COURSE SYLLABUS CONTACT INFORMATION Catalog Course Code: MPR 1001 Three-Letter Course Abbreviation: MTH1-O Instructor: Shannon Kropf, MMus Telephone: 407.679.0100 ext. 6968 Email: [email protected]iChat: [email protected]Hours: M, W, F 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tu, Th 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) COURSE DESCRIPTION Successful completion of the Music Theory I Course will cre- ate a solid basis for further musical understanding. The class focuses on essential topics while providing more advanced students an opportunity to review the rudiments of musical language. Topics to be covered include note identification, interval recognition, major scale construction, basic rhythmic notation and ear training. Music Theory I equips the student with the tools needed to effectively communicate fundamen- tal musical concepts. COURSE MATERIALS y Tonal Harmony: With an Introduction to Twentieth- Century Music (sixth edition), Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/ Languages y GarageBand, Auralia, Musition, Sibelius, and Spotify software y Novation Launchkey 25 MIDI keyboard COURSE OBJECTIVES Students will accomplish these course objectives by com- pleting the milestones specified: y Recognize the notes on the keyboard and staff y Understand how staff notation and sound work to- gether by using Musition and Auralia y Notate ranges of pitch on the staff y Identify and read basic music notation y Transcribe basic notation with Sibelius y Transcribe written percussion rhythms with GarageBand y Recognize and notate basic rhythmic notation y Transcribe basic rhythms with Sibelius y Examine and input different rhythmic values and pat- terns with GarageBand y Identify intervals y Identify and compose intervals within the major scale using Musition y Aurally identify intervals within the major scale using Auralia y Identify and compose minor intervals using both Musition and Auralia y Build major scales y Create a major scale starting on any note y Understand the patterns of whole and half steps in- volved in major scales y Identify major and minor triads y Understand the intervallic patterns of major and minor triads y Identify major and minor triads with relationship to parent scales y Apply all Music Theory I concepts to the keyboard by uti- lizing custom keyboard trainer apps COURSE OUTCOMES By the end of this course, students will be able to: y Read and write basic music notation y Aurally and visually identify the intervals found in a major scale y Identify and notate major scales y Effectively communicate with other musicians MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE
Hours: M, W, F 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tu, Th 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Successful completion of the Music Theory I Course will cre-ate a solid basis for further musical understanding. The class focuses on essential topics while providing more advanced students an opportunity to review the rudiments of musical language. Topics to be covered include note identification, interval recognition, major scale construction, basic rhythmic notation and ear training. Music Theory I equips the student with the tools needed to effectively communicate fundamen-tal musical concepts.
COURSE MATERIALSyy Tonal Harmony: With an Introduction to Twentieth-
Century Music (sixth edition), Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
yy GarageBand, Auralia, Musition, Sibelius, and Spotify software
yy Novation Launchkey 25 MIDI keyboard
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will accomplish these course objectives by com-pleting the milestones specified:
yy Recognize the notes on the keyboard and staff
yy Understand how staff notation and sound work to-gether by using Musition and Auralia
yy Notate ranges of pitch on the staff
yy Identify and read basic music notation
yy Transcribe basic notation with Sibelius
yy Transcribe written percussion rhythms with GarageBand
yy Recognize and notate basic rhythmic notation
yy Transcribe basic rhythms with Sibelius
yy Examine and input different rhythmic values and pat-terns with GarageBand
yy Identify intervals
yy Identify and compose intervals within the major scale using Musition
yy Aurally identify intervals within the major scale using Auralia
yy Identify and compose minor intervals using both Musition and Auralia
yy Build major scales
yy Create a major scale starting on any note
yy Understand the patterns of whole and half steps in-volved in major scales
yy Identify major and minor triads
yy Understand the intervallic patterns of major and minor triads
yy Identify major and minor triads with relationship to parent scales
yy Apply all Music Theory I concepts to the keyboard by uti-lizing custom keyboard trainer apps
COURSE OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
yy Read and write basic music notation
yy Aurally and visually identify the intervals found in a major scale
yy Identify and notate major scales
yy Effectively communicate with other musicians
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE
GENERAL EDUCATION COMPONENT
Music Theory I will utilize communicative and technologi-cal skills learned in previous courses by giving students the opportunity to notate music in software. The exploration of musical content will strengthen students’ general under-standing of art.
