MUSC 121: Fundamentals of Music IThis syllabus includes the following sections:

Course OverviewCourse FormatRequired MaterialsTechnical RequirementsAbout the InstructorDiscussion ForumsExamsGradingCourse PoliciesAcademic Policies

COURSE OVERVIEW

This course covers the musical building blocks of pitch, melody, rhythm, meter, harmony, and form, along with the notationsystem used in Western art music. We will explore these materials in both a written and an aural form, developing skills ineach domain. This course will be helpful for students who wish to read and write conventional musical notation; tounderstand the concepts and systems behind music they play, sing, and hear; and to prepare for further academic studies inmusic theory, composition, or performance.

The basic repertory we will be using is Western art music, which is sometimes casually called “classical music,” along withsome examples from folk song and contemporary popular music.

By the end of our studies, you will be able to

compose and notate simple melodiesharmonize simple melodies

recognize basic musical formsunderstand the fundamental relationships between melody, harmony, rhythm, and meteridentify by ear and by sight intervals, major and minor triads, and major and minor scalesread treble and bass clef notation, as well as basic rhythms.

COURSE FORMAT

Any study of music requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline. To undertake this study in an online course formatplaces an even greater burden of responsibility on the student.

We will be exploring connections between sounds, written notation, and very abstract concepts. In a typical classroom, thereis constant aural reinforcement of these ideas, and there is group participation in the acquisition of these skills. Students claptogether as they learn rhythms, sing together as they study melodies, and gain the tactile experience of playing intervals orchords on a piano. In an online course format, you will still have all of the same resources. The aural reinforcement will beprovided through sound files; the discussion forums allow you to interact with your classmates; the assignments andexercises will encourage you to physically engage with the music as you learn new skills; and web-based drills will let youpractice your new skills with instant feedback. However, your experience will still be more isolated than it would be in aconventional classroom. This means that you will need to be especially disciplined in practicing and keeping up with thematerial.

The course is divided into fifteen modules. Each module consists of an introductory overview followed by multiple lessonscentered on discrete topics. The study of music is inherently “cumulative” in the sense that each new topic requires themastery of the previous material, so you will need to allow time for yourself to absorb and understand the material of eachlesson before moving on to the next.

Make sure that you bring the individual discipline to this course that you’ll need to succeed, and make sure you reach out toyour classmates and to your professor. Finally, make sure you immerse yourself in the resources that have been provided toyou so that you get the rich, multidimensional, and especially aural experience that is necessary to genuinely master thismaterial.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

See the course description for a current list of required materials.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Listening to Sound Files

Because this course is based on the music itself, there is a listening component to some assignments and in the notes. Mostof the sound files are in the regular class notes, and you can simply click and hear them with any MP3 player you have onyour computer. However, some recordings are not posted on the regular class notes or Sakai. Those sound files are on theseparate Listening website. The recordings will not play properly over a modem connection. You will need to locate acomputer with high-speed Internet access in order to complete the assignments.

In order to comply with copyright law and University policy, access to the listening website is restricted. You must enter thecourse-specific user name, musc121, and a password, rhythm, to gain access. You will need a media player (RealPlayer)configured to work with your web browser to play the sound recordings and mp3 files.

Complete information is available on in the Audio Info section of this Sakai site.

Submitting Assignments

You will need to print out assignments and exercises for each module. Your printer must be able to handle PDF documents.

Your assignments will involve many different kinds of work. Many of your assignments will require you to notate music byhand. Computer files, such as those created by MuseScore or scanned images of your handwritten homework, should besubmitted through Sakai's Assignment tool. Scanned images are the preferred format for all assignments. You arestrongly encouraged to use a scanner to submit your work electronically; however, clear photographs (digital camera orcellphone) are acceptable as long as they show the entire assignment and are completely legible. Homework is due at 11:55pm on the last day of the module; see the schedule for specific dates.

All work that is submitted electronically must adhere to these guidelines:

1. File formats may be PDF or MuseScore (.pdf or .mscz files). Other formats will not be accepted.2. The maximum file size is 2 MB.3. Create a single PDF with all pages of the assignment together in one file. Some MuseScore files will need to be

submitted as separate documents.4. Files must be named in the following format: “Lastname-HomeworkNumber.” For example, “Miller-Homework02.pdf.”5. Generally speaking, you should scan your assignments at either 150 or 200 dpi and in grayscale (not color) to keep

your file sizes reasonable. You will need software to create PDF files—there are several good, free programsavailable for this, including CutePDF.

Work that does not adhere to these guidelines cannot be graded. Keep in mind that you will not receive credit for latework.

DISCUSSION FORUMS

The concepts and skills we will explore require active investment on the part of all students in the course. Different studentswill likely find some skills more or less difficult than others, and in all cases, students can help each other master these skillstogether. To facilitate our studies, we will use a “Discussion Forum” where you can post questions on the material, discussaspects of the lesson that you find most challenging, or post your solutions to the homework; other students will respond andcan help you with your homework questions. All students must post at least once per module. The required posts can bequestions, discussion points, or homework problems you’re working on, or they can be responses, discussion, andassistance in response to your classmates. You will be graded only on participation in regard to the discussion board. Pleaseview the discussion forums as a way to connect with the other students in the class, and consider those students a resourceas you undertake your musical studies.

