Course Syllabus
Purpose. This class provides an overview of Western
music history from the medieval era to the present.
The goals for students are:
1) To
understand the cultural context for the
development of music through lectures
2) To
understand the language of classical
music through listening
3) To
develop a Christian perspective on
music through discussion.
Schedule. This
is a 30-week class which meets every Friday
from 12-1:50 pm CT.
Prerequisites. Students must
be at least 14 years old. Although musical
abilities are not necessary,
they must be able to read notated music.
Some knowledge of music theory (such as a basic understanding of
intervals and chord structure) will be helpful in completing
assignments. Please contact me with
specific questions
about eligibility.
Structure. Class sessions
will be composed of two 50
minute segments with a 10-minute break.
The class will involve a lecture, class discussion, and
listening to
music together.
Materials. Students should
purchase The Vintage Guide to Classical Music by Jan
Swafford. I recommend buying it used. Find the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Guide-Classical-Music/dp/0679728058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248099610&sr=8-1.
Each
registered student will receive a set of audio CDs with all the music
needed
for listening assignments. These CDs are
free of charge to anyone enrolled in the class.
Any extra music chosen for the completion of papers must be
acquired by
the student. (I recommend iTunes and
Amazon.com, which both allow the purchase of individual tracks.)
Assignments.
During the week each student will be required
to complete the following:
Write a response to a
discussion question which I will assign based on the lecture. Responses will be in the form of a short
essay, 150-200 words long. Post this
on the Class Page.
Listen to assigned works of
music and interact with them using the Listener
Response sheet
provided.
Read the assigned chapter
or article found on the Assignments
page.
Over
the course of the year, 4 longer papers will be assigned.
They should be between 500-1000 words in length.
We will discuss form and potential topics in
the weeks leading up to each paper.
Grading. I will
assign each student a grade at
the close of the semester. Grades will
be calculated as follows:
10% Class
participation. This means being involved
in discussion,
responsive to questions, attentive during lectures, and demonstrating
knowledge
of the study materials from the preceding week.
30%
Completion of Listener Response
sheets. These responses focus on the
student’s personal interaction with the music, so they will not be
graded on “correctness”
of content. The only requirement is that
they be turned in promptly with complete responses to each question.
30%
Weekly discussion posts. These will
be graded on content only—they may
be written in a non-formal, conversational style.
30%
Papers.
These will be graded on content and style (grammatical and
rhetorical
skill).
After
each paper is graded, I will e-mail the student (and parents) with
their paper
grade, their current grade in the class, and some related comments. Parents and students are welcome to e-mail me
with questions or concerns about the grades assigned.
In addition, parents should notify me at the
beginning of the semester if they do not want
their student graded. (There is no class
discount offered for a non-graded student.)
Absence
policy.
Missing class will result in a
participation score of zero for that class unless the student provides
a
viable
explanation by e-mail beforehand.
Registration. Students
must
register
by August 10. They can do
this on the Registration Page of
the class website. Before registering,
please
email the tutor to ensure that the student is eligible to take the
class and that there is room.
Fees. This
class costs $500 per student for the
entire year. The first $50 should be paid
at the time of enrollment. Full payment must be received by
August 16 for the student to remain enrolled in class.
All fees are non-refundable unless the class
is cancelled.