Music 1A: Music 1A: Introduction to Music

Music 1A: Introduction to Music - Western Culture

Welcome to Intro to Music

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

Description

Introduction to Music - Western Culture provides general students with the background to understand and appreciate so-called "classical" and related types of music. It covers the basic elements of musical sound, important musical styles and forms, and important composers from major periods of music history.

The following information is from the De Anza College 2011-12 Catalog (Consult the catalog itself for the most current official information.)

Course Description: Introduction to the discipline of music; methods of understanding music available in modern culture; listening techniques; use of fundamental concepts including form, style, musical media, and textures; acquaintance with and comparison of musical examples from various eras and cultures; roles of music in society.

4 Units
Hours: Four hours lecture (48 hours total per quarter).
(Formerly Music 1.)
General Education Status: GE
Degree Status: Degree Applicable
Credit Status: Credit - Degree applicable
Grading Method: Letter Grade
Prerequisites: Advisory: English Writing 211 and Reading 211 (or Language Arts 211), or English as a Second Language 272 and 273.

Honors Credit

Students who are participating in the De Anza College Honors Program may enroll in Music 1A for honors credit. See Music 1A Honors Credit for additional basic information. In addition, a supplemental course policies page for honors students should be regarded as part of this green sheet by students enrolling for honors credit since it describes course policies that are specific to honors students.

Course Objectives

The successful student will

employ a basic vocabulary of common music terms to describe observations of recorded and live music.
recognize individual instruments and voices and the various ensembles in which they are used.
demonstrate an understanding of the roles of music in human cultures and relate musical expression to other forms of artistic expression and to culture generally.
distinguish features of important musical style periods, forms, composers, and practices.
recognize, describe, and compare musical practices in contemporary society.
recognize basic distinguishing characteristics among a representative group of musical compositions.

Text and Materials

Music: An Appreciation (current "Brief Edition" sold at De Anza Bookstore) with bundled set of audio recordings by Roger Kamien. The audio recordings are required for this course.
Scantron forms (form #2052) and a #2 pencil for 3 tests and the weekly quizzes - approximately 13 Scantrons for the term.
Concert attendance. You must attend a minimum of one live concert during the term, and there may be reasons for you to attend more. Although some free events may be available, you may have to purchase tickets; student discounts are often available. Nearly all approved concerts are off-campus. More information is available below and elsewhere on the web site.
Web site membership is required. Beginning on the first day of the term, click on the Join Now link in the sidebar of this web site to sign up. Be sure to include your first and last names on the form.
Some additional required course materials may be available online at no cost and are linked to this web page.
Access to a computer with a printer, web browser, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may use computers in the Internet Lab in Learning Center West at no cost, or you may use your own computer. All course materials are published online, and no printed materials are distributed in class. You may print out the web pages if you prefer printed copies. Let me know right away if you have difficulties getting access to a networked computer, and I will work with you to resolve this issue.

Listening Assignments

Listening Assignments are based on musical examples included on the recordings that accompany the text. Assignment questions will be based on reading the text and listening to the recorded examples which accompany the text.

The assignments are available for download and printing in the course calendar page of this web site - see the link in the sidebar.

The assignment files are in the .pdf format. Your computer probably already has the necessary software for viewing and printing these files. If not, you may download the free Acrobat Reader plugin from http://www.adobe.com/. It will let you read and print pdf files from your web browser. You may also use the computers and printers in the Internet Lab in Learning Center West.
Listening assignments are due at the start of class on the deadline dates and will not be accepted after class starts. If you are late you may not get credit for your work.
You ae required to print the downloaded .pdf files and write your answers by hand in pencil or pen on these printed forms. Assignment presented in other forms - e.g. handwritten copies, etc. - are not accepted and will be returned to you without credit.
You must staple the pages of your assignments together or print back-to-back on a single sheet. Assignments submitted as loose sheets will be returned to your for stapling before being accepted. (Tape, paper clips, folded corners, etc. are not staples...)
It is not acceptable to offer quotations from the text as your answers, even if you use quotation marks and indicate the source. Responding this way only tells me that... you know how to copy words from the text. In order to demonstrate some understanding of the material you must at least paraphrase the material from the text in your own words. Also note that in many cases the answer to a question may not be found in the text. You cannot earn an A grade on a paper that quotes extensively from the book or other sources. Quoting substantially from the text or other source without attribution is a serious violation of standards of academic integrity and should not occur.