Our discussion forums are in the Forums section of Sakai.

In order to receive credit, submit your discussion post (in PDF format) by the deadline listed in the schedule. Late posts willnot receive credit.

EXAMS

This course consists of two midterms and a final exam. A small portion of each exam will involve listening to soundrecordings. To prepare for the exams, review the homework assignments for each portion of the course; questions on themidterm exam will be similar in content, scope, and type to exercises on your homework assignments. The exams willinclude questions that require typed answers, as well as handwritten answers, which you will then scan or mail to yourinstructor.

You will take your exams via the Exams section of the Sakai site. Dates and times are listed in the Schedule (available viathe left-hand sidebar of Sakai).

GRADING

Your course grade is based on the following point system:

Discussion Posts: There are fifteen discussion assignments and one introductory discussion assignment. The postsfor Modules 1-14 are each worth 50 points; the introductory post and the post for Module 15 are each worth 25 points,for a total of 750 possible points.Exams: Midterms I and II are each worth 200 points. The final exam is worth 300 points, for a total of 700 possiblepoints.Homework assignments: the point value of each homework assignment varies. See the table below for each one.

Homework Possible Points Per HomeworkAssignment

Homework 1 123

Homework 2 115

Homework 3 76

Homework 4 104

Homework 5 179

Homework 6 104

Homework 7 143

Homework 8 204

Homework 9 137

Homework 10 94

Homework 11 139

Homework 12 61

Homework 13 45

Homework 14 40

Total Approximate Points for Homework 1564

Based on your semester grade (numerical), a letter grade will be assigned as follows:

A– and A: superior mastery of the material, typically approximately 90 percent and higherB–, B, and B+: satisfactory mastery of the material, typically approximately 80–89 percentC–, C, and C+: adequate understanding of the material, typically approximately 70–79 percentD and D+: marginal or unsatisfactory understanding of the material, typically less than 70 percentF: entirely unsatisfactory understanding of the material.

The grading scale is as follows:

95–100 A

90–94 A-

86–89 B+

83–85 B

80–82 B-

76–79 C+

73–75 C

70–72 C-

65–69 D+

60–64 D

Below 60 F

COURSE POLICIES

Late work is not accepted, and assignment deadline extensions are not granted, except in cases of extenuatingcircumstances such as family death, documented extended illness, religious observance, and so on. If you are unable tosubmit your work on time, contact me as soon as possible.

Work Load: You should plan to spend between seven and ten hours per week on the course materials, including reading,listening, participating in the discussion forums, and working on assignments. Remember that if this were a regularclassroom course, you would be in class three full hours a week, plus you would spend another four to six hours on thereading assignments and skills development. Make sure you have allocated enough time in your schedule to take thiscourse!

Email and Contact: Feel free to contact me with any questions about assignments, material, or personal concerns. Pleasedo your best to anticipate any problems as far in advance as possible. I ask that you allow forty-eight hours for me torespond to all emails. I will generally respond much more quickly, but there will be times when I am away from my computer;do not count on me replying right away.

ACADEMIC POLICIES

By enrolling as a student in this course, you agree to abide by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill policies relatedto the acceptable use of online resources. Please consult the Acceptable Use Policy on topics such as copyright, net-etiquette, and privacy protection.

As part of this course, you may be asked to participate in online discussions or other online activities that may includepersonal information about you or other students in the course. Please be respectful of the rights and protection of otherparticipants under the UNC-Chapel Hill Information Security Policies when participating in online classes.

When using online resources offered by organizations not affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill, such as Google or YouTube,please note that the terms and conditions of these companies and not the University’s Terms and Conditions apply. Thesethird parties may offer different degrees of privacy protection and access rights to online content. You should be well awareof this when posting content to sites not managed by UNC-Chapel Hill.

When links to sites outside of the unc.edu domain are inserted in class discussions, please be mindful that clicking on sites

not affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill may pose a risk for your computer due to the possible presence of malware on such sites.

Honor Code

All work done in relation to this course is bound by the University's Honor Code. It is essential that you adhere to the principles outlined in the Honor Code at all times.

I encourage you to discuss topics together, talk about your readings and new musical skills with classmates and colleagues, and engage with the course material as a community of scholars. However, all work that you submit must be your own.

Make sure you avoid plagiarism in your work. Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas—whether quoting directly or paraphrasing—without properly crediting that person (citing the source). UNC Libraries has a helpful page on Plagiarism covering how to avoid this serious academic issue; all students should review this tutorial.

Take pride in your work, maintain the integrity of your academic studies, and respect the tradition of scholarly professionalism at all times.

Office of Accessibility/Special Accommodations

If you are a student with a documented disability, you can receive services through Accessibility Resources & Service. You must self-identify through Accessibility Resources to receive services or accommodation from either of these offices. Accessibility Resources works closely with programs, offices, and departments throughout the University to help create an accessible environment.

The office is located in Suite 2126 of the Student Academic Services Building (SASB), 450 Ridge Road, Chapel Hill, NC, and is open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. You can contact them by phone at 919-962-8300 or 711 (NC-RELAY) or by email at accessibility@unc.edu. For more information, visit Accessibility Resources & Service.

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