DEGREE CONNECTION
A solid foundation in music theory is a crucial component of the MPBS graduate’s skill set. Music Theory I provides stu-dents with the basic building blocks required to successfully complete the MPBS program and begin learning the intricate language of music. Once they master the concepts present-ed in this class, students will be prepared to engage Music Theory II. All of the concepts covered in this class will be reinforced in future courses and developed in greater detail. This class helps students develop good disciplinary practices that will ensure success throughout their academic and pro-fessional careers. Technical skills include the understanding and utilization of Sibelius, Musition, Auralia, GarageBand, Mac OS X, iChat, word processing, computer storage, and Internet security.
INDUSTRY CONNECTION
A composer/producer working in the music industry is ex-pected to have a firm command of all the topics covered in Music Theory I and II, which essentially teach the common language of musicians, composers, engineers, directors, programmers, and producers. The theory courses provide graduates of the MPBS program with a solid understand-ing of the concepts and applications of music. This course
will prepare students with the knowledge and confidence for informed musical conversation with other music industry professionals. Ultimately, music theory will provide students with the ability to successfully express and communicate musical concepts.
RESEARCH COMPONENT
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the research tools made available to them here at Full Sail University. The Journal of Music Theory, Grove Music Online, and Oxford Music Online from Alexander Street Press are just a few outstanding resources accessible via the Propeller student portal. Music theory is a subject that lends itself naturally to research, and a good musician will continue the quest for information long after graduating from school. Stu-dents should get into the habit of researching the profound world of music theory from the beginning of their studies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
To develop a better understanding of music theory, be sure to take advantage of the many resources available to you. Learning and applying music theory can be an enjoyable, lifelong journey. Here are a couple of helpful suggestions for further research.
Texts
yy Scales, Intervals, Keys, Triads, Rhythm, and Meter (revised and expanded edition), John Clough, Joyce Conley, and Claire Boge, W.W. Norton and Company
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE General Education Component
Internet
yy Music First! Online Learning Center: http://www.mhhe.com/musicfirst6
yy Oxford Music Online: http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public
TOPICS COVEREDyy Notes on the Keyboard and Staff Accidentals
yy Treble/Bass/Grand Staff
yy Meter and Time Signatures
yy Basic Rhythmic Notation
yy Software Introduction
yy Rhythm and Pitch Identification
yy Intervals
yy Simple vs. Compound Meter Recognition
yy Major, Minor, Pentatonic, and Blues Scales
yy Major and Minor Triads
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Listening—Weekly Practice and QuizAuralia is an ear-training software package designed to pro-vide a means by which students, regardless of level, can improve their aural skills and music-theory proficiency. In each week of Music Theory I, students will be required to attain a minimum level of fundamental skills in aural identifi-cation and musical transcription in Auralia.
Music Reading—Weekly Practices and QuizzesMusition is a music-reading software package designed to provide a means by which students, regardless of level, can improve their music-notation recognition and reading skills and music-theory proficiency. In each week of Music Theory I, students will be required to attain a minimum level of music notation proficiency in Musition by completing two quizzes in the software.
Virtual Class/Lab and Essentials QuizzesThe virtual class and lab will be the most efficient way for students to understand the music-theory content for any particular lesson. The weekly sessions will give students an opportunity to interact with the subject matter along with the music theory instructors, online and in real time. There will be periodic quizzes on the material from the virtual class to ensure that students are absorbing the material and can ar-ticulate, read, or compose using the applicable concepts.
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Additional Resources
Projects
Project 1—GarageBand Transcription
Before writing their own music, students must understand the basic concepts that allow music to be a coherent language and demonstrate an ability to understand written music. For this project, students will be given ten specific examples of written drum-set notation. They will sequence these examples into GarageBand by employing the piano roll and their music reading skills.
Project 2—Introduction to Harmony
Students will input pitch rhythm and other musical information into Sibelius by reproducing a simple score. Then, they will construct and notate major and minor triads as prescribed in chord symbols and octave designations to form the harmony for a popular-style piece of music. Students will export a MIDI file from Sibelius to incorporate into a digital audio workstation to produce a completed song.
Project 3—Composing in GarageBand
For the final project, students will employ their creativity to compose a piece of music according to their skills and tastes. This short piece will include rhythm, bass, harmony, and melody tracks.
