Course Syllabus
Music
2600: Composition III, Spring Semester, 2008
Instructor: Dr. Chris Arrell
Office:
213 Music Education Building
Phone: 678.466.4751
Email:
Website:
http://a-s.clayton.edu/arrell
Office
Hours: see website
Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations need to
register with Disability Services (DS) in order to obtain their accommodations.
You can contact them at 678-466-5445 or disabilityservices@clayton.edu.
If you are already registered with DS and are seeking accommodations for this
course, please give me your accommodations letter and schedule an appointment
to discuss your specific accommodation needs.
Course Description and Expectations: Weekly applied lessons in music composition. You are expected to compose on average 2 or
more hours daily and to bring new work to each lesson. A weekly log detailing time spent composing
is due at each lesson (see below).
Prerequisites: MUSC 1602 with a grade of C or better
Learning Outcomes: (1) competence in composing including scoring for a variety of
ensembles, significant technical mastery and artistic self-expression, the
capability to produce work and solve professional problems independently, and
the ability to set and achieve artistic/intellectual goals; (2) an
understanding of compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style, and
the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces; (3) the
ability to hear, identify and work conceptually with the elements of music
(melody, harmony, rhythm, form, texture, and timbre); (4) fluency in analytical
techniques; (5) the ability to communicate musical ideas, concepts, and
requirements related to compositional practice (such communication may involve
musical, oral, written, or visual media); (6) an acquaintance with a variety of
classical styles and cultural sources and the ability to place these styles
within the appropriate context; (7) knowledge of the nature of composition at
the professional level.
Required Course Materials: there are no required textbooks for this course. However, students are responsible for the
cost of postage, concert tickets, if applicable, and creating scores and parts.
Computer
Requirements and Responsibilities:
Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a
notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software
requirements for the student's academic program. For further information on the official
notebook computer policy of CSU, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm. Also, each
student is responsible for monitoring the
Computer Use: All final versions of scores and parts must be
engraved with pre-approved professional music engraving software such as Finale
or Sibelius. In addition, computers will
be required to access course materials and communicate with your instructor.
Attendance: Departmental
policy states faculty are not required to make-up applied lessons missed by
students. I will allow you to reschedule
a lesson if any one of the following apply: 1) a verified emergency; 2) a
documented medical condition; 3) an official university or professional music
event that I approve in advance. You
will receive an unexcused absence if you are more than 10 minutes late. You are entitled to fourteen lessons over the
course of the semester, and I expect you to attend all of these prepared and on
time. Weekly evaluation grades for
missed lessons are zeros. 70% of your
grade is determined by the average of your 10 highest Weekly Evaluations (see
evaluation form, below).
Portfolio Quota: 20% of your final grade is determined by the amount of music you
compose in the given semester, as follows:
Total Grade Points
6 or more minutes A 20
pts
4 to less than 6 minutes B 16
pts
2 to less than 4 minutes C 11
pts
1 to less than 2 minutes D 5
pts
Less than 1 minute F 0 pts
Composition Portfolio: 5% of your final grade is determined by your
Composition Portfolio. All
sketch-work, revisions, final scores, composition logs, and copies of
submission materials for call-for-scores must be neatly kept in a three-ring
binder that you will leave with me after your composition jury (I will return
the folder to you in the following semester).
Include a table of contents and use dividers to clearly partition
sections of the portfolio.
Call-for-Scores: 5% of your final grade is determined by your submissions to at least
one call-for-scores. You must show me
your submission materials prior to mailing them in order to receive credit.
End of Semester Jury or Senior Recital: A
failure grade for your composition jury and/or senior recital will reduce your
final grade by one letter.
i. Thursday, February 21, 9:00 AM – circa 9:00 PM
ii. Friday, February 22, 9:00 AM – circa 9:00 PM
iii. Saturday, February 23, 9:00 AM – circa 9:30 PM
Missing Event 1 will result
in ineligibility to have your composition read by the Imani
Winds. Missing events 2-5 will result in
a 5% reduction from your final grade per event missed. Students who think they will miss one or more
of the above events due to academic obligations must speak with me as soon as
possible to discuss alternatives.
Final Grade Calculation
Average of 10 Highest Weekly Evaluations (see below) 70 pts
Portfolio Quota 20
pts
Composition
Portfolio 5 pts
Call-for-scores (1 at 5 points) 5
pts
Numeric to Letter Conversion:
100-90=A, 89.999–80=B, 79.999–70=C, 69.999-60.000=D, 59.999-0=F. Please note that I am unable to offer extra
credit to raise the final grade.
Midterm Grade Progress Report: The midterm grade for this course, issued by Tuesday,
February 26, reflects approximately 1/2 of the entire course grade. Based on this grade, students may choose to
withdraw from the course and receive a grade of “W.” Students pursuing this option must fill out
an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, by
mid-term, which occurs on Friday, February 29, 2008.
Academic Dishonesty Policy: Any type of activity that is considered dishonest by
reasonable standards may constitute academic misconduct. The most common forms of academic misconduct
are cheating and plagiarism. Instances
of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the work involved,
and may be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. Judicial Procedures are described at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/
.
Conduct Expectations: Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State
University Student Handbook, at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook/foreword.htm
[and Music Department Handbook].
Disruption of the Learning Environment: Behavior which disrupts the teaching–learning process
during class activities will not tolerated. While a variety of behaviors
can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include
belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who
fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior
and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed
from class. A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and
will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. Students found in violation of this policy
may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.
University-wide
statements: Students must abide by
policies in the University Student Handbook and Department of Music
Handbook. To obtain this document in an
alternate format and request accommodations, please contact the Disability
Services Coordinator, 678-466-5445, disabilityservices@clayton.edu
Standards: The content of this course syllabus correlates to
education standards established by national and state education governing
agencies, accrediting agencies and learned society/ professional education
associations. Please refer to the course
correlation matrices located at the following web site: http://a-s.clayton.edu/teachered/Standards%20and%20Outcomes.htm
Resources
Library
Materials
“Classical
Music Library” available through CSU Library web-site
Alfred
Blatter, Instrumentation and Orchestration
Howard
Hanson, The Composer and His Orchestra
Anthony
Hopkins, Sounds of the Orchestra
Read
Kent
Kennan, Technique of Orchestration
Andrew
Stiller, Handbook of Instrumentation
Norton
Anthology of Western Music (scores and recordings)
Recommended
Internet Sites
COMPOSITION LOG (Print for your records)
|
|
M |
T |
W |
R |
F |
S |
U |
|
Times |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEEKLY EVALUATION FORM
Name:
Evaluation Number: Date:
1) Composition log / 30 pts
8 hours or more 30 (100%)
6
hours 48 minutes to 7 hours 59 minutes 25.5 (85%)
5 hours 36 minutes to 6 hours 47 minutes 21 (70%)
4 hours 0 minutes to 5 hours 35 minutes 15 (50%)
3 hours 59 minutes or less 0 (0%)
2) Goals for current lesson /
70 pts
Excellent 70 (100%)
Good 59.5 (85%)
Fair 49 (70%)
Poor 35 (50%)
Unacceptable 0 (0%