Quizzes

There is a short quiz on the reading/listening assignments at the beginning of the first class meeting of each week starting with week 2. You will need a Scantron form #2052 (only) and a #2 pencil for each quiz. Arrive early on these days so that you do not miss the quizzes - they generally only take about five minutes.

The quizzes will focus on important material from the previous week's study assignment in the text and recordings. These topics will generally not be covered in class before the quiz so, for this reason alone, it is critical that you carefully study this material according to the calendar schedule.

Concert Reports

You must attend at least one live concert during the term and will complete a Concert Report on this event. Detailed information about concert report is available via links in the sidebar, and it is critical that you read and understand this information before attending concerts and completing the assignments.

Acceptable concerts include professional orchestras, soloists, and instrumental or vocal ensembles, and comparable college or community groups performing music relevant to the content of this class. You may not report on a concert in which you are a participant.

Only concerts on the Concert List at this web site are acceptable for a concert review or report. In some cases you may be able report on other concerts that meet the assignment guidelines, but you must get approval from me ahead of time if you want to use a concert that is not on the list. Permission to attend events not on the list will not be granted if you wait until after the event occurs. The list will include a wide range of concerts taking place around the SF Bay Area - some may be close by and others will be farther away. Prices typically range from inexpensive or even free up to quite expensive.

You are strongly advised to attend your concerts well before assignment deadlines if your budget, transportation considerations, and/or schedule limit your concert options. If you wait until just before the assignment is due you will likely have few options, and there may be no events that are nearby and/or inexpensive. The deadline for the assignment will not be extended if you are unable to find an event just before it is due.

Complete concert report information may be found via the links in the Assignments section of the sidebar. These resources describe specific requirements for the assignment and must be consulted before attending the concert and writing your report. Additional information will be provided during class.

Optionally, you may complete a second concert report if you wish to raise the grade you earn on the first report. In this case your overall concert report grade for the course will be the weighted average of your two concert report grades - 33% for the first report and 67% for the second optional report . (Note that if your second report grade is lower than your original grade you will retain the grade of the first report.) See the course calendar for important deadline information.

You must earn a non-failing grade on one concert report in order to earn a non-failing course grade in Music 1A.

Exams

There are three tests. The two midterms (tests #1 and #2) and the final exam (test #3) may contain multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, short essay, and other items, with some questions based on listening to recorded musical examples. Bring a Scantron card (form #2052 only) and a #2 pencil to each test. A portion of the test will use the Scantron form, and other parts of the test will include written responses.

Test #3 is not a comprehensive final exam; it focuses on material presented after test #2. It is similar in form and scale to tests #1 and #2, each of which is completed during a single class session. The amount of time available to complete test #3 may be less than the entire scheduled 2-hour final exam session.

See the Late Work section of this green sheet for important information concerning missed tests.

You must earn a non-failing grade on two of the three tests in order to earn a non-failing course grade in Music 1A.

Grading

20% - Homework (Listening Assignments )*
15% - Weekly Quizzes*
20% - Concert Report (or average of two concert report grades)
45% - Tests (15% for each of the three tests)

*As described in the late work section of this document, I do not count your lowest homework grade and your lowest weekly quiz grade. (This also means that it is possible to miss one of each with no grade penalty.)

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. (Although there are no "C-" course grades at De Anza College I may assign this grade on assignments, quizzes, and tests.)

Under some circumstances students may choose to take Music 1A on a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) basis. You must request this option from the registrar's office. The letter grade you earn for course work is converted by the registrar to the appropriate P/NP grade. You must request P/NP status by the deadlines published by the College.

