Intro to Electronic Music Greensheet
Winter 2012 | 3 units | 12:30-2:20* MW section | 10:30-2:20* Friday Section | Room A91
Dan Mitchell | Office: A15 | 408-864-8511 | mitchelldan@deanza.edu | Dan Mitchell's Web Site
Description |
Text and Materials |
Labs |
Studio Rules |
Grading |
Attendance | Late Work |
Copying and Cheating |
Cell Phones | Course Objectives | Office Hours |
Course Calendar
This "green sheet" describes official course policies and expectations and is a contract between you and me. Other materials on this web site, such as those listed in the sidebar, are extensions of the greensheet and also reflect official course policies. - Dan Mitchell
- Operate basic hardware/virtual keyboard synthesizers, drum machines, simple mixers, and
entry-level music software.
- Understand and use introductory-level audio, synthesis, music software,
and MIDI terminology.
- Create musical projects in a variety of styles using synthesizers, drum
machines, and MIDI sequencing software.
- Design, implement, and troubleshoot basic audio and MIDI studio
equipment configurations.
- Recognize and describe basic historical developments in electronic
music.
Advisory: READ 201 and EWRT 100A or LART 200 or ESL 161-163. Two hours lecture and two hours lecture/laboratory.
Introduction to Electronic Music introduces the use of keyboard synthesizers, drum machines, and sequencing software to create music in a variety of styles; basic studio techniques; introduction to Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI); basic historical developments in electronic music; creation of music/audio projects using basic electronic music hardware and software. Some prior music experience is recommended but not required.
Text book - No text is required at the present time. Some course materials are available within the software that we use and other materials are available on the web.
Access to a computer with a printer, web browser, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may use the electronic music lab computers for course-related work during your assigned lab time. Free computer access is also available to registered students in the Internet Lab in Learning Center West, and you may use your own computer.
Important: Some assignments must be downloaded from this web site and printed. You must download and print these materials at least 48 hours before they are due and you must contact the instructor immediately if technical problems interfere with this. Problems printing or accessing course materials at the last minute are not an excuse for missing deadlines
Web site membership. All Electronic Music students must become "members" of this Electronic Music web site. Use the Join Now link in the sidebar to join. Be sure to include your first and last names when you fill out the form. You will need an email address in order to sign up. If you do not have an email account, sign up for a free web-based email account from a service like http://www.hotmail.com/ or http://www.yahoo.com/. (Note: Some students running Norton Personal Firewall or the equivalent on their Windows PCs occasionally are prevented from accessing parts of the class web site and will instead see an error message mentioning the "referer." Please see this web site for information on resolving this problem if you encounter it.
Personal headphones with 1/8" stereo phone plug (a.k.a. "iPod headphones") or other headphones and appropriate adapter
Optional but highly recommended: USB memory stick or similar device (e.g. - writable CD/DVD media, external USB drive, etc.) is strongly recommended but not required to back up your work and move files between computers. Capacity of 1GB or larger is sufficient.
Optional: Electronic Music web site RSS feed. RSS is a method for publishing web site content updates. If you are familiar with RSS and have RSS reader software you may subscribe to this site's feed to receive updates when the home page is updated: 
Some time for lab work is provided during scheduled class time. Additional practice time may be available after the start of the term and, if so, will be announced in class. In general we try to make a few hours of open lab available on most days - and many of you will want to use these times for your class projects.
All electronic music students are responsible for reading, understanding, and following the Studio Rules. This is absolutely critical so that we can maintain open studio access for all students enrolled in this class. Violations of the studio rules may lead to suspension of access to the studios and other serious consequences.
Written Tests - Two written tests will be given - each is worth 15% of the total course grade. Tests count for 30% of the course grade.
Quizzes - Quizzes will be given several times during the term. They include questions of the type found on the tests and serve as reviews for these tests. Missed quizzes may not be made up, but one may be missed without penalty. Quizzes count for 20% of the course grade.
Assignments and Projects - Written and recorded MIDI assignments will be due throughout the quarter. Your Studio Logs are due each week. Other assignments may be based on assigned listening and/or reading. This work counts for 20% of the course grade.
Final Project - Final projects are due at the scheduled final exam session - see the course calendar below. (Note: Because this class extends through more than one class hour, the final session may be rescheduled by the instructor for either of the sessions.) Attendance is required, so make early arrangements to avoid schedule conflicts. Most students play back a piece realized in the De Anza College electronic music studio for their projects. Project details will be described later. Final projects are weighted at 30% of the course grade - but failure to complete a final project may result in a failing grade for the course. Attendance at the final exam session is required - no excuses!
I use a weighted average system to determine your final course grade - not a point system. Assignment and course grades will use base letter grades A, B, C, D, and F and +/- symbols. (There are no C- course grades at De Anza College.)
Let the instructor know immediately if you think you have received an incorrect grade. Grades will not be changed if you wait more than 72 hours after an assignment is handed back or after grades are posted on the web to bring errors to the instructor's attention.
