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Monday, December 1, 2008 
| IMPORTANT: Planning Your Winter Class Schedule in Light of Budget Uncertainties |
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As you should know, the State of California is facing a very serious budget problem - many would call it a "crisis." Not only is the state facing a very significant deficit, but the state legislature and governor have been unable to come up with a plan to deal with this. As a result, many state programs are facing the likelihood of serious budget cutbacks - and these effects will likely be felt very soon...
... by you.
The community college system is unlikely to escape these effects, and you may have to deal with them as soon as the upcoming winter term. If history is a guide, some of the issues you may have to deal with include:
- cancellation of classes you need to complete your program.
- significant reduction in the number of sections offered for many courses.
- early cancellation of courses that do not fill before the start of the term.
- you may find that cancelled classes leave you with too few units to qualify for full time status.
- when classes are cancelled you may find that very few or no other classes are open to you to take up the slack.
If there was ever a time to commit to registering for classes early this is it. If you wait to enroll in classes you may well find that they are not available.
- Register early!
- If you cannot get into your first choice class, register as soon as possible into another class that could work as an alternative.
- It may be better to "over enroll" to ensure that that you'll still have a full load should classes be cancelled.
Registration starts now. Enroll in your classes early. Don't wait until later to sign up for classes you may want - they will likely be gone if you wait.
(Posted 12/1/08; 9:12:57 AM #) |
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Fall 2009 Term
Fall 2009 classes begin in September, and registration has already begun. Visit the De Anza College web site to find out more about admissions and registration. My schedule includes: Music 1A: Introduction to Music- MTWTh at 9:30-10:20 in A11
- MTWTh at 10:30-11:20 in A11
Music 51: Introduction to Electronic Music- MW at 12:30-2:10 in A91
- Friday-only at 10:30-1:50 in A91
Music 8: Intermediate Electronic MusicFor more information about courses I teach, visit the web sites for my Intro to Music and Electronic Music classes. Also, be aware that the state budget crisis may force changes in this schedule. Send me email if you have questions - see the Contact Info section lower in the sidebar. I posted an extremely important note about enrollment during a budget crisis last year - it still applies for the upcoming term. Please read it!
Recent Posts From My Other Sites
Music 1
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Extra Credit Concerts for Fall 2009. I posted the first of what will eventually be perhaps 10 or so concerts eligible for extra credit in Music 1A. These are end-of-term concerts by De Anza Music Department performing groups - no other events are eligible for this extra credit. The basic concept is that you'll attend events (as many as three if you want) and submit a very brief written document on each of them - full details are found on the Extra Credit page, along with an evolving list of events that qualify.
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Two Important Schedule Changes for Week 8. As I work to balance the need to give sufficient time to certain subjects with the need to keep moving forward - the term ends sooner than you think! - I have decided to make two important changes to next week's schedule:
- Test #2 is now delayed by 24 hours until WEDNESDAY, November 11. (It was originally scheduled for Tuesday.) As per the calendar this test focuses on the Baroque and Classical eras.
- Next week's quiz will be at the end of the week rather than at the beginning - it will be on THURSDAY, the day after the test.
I am not changing the due date for either the online discussion topic or the listening assignment.
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Three Brief Announcements (11/4/09). I have updated the quiz grades to included corrected grades for quiz 4, corrected scores for quiz 5, and grades/scores based on this week's quiz.
I have updated the concert list to include events through next Tuesday. This weekend would be one good time attend your second concert.
A formatting problem has developed on the calendar page. The information on the page is correct, but a large space may appear above the calendar when you view the web page. Please scroll down to see the calendar.
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| Source: Music 1; Updated: 2:34PM PST. |
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Electronic Music
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Quiz FOUR assigned for Friday-only Intro class. As we discussed in today's (Friday) class, there are only two remaining Friday class meetings after today as result of having two November Friday holidays. Yes, only TWO meetings!
As part of our acceleration of the Friday class (along with today's quiz/test combo) the next quiz is due at our next class meeting on Friday, November 20 - at the start of the period or shortly after. We going to take the two remaining quizzes out of order so the quiz that is due on this date is QUIZ 4. See the link on the quizzes page.
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Need Extra Lab Time?. As we pass the midpoint of the term, you may be surprised at how quickly final exams and final projects approach - and how much you wish you had more lab time than what is available during class!
You can always drop in to use the lab during my other classes. See the Open Labs link in the sidebar at the upper left for more information. (Students in those classes always have priority for their computers, but you may use any vacant workstation.) There is also an open lab on TTh at 11:30-12:20. In addition, there is a very good chance that you will find the lab open at the same time on MW.
The tight schedule is especially an issue for the Friday class since there are two Friday holidays during the final five weeks of the term. Friday class students should make it a priority to come to the lab during open times. But even students in the MW and TTh classes will find that there is barely enough time to finish projects - and little at all to make them really great - if you limit yourself to class time only
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Important Schedule News for the Friday-only Class. As we have discussed in class on more than one occasion, the Friday-only class loses 2 (of only 11) class meetings this quarter to campus holidays. As you know, we need to work extra-hard this quarter to stay on schedule and complete the full course in nearly 20% less time!
The two holiday Fridays are coming up in November. The class does meet next week on November 6, but not on the week after than, November 13. Then we have one more meeting before the Thanksgiving holiday.
With this in mind, our next class is going to be a busy one! In addition to some important work time on project #6 (which will likely be due on November 20!) quiz #2 is due at the start of the period and I have scheduled test #1 for the last part of the period. Since quiz questions will appear on the test it is critical that you complete the quiz and be in class on time for our review at the start of the period. You will have some additional time to study/review during the class period prior to the test.
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| Source: Electronic Music; Updated: 11/6/2009. |
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Quotes
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Bertrand Russell "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." - G Dan Mitchell (gdanmitchell@gmail.com) |
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H. H. Williams "Furious activity is no substitute for understanding." - G Dan Mitchell (gdanmitchell@gmail.com) |
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George Orwell "Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it." - G Dan Mitchell (gdanmitchell@gmail.com) |
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| Source: The Quote File; Updated: 9/24/2009. |
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