MUS 152 Music Theory II
MUS 152 – Music Theory II
Syllabus
Course Overview:
Credits: 4
Location/Day/Time/Dates:
Bert Walker Hall, Room 216/Ruth Day Theater
Monday/Wednesday 3:00 p.m. -5:18 p.m. (1/15-5/2, 2018)
Instructor:Dan Bickel, Lead Faculty for Music
Contact info:
Office Hours: Monday: 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Bert Walker 241)
5:25 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. (Bert Walker 241)
Tuesday: 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. (Bert Walker 241/Ruth Day Lobby)
Wednesday:1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Bert Walker 241)
5:25 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. (Bert Walker, 241/Ruth Day Lobby)
And by appointment
Description:Continued study of scales, key signatures, chord structure, intervals, chord progression, and non-harmonic tones. This course includes sight-singing, keyboard harmony, and ear-training.
Course Goals:To equip students with tools to appreciate and analyze music, and to comprehend musical form, style, and other musical concepts more deeply. Additionally, the class will tobegin or enhance students’ musical creations.
Textbook/Materials:
- “The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis, third edition”
Clendinning and Marvin
Or the ebook digitally at
Please set up a user account at this link, and add yourself to student set 42699
- “Music for Sight Singing, ninth edition”
Book for ear training portion, or visit
Class Expectations:
Classroom Behavior: Students are expected to be considerate and respectful to others. Cell phones are to be turned off unless otherwise indicated, and other devices may only be used for approved class activities. Any disruptive behavior can result in dismissal, and potential grade reductions and disciplinary follow-up.
Participation: Students are expected to participate in class discussions and activities. Please prepare the assigned readings and homework prior to class.
Attendance Policy:
Instructors are required to report on student participation and attendance during the term. Students who miss 3 consecutive classes are automatically “Q’d,” and dropped from the class. The only way back in is through student services. Everyone is trying to be realistic, so communicate with me and student services to make sure you are not misrepresented by attendance issues. One absence will be dropped in grading, but assignment completion is still expected.
Application assignments will involve musical notation (by hand, and/or computer-assisted), presenting pieces in assigned modes, time signatures, or key-signs, etc. Workbook assignments are provided.
Written Tests (Midterm and Final Exam) will be closed-book and will include required demonstration of understanding and application of concepts.
Weekly Sight-Singing quizzes can be sung privately, or in front of the class, and books can be used. You cannot, however, write in solfedge for grading purposes.
Assignments and Grading Scale:
Tests (3):35%
Application Assignments/Homework:30%
Weekly Sight-Singing Grades:25%
Participation/Attendance:10%
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Grading Scale:
100-93%4.0
92-88%3.5
87-83%3.0
82-77%2.5
76-72%2.0
71-66%1.5
65-60%1.0
59-0%0.0
1
Failure:Lack of effort/ability to keep up with class assignments on schedule, and excessive absences or disruptions can result in failure and/or removal from the class.
Academic Honesty Policy:
The JC Catalog states, “Academic honesty . . . is the ethical behavior that includes producing their own work and not representing others’ work as their own, either by plagiarism, by cheating, or by helping others to do so. Faculty members who suspect a student of dishonesty may penalize the student by assigning a failing grade for the paper, project, report, exam or the course itself. The academic dean will be notified of the situation, and this information becomes a part of your academic record. This academic honesty policy will be adhered to in this class. In essence, the policy requires thatall work must be done by the student whose name it bears.The full policy can be accessed at
Makeup Policy:
Late work can be made up for reduced credit. However, performances and mentoring opportunities cannot be made up without clear extenuating circumstances approved in advance.
Help:
Help can be obtained from Mr. Bickel or other JC instructors by appointment, or at office hours.
Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Center for Student Success at 517.796.8415 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
College Closings:
JC will be closed on Feb 2 and March 12-16, 2018.
Class Calendar/Schedule (subject to alterations):
Week 1:Theory Text, Chapter 10, 11
Continue counterpoint (species 2, 3, 4)/two-voice composition
Begin note-to-note counterpoint in chorale style
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Chapter 3, page 30-31.
Page 32, Prepare pieces to perform for a grade in week 2.
Week 2:Theory Text, Chapter 11, 12
Continue Counterpoint, chordal dissonance, closing scale- degree patterns for bassline and soprano parts, Melodic embellishments (passing tones, neighbor tones, consonant/chordal skips), suspensions.
Begin SATB, phrasing, basic analysis and cadences.
Inversions and doubling in SATB
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from last week.
Chapter 3, pages 32.
Page 33, Prepare pieces to perform for a grade in week 3.
Week 3:Theory Text, Chapter 12
Tendency Tones, treatment of perfect consonances, Melody and accompaniment (keyboard) writing, harmonizing a melody, creating an accompaniment (chords, sousa-style, arpeggiated accoompaniments, p. 250)
Workbook assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform your two prepared pieces from last week.
Pages 34-35, prepare pieces to perform for grade in wk 4.
