AURAL SKILLS II - MUTH 2292 - Fall 2011
section 2: T-Th 9:25-10:15 AM, SUA-106E
e-mail: LRHolzer@ualr.edu office phone: 569-8436
Office: Fine Arts 101-D; Office Hours by appointment. It's best to talk with me after class, or contact me by email or phone to set a time for us to meet. (Please do not interrupt piano lessons. I teach in my office studio, and I will not halt a piano lesson to have an unscheduled meeting, because it is unfair to the piano student.)
Your UALR Email Account. Check your UALR email regularly. This is the way the university and your professors will communicate with you outside of class.
Blackboard. We will be using Blackboard for this course. The syllabus, the homework, and assignments will be posted in Blackboard. You will turn in MacGAMUT assignments and participate in discussions within Blackboard. Blackboard becomes available to enrolled students beginning at midnight on the first day of classes.
Course Pre-requisites: Aural Skills I MUTH 2291, and Music Theory I MUTH 2391 with a "C" or better.
Required Materials: Manuscript paper & pencil (NOT pen), Music for Sightsinging 8th edition by Robert Ottman (Amazon.com, UALR Bookstore, various sources, ca. $80). MacGAMUT 6 software (UALR Bookstore or buy directly from MacGAMUT, ca. $40). This cd-rom is cross-platform software, and may be used on either a Macintosh computer or a PC. Remember, the textbook and software are used for both Aural Skills 1 and Aural Skills 2, so it is a good investment.
You are expected to attend class prepared, with required materials.
Class Format: A notation and performance skills demonstration environment. Aural Skills II is a required course for all music majors. Blackboard will be used throughout the semester to deliver course content, in addition to our face-to-face class meetings in SUA-106E. Please get in the habit of regularly reading and practicing the homework assignments and logging onto Blackboard to keep up with assignments.
Please note: The door to the classroom will be locked 10 minutes after the start of class, and latecomers will not be admitted after that time.
In registering for classes at the university, students accept responsibility for attending scheduled class meetings with required materials, checking the course Blackboard site weekly, completing assignments on time, and contributing to class discussion and the exploration of musical ideas.OBJECTIVES: A continuation of Aural Skills I, Aural Skills II involves progressive development of sight singing, ear training and dictation skills necessary for the successful performance of tonal music. The course focuses on melodic material for sight-singing primarily from the Ottman text, and rhythmic, melodic and harmonic dictation material from the instructor, Ottman, and the software program MacGAMUT.
Singing continues to be an important part of the course, and students need to be aware that singing is part of in-class work as well as weekly homework. The ability to match pitch and sing assigned musical examples accurately is required for the course, regardless of whether one's principal area of performance study is vocal or instrumental. Class Voice I (MUAP 1204) is strongly recommended for those instrumentalists who have little or no prior singing experience. Part of musicianship is the ability to accurately sing musical examples.
Utilize appropriate technology: MacGAMUT software, course web site, notation software (Finale Notepad or other equivalent software),
Sight-singing: using scale degree numbers or pitch names, scales, triads, seventh chords, major and minor key diatonic melodies. There will be weekly homework in sight-singing. Students are expected to practice the homework outside of class in addition to participating in-class.
Rhythmic reading: be able to perform a variety of rhythmic patterns at sight while using the appropriate conducting pattern, as explained in Ottman. There will be weekly homework in rhythmic reading. Students are expected to practice the homework outside of class in addition to participating in-class.
Dictation: interval identification, scales, recognize and transcribe short tonal melodic examples. Demonstrate knowledge of standard harmonic progressions such as common cadence formulas. MacGAMUT drills will improve your skills with music dictation.
Grading: Students will be graded on their performance and written testing in the following ways:
2 quizzes - average counts for 10% of semester grade
Aug. 30, Sept. 20.3 sight-singing tests - average counts for 30% of semester grade
Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 1.
2 written tests - average counts for 30% of semester grade
Oct. 18, Nov. 29Make-Up quizzes or tests will NOT be given without exceptional cause.
9 MacGAMUT lab assignments - average counts for 30% of semester grade
Sept. 1, 15; 22, 29; Oct. 13; 20, 27, Nov. 10, 17
Work will be evaluated for accuracy of notation, pitches, intervals, rhythms, pitch names or numbers (sight-singing examples), and overall musical knowledge.
Lab: Mastery of specific levels in MacGAMUT using the presets for Aural Skills II. Please note, there will be NO EXCEPTIONS to the due dates for lab assignments. Completed lab work turned in on time earns an “A” and a score of 100%. Lab work is due by the start of class on the due date. Late completed work will be assessed a penalty of 1 letter grade lower for each delinquent day, which means by the 4th day beyond the due date, the work earns an "F" and zero credit. Also anything turned in incomplete receives zero credit. It is your responsibility to meet the deadlines for lab assignments, and to read the assignment carefully to make sure you complete all parts of the assignment.Grading Scale:
A = 90-100%; B = 80-89%; C = 70-79%; D = 60-69%; F = below 60%Attendance Required: Please see statement in bold above about make-up quizzes and tests. They will NOT be given without exceptional cause. Written documentation and advance or same-day email notification of absence for a medical reason, car trouble, or for a death in the family is expected. It is very important that you plan ahead and attend class regularly.
Assignments are due at the beginning of the class session on which the assignment is due. Late assignments will be penalized. Failure to attend class does not excuse late assignments (turn them in to Blackboard on time or ahead of time.) It is very important that you plan ahead to successfully meet deadlines for all assignments.
Remember, the door to the classroom will be locked 10 minutes after the start of class, and latecomers will not be admitted after that time. Latecomers are disruptive to the learning process.Extra Credit. There will be no extra credit option. Please put any available time into the homework, MacGAMUT and studying for quizzes and tests.
Classroom Behavior. The classroom is a formal learning environment, and formal conventions should be observed. Professionalism and courtesy
are expected of all participants.Prohibited behavior includes:
- No cell phones! Turn off cell phones before class.
- No reading newspapers or other non-class materials, and no activities that may distract, disturb or interrupt the learning environment.
- No conversations during class.
Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty Statement: College and University regulations regarding academic dishonesty, as set forth in the UALR student handbook and other university documents and publications, will be strictly enforced in this class. Any student caught in the act of cheating will be assigned a grade of zero points (F) for the assignment in question. If written work does not appear to be your own, you will be questioned about it and appropriate action will be taken.
Students with Disabilities: It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement-such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos-please notify the instructor as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center, telephone 501-569-3143 (v/tty). For more information, visit the DRC website at http://ualr.edu/disability/
Web accessibility Statement: It is the policy and practice of UALR to make all web information accessible to students with disabilities. If you, as a student with a disability, have difficulty accessing any part of any online course materials for this class, please notify the instructor immediately.
Weather Policy: The UALR website, UALR email, the University’s main telephone number (501-569-3000), and the campus emergency alert system are the official means of communicating all information concerning weather-related closing. Local television and radio stations will also be notified. Weather and road conditions vary from place to place. Employees and students are expected to exercise good judgment regarding the safety of ravel when road conditions are affected by the weather.