COURSE SYLLABUS FOR ADVANCED THEORY I-MUSI 2211-001 Fall 2015

PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of requirements for elementary theory, semesters 1 and 2.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Continuation of music theory principles taught in elementary theory (freshman theory), with an emphasis on common practice harmonic language, musical form, chromatic harmonies, and style characteristics of the Baroque period through the Twentieth Century.

INSTRUCTOR: R. Scott Beckett

TEMPORARY OFFICE LOCATION: MB311

OFFICE HOURS: TBA, by appointment (Skype is available)

OFFICE PHONE: (806) 371-5351 (if working, do not leave a message)

CAMPUS E-MAIL: (Since this is a online-enhanced class, please use the “e-mail” function in BlackBoard for sensitive course information) rsbeckett@actx.edu

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Spencer, Peter and Bennett, Barbara. The Practice of Harmony, 6^th Edition. Prentice Hall, 2011:
ISBN-10: 0205717195  ISBN-13:  9780205717194

NECCESARY TOOLS: A brain that can focus, synthesize, learn, and recall information in regards to music theory; pencils/writing utensils, staff paper, notebook paper/note-taking apparatus, and a strong work ethic.

STUDENT PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OUTCOMES: After studying the materials presented in this course of study, the student should be able to do the following:

A. Be able to identify keys, tonality and/or modality by understanding the function of various notes and chords.

B. Be able to identify harmonic treatment in the historical time periods from the Classical period to the Twentieth Century.

C. Gain an understanding of chromatic chords, including Neapolitan 6ths, Augmented 6ths, and altered dominants.

D. Gain an understanding of extended diatonic chords, including 9^th, 11^th, and 13^th chords.

E. Be able to identify and understand the construction of the following musical forms: sonata-allegro, rondo, sonata-rondo, and variation

ATTENDANCE POLICY/CONDUCT: Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement; therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class. Notification of excused absences (subject to approval of instructor) must be made 48 hours IN ADVANCE of the class period being missed, and must include all proper legal documentation for consideration of the excuse in question. You may contact me through the course shell, or at the above e-mail address if you do not understand this statement. You will be responsible for material and assignments that are covered in the class period that you miss, before you miss the class meeting (unless there is a legally-documented emergency). NO MORE THAN TWO EXCUSED ABSENCES WILL BE ALLOWED (after 6 absences/late-to-class, the instructor reserves the right to fail the student). Emergencies can occur, and these will be dealt with on an individual basis.  Being late to class and leaving class early will be considered absent.  Please note that this policy does not cover unexcused absences.  Unexcused absences, and being late to class, will not be tolerated and will lower your grade.   Students are expected to schedule the final examination time, for this class, and others, into their respective schedules.  You are responsible for that time and being in class during that timeframe.  A minimum subtraction of 1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted for all unexcused absences.  All students are expected to be in class on time (including Course presentations) and stay the entire scheduled time.  Students are not allowed to miss examinations.  Plan ahead and accordingly.  “My computer crashed” is not an acceptable excuse.  After two instances have occurred, the instructor reserves the right to fail the student.  Emergencies can occur, and these will be dealt with on an individual basis, but please contact me without panicking, and know that I want you to succeed but will not allow slacking.  Excused absences will be accompanied with a appropriate document of legal note (Physicians note, court order, death certificate, Police report, etc…) “My Girlfriend’s fish died” is not an appropriate excuse, and I heard that one before!  All College-related trips must have prior notification sent by the trip’s College Representative (the Professor in most cases), at least one week in advance (7 days).  If this is not done, an unexcused absence will be entered into the grading scheme.

The Instructor reserves the right to take offense at anything said, or done, by a course student that can be construed as offensive, rude, non-respective, etc., and lower the final grade without question.  Please be courteous, professional, and show respect when addressing a Professor/Instructor.

DISABILITY STATEMENTDISABILITY STATEMENT: Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact DisAbility Services (SSC 125, Phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

GRADING CRITERIA/GRADE SCALE:

Mid-Term Exam 25%

Final Exam 25%

Research Project 20%

Class Attendance, Preparation, Quizzes- 30%

Homework is required for in-class discussions.  If homework is not completed on a daily basis, the instructor reserves the right to lower the student’s final grade.

Final Grade is based on the following scale:

A= 90-100%

B= 80-89%

C= 70-79%

D= 60-69%

F= Below 60%

REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS: There will be two major exams (Mid-Term and Final Exam) and possibly quizzes. The Final Exam will be held on the day and time found in the Amarillo College schedule of classes and will NOT be comprehensive, but might include knowledge from the semester start due to the building of information in Music Theory.