Keyboard Trainer AppsStudents will increase competency on the piano keyboard by com-pleting four keyboard training applications. Topics covered will include learning note names, building major scales, using scale de-grees, and playing diatonic triads.
Study Guides and Essentials QuizzesStudents will be provided with weekly curriculum-review activities. These activities will help students ensure that they have mastered
the material presented each week. Since music theory builds upon itself, missing any one concept can hinder future understanding of the topic. Students must feel comfortable with the material on the study guide and in the essentials quizzes by the end of each week.
DiscussionsThe discussion boards will serve as an outlet for students to develop their musical vocabulary by listening, analyzing, and describing mu-sic to their classmates. Interaction between students is an important part of these discussions, and students will introduce themselves to the class and the MPBS community.
GRADE WEIGHTS
Projects (3 at 6% each) 18%
Musition Checkpoints (4 at 4% each) 16%
Auralia Checkpoints (4 at 4% each) 16%
Essentials Quizzes (4 at 4% each) 16%
Keyboard Trainer Apps (4 at 4% each) 16%
Discussions (2 at 3% each) 6%
Introduction to Music Notation Software 2%
Professionalism 10%
Total 100%
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Learning Activities
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING
Some tips to keep in mind when studying Music Theory I:
yy USE MULTIPLE LEARNING METHODS Using many methods of learning music theory will greatly increase your retention of the material. Here are some suggestions:
yy Use the practice sessions in Musition and Auralia to perfect your understanding before moving on to a quiz.
yy Memorize your note names on the staff and keyboard. You can use Musition, Auralia, any of the Internet resources list-ed in the syllabus, or even online or homemade flashcards.
yy Write out notes on the staff, scales, intervals, and triads by hand on staff paper. This will solidify your ownership of the new concepts.
yy See the “Tips for Learning Music Theory” resource on FSO for even more resources.
yy ATTEND VIRTUAL CLASS AND LAB These are the best ways to get new information each week. You can also interact live with several Music Theory instructors and see each concept present-ed in an easy-to-understand format. If you can’t attend the class, watch the archives of the virtual class and the lab. You will quick-ly fall behind in the class without these important resources.
yy COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND CLASS-
MATES REGULARLY Find your instructor’s contact information in the Announcements section in FSO and stay in regular con-tact with him or her. This is especially important if you are having difficulty with a concept or feel that you are falling behind. Com-municating with your classmates is important for networking and support.
yy PRESENT YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY This is an ex-tremely important career habit to develop. Presenting yourself professionally in written and verbal communication, projects, discussions, assignments, and all interactions is a way of estab-lishing your career and reputation within the music industry.
yy MAKE TIME FOR YOUR STUDIES Plan on working on your music studies two to three hours per day, seven days per week. Learning music is a progressive process and simply can’t be done all in one sitting. You must give it your time and attention every day if you want to truly “own” the material and exercise the concepts on a professional level.
yy MAKE YOUR DEADLINES All assignments must be turned in by their specified deadlines. Late work is unacceptable in the professional world, and we hold you to those same standards. Communicate with your instructor regarding any issues that may affect your ability to meet the deadlines. As in the professional world, always communicate before the deadline, not after.
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Strategies For Successful Learning
COURSE-SPECIFIC RUBRICS
Quizzes
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
All Quizzes The student correctly answers most or all questions and demonstrates mastery of the concept presented
The student correctly answers many questions, but more work on the concept presented is needed
The student incorrectly answers several questions and demonstrates a clear lack of fluency in the concept presented
DiscussionsThe Will to Succeed
Item Percentage
Video is uploaded to FSO 50%
Video is less than 1 minute in length 15%
Video is accessible to class (i.e., not set to “private”) 15%
Response is made to a colleague 20%
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Song Choice Student prepares a song-form chart as directed for the assigned song
N/A Student did not prepare a song form chart, or did not use the song assigned to him or her to create the song form chart.