You may be able to earn up to one third of a letter grade in extra credit for attending certain De Anza College Music Department concerts near the end of the term. See the Extra Credit page for more details about this option.

IMPORTANT: The foregoing percentages notwithstanding, a student who fails to earn grades higher than F on at least two tests and on at least one concert report will not earn a passing grade in the Music 1A. (Here, "passing grade in Music 1A" is taken to mean a letter grade higher than higher than D+.)

If you stop attending near the end of the term you are subject to receiving a failing grade in 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.

You may review your grades by clicking the Online Grades link to view the Course Grades page. You will need to know your student ID code in order to check grades. You can obtain this code at the college web site. Note that grades are not always posted immediately. See the list of currently posted grades by clicking the Online Grades link.

Let me know immediately if you think you may have received an incorrect grade. It may not be possible to change an incorrect grade if you wait more than 72 hours after an assignment is handed back or after grades are posted on the web site before bringing errors to the instructor's attention. You should save original copies of all returned and graded work in the course until the end of the term.

Attendance

Regular attendance is required - and critical to your success in this class. You must contact me immediately if you miss a class or if you decide to drop. Adjust your schedule for work, vacations, etc. so that they do not conflict with this course. Attendance at the scheduled final exam session is required - you may fail the course if you schedule vacations or other activities that conflict with the scheduled exam session.

Attendance may be taken at each class session.
If you are not present when roll is called, an unexcused absence will be entered. It is your responsibility to inform the teacher that this needs to be changed to a tardy.
You must contact the instructor immediately if you have to miss class for a valid reason - your absence is considered unexcused until you do this.
You are subject to being dropped from the class for excessive absences or late arrival. However, there is no guarantee that you will automatically be dropped in time to meet deadlines if you stop attending without notifying the instructor.

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 you stop attending but fail to take steps to drop, you may end up with a W or F grade in the course. 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.

Students may be dropped after their second unexcused absence. Each tardy (unexcused late arrival for class) counts as one third of an absence. You are late if you are not in the classroom at the scheduled class time. An unexcused absence will be entered into attendance records, and you must speak to the instructor at the end of class if you are late and request that your absence record be changed to a tardy record instead. Students who arrive late for class six times without a valid reason may be dropped.

Special note regarding week one attendance policy: When a section of this course is "full" and students are on a wait-list to add the course, during the first week of the course students may be dropped after a single unexcused absence. It is critical that you attend every class or contact the instructor immediately if an unanticipated emergency interferes with your attendance.

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 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.
Special note regarding absences and due dates/deadlines: Absence from class on a due date, quiz date, test date or similar does not necessarily allow you to complete/submit the work late. See the Late Work section of the green sheet below.
Special note regarding 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. If you schedule an outside event that precludes your attendance at the officially scheduled exam session you may end up with a failing grade in the class.

Late Work

Assignments are late if they are not turned in at the time the class starts. 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. Please note that certain assignments will not be accepted if they are not turned in on time.

Late listening assignments are not accepted. A listening assignment is late if you are not present to turn it in when I collect assignments at the beginning of class. Your lowest listening assignment grade will not count toward your course grade, so you may miss one assignment without penalty.
Missed quizzes may not be made up. Your lowest quiz grade will not count toward your grade, so you may miss one quiz without penalty.
Late concert reports receive a grade penalty of one letter grade for each day they are late. Reports are late if not turned in when I collect them at the start of the class period on the due date. Note that second optional concert reports are not accepted after the deadline.

Absences on an assignment due date - If you must be absent from class on the due date for any assignment, it must be delivered to me or mailed no later than the start of class on the due date (with a post office cancellation verifying this) or it will be considered late. My mailing address is Dan Mitchell, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino 95014. As an emergency alternative you may email the content of your assignment by the deadline. It may be possible to fax your assignment if you make prior arrangements. You could also send a legible photograph or photocopy of the assignment. You must provide a printed copy of the assignment at the next class session you attend and the printed copy must be identical to the copy you submitted by alternate means.

