Dan Mitchell's De Anza College Site

Schedule Changes on Thursday, Feb. 2

Dan Mitchell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:09:25 GMT

Due to the scheduling of a music department faculty meeting, I must cancel my 11:30-12:20 office hour this Thursday, February 2.

For the same reason, I must cancel my 12:30-2:20 Music 8: Intermediate Electronic Music class on Thursday, February 2.

No other classes are affected by this. My morning classes will meet as scheduled.

Updated Winter 2012 Office Hours

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:14:50 GMT

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.

Welcome to the De Anza College Winter 2012 Term

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:50:56 GMT

Welcome to new students and welcome back to those of you returning for the 2012 winter term.

I teach five course sections this quarter:

Music 1A: Introduction to Music
- MTWTh at 9:30-10:20 in A11
- MTWTh at 10:30-11:20 in A11
Music 8: Intermediate Electronic Music
- TTh at 12:30-2:20 in A91
Music 51: Introduction to Electronic Music
- MW at 12:30-2:20 in A91
- Friday-only at 10:30-2:20 in A91

As of the start of the term it appears that there is still some room for a few more students in the Music 1A classes. All three of the electronic music classes appear to be full with short wait lists, but you might try coming to the first class meetings to see if space becomes available.

Week 10 Office Hour Changes

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:19:50 GMT

Due to scheduling issues I will move my Monday, November 28 11:30 office hour to the following day at the same time: Tuesday, November 29 at 11:30. I will still meet my 8:30 office hour on Tuesday.

I will be available briefly at the start of the original Monday office hour.

November 17 and 18 Schedule Changes

Dan Mitchell — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:43:24 GMT

As I have announced in my classes over the past few days, because I am a faculty representive on an important campus committee (the "IPBT") that is working on budget reduction plans I have been told to attend all-day meetings of the committee on Thursday, November 17 and Friday November 18. This will have the following effects on my schedule:

On Thursday, November 17 are Music 1A classes are cancelled as announced in class. Please see the class web site to review consequent schedule changes as discussed in class earlier this week.
On Thursday, November 17 and Friday, November 18 scheduled office hours are cancelled. Please contact me by email to discussion any issues or to try to set up an alternate meeting time.
On Friday November 18 the electronic music class WILL MEET AS SCHEDULED, though I will not be able to extend the class time at all for those who want extra lab time on this day. SEE YOU IN CLASS ON FRIDAY.

Office Hour Change

Dan Mitchell — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:11:57 GMT

I arrived late for my 8:30 office hour this morning. I don't believe I missed anyone, but I will arrange an alternative office hour today at 11:30 to make up for this.

On Thursday I will make a similar shift in my office hours. I will arrive a bit late for the 8:30 office hour, but I will be available for an additional 20-30 minutes at about 11:30

Link for Monday AS Meeting

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:51:14 GMT

#1 and #2

#1a
Paul

Accreditation Team Visit and My Schedule

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:25:17 GMT

De Anza College will be visited by an accreditation team this week as part of the normal six-year accreditation cycle. Because I have been the co-chair of one of the four "standards teams" preparing our self-study report, I have some responsibilities to meet with the visiting team.

At this point, the only conflict with classes that I know about is on Tuesday, October 25, when I have had to cancel my 9:30 and 10:30 Music 1A classes in order to attend a meeting with the team. As of today, I am not aware of any additional conflicts that will affect my class schedule. If there are any, I will announce them to my classes via email, the class web sites, and during class meetings if possible.

Possible Office Hour Changes This Week

Dan Mitchell — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:10:50 GMT

I may have to miss my scheduled 11:30 office hour on Monday, October 17. If so, I will schedule an additional make-up office hour at the same time on Thursday, October 20. Please see me in class or contact me by phone or email if you need to speak to me today.

Mid-September Update: 2011 Fall Term

Dan Mitchell — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:42:30 GMT

Welcome or welcome back to De Anza College for the 2011 fall term. Classes start during the last week of September and registration has been underway for some time.

My teaching schedule this term includes two sections of Music 1A: Introduction to Music (Western Culture) and two sections of Music 51: Introduction to Electronic Music. See the previously posted message a bit lower on this page for details.

