Advanced Theory Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a class must:

• consult with their instructor to obtain a signed academic withdrawal request form to submit to the AskAC department for processing
• consult with the financial aid office if receiving financial aid
• consult with the Veterans Benefit Coordinator if receiving veteran benefits
• consult with their academic advisor to determine how withdrawing may affect their enrollment in future semesters
  • NOTE:  The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education for the first time fall 2007 and later may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. (Senate Bill 1231) Rule 4.10.

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Course

MUSI-2211-001 Advanced Theory

Prerequisites

Corequisite: 2116

Course Description

Diatonic harmony; chromaticism and late Romantic and Contemporary idioms.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) have developed a comprehensive overview of neuromusculoskeletal, vocal and hearing health issues for postsecondary schools and departments of music.  Information of a medical nature is provided by PAMA; information regarding contextual issues in music programs, by NASM. The following links address the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, neuromusculoskeletal and vocal injury—all of which are widespread and serious public health issues for musicians and others.

NASM-PAMA Advisories on Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health

• Student guide: https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/4a_NASM_PAMA_NMH-Student_Guide-Standard_June-2014.pdf

NASM-PAMA Advisories on Hearing Health :

• Student guide: https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/publications/brochures-advisories/nasm-pama-nms-vocal-health/

Student information sheets:

• Musculosketal: https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/5a_NASM_PAMA_NMH-Student_Information_Sheet-Standard-NMH_June-2014.pdf
• Vocal: https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/6a_NASM_PAMA_NMH-Student_Information_Sheet-Standard-Vocal_June-2014.pdf
• Hearing: https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/publications/brochures-advisories/nasm-pama-nms-vocal-health/

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Hours

(2 sem hrs; 2 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

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

Supplies

NECESSARY 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.

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.

Student Performance

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.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Students will be courteous, professional, and respectful when addressing a Professor/Instructor as well as his or her peers.  

The use of cell phones during class time will NOT be permitted under any circumstances.  Likewise, laptop computers and other personal devices should be used only as would generally be considered beneficial to learning and study, with recreational and social use falling well outside these constructs unless specifically allowed by the instructor.  The instructor reserves the right to confiscate any device, electronic or otherwise, should it prove to be a distraction to the student or class in general, and a repeated offense will result in an automatic failing grade for the course.

Students will submit all assignments at the start of the class period on the date due.  The Instructor reserves the right to lower (at a rate of one letter grade per 24 hour period) the grade of any assignment turned in late.  “My computer crashed” is not an acceptable excuse.  Nearly all such “emergencies” can be avoided by planning ahead, starting, and completing work well in advance of the posted due date.  Any request for extension on the due-date of an assignment must be submitted in writing 48 hours in advance of the date in question.

 

Grading Criteria

GRADING CRITERIA/GRADE SCALE:

Mid-Term Exam 25%

Final Exam 25%

Research Project 20%

Class Attendance, Preparation, Participation, and 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%

Attendance

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement; therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class. Any request for excused absence (subject to approval of instructor) must be made at least 48 hours IN ADVANCE of the class period missed, and must include proper written documentation for consideration of the excuse in question (legal documentation confirming absence, such as doctor’s note, court order, funeral program, etc. should be provided at the following class meeting). You will be responsible for completing any in-class assignments IN ADVANCE of the class period missed. NO MORE THAN TWO EXCUSED ABSENCES WILL BE ALLOWED without penalty (unless there is a documented emergency, which will be dealt with on an individual basis).  

Unexcused absences, being late to class, and leaving class early will not be tolerated and will lower your grade.  A minimum subtraction of 1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted for all unexcused absences.  After 6 infractions, the instructor reserves the right to fail the student.

Students are expected to figure the final examination time for this class into their respective schedules.  You are responsible for that time and should treat it as any other class period (prompt and full attendance).  Plan ahead and accordingly. 

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.

Calendar

Additional Information

REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS: There will be two major exams (Mid-Term and Final Exam) and occasional quizzes. The Final Exam will be held on the day and time found in the Amarillo College schedule of classes and will be comprehensive only to the extent that knowledge in the area of Music Theory builds on itself.

 

RESEARCH PROJECT: Students will be required to write a 10-page (minimum, not including title page, internal quotes, pictures, or a bibliography, all of which are also required) paper and a full analysis (both Formal and Harmonic analyses, as well as Strophic analysis if words are used) of a composition related to the student’s performance field and taken from one of the time periods covered in class.  In addition to the paper and corresponding analysis, a PowerPoint Presentation and at least 2 excellent recordings should also be provided, all of which will be submitted electronically to the Instructor.  The paper will be submitted in either .doc(x) or .pdf file format, according to the following specifications:

- 12 point, Times New Roman font, double spaced

- 1 inch margins

- All pages numbered

- Either Chicago or MLA formatting for citations and bibliography. BE CONSISTENT.

- No deviations from this formatting are allowed, and failure to adhere to these instructions will result in an automatic loss of one letter grade per item.

Prior to beginning analysis and writing the paper, two typed/printed copies of a topic proposal (1 or 2 paragraphs) and preliminary bibliography (at least 5 significant sources) should be brought to class for signed Instructor approval.  This proposal should follow the formatting guidelines listed above.

Near the end of term, an oral presentation on the work will be presented in class, with a PowerPoint Presentation, peer handout, thorough analysis, and recordings of the work presented. Class presentations will be scheduled during the course of the semester.  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.

The students must 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.

At least one individual meeting will be scheduled to discuss the student’s research project and presentation preparations.  All project material (Paper, Handout, PowerPoint Presentation, Analysis) must be submitted by the due date.  If a deadline is missed, 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 and adhere to the rules of the chosen style:  MLA or Chicago Manual of Style.  No Internet sources may be used as references, unless the instructor approves the site in advance.  Only ask about viable/credible Internet sources.  

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Plagiarism and/or cheating on any level will not be tolerated (you will fail). Textbooks or notes cannot be used for examinations, and all work submitted is given to the Instructor with the assertion that the work (research, etc.) was completed by the student herself or himself.  Please always ask if you are at all unclear regarding proper use of information or resources in a given situation.  We are here to help each other, but stealing another’s ideas is absolutely unacceptable and will be dealt with accordingly.

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!

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