Absences on an exam day - An absence on a test day is a very serious issue. Notify me in advance, or call by the scheduled test session if an extraordinary emergency forces you to miss an exam and you intend to make up the work. Notifying me after the fact is unacceptable except in the case of very serious and unexpected emergencies in which it is impossible for you to email, call, or send word with another student. If you miss an exam and do not contact me immediately you may not be permitted to make up the exam, and your course grade will be affected.

I expect you to make up the exam as soon as you return to school. If you miss an exam due to an unexpected emergency situation, you must discuss the makeup date/time when you notify me of the absence, and you should be prepared to complete your make-up exam immediately when you return. It is your responsibility to follow up and make prompt arrangements for your make-up test. I expect that you will make necessary changes to your work or class schedule in order to make up the test in a timely manner. Unless you make other arrangements with me, failure to complete the make-up exam within a day or two of your return to campus may cause you to lose all credit for the exam. If you miss test #3 (the "final exam") without notifying me immediately I may assign you a grade of "F" for the course.

Keep copies of submitted and graded work - Always keep backup copies of your assignments. For example:

Don't delete your concert report from your computer until you have gotten a graded copy back.
Photocopy, photograph, scan, or fax yourself a copy of paper assignments.
Double-check to see that assignments submitted online actually appear there.
It is good practice to retain copies of all graded work until your have received your final course grade in case there are any problems with your grades.

To prevent technical problems from interfering with completion of assignments that are downloaded, described, or submitted online you must access (and, in some cases, print) the assignments at least 48 hours before they are due. If you notify me of downloading or printing problems at least 48 hours before the deadline I will work with you to solve the problem and/or arrange alternatives. If you wait until fewer than 48 hours remain I'll still try to help you, but you you may not be able to get help and you may be unable to turn your assignment on time - and you will receive no credit for the work.

Deadlines are deadlines and there are consequences for missing them - the only exceptions will be for unusual and compelling cases.

The course calendar at this web site lists dates of important assignments and exams.

Copying and Cheating

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 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 break this trust and 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.

Electronic Devices

Cell Phones

Cell phone use during class is inappropriate and unacceptable. 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. Having your phone on during class is a distraction to you and others in the classroom. Under normal circumstances cell phones are to be turned off and put away. Setting your phone on "silent" or "vibrate" is not turning it off - "Turn it off" means "turn it off." (Because your phone is a radio device, even when you set it silent or vibrate it can interfere audibly with music classroom sound systems.)

There is one exception to the rule: If you have a serious emergency situation (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 and you would otherwise have to miss class, the following applies:

You must inform me of the emergency at the start of the period.
I'll ask you to sit where you can make a quick and quiet exit to answer the call outside the classroom.
Your phone must be on the silent setting.
When a call comes in you must leave the room before answering.

Bottom line: Unless you clear your legitimate emergency with me ahead of class you may not have your phone on during class and you may not answer calls or text during class. If your phone goes off in class or you use your phone in class without clearing it with me as described above I will ask you to leave the room for the remainder of the period.

Laptops and Similar Devices

There are legitimate course-related reasons to use a laptop, tablet computer, or similar device during regular class sessions. For this reason I permit use of such devices during class by students who sit in the first two rows of the classroom and who use them exclusively for purposes directly related to the course.

Laptops, tablets, iPads and other electronic devices are never permitted during exam sessions. The use or presence of such devices or similar during exams and quizzes is a violation of class policy and will have serious consequences including an immediate failing grade on the exam or quiz.

Office Hours

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
8:30-9:20

Wednesday
8:30-9:20

Thursday
8:30-9:20

Friday
by arrangement only

(Updated: 4/12/13)

If you cannot visit during a scheduled office hour, I am available to meet at many other times by arrangement. For example, I am often available at 11:30 MTWTh or at 2:30 on MTWTh. 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.)

Course Calendar

The course calendar lists all important assignments and dates for the course. Although the calendar is listed on a separate page for practical purpose, information on the calendar is official course information and is therefore part of this green sheet.