Music 200
Modern Musicianship–Fall Semester 2024
Instructor: Jono
Kornfeld
Online Asynchronous Classes
Sessions are entirely online with no set day/time
Office Hours (Online and occasionally
in person: CA 166F):
Mondays, 1:30p - 2:30p, and other times by appointment
Course Objectives |
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The prerequisite for this course is MUS 130, or by passing
the appropriate section of the SFSU theory placement evaluation This
3-unit course is an introduction to the elements of modern music as an
outgrowth of Western European traditions. Styles of music covered will
include rock, pop, folk, blues and jazz. We will
explore aspects of notation, terminology, rhythm, scales/modes, key
signatures, the circle of 5ths, transposition, intervals, melody, chords,
chord inversions and figured bass, lead sheet notation, Roman numeral
analysis, chord progressions and voice leading, and basic forms/structures.
Students will demonstrate their understanding through written and
oral/recorded exercises. All work will be submitted electronically through
email and/or Canvas. As
this is a completely remote and asynchronous class, lessons will be delivered
in the form of videos (linked through Canvas) and texts/tutorials (linked
through this syllabus). I will hold regular and by-appointment office hours
(via Zoom and occasionally in person) and I encourage everyone to connect and
interact with me as much as possible. |
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MUS 200 – APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE OF CLASS TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS |
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(Week No.) Week of |
Class Topics,
Downloadable Notes, and Helpful Links |
Assignments, and
items to print (or just download) for that week with
specific due day Assignments marked
with ** are not dropped in the final grade tabulation |
(1) Aug 26 |
Class organization, Course overview Previewing the syllabus (see WEEK 1 MODULE in Canvas) Joni Mitchell
discussing her approach to composing musictheory.net website
(for general reference) |
(F)
Hand in (optional but encouraged): Student Survey |
(2) Sept 2 |
Preparing for the General Review
Assignment Practice
version as seen in the video (see WEEK 2 MODULE in Canvas) REVIEW: Rhythm/Meter; stemming; simple &
compound meters |
(W)
Hand in:
General Review
Assignment
(can be done on a
tablet or on paper) |
(3) Sept 9 |
Scales:
major; minor (3 types); pentatonic; blues Key signatures, the circle of 5ths,
modulation & transposition, intervals modes
& whole tone (see WEEK 3 MODULE in Canvas) Songs/pieces referred to in the video: Playing
In The Band - Grateful Dead (Dorian) So What
- Miles Davis (Dorian) In
Dorian Mode - Bela Bartok (Dorian) India
- John Coltrane (Dorian) Tomorrow
Never Knows - The Beatles (Mixolydian) Fire
On The Mountain - Grateful Dead (Mixolydian) Foots
- Hop Sauce (Mixolydian) Violes -
Claude Debussy (Whole Tone) Four
In One - Thelonious Monk (Whole Tone) |
Read:
key
signatures, circle of 5ths, transposition Read: |
(4) Sept
16 |
Melody: analysis; construction; motif;
cadences (see
WEEK 4 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M)
Hand in:
Modes/Whole Tone
Assignment Read:
Four melodies
(Four Melodies audio) Autumn
Leaves Melodic Structure (Autumn
Leaves audio with highlighted melodic skeleton) Little
Help from My Friends reduction |
(5) Sept
23 |
Chords: triads, 7th chords, extensions (see
WEEK 5 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M):
Hand in: Melody
Writing Assignment (audio example) Read:
Chord
extensions and alterations Example from end
of the CHORDS 1 video |
(6) Sept
30 |
Combining chords & melody I (see
WEEK 6 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M):
Hand in: Triads & 7th Chords Assignment Read: Chord tones (audio examples,
first 2 pages) |
(7) Oct 7 |
Combining chords & melody II - nonchord tones (see
WEEK 7 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M):
Hand in: Chords
& Melody I Assignment (chord tones) YESTERDAY
excerpt: audio Read: |
(8) Oct 14 |
Chord Inversions: slash notation;
figured bass (an intro) (see
WEEK 8 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M): Hand in: Chords &
Melody II Assignment (nonchord tones) Read: Chord Inversions
& Figured Bass |
(9) Oct 21 |
Diatonic Chords/Roman Numerals: major (see
WEEK 9 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M): Hand in: Inversions
Assignment (Hallelujah
audio) Read: Major Diatonic
Chords |
(10) Oct 28 |
Diatonic Chords/Roman Numerals: minor keys
& modes (see
WEEK 10 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M):
Hand in: Major
Diatonic Chords Assignment Purple
Rain (audio) Both
Sides Now
(audio) Read: Minor (and more) diatonic chords; Two Minors
(audio) |
(11) Nov 4 |
Chord Progressions: voice leading;
cadences, progressions (see
WEEK 11 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M):
Hand in: Minor
Diatonic Chords Assignment Hotel
California
(audio) Happy
Together
(audio) California
Dreamin (audio) Read:
Chord
Progressions & Voice Leading Take
a Chance on Me (audio) You
Never Give Me Your Money (audio) I
Will Survive (audio) No
Woman No Cry (audio) Octopus's
Garden (audio) Ripple
(audio) |
(12) Nov 11 |
Lead Sheet Notation (see
WEEK 12 MODULE in Canvas) |
(T):
Hand in: Chord
Progressions Assignment Watch:
Lead Sheet Notation Video on Canvas Review: Take Me Out To The Ball Game lead sheet |
(13) Nov 18 |
Form: blues (see
WEEK 13 MODULE in Canvas) |
(M): Hand in: Keyboard
Demonstration (audio) Read/Listen:
When
the Levee Breaks (audio) Red
House (audio) The
Thrill is Gone (audio) Tenor
Madness (audio) Cool
Blues (audio) Freddie
Freeloader (audio) |
