please take note of drop dates on the academic calendar for Spring 2010. Never attending or ceasing
to attend classes DOES NOT constitute a withdrawal or drop. You remain registered until you
file a Drop/Withdrawal Form at the Registrar's Office by the appropriate deadlines. Failure to act in a
timely manner will result in an "F" grade for the course. It is the student's responsibility to turn in all
Drop/Withdrawal Forms and follow up to ensure that they were processed as desired.
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LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Instructor-Initiated Drop:
The instructor may drop a student for any illegal or dishonest activity such as plagiarism,
breaking of copyright law, i.e.. copying a CD/DVD, sheet music, etc., illegally. The instructor may
also drop a student for excessive absences, disruptive behavior, dishonesty or any other act that
would be considered inappropriate in the classroom. Violators of copyright law may be subject to
investigation by the proper authorities.
Students subject to penalty due to academic dishonesty have the right to appeal to the
department chair and eventually to the dean and/or academic vice president before imposition of the
penalty.
Academic Honesty:
LSC-O will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as "taking and using as
one's own the writings or ideas of another."
Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing, or aiding another student in cheating or
plagiarizing on a quiz, test, individual assignment, or examination will be referred for disciplinary
investigation and action.
Again, students subject to penalty due to academic dishonesty have the right to appeal to the
department chair and eventually to the dean and/or academic vice president before imposition of the
penalty.
Student with Disabilities:
A request for special accommodations must be made through the ADA Counselor and the
appropriate form submitted to the instructor two weeks in advance of need.
Any student with a verifiable learning or physical disability who requires special
accommodations is encouraged to speak to the instructor in private regarding his/her special
accommodations need.
Children in the Classroom:
The LSCO Student Handbook specifies that no children under the age of 15 are allowed in the
classroom or the hallways.
Syllabus Content:
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus, if deemed necessary. All
changes will be provided to the students orally or in writing before the implementation of the change.
SEE SAMPLE CONCERT REPORT and APPROVED CONCERT SCHEDULE BELOW
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LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Sample Concert Report (12 pt., 1.5 line spacing, 300-400 words)
The Neches River Symphony and Chorus presented its final concert of the season on April the
5th at the Beaumont Civic Auditorium. The orchestra and chorus were smaller than I expected with
26 instrumentalists and 32 singers. The concert in its entirety was only one work, Handel’s Messiah,
parts II and III. Messiah is a Baroque period work, and the legend is that it was composed in only 26
days, utilizing a few of the composer’s earlier works with new texts. It was first performed as a
benefit concert for an Irish orphanage, but when the king of England heard the famous, “Hallelujah”
chorus, he stood to his feet. Of course, when a British king stands everyone else must stand, so it is
now a tradition that the audience stands during that movement.
The orchestra had no conductor. Rather, it seemed that the harpsichordist and first violinist
took turns setting tempi and directing the ensemble with nods of the head or movements of the bow.
More than once, the keyboardist lifted one hand for soloist cues, but he never made any kind of
conducting gesture that would signify any kinds of dynamic. The concert mistress seemed to be
working with the ensemble to handle the sense of phrasing. According to the program notes and
what I heard in the program, with the exception of a few final cadences, all dynamics were terraced.
Smaller groups performed to bring about quiet dynamics and the entire group sang and played to
accomplish the louder sounds. “Surely, He Hath Borne Our Griefs” was filled with dissonance with
many crescendos, but in most of the other movements, consonance reigned supreme.
There were five soloists: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass with strikingly contrasting
voices. Most of the solos were ternary form, but three were through-composed. The instruments used
included a small string section with only one double-bass, two recorders, an oboe, a bassoon, the
harpsichord, two trumpets that rarely played, and two timpani. There were no clarinets, trombones or
horns. The vocal soloists sang independently of one another with the exception of one duet. What
amazed me was the variety of music in this one work. And, many of the pieces sounded like
something I had heard before. “Lift up Your Heads” reminded me of “Joy to the World.”
With a few homophonic sections in part the second and the songs, “The Lord Gave the Word”
and much later, “Worthy is the Lamb,” the remainder of the choruses were contrapuntal and
polyphonic. While the work was composed over 200 years ago, from beginning to end, I found this
concert of Handel’s Messiah to be one of the most engaging and inspiring events I have ever
experienced. The rest of the audience was just as enthusiastic with a five minute standing ovation.
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LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE
Intro to Music/Music Appreciation Musi 1306 - 01
Spring 2010
Approved Concert Schedule (2 are Required – Bonus Points for more)
Lamar University, Beaumont, Brookes Hall
10:10 AM Recital Hour – almost every Friday. Call (409) 880-8145 for information.
Lutcher Theater
January 12 Aggie Singing Cadets – Tonight at 7:30 PM
February 24 Air Force Band – 7:30 PM
April 17 Chris Botti – Jazz Trumpet - 7:30 PM
Jefferson Theatre
January 22 Brilliance! 7 – 7:00 PM (Students get in FREE with ID)
Julie Rogers Theatre
January 23 Symphony of Southeast Texas Pops Concert -“Best of Broadway” 7:30 PM
February 27 Symphony of Southeast Texas
March 2, 2010 Lamarissimo! Jazz Bands 7:30 p.m.
April 29, 2010 Lamarissimo! Cardinal Singers and Dance Company 7:30 p.m.
Beaumont Civic Center
March 12 Beaumont Blues Festival 2010 – 8:00 PM
Port Arthur Civic Center
January 23 or 24? Marcia Ball – Rhythm and Blues Artist – 7:00 PM
Wesley United Methodist Church of Beaumont (FREE)
January 24, 2010 Masters Concert Series 2 p.m.
February 21, 2010 Masters Concert Series 2 p.m.
April 11, 2010 Masters Concert Series 2 p.m.
Mobil Oil Federal Credit Union
March 29, 2010 Industrial Carillon Concert 7:30 p.m.
Lamar University Setzer Student Center Ballroom
April 27, 2010 Lamar Civic Orchestra 7:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church of Beaumont (FREE)
May 2, 2010 Choral Concert 4 p.m.
At a student’s request, additional concerts may be approved in advance.
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