20 points 20 points 0 points
Song Identification The student includes the performing artist, the title of the song, and a Spotify link to the song
The student includes one or two of the identification components (artist, title, and Spotify link) or misidentifies any of the above
Student does not include any of the song identification components or does not prepare a song-form chart
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Time Signature The student accurately assesses the time signature of the song and includes the time signature on the song chart
N/A The student does not accurately assess the time signature of the song, or the time signature is not included on the song chart
10 points 10 points 0 points
Beats Per Minute The student accurately assesses the BPM of the song within 5 BPM and includes the accurate BPM on the song chart
The student assesses the BPM of the song within 10 BPM but shows a clear understanding of the concept of BPM
The student includes the BPM on the song chart
Student does not include BPM on the song form chart, is incorrect by more than 10 BPM on the tempo, or does not create the song-form chart
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Song-Form Sections The student accurately assesses all the sections of the assigned song in the correct order for the entire song and chart
The student accurately assesses most of the sections of the assigned song
The order of the song sections are mostly correct, and only slight modifications would be needed on the chart if used in the studio
The student does not accurately assess many of the song sections, or the song sections are not in the correct order
Many modifications would be necessary in order to use the chart in the studio
The student does not create a form chart
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Discussions (Cont.)Song Form
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Number of Bars Per Section The student accurately assesses all of the sections with the number of bars included in each section
The bar numbers are correctly placed with their corresponding sections
No modifications would be necessary in order to use the chart in the studio
The student accurately assesses most of the sections with the number of bars in each section
The numbers are mostly placed correctly within each section
Minimal modifications would be needed in order to use the chart in the studio
The student does not accurately assess the number of bars in each section
The numbers are not placed correctly within each section
Significant modifications would be needed in order to use the chart in the studio
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Response to Colleague The student provides thoughtful and professional feedback to a colleague on the discussion board
The student addresses, in musical terms, the accuracy of his or her colleague’s song form, time signature, and BPM
The student demonstrates mastery of the musical concepts of popular song form
The student provides feedback to a colleague on the discussion board
The student addresses, in musical terms, the accuracy of his or her colleague’s song form, time signature, and BPM, but has mistakes within the comment
The student demonstrates familiarity with the musical concepts of popular song form
The student does not provide feedback to a colleague on the discussion board, or the feedback provided is superfluous and does not address musical concepts
The student shows no familiarity with the musical concepts of popular song form
20 points 18–20 points 13–19 points 0–12 points
Discussions (Cont.)Song Form (Cont.)
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
ProjectsProject 1—GarageBand Transcription
ItemSequenced 7 points possible
Looped 2 points possible
Labeled 1 point possible
Points Given 10 points possible
Comments
Beat 1 (Rock Beat)
Beat 2 (Dance Beat)
Beat 3 (16th Beat-1)
Beat 4 (Metal Beat)
Beat 5 (HipHop-1)
Beat 6 (HipHop 2)
Beat 7 (16th-2)
Beat 8 (Metal-2)
Beat 9 (HipHop-3)
Beat 10 (HipHop-4)
Point Deductions MP3 file is present; session is named correctly
(up to 10 points deducted)
Additional Comments: Total:
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
Project 2—Sibelius Music Notation Software
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Title and Composer The student places the title and composer of the piece appropriately as per music notation standards
There are no misspellings in the title or composer
The student includes the title and composer of the piece within the project
Some abnormality regarding placement and/or spelling
The student does not include the title and/or composer of the piece, or there are several typographical errors or misspellings within the title and composer
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Tempo Indicator The student includes the tempo indicator appropriately as per music notation standards
The student includes the tempo indicator, but the placement shows some abnormality
The student does not include the tempo indicator, or the placement is not standard
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Correct Number of Measures
The student notates the correct number of measures as per the master document
The student deletes all extraneous measures and marks
The student deletes all extra measures at the end of the score, but there are minimal extra measures included within the piece
The student does not delete extraneous measures and marks, and there are many extra measures throughout the piece
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Instrument Markings The student accurately places the instrument indicator at the beginning of the first staff
Subsequent staves are marked with the proper abbreviation for the instrument
The student places the instrument indicator with some derivation from musical notation standards on one or more of the staves
The student does not place the instrument indicators or places the indicators in a manner that is not compliant with musical notation standards
10 points 9–10 points 7–8 points 0–6 points
Score Input The student accurately places each note of the score with articulation, dynamic, and other musical markings included
The student shows fluency with the concepts of beginning music notation
The student places most notes of the score accurately with some slight errors in articulation, dynamic, and/or other musical markings
The student shows familiarity with the concepts of beginning music notation
The student inaccurately places many notes of the score with multiple errors in articulation, dynamic, and/or other musical markings
The student demonstrates a lack of fluency in the concepts of beginning music notation
60 points 54–60 points 43–53 points 0–42 points
Projects (Cont.)
