Approved by Faculty Senate March 30, 2009
MUS 120: INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY
Syllabus
3 Credits - Spring 2007
Time :
M W F 1:00 p.m.. - 1:50 p.m.
Location: PAC 159
Professor:
Dr. Eric Brisson
Email: ebrisson@winona.edu
Office hours: M-F, 9:00a.m.-10:00 a.m., PAC 244
Catalog Description:
An introduction to the structure and notation of music found in past and current compositions.
Offered yearly.
This course is eligible for University Studies Course credit under:
B. Arts and Science Core,
4. Fine and Performing Arts
Class learning activities fulfill the requirements for the University Studies Program Fine and
Performing Arts category by promoting students abilities to:
a. explore the language, skills, and materials of an artistic discipline,
b. use the methods of an arts practitioner to actively engage in creative processes or
interpretive performances,
c. understand the cultural and gender contexts of artistic expression,
d. engage in reflective analysis of their own art work, or interpretive performance and
respond to the work of others.
Course Objectives:
Introduce students to the rudiments of music theory in classical Western music, through a
detailed study of the following material:
Sound (pitch, timbre, dynamics, articulations)
Basic notation (notes and rests, pitches in the staff)
Simple and compound meter
Major and minor scales (including natural, harmonic and melodic minor)
Non-Western scales: whole tone scales, pentatonic scales
Key signatures and the circle of fifths
Intervals and their inversion, compound intervals
Basic chord structures (major and minor triads, dominant seventh chord)
Basic harmony (primary triads)
Formal structure of music (phrases, cadences, phrase relationships, song forms)
Develop students’ musical analysis skills by exploring how theoretical concepts apply to short
passages of tonal music.
Develop students’ basic compositional skills
Course web page:
*http://winona.ims.mnscu.edu
All assignments, lectures notes and handouts will be downloaded from the web. No hardcopies
will be used. The web page will be the main source of information for this course – please check
it regularly.
Required material:
Nelson, Robert & Christensen, Carl J., Foundations of Music, 6th edition (with CD-ROM),
Thomson – Schirmer, 2006
Copies of this book are available in the bookstore.
Evaluation:
Assignments
Assignments are due in class.
No late assignments will be accepted. Exceptional circumstances will be considered.
All assignments are to be neatly hand-written (pencil preferred) – illegible portions of any
assignment will not be graded (i.e. they will receive a mark of 0).
All assignments must be original work. Fellow students may of course discuss the material and
help each other in learning specific topics, but the assignment work has to be done individually.
Music staff paper might be needed for some of the exercises. You can print some at
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/dmmc/Music/Musicpaper/10stave.pdf - hand-written staves are
strictly disallowed.
Computer Drills:
Each assignment will include computer drills to be performed using the textbook’s software.
Printed reports of these computer drills are to be submitted along with the assignments– these
will not be graded. The share of the final mark assigned to drills (10%, equal weight being given
to all drill assignments) will be given to you as long as you perform the drills. The drills are to be
considered as preparation for assignments and exams.
Exams:
All exams are closed book.
Final grade:
Either one of the following grading plans will be used, on a case by case basis (equal weight
being given to all assignments):
1)
8 Assignments (including composition project):
Computer Drills:
Midterm:
Final:
30%
10%
20%
40%
2)
8 Assignments (including composition project):
Comp. Drills:
Final:
30%
10%
60%
The scheme used will be the one yielding the maximum final mark. A final letter grade will be
assigned using the following scale:
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 90%
C = 70% - 80%
D = 60% - 70%
F = 0% - 60%