November 25-29: Fall Recess, No Classes |
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(14) Dec 2 |
Form: song forms and modulation (see
WEEK 14 MODULE in Canvas) |
(T): Hand in: Blues Assignment
(audio
example) Read: Form Take Me Out to the Ball Game (audio) Jingle Bells (audio) |
(15) Dec 9 |
Wrap up; prep for final project (see
WEEK 15 MODULE in Canvas) (F) LAST DAY OF
CLASSES |
(F):
Hand in: Song Form
Assignment
(audio
reference) Read:
Summary of All
Topics |
(16) Dec 16 |
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(F, Dec 20, noon): Musicianship Performance Videos Due, Video Demo (M, Dec 23, noon): Santa Claus is Comin' chart example Moon River - Audrey Hepburn (audio) Moon River - Louis Armstrong (audio) Fly Me To The Moon - Frank
Sinatra (audio) Fly Me To The Moon - Tony
Bennett (audio) (includes an intro) Moonlight in Vermont - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis
Armstrong (audio) Moonlight in Vermont - Willie Nelson (audio) |
Required Text |
Recommended Book I |
Recommended Book II |
Recommended Notation App |
Music Notation and
Theory for Intelligent Beginners (free PDF here) By Jono Kornfeld |
A College-Level Music Dictionary: Oxford, Harvard, etc. Or access to a comprehensive online music dictionary |
Essential Dictionary of Music Notation Gerou Alfred Publishing Company, Inc ISBN 9780882847306 Approximate
cost: $11.00 |
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Grading: All grades will
be given as a percentage. Only your
final grade will be a letter grade. |
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Each assignment will have
its own grade. You can also look up your grades to date on Canvas, where information will be posted periodically in a
spreadsheet. Grades are listed via an assigned alias to protect your privacy. One to one meeting: 0% This cannot be required in an asynchronous course, but I hope I
can meet with each of you (virtually or in person) for a short, informal chat
so we can get to know each other in a more informal human-to-human manner.
You can email me to set this up. Keyboard Demonstration: 10% Details TBA This will consist of a recorded video of a simple keyboard
playing exercise. Written Homework: 60% Analysis and
worksheet-style assignments Musicianship Homework:
15% Ear-training-based work such as transcriptions or simple sight
reading/singing. All work is due on the day posted in this syllabus. Advance
notification requesting an extension is fine in most cases, but unnotified
late assignments are not automatically accepted. The lowest two grades will be dropped. •
will be due by noon (12pm) on the stated due date via email •
the typical procedure for turning in assignments via email or Canvas will be to send a photo (heic,
pic, jpeg, etc.), or pdf of the page(s), an mp3 audio file, or a video file
(or link to one if the file size is too large for email)
Please label your file(s) before
sending, using the following type of formatting:
Redo Policy: Unless otherwise specified, I encourage you
to redo any homework assignment that gets less than a 93%. The score
of the redone version of the assignment will at the very least be averaged
with the original score for a final assignment grade, with a maximum possible
grade of 93%. Redone assignments are due one week the original assignment is
returned unless otherwise arranged. Redoing an assignment
means that you either make clear corrections on the original assignment, or
you submit a copied-over, corrected version of the original assignment; you
don't have to copy over portions of the original assignment that were done
correctly. Final Project: 15% Details TBA. This will be
either an analysis or composition project. Because it will be due at the end
of the semester, it cannot be redone. **Please note: the above percentages are
subject to redistribution** Missed
assignments:
in the event of an unforeseen missed
deadline, assignment-extensions will be granted for extenuating circumstances
on an individual basis. It is important that you notify me as soon as
possible in cases like this. Extra
credit assignments (optional): may be assigned and will be announced
in class and on the syllabus. Plagiarism:
While
some collaboration is expected and productive, the bulk of your assignments
and definitely anything composed must be done
individually unless otherwise specified. Violations will be subject to
the University's Code of Conduct as it relates to such matters. Please
note the following from the SFSU Bulletin: To receive credit toward
completion of the degree requirements, a grade of C or better is required for
all music courses in the Bachelor of Arts in Music major...To receive credit
toward completion of the degree requirements, a grade of C or better is required
for all music courses in the Bachelor of Music major. Letter
grade breakdown by percentage points: A
= 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 89-87; B = 86-83; B- = 82-80; C+ = 79-77; C =
76-73; C- = 72-70; D+ = 69-76; D = 66-63; D- = 62-60; F = 59-0 |
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Student Support |
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Disability
access Students
with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to
contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and Resource Center
(DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations
process. The DPRC is located in the Student Service
Building and can be reached by telephone (voice/415-338-2472, video
phone/415-335-7210) or by email (dprc@sfsu.edu). Student
disclosures of sexual violence SF
State fosters a campus free of sexual violence including sexual harassment,
domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and/or any form of sex or
