Dan Mitchell: General Info

I teach Electronic Music and Introduction to Music classes at De Anza College. More information about the classes is available at the Electronic Music and Intro to Music class web sites. Contact me (mitchelldan@deanza.edu) with questions about my classes. Visit the De Anza College web site for general college information including registration and admissions.

General Info

I have taught in the Music Department at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, USA since the 1980 winter term, when I began teaching Electronic Music classes - using an old monophonic synth and an open-reel tape recorder. I continued as a part-time faculty member for the next ten years, also teaching Introduction to Music, Fundamentals of Music, and Music Reading. I became a member of the full-time faculty in 1989. My main teaching assignments now include Electronic Music and Introduction to Music classes.

Bio from the Music Department web site

Dan Mitchell has a Master of Music degree in Theory and Composition from San Jose State University where he studied with Allen Strange. As a student he also worked closely with electronic instrument builder Donald Buchla and performed live electronic music with "Biome" and "The Electric Weasel Ensemble." As a trombonist he performed a wide variety of music ranging from rock to classical.
Mitchell directs the Electronic Music program and teaches Introduction to Music classes. He taught the first web-based course at De Anza College in 1996 when the Distance Learning Program offered an online version of Introduction to Music. He created the De Anza College web site in 1995 and worked for two years as a faculty participant in the "@ONE" Project. He was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2000. He frequently presents sessions on the use of Internet resources in teaching at regional and national conferences. He was President of the De Anza College Faculty Academic Senate for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 years and District Academic Senate President during the 2005-06 year.

About this web site

I operate this site (and my Introduction to Music and Electronic Music sites) for my students, colleagues, and the community. Except in the case of course materials, this site does not necessarily represent official college or district information or policies. It should not be news to anyone that links from this site may take you to web sites that are completely unrelated to De Anza College and not under its control.

Fall 2011 Term
Visit the De Anza College web site to find out more about admissions and registration. (Registration for fall term classes begins in July this year. The sooner you register the better the chances that you'll get the classes you want/need.) My schedule for this fall 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 12:30-2:15 in A91
Friday-only at 10:30-2:15 in A91

For more information about courses I teach, visit the web sites for my Intro to Music and Electronic Music classes. 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

	Miscellaneous Week Five Updates. Since a lot happens this week and next in the Music 1A class, it seems like a good time to summarize and remind everyone about a few things: I have scored the Scantron portion of test #1, and quite a few people did well on that section of the test. I'll continue working on the written portion and have final grades for the test posted sometime on Thursday. The first test is always an occasion to take stock of your progress in the class - what is working well for you, and in what areas might you want to apply more or different work? Be sure to talk to me right away about any concerns relative to your overall grade in the course. During any class and any academic term, there are times when things become much more busy and times when things let up a bit. Right now we are in one of the most busy parts of the term in Music 1A. We had a test this week, the concert report is due next Monday, and other work continues on schedule. Stay on track now, don't allow yourself to get behind, and look forward to things slowing a bit in a week or two. Note that while we are just beginning to look at the Baroque era in class, your study assignment looks forward already to the next topic, the Classical era. Continue to pay careful attention to the class calendar! I have delayed next week's quiz until Tuesday - and note that it does focus on the Classical era chapters in this week's study assignment. Also note that listening assignments move forward to focus on the Classical era now.

	Change to Week 5 Schedule. I have decided to delay next week's quiz until Wednesday, so that it follow Tuesday's test.

	Information About the First Test. Our first midterm of the quarter is scheduled for next week on Tuesday. (Check the online calendar at this web site for details of day and date, along with an overview of which subjects are included on this test.) I would like to share a few basic facts about the exam that may help you be better prepared to do your best work on it: Subjects on the test will come from the reading, the listening (in class and the recordings that come with the text), and lectures. Some questions may focus on issues that are covered in only one of these sources, so don't rely on just your class notes... You already know this, but I'll remind you anyway: Waiting until just before the exam to begin your serious study puts you at a great disadvantage, and you will not likely do as well on the test as you would like. Continuing to study and review as you have been doing all quarter, focusing especially on things you regard as weaknesses can lead to test success. Questions on the test will range from very basic and likely quite easy to some that are more difficult and sophisticated. It is unlikely that anyone will achieve a perfect score on the test, but that is normal and you should certainly not agonize over missing a one or two of the most difficult questions. I normalize grades to overall student performance on this exam - I do not grade on a strict percentage basis. You will have the entire class period to complete the exam, but most students will finish before the period ends. The test will consist of: two pages of Scantron questions - true/false, multiple choice, and matching formats two pages of questions to which you must respond in written form, including... an item based on listening to an example I play during the test and describing its characteristics I usually try to post test grades more quickly than homework grades - perhaps within 24-48 hours. You can prepare in advance for the listening question. While I will not tell you what the music will be, I can tell you that you will hear an excerpt that is a minute or so long. I will offer you a list of aspects of the music that you might describe: melody, dynamics, form, tempo/meter, texture, etc. You will select three of these options and offer a brief description of objective features of the music that you notice. Practice this process on paper using many examples from the recordings prior to the exam and you'll feel much more confident about your ability to succeed on this six-point question.


Source: Music 1; Updated: 9:55AM PST.

Electronic Music

	Slight Schedule Change Regarding Today's Open Lab. There WILL be open lab today at 2:30. However, I must close the lab between the end of the 12:30 class and the start of the 2:30 open lab. Students from the 12:30 class will have to leave at the end of the class period and then return at 2:30 when the open lab will start. If you arrive before 2:30 and the lab is still locked, stick around - it should re-open soon.

	Take-Home Quizzes. The Friday-only class has its first take home quiz this week, and it will be assigned in the MW class next week. These quizzes are based on information I present in class only and are typically due at the class section following my presentation. The first quiz for the Friday class will be due at the start of the period next Friday. You can find the quizzes at the Quizzes links in the sidebar of the web site. You are required to print out this form and write your answers on it and submit the completed quiz by the deadline. I do not accept quizzes that are not of the printed form, so print early and let me know right away if you encounter any technical problems with the printout.

	Assignment Deadlines and Upcoming Holiday. In the middle third of term - which is where we are now - it can sometimes seem like have fewer immediate time pressures. However, in about two weeks both Music 51 classes will be affected by the "Presidents Weekend" holidays. Campus will be closed on both Friday, February 17 and Monday, February 20. The effect on the Friday-only section of the class is significant - we essentially lose an entire week of class, so when we come back we'll be about a week behind the Monday/Wednesday class. (The holiday affects that class also, but it will still meet once during the week of the Monday holiday.) When the Friday class returns from this holiday a week later, we will immediately be in the final third of the term... with a lot of work yet do do and starting a bit behind the MW class. So... expect me to push the Friday class forward a bit during the next few class meetings. You'll need to stay on top of class work, avoid absences, and even possibly use the lab outside of the Friday class time.


Source: Electronic Music; Updated: 2:11PM PST.

Quotes

	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 (noreply@blogger.com)

	H. H. Williams "Furious activity is no substitute for understanding." - G Dan Mitchell (noreply@blogger.com)

	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 (noreply@blogger.com)


Source: The Quote File; Updated: 1/15/2012.