Applied Piano – Mrs. Christi Guynes
Southwestern Assemblies of God University Mrs. Christi Guynes
Fall 2010
APPLIED PIANO
COURSE SYLLABUS
MAP 1111/1112 or 3111/3112
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is private piano instruction. Applied lessons will emphasize technique, sight reading and repertoire. Each credit involves a 30-minute private lesson and a minimum of five hours of practice each week. Students will continue to register for lower-level study until the completion of the Proficiency Examinations, which, if passed, will permit the student to register for upper level study.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The expectations for students will vary based upon each individual’s developmental level.
However, upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Develop good posture and proper hand/finger positions on the keyboard.
2. Demonstrate basic technical skills which include playing scales, arpeggios, and chordal cadences as assigned by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
3. Develop the capability to improvise hymns, gospel pieces, and choruses with simple accompaniment patterns.
4. Develop the ability to sight-read music selected by the instructor.
5. Demonstrate skill to transpose melody at sight.
6. Identify musical symbols and be able to produce music at the keyboard.
7. Identify and write chords.
8. Increase knowledge of the piano literature and develop a better understanding of the musical genres/stylistic periods from selected pieces.
9. Develop new approaches to overcome physical tension and performance anxiety.
10. Develop good practice habits, musical memory skills, and self discipline.
Additionally, upon completion of this course the Music Education student should be able to
demonstrate the following knowledge and skills as stated in the Music Standards. These standards help prepare the student to pass the TExES exam.
Standard I: The music teacher has a comprehensive visual and aural knowledge of musical perception and performance.
Standard II: The music teacher sings and plays a musical instrument.
Standard III: The music teacher has a comprehensive knowledge of music notation.
Standard IV: The music teacher creates and arranges music.
Standard V: The music teacher has a comprehensive knowledge of music history and the relationship of music to history, society, and culture.
Standard VI: The music teacher applies a comprehensive knowledge of music to evaluate musical compositions, performances, and experiences.
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS:
· It is the student’s responsibility to purchase any music which is selected by the instructor. The student is cautioned to remember the provisions of Copyright Law when duplicating materials.
· The Basic Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences, by Palmer, Willard, Morton Manus and Amanda Vick Lethco; Alfred Publishing, Van Nuys, California, to be purchased by the student at the Founders Bookstore at the beginning of the semester
· Hymn book
· A metronome
· A notebook to record assignments/practice suggestions
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. All students who are enrolled in applied piano will be required to pass the Piano Placement Assessment given by the SAGU piano faculty at the beginning of each semester. No student will be allowed to enroll in applied lessons until this assessment is successfully completed. Students who do not pass the PPA will be required to take Class Piano until they are prepared for applied piano.
2. Students are required to attend weekly lessons prepared, meeting weekly goals as assigned. Students who are unprepared for private lessons and do not show satisfactory progress may be suspended from the course.
3. Studio class will be held at least once every month. Students will be required to play technical exercises as assigned by the instructor. Students must also perform their assigned repertoire (one or two pieces) at least twice during the entire semester. Studio class meeting dates and times will be announced.
4. A minimum of five hours of practice per week for each one hour credit is required. Please note that playing the piano is like building blocks. Therefore, each student is encouraged to practice daily (a minimum of 30 minutes) and consistently.
5. Students are required to memorize a minimum of two pieces, one or both of which will be performed either in a studio or departmental recital each semester. Students taking lessons for two credit hours are required to memorize a minimum of four pieces, or equivalent. Those students who are enrolled in applied piano for non- majors will not be required to perform on general student recitals. Performance on recitals will be left to the discretion of the individual instructor and the recital coordinator.
6. All applied music students (music majors and non-music majors) are required to meet for a jury exam at the end of each semester. All students must be fully prepared to perform the assigned repertory, technical studies, and the improvised hymn, gospel piece, or chorus studied during the semester.