All sections of my classes filled several weeks ago. With this in mind, here are some notes about this situation:

If the class you want is full, do get your name on a waiting list and come to the first class meeting. There are almost always a few extra openings at the first meeting, and I first add students who are on the wait list and present at the opening class meeting.
If you did successfully register for a class it is essential that you attend the first meeting in order to avoid being dropped as a no-show. We cannot hold spaces open for students who are not there while other students who are there want to get into the class.
If you are not on the waiting list, it is still possible that you might be able to add a class by attending the first meeting. There are no guarantees, but it is worth a try!
Consider an alternative to your first choice class - either a different time/day or a comparable class. For example, there are other Music 1A classes and you can also consider Music 1B, 1C, and 1D as alternatives. or you could consider other Creative Arts classes that fulfill the same types of requirements.
I will take about 10% more students in Music 1A classesabove the official seat count as long as all other Music 1 sections are full. (I will not enroll beyond the seat count if seats are available in alternative sections of the course.)
Except in rare cases - come to the first meeting to find out more - I cannot generally take students in electronic music classes beyond the official seat count number. This is because each student must have a work station in order to complete assignments and the seat count equals the number of work stations.
If you cannot get your first choice classes this quarter, consider taking any other classes that move you forward in your educational process, even if they are not your first preferences - and be persistent about getting the classes you really want in future terms.
While I cannot and will not suggest what political opinions you should hold or what you should do about them, the issue of support for education in California and the role of tax-based funding for education is an issue about which you would reasonably be expected to have an opinion. I encourage you to write brief, thoughtful, and respectful notes to your state assembly and senate representatives expressing your point of view on these issues.

Background:

As you probably know, community colleges (along with the entire education infrastructure of California and other important state functions as well) have had their ability to serve California's citizens diminished by tremendous budgetary challenges. On top of that, as the economy makes it more difficult for some students to start at a 4-year school, as people return to college to retrain after losing jobs, and so forth the number of students who are trying to enroll increases. It is no surprise, though no less challenging, to see that the community college system is being stressed in ways that it has not faced before.

As a consequence, you are likely to find that fewer class sections are available, some classes are offered less frequently, and that many sections will fill early. Where we can, many faculty members will try to accommodate extra students if this can be done without compromising the quality of your learning experience, but there are limits.

Upcoming Fall 2011 Term Updates

Dan Mitchell — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:43:05 GMT

I am scheduled to teach the following classes during the 2011 fall term at De Anza College:

Music 1A: Introduction to Music - Western Culture: MTWTh at 9:30-10:20 in A11.
Music 1A: Introduction to Music - Western Culture: MTWTh at 10:30-11:20 in A11.
Music 51: Introduction to Electronic Music: MW at 12:30-2:15 in A91.*
Music 51: Introduction to Electronic Music: Friday at 10:30-2:15 in A91.*

* Note that the two electronic music classes are listed on multiple lines in the schedule. For example, you might see a M and a W listing for the MW class - but it really is one class and you must attend both sessions. The same holds true for the Friday class - despite the odd way it is listed in the schedule the class meets as listed here.

As of this date (August 28, 2011) it looks like all of my classes are full! If you were hoping to enroll in one of my classes you might consider the following options:

If you can, get on a waiting list for the section you want. I can almost always add a few students at the first class meeting. I always start the add process with those on the waiting list, taking those students in priority order. You must attend the class in order to take advantage of this possibility.
In is not unusual for me to be able to add a few students who were not the on the waiting list, but it is critical that you attend the first class meeting since I only add students who are present in class.
As we approach the start of the term, some registered students may drop a class. Keep checking back at the registration site to see if space opens up.
If you are hoping to take a Music 1A: Introduction to Music class and mine is full, consider one of the other sections of Music 1A or consider Music 1B, 1C, or 1D. All of these "flavors" of Music 1 earn transferable general education credit.
If you are unable to get into one of these classes this quarter, you can try again during a later term. If this turns out to be your situation, keep abreast of budget developments at the college since it is possible that we will need to adapt our schedule to changing budgets this year.

If you are considering ordering your Music 1A text from a source other than one of our local bookstores, you should order now - you don't want to be waiting for the text as the term starts since this will make it more difficult for you to succeed in the class. Saving money by ordering online from non-local sources can be a good option... if you are certain that you will get the right text... and the correct audio recordings... and that the materials will be in your hands before the start of class.

Materials on this web site may not be fully updated until the first class meeting. Be aware of this if you consult online green sheets, calendars, assignment descriptions, and so forth.

Spring 2011 Grades

Dan Mitchell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:33 GMT

I will try to post final course grades as soon as possible. In some cases I may be able to post them before the end of the day on Friday, June 14. Many grades earned prior to your final exam/project are already posted. To find the online grades, please visit the web site for your class and log in.