RESEARCH PROJECT: Students will be required to write a 15-page (minimum, this does NOT include a title page, internal quotes, pictures, internal fluff, nor a bibliography, do not even ask!  This will count against you, as will finding a paper online and plagiarizing) paper and a full analysis (Formal and Harmonic, and strophic if words are used) of a composition from the time periods covered in class. The work should be directly related to the student's performance field. In addition, an oral presentation on the work will be presented in class with a PowerPoint Presentation, peer handout, Analysis, and recordings of the work presented. Class presentations will be scheduled during the course of the semester.  The full analysis, PowerPoint presentation, peer handout, recordings, and paper will be due on 11/13/2015, by 23:59;59 CST (Never on, nor under the Professor’s office door! We live in a digital age.  E-mail it to me through the course! (Suggestions- MS Word for the paper / pdf for the analysis / mp3, AAC, or AIFF for the recordings). Late papers and material will not be accepted, so do NOT ask.  At the presentation, the student will provide a full copy (both digital and hard-copy) of all material (Paper, Analysis, PPP, etc.) to the instructor for grading, and will supply an analyzed score and handout for all the other students in the course. Topics for papers are to be typed; two copies printed, and brought to class on 09/01/2015 for Instructor approval. 10 points will be counted off of the project’s final grade for every hour late beginning at the start of class on 09/01/2015. 

The students will have all needed files for presentations on an easily accessible drive/format (e.g. - CD, DVD, Thumb/Jump/USB drive).  Downloading files from the Internet during the presentation time, and/or expecting the class computer to be able to read your iPod/iPhone is unacceptable.  Be overly prepared for this presentation!  Using YouTube, or other online accessible files, is prohibited during the presentation.

There will be individual meetings scheduled with the Professor and the Student to discuss the student’s research project.  All project material (Paper, Handout, PowerPoint Presentation, Analysis) must be submitted by the due date (11/13/2015, by 23:59;59 CST).  If not, the Professor reserves the right to cancel any individual meetings with the student and not allow the student to present their project to the class.  Any material that is not complete will be construed as not being turned in, and an “F” will be entered for this grade.

It is the responsibility of the student to thoroughly research and understand both plagiarism and collusionary plagiarism.  Proper documentation and internal references are required.  Please choose one of the following styles: MLA, ABA, CMS, or parenthetical documentation format and adhere to the rules of the chosen style.  No Internet sources may be used as references, unless the instructor approves the site in advance.  Only ask about viable/credible Internet sources.  Also, a College English course, nor a creative writing course, does NOT make the student able to produce viable academic writing, nor does it make the student an expert in academic writing.  Listen to your Professor!  They are here to help you!

The format will be: 12-point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins, double spaced, footnotes are at 1 inch as well.  No Exceptions!  Deviation from this format will result in a grade of “F.”

QUESTIONS: This syllabus is only an outline of the course of study. If you should have any questions regarding any of the topics mentioned above, I will be happy to discuss them with you. No question is unimportant, and I look forward to working with you. Have a great semester!   If you do have questions or concerns about the course, ask the instructor before asking the Department head, your private teacher, a friend, or division chair.  Doing so, will result in an automatic final grade of an “F.”

Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to alter the syllabus based on the instructor's continuing evaluation of the course.  Students will be alerted to changes made.

This course has a “No Mobile Phone Use/No Web Surfing/Texting/E-mailing, Etc.” policy in effect during the course meeting times.  If a student is caught violating this policy, it will be at the discretion of the Professor as to whether or not the student will be ejected from the course or receive a grade of “F” for the violation.

Plagiarism and/or cheating on any level will not be tolerated (you will fail). Also, textbooks or notes cannot be used for examinations.  Please use academic honesty and integrity when taking examinations.  Cheating is really DUMB!  It degrades the cheater and the educational environment.

Fall 2015 Outline- Advanced Theory I

August 24, 2015- Distribute syllabus, check roster, take assessment examination

August 26, 2015- Secondary Dominants

September 1, 2015- Secondary diminished seventh chords

September 3, 2015- Secondary diminished seventh chords

September 8, 2015- Late Renaissance polyphony

September 10, 2015- Late Renaissance polyphony

September 15, 2015- 2-part Counterpoint

September 17, 2015- 2-part Counterpoint

September 22, 2015- Augmented Sixth Chords

September 24, 2015- Augmented Sixth Chords

September 29, 2015- Borrowed Chords

October 1, 2015- Borrowed Chords

October 6, 2015- Review

October 8, 2015- Mid-term Examination, Neapolitan Sixth Chords

October 13, 2015- Variation Technique

October 15, 2015- Variation Technique

October 20, 2015- Pedal Point

October 22, 2015- Pedal Point

October 27, 2015- Sonata Form

October 29, 2015- Sonata Form

November 3, 2015- Rondo Form

November 5, 2015- Rondo Form

November 10, 2015- Common chord modulation

November 12, 2015- Abrupt and enharmonic modulation

November 17, 2015- Review

November 19, 2015- Individual meetings

November 24, 2015- Individual meetings

November 26, 2015- Thanksgiving Holiday

December 1, 2015- Class Presentations

December 3, 2015- Class Presentations

December 7-11, 2015- Final Exam, during AC assigned time 12/10/15 09:00-11:00 hours)

This course outline is a rough estimate for the material in this semester’s course.  The Instructor reserves the right to alter this course outline in order to best facilitate the course.

Don’t be dumb!  Attend class, and complete the homework and reading before class! There is a no B.S. Policy (Bad Student, Bull Stupid, etc.) in effect for this course.  Please ask the Professor for more information.