If an emergency interferes with completion of course work near the conclusion of the term you must contact the instructor immediately to discuss the situation, including the possibility being assigned an "incomplete" grade in the course if appropriate. If you "disappear" at the end of the course you are subject to receiving a failing grade in the course.
Attendance may be taken at each class session. You are subject to being dropped from the class for excessive absences or tardies. However, there is no guarantee that you will automatically be dropped if you stop attending without notifying the instructor. You must contact the instructor immediately if you miss a class or if you decide to drop.
The actual number of missed or late classes that may cause you to be dropped varies depending upon how many days the class meets each week. For a two day per week class, you are subject to being dropped upon a third unexcused absence. For a one day per week class you are subject to being dropped upon a second unexcused absence. Late arrival counts as half of an absence, so the threshold in a two day per week class is 4 late arrivals, and in a one day per week class it is two late arrivals.
Final Exam Attendance: The academic term at De Anza College is 12 weeks long. It includes all of week 12. You are expected to be available for the scheduled final exam session as per this course green sheet and the college final exam schedule. Do not schedule events that conflict with the scheduled final exam session. You will not be excused from the final exam nor will you be allowed to take it at an alternate time because you failed to note the date and time of the scheduled exam session. Be sure to schedule travel and other end-of-term events so that they do not conflict and jeopardize your course grade.
Special Attendance Policy for Week I: During terms when your course section is full and students are waiting for space to be added to the class, students with a single unexcused absence during the first week are subject to being dropped from the class. It is absolutely critical that you attend each meeting and arrive on time or contact the instructor immediately if an emergency situation affects your attendance.
It is your responsibility to be aware of drop deadlines and to make timely arrangements with me and the registrar if you decide to drop this class. The class schedule lists deadlines for dropping with no record or for dropping with a "W" grade. I cannot guarantee that you will be dropped nor that you will be dropped before official deadlines if you stop attending class.
If meeting a deadline requires my signature or other action on my part, you must contact me during a scheduled class meeting or scheduled office hour before the deadline. I will not back-date drop requests submitted after deadlines.
Special note regarding attendance at the Friday-only section on Music 51: Because this section meets only once each week, missed classes are a significant concern - each absence is the equivalent of missing a full week of class. For this reason, it is expected that students who must miss a class for valid reasons will attend the appropriate MW section of Music 51 to make up for missed lab time and to learn material presented that week.
Also, during some terms the number of Friday class meetings is reduced substantially due to Friday holidays. For example, during a typical fall term we may lose two of the scheduled eleven meetings - the equivalent of losing a full two weeks of class! This makes regular attendance at the remaining class meetings even more critical. If you miss any Friday class sessions you should always plan to make up missed time by attending the MW classes. If you miss more than one Friday session you will be required to do so - failure to do this is cause for dropping you from the class.
Special note regarding late arrival and availability of workstations: After the first five minutes of the period, any unused computers are available for use by students from other electronic music classes. If you arrive later than this you may not be able to use your usual computer.
Special note regarding students who add this class: If
you get an add code to add the course after the start of the term, you
must actually complete the add process by the next class meeting. If
you do not take care of this I may not allow you to add and I will drop
you to make room for other students who wish to add if necessary. If
you must wait longer than 24 hours to add the class you must speak to
me about an exception to this policy.
Assignments are late if they are not turned in at the time the class session begins. You are responsible for ensuring that you are on time on due dates - arrive early to make sure your work is not late. Better yet, turn your assignments in early.
Missed or late quizzes may not be made up, though one may be missed without lowering your grade since I do not include your lowest quiz grade in course grade calculations.
Make-up midterms may be possible for students who make prior arrangements with the instructor or who encounter a serious and unanticipated last minute emergency.
Other late assignments may be penalized 1 letter grade for each class session after the due date.
Contact the instructor immediately when you encounter technical problems in the lab. If a technical problem interferes with your completion of a project by the due date, there will be no late penalty only if you contacted the instructor at the time the problem occurred.
Failure to turn in a final project may result in a grade of F for the course.
If an emergency interferes with completion of course work near the conclusion of the term you must contact the instructor immediately to discuss the situation, including the possibility being assigned an "incomplete" grade in the course if appropriate. If you "disappear" at the end of the course you are subject to receiving a failing grade in the course.
The majority of students join with faculty members in working to
maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. I take this issue
very seriously, and consequences can and will be very serious for
students who fail to observe these standards.
Students
who cheat or submit the work of others as their own work on assignments, papers,
tests, or any other course assignments on which collaborative work is
not specified are guilty of a serious violation of academic integrity
standards and will be subject to substantial consequences which might lead to
any or all of the following and/or other serious consequences not
listed here: a failing grade on the work in question, a failing grade in
the course, being dropped from the course, reduction in the course
grade, loss of credit for certain portions of the course work including
but not limited to the work in question, college disciplinary action,
and/or notation in their permanent college/academic records. A
productive academic relationship between students and faculty and among
students depends upon mutual trust and shared ethical values. Because
serious violations of academic integrity standards call into question
the integrity of all work submitted by the student, consequences are not
limited to the specific work on which the violation is observed, and previously
submitted work from students who are later found to have violated
standards of academic integrity may be subject to reevaluation.
