Grau, theurer Freund, ist alle Theorie,
Und grün des Lebens goldner Baum.
All theory, dear friend, is gray;
The golden tree of life is green.
--Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust
Class meets three times weekly for ten weeks, beginning Thursday October 2, 2014 and ending Friday December 12, 2014. There will be no class session on Thursday November 27, 2014 or Friday November 28, 2014 due to the Thanksgiving holiday break. The final examination session is scheduled for Tuesday December 16, 2014, 10:30am-12:30pm.
Class meeting times are Tuesday and Thursday 11:00-12:20 in Room 316 of the Music and Media Building. Required TA-led lab sessions will be taught Friday 9:00-10:50 and 10:00-10:50 in Room 316 of the Music and Media Building; students must attend one of those two lab sessions each week.
An attendance record of 90% or better is required to pass the class. Please make every effort to arrive on time. Please plan not to use electronic devices such as computer, tablet, phone, or personal MP3 player during class time. Taking notes on paper is strongly advised; staff paper will be necessary for good note taking.
Professor Christopher Dobrian
Music and Media Building, Room 211
dobrian@uci.edu
(949) 824-7288
Office hours with Professor Dobrian are by appointment. Talk to him before or after class, or contact him by email or phone, to set up an appointment for a meeting.
Teaching Assistant Hassan Estakhrian
hestakhr@uci.edu
Teaching Assistant Priyanka Venkatesh
priyankv@uci.edu
Office hours are by appointment.
As the course title implies, this class will combine training in music theory and musicianship skills. Successful completion of Music 15ABC and Music 16ABC is a prerequisite for enrolling in this class. The class will review and extend topics covered in Music 15ABC and Music 16ABC, and will also introduce some new approaches and topics for which those courses are a necessary basis. Below is a listing of topics and activities likely to be dealt with in this class.
Theory - Review
Theory - New Topics
Musicianship - Pitch
Musicianship - Rhythm
Musicianship - Dictation
Most of the reading, listening, and score materials needed for the class will be provided online by the professor as needed. Materials which cannot be provided electronically online will be put on reserve in the Arts Media Center.
Some readings, examples, and exercises may be assigned from the textbook that was used in Music 16ABC, Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music by Robert Gauldin, second edition, and its accompanying workbook.
Students will usually be asked to hand in written assignments on paper, although in some cases the assignment may be handed in in the form of an electronic file provided via EEE DropBox, NoteFlight sharing, etc. Assignments involving written music may be done by hand or by computer; either is equally acceptable, provided it's legible and correct.
Students will be graded on their assigned written work, their performance of assigned musicianship skills, and their class participation. Grading duties will be shared by the professor and the teaching assistants, but the professor is ultimately responsible for all grades.
Grading in any music class is necessarily subjective to some degree, as there are often various "right" and "wrong" ways of doing things. Every effort will be made a) to provide assignments that are clear, and for which the range of possible "right" answers is as objectively measurable as possible, and b) to grade in a manner that is fair and consistent. In general students in this class should assume that the professor's and the assistants' experience enables them to evaluate work fairly even in ambiguous situations; however, if a student feels s/he has been graded incorrectly or unfairly, s/he is welcome to discuss the grade with the TA or the professor. (Translation: "No whining over grades, but if you really feel a mistake was made, you're welcome to explain why.")
To receive full credit, students must hand assignments in at the scheduled due time. If a student is unable to complete the assignment on time for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness), s/he must provide written documentation of the reason (e.g., a doctor's statement) in order to receive full credit for the late assignment. Late assignments will be accepted in the subsequent class session for a reduced grade. Assignments handed in later than that will not be given credit.
There is no specific percentage or weighting of importance predetermined for each assignment, quiz, or exam. Here are the factors that will contribute to the grade, in approximately descending order of importance.
The scheduled final exam time is Tuesday December 16, 2014, 10:30am-12:30pm. The midterm exam is scheduled during class session on Thursday November 6, 2014. Additional testing will take place during the lab sessions, and will be announced in class.
The final theory exam will in fact be administered during class session on Thursday December 11. No make-up exams will be given. The final musicianship exam will be administered during the lab session times, 9:00am-11:00am on Friday December 12. You will sign up in class for a specific individual test time. The scheduled final exam session, Tuesday December 16 10:30am-12:30pm, will be devoted to performances of the final compositions in MM 218. Attendance and performance in that session is mandatory.
Permission to make up a missed exam will be granted only in the case of documented incapacity to attend at the regularly scheduled time. Acceptable forms of documentation include, for example, a written report from a medical doctor or a police officer stating that the student was unable to attend.
You can reach the professor Christopher Dobrian by email.
You can reach teaching assistant Priyanka Venkatesh by email.
You can reach teaching assistant Hassan Estakhrian by email.
You can make an announcement to the class, or engage in discussion with classmates, on the Music 16D 2014 MessageBoard.
You can reach the entire class by email. (Please use wisely.)
Plagiarism of any kind is a violation of UCI policy on Academic Honesty, and penalties for cheating or plagiarism can be severe. In this class you will be expected to attribute due credit to the originator of any ideas, music, or other work which you incorporate substantially into your own assignments. While supportive co-education between colleagues is encouraged, written assignments must be accomplished individually, without collaboration with others.
If you have a disability that inhibits you from performing any of the stated requirements of this course, as approved and documented by the UCI Disability Services Center, please ensure that the professor and the teaching assistants are thoroughly aware of the matter as early in the term as possible.
The UCI Policy on Student Conduct is available in its entirety online.
The UCI Counseling Center provides various types of counseling and mental health services.
All students are asked to familiarize themselves with the UCI Emergency Preparedness Procedures, which are summarized in a one-page document online.
This page was last modified October 8, 2014.
dobrian@uci.edu