7. Recitals
Recital attendance is required of all music majors each semester of full-time
enrollment at Southwestern (MAP 1000 Recital Attendance). Students will be
required to attend a minimum of seventy percent (70%) of all recitals held on campus
each semester. General Student Recitals are held each Monday at 4:15 p.m. in the Foster Music Center Rehearsal Hall, beginning the first week of classes. Recitals will include performances by music students and faculty, music department forums, and lectures by special guests and music faculty. Evening recitals are held at various times throughout the semester and will be advertised in chapel, posters in the Foster Music Center, on the SAGU Music web page and through mailers to student mail boxes.
Attendance will be calculated as part of the final grade. All applied music students must register for MAP 1000 Recital Attendance until all recital attendance requirements have been met. A minimum of six semesters of recital attendance is required for graduation with a degree in Church Music, Music Performance, Music Education or Church Ministries/Music. A minimum of two semesters of recital attendance is required for graduation with a AA/Minor in Music. Grading will be on a Pass/Fail basis.
All non-music major applied music students are required to attend three
recitals per semester.
On-campus recital credit is determined by students submitting an attendance slip which will be distributed at each recital. Each recital performance will be graded and averaged in as a “lesson grade”. Any student who misses a scheduled general recital without previous notification to their instructor will receive a grade reduction for the week. If there is a valid reason, the recital performance may be made up at the discretion of the individual instructor and the recital coordinator.
8. At the end of the sophomore year the piano student will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the piano techniques described in the piano proficiency requirements (see Music Department Handbook). The Piano Proficiency Examination (PPE) will be administered by the applied music faculty, and should be performed during the scheduled jury exam. Each music major will be required to take the proficiency of their major specialization. All music majors are required to take the PPE (register for MAP 2000 Piano Proficiency). Not required for non-music majors.
9. All graduating students (Piano Performance Majors) will give a senior recital as one of the requirements for a degree. The senior recital will involve a minimum of 60 minutes of actual performance for each recital. The applied music faculty will determine whether the recital meets the requirement for the degree prior to the performance. This judgment will be based upon interpretation, technique, memorization, and general musicianship. If the recital is not accepted, it must be repeated. Additional recital requirements are listed in the Music Department Handbook.
COURSE METHODOLOGY:
· Each lesson consists of in-class demonstration and practice of the exercises/pieces as assigned by the instructor.
· The instructor will meet with students on a weekly basis to review exercises and pieces assigned from the previous lesson, as well as to evaluate students’ progress and learning goals.
· Students will be asked to build a consistent practice schedule that is goal-oriented.
· Students will be shown ways to develop constant awareness of practice habits in order to minimize the chances of getting any physical injuries.
· Studio class will be held at least once a month to create performance opportunities for students. Students are encouraged to perform regularly at studio class to gain constructive feedback from the instructor and his/her peers for further improvement.
COURSE EVALUATION:
Students will be assessed according to the following criteria:
· Progress demonstrated in lessons 70% Cumulative over 12 lessons (1 credit hour)
· Participation on recitals 10% Cumulative over 1 department recital and 1 studio recital, 2 studio recitals, or 1 studio
recital and 1 concert/recital review
· Jury 20% Comprehensive
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
The course materials will be designed according to the technical/artistry level of each student. Each student is required to fulfill the following assignments at the end of the semester:
1. Technical materials (major and minor scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions).
2. Selected pieces from standard repertoire.
3. Hymn arrangements.
4. Materials for sight-reading.
5. Improvisational studies (hymns, gospel songs, choruses)
RECITAL DATES:
All recital dates will be posted on the bulletin board in the Foster Music Center and posted on the SAGU Music web page.
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance.
Southwestern’s on-campus academic program is designed as an in-class learning experience. In this type of instructional setting, the ability to pass examinations and complete outside projects is only a partial measure of the student’s knowledge, skills, understanding, and appreciation of the subject matter. Therefore, students are required to maintain regular and punctual class attendance.
