American Music

Music 117-001/Fall 2009/MW 3:30 - 4:45/CA 1023/Three Credits

 

Instructor: Dr. B. Salwen

              Office: CA (Cultural Arts) 1058

              Office phone: 962-3890; E-Mail: Salwenb@uncw.edu

              Office Hours: By appointment, during hours to be posted, or otherwise if needed

                      Simply see me after any class, call, or email me to make a time.

 

Course Goals

              To absorb the very varied music of America and learn about the people who created it

              To learn basic terms and concepts for discussing music, and develop active listening skills

              To grasp the historical context in which America’s musics flourished

              To discuss music in class and hopefully elsewhere as well

              To enjoy (we hope!) the breadth of our nation’s musical creativity

Required Text: America’s Musical Landscape, by Jean Ferris, 5th ed., along with a set of 3 CDs.

Course Overview

Welcome to American Music!  This is a course intended to introduce you to a sampling of the wide variety and large quantity of music produced in the U.S.  Our earliest music will be that of the Native Americans, followed by the European story from the 1600s.  From there we will move forward, exploring a wide spectrum of styles.  Along with composers, we will explore who was performing music, and the music they used.  Publishers, preachers, pianists, bands, and the history behind them, these and more form the panorama of the field.  Our end point will be the music of today – the performers offered for hearing by you, the class.

This is a basic studies course.  Previous musical background is not required.  Note, however: this course is not an easy A.  Music is an emotional experience, and it is also a discipline.  Expect to apply yourself seriously to the material, just as you would in a history class, for instance.  If you want a good grade, plan to work!

Reading: Please keep up with the assigned readings, which are modest in quantity.  These are the framework for the material.  They will provide essential facts that you need for class presentation, discussion, and tests.  The book also contains good summary sections and listening guides to the music, so you should find it very practical.

Listening: This is a music class, so of course we will hear music.  Again, the amount is fairly modest.  Some will be familiar, much will not be.  It is crucial that you spend enough time listening to the assigned music that you will learn and know it.  Repeated listening is the key.  Tests will include listening questions, multiple choice and/or essay.

Concert Attendance: There is a great difference between hearing music in front of speakers and experiencing it in performance. Hearing music is a vital, often exciting part of this course, which will expand on the material you learn in class. FOUR concerts are required, and American music needs to be a significant part of each program you attend for credit.

 

Following is a list of the types of performances required. Easiest is to go to performances right here on campus, the majority in the recital hall of the cultural arts building (the building where this class is taking place).

 

Further date possibilities will be added. You can also use the music department events calendar on your own. Go to the music website at www.uncw.edu/music. Once there, click on events, and under that on events calendar. This gives you the current list of concerts. I suggest you put dates in your calendar as soon as possible, and then keep them.

 

1) one concert for large ensemble.

Thursday, 15 October, 7:30, Kenan Auditorium.  No ticket required.

Thursday, 3 December, 7:30, Kenan Auditorium.  No ticket required.

2) one for small ensemble (about 5 instruments or fewer)

Monday 16 November, 7:30, Recital Hall, violin and piano, with Salwen (RECOMMENDED).  Free for students.

  

3) one jazz concert

Numerous possibilities are on the music department events calendar.

 

4) one concert of your choice, does not have to include American music. Preferably in the Cultural Arts building recital hall. There is a list of excellent possibilities there. (Others can be considered on request. A printed program must be available.)

 

To get credit for attending a concert:

 

a) Arrive ON TIME and get a program. Staff will stop handing out programs shortly after the concert begins. Don't be late;

b) stay for the entire concert;

c) At the end of the concert, have your program stamped. There will be a staff person in some fairly obvious position for doing this. Don't fail to get your program stamped. Credit deduction!

d) Put your NAME on your program and give it to me within one week of the event. If you wait longer and lose it, you'll need to go to another concert.  If you forget to bring a program to class, you can go to the music office and ask them to leave it in my box.