CREATION ASSIGNMENT (due in week 4):
1. Choose/notate or write two melodies, 8 bars each.
2. Place melody 1 in the key of your choice, and melody 2 in the dominant key.
3. Harmonize each in a piano voicing like those demonstrated on p. 249 and 250.
(Block Chords, Root-Chord, sousa-style, eighth-note arpeggios, 16th note arpeggios, Alberti bass)
4. Prepare to perform your piece for the class
(just the accompaniment, someone else will play the melody…or vice versa)
Week 4:Creation Assignments Due. Performances will take place in class!
Theory Text, Chapter 13
Begin Dominant 7th Chords, perfect interval approach, Pre- Dominant, harmonic function, resolutions, Predominant 7th chords to dominant, Realizing figured bass, Soprano/Bass writing followed by inner-voices, with smooth voice-leading.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform your two prepared pieces from p. 34-35.
Pages 35-36, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 5.
Week 5:Theory Text, Chapter 13-14
Review and application of T-PD-D-T
Questions for review from p. 273
Ch. 14: Expanding the basic phrase: Cadential 6-4, Pedal, Arpeggiating 6-4, Passing 6-4 (up to p. 286)
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 35-36.
Pages 37-38, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 6 (Duets!).
Week 6:Theory Text, Chapter 14, catch-up.
Review the four 6-4 types, T-PD-D-T, resolutions, etc.
Subdominant in Tonic Expansions, Dominant in Tonic Expansions, Contexts for Submediant, extending final tonic area.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform a duet from p. 37-38.
Page 41, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 7.
Week 7:Theory Text, Chapter 15 and review.
Questions for review, p. 295/Online quiz from ch. 14.
Chapter 15: Deceptive Cadence, Plagal Cadence, Phrygian Cadence (up to p. 305).
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 41.
Page 49, prepare pieces to perform for midterm grade in week 8.
Week 8:Theory Text, Midterm Review.
Midterm (Written, dictation, sight-singing)
Week 9:Midterm Discussion
Theory Text, Chapter 15 (p. 306 on)
Basic Root Progressions (descending 5th, 3rd), Part Writing, Root motion by 2nd (p. 312), Mediant triads, Minor Dominant in minor keys, Parallel 6/3 chords.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Page 50-51, prepare pieces to perform Wednesday this week (week 9). Prepare page 51 for week 10.
Week 10:Chapter 16
Embellishing Tones: passing/neighbor tones, suspensions, combining suspensions, retardations, (7-8 coupled with 4-3 suspension, p. 331), chromatic neighbor and passing tones, Incomplete neighbors (appoggiatura/escape tone), Double-neighbor, Passing Tones, Chordal Skips, scales! Other embellishments: anticipations, pedal points.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 51.
Page 52, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 11.
BEGIN creation assignment 2 – due in week 13.
Take your first creation assignment (or start from scratch), and begin alterations/thematic developments to make this piece into one of the following:
- A 32-bar quintet
- A SATB performance piece with piano (at least chords)
- A Short Sonata (form information on p. 664)
- A full Symphony or Opera
Additions to original piece must utilize and identify Tonic/Pre-dominant/Dominant/Tonic movement and at least 3 of the following:
Retardation, pedal point, anticipations, double-neighbors, sequences, incomplete neighbors, suspensions, deceptive cadence, plagal cadence, Phrygian cadence, Tonic Expansions…
Week 11:Chapter 17
Dominant Substitutes: Leading-tone chords, Voice-leading 4/2 chords
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 52.
Page 53, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 11.
Continue work on creation assignment 2.
Week 12:Questions for review, chapter 17
Chapter 18
Phrase and Motive (variations: transposition, inversion, extension, truncation, fragmentation), Phrases in pairs (parallel and contrasting periods), modulating period, three-phrase period, double period (p. 374), Phrase expansion, cadential extensions.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 53.
Page 54, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 11.
Continue work on creation assignment 2.
Week 13:Questions for review, chapter 18
Chapter 19
Diatonic Sequences: Melodic/harmonic, Descending 5th, Pachelbel Sequences, Descending Parallel 6/3 chords, Ascending parallel 5th sequence, Ascending parallal 6/3 chords
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 54.
Page 55, prepare pieces to perform for grade in week 11.
TURN IN CREATION PROJECT 2
Week 14:Questions for review, chapter 19
Chapter 20
Secondary Dominant and Leading Tone Chords to V, Applied Chords, Tonicization, tonicized half cadence, Secondary leading-tone chords to V, secondary-function chords in dominant expansions
Chapter 21
Tonicizing scale-degrees other than V. Text painting, Irregular and deceptive resolutions, Secondary dominants in sequences.
Workbook Assignments
Sight-singing book:Perform prepared pieces from p. 55.
Page 66, prepare pieces to perform for grade for Final (minor keys).
Week 15:Questions for review, chapter 20
Chapter 21 wrap-up.
Written Final
Sight-singing Final:Perform prepared pieces from p. 66.
Scale in 3rds (major).
Pop Tune in solfedge.
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