Be
aware that the inclusion of inappropriate uncredited material may take
multiple forms. Including the ideas and findings of experts without
appropriate credit is one form. Including other students' ideas and
observations in a paper that is to be based on your ideas and
observations is another, as are "borrowing" and/or "re-wording" key
phrases, sentences, observations, descriptions, paragraphs, or concepts
from a friend, a book, a web site or any other source without crediting
the source. Be particularly careful about this when you consider working
on an assignment with other student in the class.
This list is not comprehensive. If in doubt, ask your teacher for guidance. (Note: This section of the green sheet was revised on January 20 during the winter 2012 term.)
Cell phone use during class is inappropriate and unacceptable. Having your phone on during class is a distraction to you and others in the classroom. Turn off your cell phone and put it away before entering the classroom. I will ask you to leave if your phone goes off during class or if you use your phone during class. Setting your phone on "silent" or "vibrate" is not turning it off - "Turn it off" means turn it off. There is one exception to the rule: If you inform me before class that you have a real emergency (e.g. sick child, serious illness in your family, etc.) and you must be on standby so that you can immediately deal with this emergency situation that would otherwise require you to miss class, I will give you one-time permission to leave your phone on and explain what to do when a call or text message arrives.
Visiting your instructor during an office hour can help you succeed at De Anza. Sometimes you may not be sure if you understand the course material; you may be confused about an assignment; or you may feel that the instructor did not grade your work correctly. It is much better to come in and talk about it and solve the problem than it is to leave your issue unresolved.
Perhaps more importantly, a visit helps the instructor get to know you as a person. Many of us have several hundred new students each term! When you take the time to make a personal contact it helps the teacher make the connection between you and the name on the roll sheet.
Please visit me during my office hours, call 408-864-8511, or send email to mitchelldan@deanza.edu any time you have a question or problem relating to the course. You do not need an appointment to see me during an office hour, but you can make one if you prefer. My office is in room A15 in the A1 building located in the Arts Quad. My office hours are:
Monday
8:30-9:20 |
Tuesday
11:30-12:20 |
Wednesday
8:30-9:20 |
Thursday
11:30-12:20 |
Friday
9:30-10:20 by appt.
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If you cannot visit during a scheduled office hour, I am available to meet at many other times by arrangement. Call me or send email to set up an alternate office visit.
(Office hours are subject to change as announced in class and on my web sites.)
Notes:* Actual Class Meeting Times - For a variety of reasons, extra time is added to the schedules for multi-hour classes at De Anza College.
- 10 minutes of "break time" has been added to the MW and TTh classes in the schedule. Traditionally we do not take a break during these class sessions, so our "official break" will begin at 2:10.
- 30 minutes of "break time" has been added to the Friday-only class in the schedule. Traditionally we have not taken a 30 minute break during the middle of the class. We will discuss the best accommodation during the first class meeting. Typically a portion of the 30 minute break may be taken around noon and the remainder taken at the end of the period, subject to approval by the class. Typically, this results in the class concluding by about 2:05 or 2:10, with any remaining "break" time to be taken at the end of the period.
Reference copies of green sheets from previous terms may be available from the Archive page.(Display calendar on separate page)
Week: 1|
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5 |
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12
| Please note that some assignments deadlines are not listed on this page. They will be announced in class and/or appear on the quizzes and assignments pages. In addition, some assignment dates will change during the term, especially when holidays interfere with class meetings. |
Week 1
1/9-1/13
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- First Class Meeting: Assign Labs and Tutoring
Sessions
- Join the web site before second class meeting.
- Intro to the classroom/workstation procedures
- Introduction to the Garage Band software.
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Week 2
1/17-1/20
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- Garage Band software continued.
- Intro to Logic Software: MIDI recording, basic editing.
- Campus closed on Monday, 1/16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - no class.
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Week 3
1/23-1/27
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Week 4
1/30-2/3
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Week 5
2/6-2/10
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Week 6
2/13-2/16
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- Audio loops, Apple loops
- Quantization
- Quiz 2 on Electronic Music history topic due
- Campus closed on Friday, 2/17 for Lincoln's Day Holiday - no Friday class.
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Week 7
2/21-2/24
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Week 8
2/27-3/2
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Week 9
3/5-3/9
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Week 10
3/12-3/16
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- Electronic music history and other topics.
- Continue work on final project.
- Quiz #4
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Week 11
3/19-3/23
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- Work time on final projects. Preview of final projects.
- Test 2 for Friday-only class
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Week 12
3/26-3/30
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- Monday - Test #2 for Monday/Wednesday class at regularly scheduled class meeting.
- Final Exam Sessions - Intro to Electronic Music Final Project Playback - Attendance is Mandatory
Final exam session for the MW Class:
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 at 11:30-1:30. (Final project playback only)
Final exam session for the Friday-only class:
9:15 a.m.-11:15 p.m., FRIDAY, MARCH 30 at 9:15-11:15. (Final project playback only)
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(Page management: master list of calendar dates)
The schedule lists major topics. Other topics - including outside listening and reading - will be announced during the course. The schedule is subject to change.
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