 

No program = no credit, unless the venue staff informs us that they ran out of programs.  If that happens, there should be a list for you to sign indicating your attendance.

No stamp = half credit, unless staff informs that nobody was there to stamp programs.

If you attend a concert off campus, then a program without stamp will suffice, plus a short (1/2 to one page) description of the event.

 

Concert attendance equals 15% of the course grade.  So if you attend and properly submit programs with stamps for four concerts, you get 15 points.  Note that going to 3 concerts gives you quite a few points less than going to Plan ahead, and go to all your concerts!  It’s good for your grade, and can definitely be fun!

 

Short concert write-up. Go to at least one concert and turn this in on or before Monday, 26 October.  The purpose of this is to discuss live music using the terms and concepts introduced in class. Use as much musical terminology as possible. Be as specific as possible. Keep non-musical points to a minimum. Make notes while you are listening; it is hard to rely on memory alone. Discuss just one piece, or two if both are short. 

 

I suggest that you try to attend at least one other concert before writing this; you will have experience to draw on. Alongside the objective particulars, a few subjective reactions can contribute as well. Music is, after all, an emotional experience. What did you particularly like or dislike? Why? How did the music make you feel? Why?

 

Specifications. At the top, put your name, the date and location of the concert, the title and composer of the piece(s), the name(s) of the performer(s), and the instruments appearing. This should take just a few lines. Then the rest of the write-up will be as described above. Length: 1 - 1 1/2 pages, Times 11 font or similar. Double-spaced, 1-inch margins on all sides. Organization, grammar, and spelling are important aspects of writing and will be considered in grading. Of course it should be obvious not to copy program notes. These are your own observations, using the terms we have applied in class.

 

Paper: Your projected topic and a tentative bibliography for the term paper are due on Wednesday, 4 November.  This may be submitted in class or via email by the class time on that date.  A paper of this kind should be planned and thought through, and the interim deadline is intended to keep you on schedule.  It also ensures that materials you want to use are actually available.  Submitting this material late (or not at all) will result in a 3-point grade deduction.

The term paper is due Monday, 23 November.  You may choose any topic with a reasonable connection to American music.  The idea is to give you an opportunity to explore an American-music related subject of interest to you.  Perhaps a composer discussed in class piqued your curiosity, or you have always wanted to know more about where a favorite tune came from.  Your topic could be a composer, a performer, a type of music, or even a polemic.  You can study an area from any period, 17th century to the present.  Topics going beyond popular music of the present are definitely encouraged!  Whatever the topic, the essential characteristics are 1) there will be a research component; 2) you need to write at meaningful length (at least half a page) about a specific piece of music using musical terms.

I would prefer that your choice of music not be a piece we have discussed in class, but something new to you.  If you have a strong interest in a piece studied in class, I would want you to bring something different to it.  Don't duplicate the listening guide in the book.

Specifications.  Length: 3 – 4 pages.  Font: Times New Roman 11 (the font in which this syllabus is written).  Format: One-inch margins on all sides, double spaced text, left justified.  Use a cover page with your name and the title of the paper; text begins at the top of the following page.  Citations for quoted or paraphrased text are expected; failure to cite will reduce your grade.  Bibliography: in any standard format on a separate last page.  Research sources: At least three, besides our textbook and any sound source(s).  No more than one source may be the internet.  Please adhere to all the guidelines accurately.  I reserve the right to deduct from your grade if you do not.  The only exception is length.  If your paper is longer, I’ll happily read every word!

 

*Please be attentive to the quality of your writing.  Full sentences, a logical flow to the material, and clarity of expression contribute to a good paper.  Also, be sure to proofread.  Spelling mistakes and confused grammar detract from a paper.  Spellcheck on its own is not sufficient!  You need to actually read through carefully.  If you feel you need help in crafting a good paper, do not hesitate to consult Writing Services.  Their web address is http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/uls/writing.htm

I am also willing to look over your paper and give you feedback that could improve your grade.  Please submit to me by 16 November (one week before the paper due date).