Properly obtained and authorized excuses will be necessary for any make-up tests to be offered and to avoid grade penalties for turning in late assignments. Depending upon the circumstances, the instructor reserves the right to refuse late assignments. While attendance will be taken in each class, it is the students’ responsibility to keep informed of their attendance standing. The students are further responsible for any material missed by reason of their absence from class whether or not said absence was excused. Students asked to leave a class for disciplinary cause may be counted as
absent for that class. Class attendance will be treated in conformity with the corresponding academic catalog regulations:
This class is scheduled to meet once every week for a total of twelve sessions this semester excluding piano jury. Absences which exceed twenty-percent (20%) of the number of times that a class meets per semester, regardless of the nature or reason for the absences, will result in the student being administratively dropped automatically from the course, receiving a grade of “WP” or “WF”. (The student will be assessed the established course withdrawal fee.) In this course, an absence in the 4th session calls for administrative withdrawal.
Students missing fifteen minutes of a class will be counted as absent for that session. Every two tardies acquired in classes that meet once or twice a week will be considered as an absence. Every three tardies in classes that meet three times a week will be considered an absence. (In this course, every tardy will be considered an absence).
Unless there has been some other notification, students must wait at least 15 minutes for the instructor to arrive before they may leave the class.
Please note: There will be no provision for makeup lessons due to the number of applied lessons being taught by the instructor per week. Makeup lessons will only be given if the instructor misses the lesson.
Grading.
The basic criteria for final grades is attendance, attitude, student participation in lesson, practice, musical progress and performance on recitals. The instructor will subjectively monitor your progress, keeping in mind your beginning developmental level, consistency in practice and performance in lessons. Final grades will be determined as follows:
Weekly evaluations 70%
Jury 20%
Recital Attendance 5%
Recital Performance
Studio Class 5%
Final Exam / Jury.
Students’ progress will be evaluated weekly throughout the semester. The jury exam evaluated by the music faculty will be held one week before the regularly scheduled final exams. Students are required to sign up for a jury time posted on the bulletin board. Students with scheduling conflicts must obtain the professor’s approval to reschedule for an alternate time. A ‘zero’ will be assigned as the jury grade if the student misses the scheduled jury time.
Electronic Devices in Class.
Inasmuch as electronic devices pose a serious risk to academic integrity, and because mobile phones are disruptive to the learning environment, the instructor reserves the right to control the use of all electronic devices in class (phones, pda’s, calculators, etc.). Students are not permitted to use mobile phones, pda’s or other devices for sending/receiving calls and/or text messages during class. Under no circumstances will students turn on electronic devices or keep them on during tests or quizzes. Text messaging or other inappropriate uses of electronic devices, during a class session, may result in the professor dismissing the student from the class session, and in turn, counting the student as absent. Students who send/receive text messages during an exam, engage in any kind of communication activities which threaten the integrity of the test environment, or photograph on electronic devices test materials or other materials the instructor deems inappropriate for copy may be subject to failure in the exam and/or the course.
Academic Integrity.
Studies at Southwestern are as inherently spiritual as they are intellectual. Students are admitted with the expectation of a commitment to honesty and stewardship. The true worship of God requires the worship of the whole being (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” - Matthew 22:37). Students are expected to be honest in fulfilling all academic requirements and assignments. This pertains to examinations, themes, book critiques, reading reports, compositions, etc.
Therefore any form of cheating or academic dishonesty is unfit to basic Christian discipleship and cannot be tolerated. Any cheating on a test or assignment may receive an “F” for the assignment or for the course and potentially face disciplinary action by the school. Course notes and other resources may not be brought into the testing room. Testing requires academic honesty and a student’s honor is at stake if the testing situation is compromised in any fashion by having persons present, or materials or technologies in use which impact the results of the test. Plagiarism, the use of another’s uncited material as one’s own, is impermissible. Reproducing material from other students by photocopy, computer media transfer, or by rewrite is cheating. This also specifically applies to the use of other people’s sermons and ceremonies from books, tapes, magazines, etc. without proper attribution. It further applies to downloading material from websites which are designed to aid in cheating on essays, term papers and dissertations.