16C Week 1 Class 1

Attendance Activity

  • Each student to sing their emotional mood on a musical pitch during attendance.

  • Each pitch must be either a half step or whole step above the previous person's pitch.

  • Idea is to create a chromatic scale from attendance responses.

  • Discussion about pitch options being restricted to either ascending or descending, with a preference for rising pitches.

Course Overview

  • Course structure will focus on musicianship and choral principles.

  • Need to establish a sense of participation and engagement in class activities.

Extra Credit Opportunities

  • Performances for Extra Credit:
      - Students can perform pieces related to course content (e.g., Neapolitan sixth chords, augmented sixth chords).
      - Extra points available for performances within class context.

  • Musician Understanding:
      - Introduce contemporary musicians relevant to the curriculum.
      - Example: Barbara Hannigan - First composer in residence for London Symphony Orchestra. Students may be assigned to view performances and provide reviews.

  • Extra Credit Submission:
      - Two paragraph write-ups related to performances will count as extra credit folded into homework or exam totals.

  • Potential extra credit point structure explained:
      - Task completed = 1 point.
      - Task done well = 2 points.

Grading Breakdown

  • Exams:
      - Account for 35% of overall grade.
      - Additional extra credit can enhance exam grades beyond 100%.

  • Class Participation:
      - Important to be active in discussions and engage with readings.

Course Materials

  • Textbooks:
      - Main textbook: "A Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony".
      - Course involves weekly readings and homework assignments that relate to concepts discussed.
      - PDF versions of readings provided if students do not have purchased books.

  • Assignments to involve analyzing music excerpts and applying concepts from readings.

Weekly Structure & Expectations

  • Weekly readings to be completed before class, followed by comprehension quizzes.

  • Homework to be turned in before class begins on Tuesdays.

  • Homework assignments number 1-4 due before the midterm and may not be accepted afterward.

  • Assignments will be laid out in a week-by-week format to help manage student workloads.

Comprehension Quizzes and Classroom Engagement

  • Quizzes focus primarily on the previous week's readings—aim to enhance understanding of musical principles.

  • Quizzes and discussions will reinforce accountability and encourage preparation.

  • Multi-choice questions and free responses possible on quizzes, depending on material covered.

Musical Concepts Introduced

  • Chromatic Harmony:
      - Focus on understanding Chromatic harmonies in music—how phrases relate to larger musical forms.
      - Key discussion around understanding phrase models and functional harmony to analyze music effectively.

  • Tonicization and Modulation:
      - Discussion of secondary dominants and how they create temporary tonicizations within pieces, with clear rules on voice leading.
      - Importance of recognizing accidentals and their implications for modulation within music phrasing.

Practical Application and Voice Leading Rules

  • Specific rules laid out for dominant chords leading to tonics including leading tone resolution requirements.

  • Examples of how to recognize these patterns will be drawn from student compositions and analyses.

Group Activity

  • Students separated into groups to practice voice leading with particular attention to dominant and tonic relationships in music.

  • The activity focused on creating musical progressions while ensuring correct voice leading principles were adhered to.