gender discrimination. If you disclose a personal experience as an SF
State student, the course instructor is required to notify the Title IX
Coordinator by completing the report form available at http://titleix.sfsu.edu, emailing vpsaem@sfsu.edu or calling 338-2032. To
disclose any such violence confidentially, contact: *The
SAFE Place - (415) 338-2208; http://www.sfsu.edu/~safe_plc/ *Counseling and Psychological
Services Center - (415) 338-2208; http://psyservs.sfsu.edu/ *For more information on your rights and available resources: http://titleix.sfsu.edu |
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Miscellaneous Don'ts |
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Students may not capture audio, photos or video from class/video sessions on their own
devices without explicit permission of the instructor and everyone present,
unless part of a DPRC-authorized accommodation. Students may not post any
course materials to any third-party sites or post any recordings,
screenshots, audio or chat transcripts in any
settings outside the class. Violations of this are subject to student
disciplinary action. |
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Communication |
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There may be instances where we need to
make individual, special arrangements. In these cases, it is best that
we do so with confirmation emails. In the event that
we have made a special arrangement, please make sure we have at least done so
in writing. If you write to me, please communicate as clearly and
professionally as possible. While this
is a music class, you are expected to practice college-level, professional
communication standards in your written and oral communication. Make sure
your SFSU email is set up to forward to your regular/personal email address.
I will respond to emails with 24 hours. |
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Revisions to this Syllabus |
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The syllabus (including assignments, and grade distributions)
and downloads are subject to revisions as the semester progresses.
Check the syllabus web page often, and your email, and listen for
announcements in videos. Please do not download the lecture notes
and/or assignments all at once in case revisions are made as the semester
progresses. |
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Notation |
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In an ongoing effort to nurture your
notation skills, some work handed in must be written in pencil, or via a
tablet (i.e. by hand). It will be specified as to
which assignments this applies to. Other assignments can be done using
notation software. When using staff paper for any hand-written assignment,
the paper should have no left- or right-side bar lines and have no clefs
printed on it. Use this link if you need to print
staff paper. Notation (via hand or computerized) is a factor in grading.
Notation errors, cross-outs, sloppy notation or analyses
may lower assignment grades and/or will be handled on a discretionary basis. |
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Printing Materials for Class |
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You may need to print some materials/assignments for class. However,
it is understandable that printing could be a hardship for some, in which
case we will work out an alternative so that everyone can access what they
need. You should also be able to photograph, convert or scan assignments for
email submission. All materials will be available through the web syllabus
(and occasionally Canvas & emails) and will be PDF files. |
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Resilient Teaching & Learning Plan |
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Our campus community is often called to demonstrate compassionate resiliency by adapting and responding to a number of unexpected events, or disruptions, such as personal illness or injury, the COVID-19 pandemic, or unhealthy air quality and power outages due to wildfires. A disruption is a situation that will prevent you, me, or the entire class from participating in 'class as usual' for a reason we could not have predicted at the beginning of the semester. Our goal as a learning community is to do our best to keep teaching and learning with as little interruption as possible. If
something along these lines happens, we should be able: to maintain
communication and send assignments via email; use the web syllabus and Canvas
to access assignments; possibly adjust the curriculum; use SFSU’s Zoom app to
hold live meetings and/or view recorded lectures. Most
importantly, I am committed to supporting students when they are affected by
uncontrollable circumstances in order to keep our
in-person and virtual learning environments nurturing and inviting places. |
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Health & Safety Commitments |
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Everyone’s
health and safety is our paramount concern at SF
State. We ask every member of our campus community to join a pledge to make
and follow plans to keep fellow students, faculty, and staff safe and well.
Feeling confident, safe and well will help you focus
on your academic success. To participate in this class, all students are
expected to:
For more information about SF State’s
response to COVID-19 and how you can keep yourself and others safe and well,
visit the COVID-19 information web page. To
plan for how you will maintain your academic success when unexpected events
disrupt regular teaching and learning activities, follow the information on
the course syllabus. |