Steven Light
223 Dibden Center for the Arts
(802) 635-1370
(612) 867–5332
steven.light@jsc.edu
http://www.fyreandlightning.org/jsc/HOWMI/historyofwesternmusicI.html
Monday and Wednesdays 10:00-11:30 by appointment
Music Theory and Skills Core IV

This first semester of Western Music History covers the time period from about 600–1750. It begins with an introduction to ancient music and continues through the periods of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque. The course addresses the musical characteristics, instruments and theory of each period as well as the cultural and historical contexts including philosophy, religion, politics, art, architecture, and daily life. Connections are made to music from other cultures as well as contemporary musical styles.

Upon successful completion of this course students will have a deep understanding of the West's rich musical history and attain these skills:
Music historical and stylistic literacy: Basic knowledge concerning the canon of Western Music and the main contexts out of which it has been formed and continues to flourish is a fundamental starting point for more advanced study and success as a professional or academic musician. Students will familiarize themselves with the central repertoire of the Western art music canon in order to acquire this basic literacy and develop a set of foundational skills to be applied to further music study in this and other repertoires. The main skills to be focused on this semester include those listed in the following learning outcomes.
Stylistic listening, score reading, and analysis skills: The ability to describe, analyze, and make critical assessments of compositional style requires familiarity with a wide range of repertoires and compositional techniques. Understanding the context of these techniques further enriches the ability to make creative musical decisions in one's own work. Students will work to recognize the diverse musical styles and genres studied through listening and score study and will be asked to apply this knowledge to unfamiliar repertoire in order to be able to make well founded critical and aesthetic judgments of diverse music in future study or professional work.
Critical thinking and communication skills: Thinking critically—and even philosophically—about the music that one plays, writes, studies, or teaches and being able to successfully communicate these thoughts to others is one of the deep hallmarks of a thinking musician. In addition, learning to approach the relationship between music and broader cultural contexts and ideas with a critical mind helps to develop skills that can be applied to a broad range of interdisciplinary studies and career activities. Through class discussion, workshops, two short papers, and exam essay questions, students will engage critically with diverse ideas about the relationship of music and culture in order to develop critical thinking and successful verbal and written communication skills that can be applied in future study and intellectual engagement throughout life.

Describe general stylistic characteristics of music and influential composers of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Identify various musical styles and genres, extending and enriching their comprehension and enjoyment of music
Apply their knowledge of elements of musical style to identify musical works by historical period and genre
Comprehend the historical development of musical style in western culture in relation to political, economic, social and religious developments and values of various periods in history
Expand their familiarity with concert music repertoire through study of a broad sampling of major works, composers, styles and genres
Discern the quality of musical performance from the perspectives of artistic merit and appropriate historical performance practices
Comprehend and analyze important primary source materials written by composers, theorists, performers, critics, historians and diarists of various musical eras

A History of Western Music, 8th edition, Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca with online access [http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/grout8/welcome.aspx]
Binder for notes and miscellaneous handouts

Students will be introduced to the course subject matter trough the following content:
Class Lectures and Discussions: Lectures will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations illustrating the lecture topic. Questions and discussions related to the lecture topics will be encouraged.
Directed Listening: musical examples illustrating various musical genres and styles will be played and analyzed in class and will be made available to students for further study outside of class.
Course textbook and Supplementary Reading: students will develop greater familiarity with course topics through the reading of the course textbook as well as selected reading of primary source materials in music history, criticism and aesthetics.

Active and respectful participations in all aspects of the course is essential. Students are expected to participate in all group discussions and activities, communicate electronically appropriately, complete independent work thoroughly, and present it with care and attention to detail. Participation should be grounded in knowledge and insights gained from course readings and previous class discussions and activities. Requests for alterations of assignments, extensions, or a review of problems should be made with the instructor during office hours.

Weekly readings and online review quizzes are posted on the class website (fyreandlightning.org/jsc). You are responsible for attending class and monitoring your JSC email to learn of changes. You should read the scheduled items in advance and come ready to engage in discussion or tasks about the readings on the day they are due. Additional details will be provided for each of the assignments. All assignments are due by class time on the due date. Extensions may be granted only if requested.

In addition to the quality of assignments submitted, factors such as attitude and professionalism in the classroom can affect the final grade.

Major assignments include: (Percent of grade)
Chapter reading and responses (in the form of written questions and online review quizzes) (20)
Tests on each major period (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque) (30)
Research paper on a specific choice topic (see http://courses.music.indiana.edu/m401/M401how2.html for detailed information) (20)
Final Exam (20)
Grading is also based on:
Class participation (5)
Attitude and Professionalism (5)
Attendance: 5 points deducted for each unexcused absence

All assignments and aspects of the course will be explained in detail during class
Missing class will effect your grade. Please notify the instructor of any unavoidable absences before the class and arrange to obtain any handouts. In case of illnesses or emergencies, contact the instructor on or immediately after the absence.
Turn in assignments on the posted due dates. Submitting assignments after the due date will affect your grade. In general, turning work in late means losing some or all credit for it. If you need to submit work late due to illness, or family or other emergency, please contact the instructor by phone or email, during office hours, before or after class—preferably before the due date. Excused late submissions must be complete within one week of the due date; check in with instructor as to whether this may be done by email. Resubmissions of unacceptable work will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING YOUR JSC E-MAIL ACCOUNT.

Students are expected to conform to the highest standards of academic honesty in all their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic dishonesty in any form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student may be disciplined include, but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on an examination and plagiarizing the work of others in writing assignments. The American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the following way: "To steal or use (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own." Students are responsible for knowing what specific acts constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain whether a particular act constitutes plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work. Any suspicion of academic dishonesty will result in the commencement of a college investigation as outlined in the student handbook. See the link below for additional information: http://www.jsc.edu/Academics/CourseCatalogues/2009UGradCatalogue/1597.htm

The Vermont State Colleges ("VSC") and each member College do not engage in unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, ancestry, ethnicity, national origin, place of birth, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, marital status or any other status protected by law. Sexual harassment, racial harassment, and harassment of persons based upon other protected categories are forms of discrimination and will not be tolerated. Also, inappropriate sexual relationships between staff and students, although they may not rise to the level of sexual harassment, are prohibited. Further, the VSC and each member College, in accordance with Vermont law, do not discriminate against any person on the basis of the person having a positive HIV-related blood test. For additional details see the college catalog, http://www.jsc.edu/Academics/CollegeCatalogs/2011UgradCatalog/index.htm or www.jsc.edu/VSCPolicy311

Johnson State College is committed to creating an accessible college community where students with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in all aspects of the educational environment. If you are a student with a documented disability, you may be eligible for coursework accommodations provided current and comprehensive documentation is presented. Disclosure of a disability is voluntary; however, it is encouraged so students may access accommodations and services as soon as possible. If you feel comfortable, please make an appointment with your instructor to discuss your learning needs. For more information or to schedule an appointment with JSC's Learning Specialist, contact 802-635-1259. For additional information see the JSC Policy & Procedures manual or the Academic Support Services website at
http://www.jsc.edu/Academics/PoliciesAndProcedures.aspx or
http://www.jsc.edu/Academics/AcademicSupport/default.aspx
For details on JSC Academic Policies, see http://www.jsc.edu/OfficesAndServices/RegistrarsOffice/Policies/default.aspx

Successfully completing this course enables students to meet the following Knowledge & Performance Standard for Vermont Educators:
MUED-K1a - The historical development and role of music in [contemporary and] past cultures (Course grade)

This course meets the General Education requirement for Social and Historical Perspectives (pending approval)