Fundamentals of Music MUT1001

Fall Term 2010

Syllabus – DRAFT 20100805

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

John Wooden after Benjamin Franklin
Instructor: Michael Scherperel
mscherpe@broward.edu

External resources: www.mhhe.com/musicfirst6

MUT1001scherperel.blogspot.com

Required Materials: Music First, Sixth Edition; Gary. C. White

Calendar: Aug 23 – first class Oct 25*

Aug 30 – last day for 100% refund Nov 1 – exam 4§
Sep 6 – HOLIDAY Nov 8
Sep 13 Nov 15 – exam 5§
Sep 20 – exam 1§ Nov 22
Sep 27 Nov 29 – exam 6§
Oct 4 – exam 2§ Dec 6
Oct 11 Dec 13 – final exam§
Oct 18 – exam 3§

*Oct 29 – last day to withdraw with W, change to or from audit, or instructor withdrawal
§
All exams except for the Final will take place from 6:45 to 7:30. The Final Exam will begin at
6:30 and students may use as much of the posted class time as required.

Attendance and Grading Policy:

• Class attendance is the student’s responsibility. Failure to attend regular
classroom activities will have no direct effect on a student’s grade; indirect effects
are unpredictable. Please note that the responsibility to withdraw from this class
rests entirely with each student. The instructor will not perform an administrative
withdrawal for lack of attendance except in the case of a student who has never
attended any class session.
• Failure to attend a scheduled exam will result in 0 points for that exam. Make-up
exams will not be given except in the extraordinary circumstance of severe,
debilitating illness or a death in the immediate family. Documentation may be
required.
• Interim exams are worth 100 points each (some extra credit points are available)
and the final exam 400 for a total of 1,000 points for the course. Homework is
reviewed in class but not graded. Final letter grade is determined from this scale:
1000-900=A, 899-800=B, 799=700=C, 699-600=D, 599-0=F.
Classroom Deportment:
• Mobile phones and other portable electronic devices may not be used during
class. If you have an urgent need to stay “connected”, please speak to the
instructor.
• If you are late for class, please enter as quietly as possible and take a seat
unobtrusively. (If you are late for an exam, extra time will not be granted.)
• Common courtesy is expected: pay attention, do not talk when others are
speaking—especially the instructor ☺; be prompt at the beginning of class and
after each break.
• Food and drink are not permitted in classrooms.

Tentative Course Outline

Aug 23: What is music? Elements of music. Historical introduction to notational
practices. Staff, clef, note. Homework: Read Chapter 1. Do assignments 1.1a, 1.2a, 1.3a,
and 1.4 in Chapter 1. Write the letter names of the notes under “America the Beautiful”
Songbook pg. 236 and “Goodby, Old Paint” Songbook pg. 249.
(If you understand already what accidentals and key signatures are, you may ignore them

at this time, e.g. Bb and Bn are just “B”.)

Aug 30: Grand staff review. Homework review. Basics of rhythmic notation: head, stem,
beam, rests, dots and ties. Homework: Read Chapter 2 and Interlude 1. Do all previously
uncompleted assignments in Chapter 1 and all assignments in Chapter 2.

Sep 13: Notational review. Homework review. Discussion on singing. Name that note—
pitch reading races. Keyboard practice. Homework: Read Chapter 3. Do assignment 3.1,
Quick Check 1 (pg 49).

Sep 20: Review. EXAM. Time signatures. Homework review. Simple meter.
Homework: Do all previously uncompleted assignments in Chapter 3. Read Chapter 4.

Sep 27: Homework review. Simple meter review; introduction to compound meter.
Homework: Do assignments 4.1a, 4.1b, 4.2a. Read Chapter 5.

Oct 4: Review. EXAM. Homework review. Rhythmic dictation. Accidentals.

Homework: Do all previously uncompleted assignments in Chapter 4. Read Chapter 5
and Interlude 2.
Oct 11: Homework review. Discussion on the power of music. Organizing pitch
materials: scales and keys. Homework: Do assignment 5.2a and 5.2b. Look at “America
the Beautiful”(Songbook pg. 236) and write “½” between each pair of notes that are half-
step apart and “1” between each pair of notes that are a whole-step apart. (There are pairs
of notes separates by other distances—ignore them for now.) Do the same for “I’ve Got
to Know” (Songbook pg. 253). What do you notice about the latter example?

Oct 18: Review. EXAM. Homework review. Major scales; circle of fifths. Homework:
Do all previously uncompleted assignments in Chapter 5. Read Chapter 6. Do assignment
6.1a.

Oct 25: Homework review. Major scales redux. Ear training; keyboard practice.
Homework: Do all previously uncompleted assignments in Chapter 6. Read Chapter 7.
Do assignment 7.1.

Nov 1: Review. EXAM. Minor scales; relative and parallel scales. Ear training.
Homework: Bring one URL to class of any piece of music of your choice and try to
determine if it is in a major or a minor key. Do all previously uncompleted assignments
in Chapter 7. Read Chapter 8.

Nov 8: Review. Scales, scales, and more scales. Intervals. Ear training; keyboard
practice. Homework: Do assignment 8.1a

Nov 15: Review. EXAM. Intervals—examples from the literature. Ear training; keyboard
practice. Homework: Do assignments 8.1b, 8.2a and 8.2b.

Nov 22: More on intervals; enharmonic spelling. Ear training; keyboard practice.
Homework: Do all previously uncompleted assignments in Chapter 8.

Nov 29: Introduction to melodic dictation. Homework: Practice, practice, practice!

Dec 6: Brief look at chords. Summary review.

Dec 13: FINAL EXAM.