Naugatuck Valley Community College
Syllabus
MUS*H264
Ear Training IV
Spring 2009
Instructor: Nolan Stolz
Time and Place: Wednesdays 2:20-3:20, HARTS A505
Office Hours: by appointment (before or after class)
Phone: Music Department (203) 575-8049
Email:
Required Text:
A New Approach to Sight-Singing, 4th Ed., by Sol Berkowitz, et al. (Norton: New York, 1997)
Other Required materials: Pencils and erasers, staff paper
Additional resources: Practica Musica, a computer program for ear training, is installed on each computer in A506. This is an excellent source for practicing ear training on your own, and you are strongly encouraged to do so. Save your work on a flash drive, or other device.
nolanstolz.com/ETIV.htm includes additional information, handouts, exercises, etc.
Prerequisite: MUS*H 263 Ear Training III with a grade of “C” or better, or permission of the instructor.
Course Objectives and Measurable Outcomes:
Ear Training IV further establishes the skills you acquired in Ear Training III. Sight singing, melodic dictation, keyboard harmony, and harmonic dictation will incorporate chromaticism (secondary functions, mode mixture, N6, and augmented sixth chords), modulation to both closely and distantly related keys, and more advanced rhythmic practices (syncopation, unusual and mixed meters, and hemiola).
Course Requirements and Grading:
Attendance is a must in this course. Some class periods will result in dictation work to be handed in for a grade; others will simply require your participation. These weekly drills/activities cannot be made-up; however, the lowest grade will be dropped.
The grading criterion is as follows:
40%=Participation (this includes in-class dictation work and adequate preparation of homework assignments as well as attendance. Tardiness and leaving early will count against you!)
25%=Midterm exam
20%=Final exam
15%=Final individual evaluation
Special Accommodations Students with physical disabilities who require accommodations must contact the College Health Office. Students with learning disabilities who may require accommodations must contact the Office for Students with Learning Disabilities. After disclosing, students are urged to discuss their needs with individual instructors. This should be done at the beginning of each semester. Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate college officials, provide assistance and/or accommodations only to those students who have completed this process.
Academic Honesty: At NVCC we expect the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the Board of Trustee’s Proscribed Conduct Policy in section 5.2.1 of the BOT Policy Manual. This policy prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other proscribed activities. Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s ideas or phrases and representing them as your own either intentionally or unintentionally.
Attendance: Classroom attendance is an integral part of the college experience. The faculty of the college believes that regular class attendance is necessary for a student to derive the maximum benefit from the learning experience and the overall value of the classroom instruction. College policy allows an instructor to issue, for academic reasons, an NC grade (no credit) if a student has more absences per semester than the number of times the class meets per week. For absences due to extenuating circumstances, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor.
Students
Students have an obligation to notify their instructors in a timely manner regarding anticipated absences for religious observances. Based on procedures adopted by the College, students may be required to request accommodations during the first week of an academic semester or within a prescribed period of time before the anticipated absence. Requests should be made in writing stating the reason for the request, i.e., conflict with scheduled quiz, test, exam, assignment or activity, the religious observance that poses the conflict and the date or dates of such holiday. If an instructor is unfamiliar with a particular religious holiday, he/she may ask the student for a calendar or other documentation of the religious observance or holiday.
USE OF CELLULAR PHONES: Phones and beepers are allowed in class only if they are turned off or turned to a silent mode. Under no circumstances are cell phones to be answered in class- this includes checking messages, text messaging, etc. When there are extenuating circumstances that require that a student be available by phone or beeper, the student should speak to the instructor prior to class, so that together they can arrive at an agreement concerning the device.
Withdrawal Procedure: If you must withdraw from the course, it is your responsibility to go to the registrar (K-516) and fill out the correct form. It is your responsibility to withdraw from a course; if you decide to drop a course but never officially withdraw, your name will show up on the final grade roster, and you may receive an "F."
Last day to withdraw from class is April 28, 2009
Class Cancellation Procedure: If class is cancelled or delayed because of weather, the College website and certain radio and television stations will carry an announcement. If instructor is unable to attend class, the Arts and Humanities Division Office will advise students of alternative learning activities.
Be sure to check your email regularly, for important announcements may be sent via email from . Add it to your “safe list” so it does not end up in the spam box.
Course Outline
Specific homework assignments from the text will be made weekly. It is your responsibility to find out what you missed should you be absent from class. Topics subject to change (see nolanstolz.com/ETIV.htm for updates).
The Midterm exam (25% of total grade) will consist of dictation (15%) and individual evaluation (10%) (prepared melodies).
The Final exam (35% of total grade) will be in two parts:
1) dictation (including rhythmic) (20%)
2) individual evaluations (prepared melodies and sight-singing). (15%)
1/28 / SNOW DAY2/4 / Review of chromaticism (solfege syllables, intervals); Melodies with secondary dominants
2/11 / Hearing progressions with secondary dominants
2/18 / Melodies with chromatic alterations (including mode mixture)
2/25 / Dictation with chromatic alterations
3/4 / Hearing progressions with chromatic alterations
3/11 / Midterm Exam
3/18 / Rhythm: syncopation
3/25 / Mixed meter and hemiola
4/1 / Unusual meters or odd-metered examples
4/8 / Chromaticism: Modulation to closely related keys
4/15 / (cont.)
4/22 / Chromaticism: Modulation to distantly related keys
4/29 / (cont.)
5/6 / 20th c. music examples
5/13 / Final Exam pt. 1
5/20 / Final Exam pt. 2 (individual evaluation)
Handouts and additional sight-singing material will be provided during the semester.