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
Project 3—Composing in GarageBand
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Sequenced Rhythm The student includes a rhythm track that meets all of the following criteria and demonstrates fluency with the concepts presented Music Theory 1:
The tempo is set between 60–180 BPM
The instrument is a stock drum kit chosen from GarageBand
The drum loop is original
The second bar is not identical to the first
Drums are sequenced from bars 1 to 16
There is a drum attack on the downbeat of bar 17
The region is correctly labeled
The instrument is nicely mixed
The student includes a rhythm track that meets most of the criteria
There may be minor mistakes, but the student is clearly familiar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
The student does not include a rhythm track, or the rhythm track is deficient in one or more of the criteria
There are many and/or major errors, demonstrating that the student is unfamiliar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Sequenced Bass The student includes a rhythm track that meets all of the following criteria and demonstrates fluency with the concepts presented Music Theory 1:
The instrument is a stock bass instrument chosen from GarageBand
The bass track is sequenced from bars 5 to 16
The bass line is original, and the second bar is not identical to the first
The region is correctly labeled
The tonic (1) note is played sequenced on the downbeat of bar 17
The instrument is nicely mixed
The student includes a bass track that meets most of the criteria
There may be minor mistakes, but the student is clearly familiar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
The student does not include a bass track, or the bass track is deficient in one or more of the criteria
There are many and/or major errors, demonstrating that the student is unfamiliar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Projects (Cont.)
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Sequenced Harmony The student includes a harmony track that meets all of the following criteria and demonstrates fluency with the concepts presented Music Theory 1:
The student chooses a major pentatonic or minor pentatonic scale
The student uses the tonic triad (I) for that key
If the student includes other triads, they are properly used within the key
The name of the tonic triad and the notes within the tonic triad are correctly written in the GarageBand notepad
The student uses a stock sustaining instrument for the harmony
The region is correctly labeled
The harmony is original, and the second bar is not identical to the first
The harmony is sequenced from bars 9 to 16
The tonic (I) chord is sequenced on the downbeat of bar 17
The instrument is nicely mixed
The student includes a harmony track that meets most of the criteria
There may be minor mistakes, but the student is clearly familiar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
The student does not include a harmony track, or the harmony track is deficient in one or more of the criteria
There are many and/or major errors, demonstrating that the student is unfamiliar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Projects (Cont.)Project 3—Composing in GarageBand (Cont).
MUSIC THEORY I—ONLINE Course-Specific Rubrics
ItemProfessional90–100 points
Average70–89 points
Unsatisfactory0–69 points
Sequenced Melody The student includes a melody track that meets all of the following criteria and demonstrates fluency with the concepts presented Music Theory 1:
The student chooses a major pentatonic or minor pentatonic scale
The name of the scale and the notes of the scale are correctly written in the GarageBand notepad
All of the notes from the chosen major pentatonic or minor pentatonic are used within the melody
The student uses a stock lead instrument for the melody
The melody is sequenced from bars 13 to 16
The melody is original, and the second bar is not identical to the first
The region is correctly labeled
The tonic (1) note is sequenced on the downbeat of bar 17
The instrument is nicely mixed
The student includes a melody track that meets most of the criteria
There may be minor mistakes, but the student is clearly familiar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
The student does not include a melody track, or the melody track is deficient in one or more of the criteria
There are many and/or major errors, demonstrating that the student is unfamiliar with the concepts presented in Music Theory 1
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Creativity The student creates an original piece of music that sounds pleasing to the ear
The drum and bass tracks work well together
The bass, melody, and harmony are all composed in the same key
There are no wrong notes
The student creates an original piece of music that sounds pleasing to the ear
The drum and bass tracks work well together
The bass, melody, and harmony are all composed in the same key
There may be a minimal amount of wrong notes
The student does not create an original piece of music
Alternately, the original piece that is created is not pleasing to the ear for any or all of the following reasons:
The drum and bass tracks do not work well together
The bass, melody, and/or harmony are not all composed in the same key
There are multiple wrong notes
20 points 18–20 points 13–17 points 0–12 points
Projects (Cont.)Project 3—Composing in GarageBand (Cont).