An excellent starting point for any topic: The New Grove Dictionary of American Music (4 vols.).  This will give you an article and bibliography for most any topic in the field.  It is in the reference section of the library; its catalogue number is ML101.U6 N48.  The reference librarians can be very helpful in leading you to books and articles.  I may also be able to give you research source ideas individually if you need further guidance.

Class Attendance: It is up to you to take your study seriously and come to class.  For this reason, I have no graded attendance requirement; you do not lose points for absences.  However, if you are absent, you will need to get notes from a classmate, rather than expect me to go over missed material with you.

That said, attendance is highly recommended.  Just as important: consistent attendance - and attentiveness - mean you are serious about learning and are likely to do your best.  Hearing and seeing the material presented adds a great deal to reading on your own.  Furthermore, your text is a condensed history, and I will often amplify on its contents.  Material will be regularly presented in class that is not in your book.  People who create and perform music are affected by the larger world, and I will often provide historical context to the works and composers we consider.  (I often give dates, but only a few key ones need to be remembered precisely.)

The only exception to voluntary attendance is tests.  Missing a test without a documented emergency = 0 for that test.

Tests: Four.  The dates are: Wednesday, 16 September; Midterm: Wednesday, 14 October (cumulative); Monday, 9 November; Final Exam: Friday, 4 December, 3:00 same room.  Please enter these dates into your schedules and plan to keep them.

Tests will be principally multiple choice, approximately 20 to 30 questions.  Normally there are also short answers, a few fill-ins, or short lists of events for chronological ordering.  There will always be a listening section, which I typically give as an essay.  Some questions may be easy, some not.  Know your material.  I might well ask you to think and synthesize.

The first and third tests last about 45 minutes each.  The second test (midterm) will be cumulative to that point, so a bit longer.  The final will be cumulative to the term, with some exclusions to be itemized in class; length, 60 - 75 minutes.

Please note carefully.  Unless something specific and unavoidable forces a change, I will adhere to the scheduled dates.  This includes the final exam.  Do NOT buy a plane ticket which will require you to miss any test date, unless you plan on getting a 0 for that test.  The only exception will be an emergency.  Should such a situation arise, I will handle that with you individually.  You will need to provide documentation in order for a make-up to be considered.

Grading: +/-, 10 point scale.

Each test is worth 15%.  Your paper = 20% of the grade.  (3-point deduction for submitting your topic and bibliography after the due date.)  Your short concert write-up = 5%.  Concert attendance is 15%.  Grading scale for concert attendance: 4=100%; 3=60%; 2=40%; 1=20%; 0=0.

If you are interested in a grade bonus, then you will want to know that I especially value class participation, and will round up final grades for people who participate.  Ask questions about the material, react to it, raise your hand and speak up when I pose a question to the class.  Having 1 or 0 absences also gets you bumped up.  By rounding up, I mean raising, for instance, a B average, if you’re within a point or so of B+, to that higher grade - in other words, a three-point grade level up.  Once in a while I have even raised a grade two levels.  Be present in class, and speak up!

 

End Notes:

 

1) Every student has a UNCW student email account.  This is the official method of communication between faculty and students.  You should check this account often.  If I need to communicate with you, it will probably be via a message to this email account.

2) If you have studied the material and feel you need help beyond class, please feel free to make an appointment to see me.  Also, don't overlook a quick way of getting help: raise your hand in class and ask when you have a question.  Sometimes that can clear things up promptly and easily.  For less elaborate questions, e-mail works too.

Statement Regarding Academic Honesty: “The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is committed to the proposition that the pursuit of truth requires...honesty among all involved...no form of dishonesty among faculty or students will be tolerated.”  (From the "Academic Honor Code" in the UNCW Code of Student Life.)  All students are encouraged to read this entire section, which contains definitions of plagiarism, bribery, and cheating, and the procedures for reporting and adjudication of any such claims and offenses.

 

ENJOY THE COURSE!