Syllabus: MUSI 3310, Theory I
Fall 2016

Section 3 (#10957)                                                                            MWF 11 - 11:50

Scott DeVeaux
208 OCH
Office hours TBA
924-6500 or 924-3052 
deveaux@virginia.edu

Topic 

Theory 1 is an introduction to technical aspects of music.  We will focus on several kinds of music, including 18th- and 19th- century European art music, African drumming, and contemporary popular music.

MUSI 3310 (like 3320 and 4310) corresponds to a series of musicianship courses, MUSI 3332, 3334, or 3336. While you are not required to take this course alongside MUSI 3310, we strongly recommend it, since musicianship and theory are two sides of the same coin.

Materials

The Reader for the course will be available on-line on the Collab site (under “Resources”).  I will also try to keep all assignments on the Collab site as well, including any make-up or re-do assignments.

Policies and grading

Because the material for the course is cumulative, it is important to come to all class meetings and to do written work promptly.  If you fall behind, you will not understand the new material.

You will have frequent written assignments, three quizzes, and a final exam.  Assignments and tests receive numerical grades (100 = perfect grade). The final grade derives from written assignments (40%), quizzes (30%) and final exam (30%). 

Late assignments—assignments not turned in at the beginning of the class when they are due—will lose 5 points.  This penalty will continue to accumulate per class until the assignment reaches a failing grade of 60.  Exceptions require special individual arrangement with the teacher.

You may revise or redo most assignments for a new grade, usually by doing an additional “make-up” version of the assignment, within two weeks of the original assignment.   The following rules apply.  

1. the new grade replaces the old grade (unless the new grade is lower, in which case there is no change);
2. the highest grade possible on a redone assignment is 92;
3. While there is no strict deadline for turning in make-up assignments, we prefer that you turn them in two weeks after the initial assignment was due.
4. the revisions must be neat and legible;
5. the original assignment must be turned in along with the revision;
6. if the original grade dropped because the assignment was late, the same penalty applies to any revision. 

Bring music manuscript paper to all classes.  You can download and print out music paper: follow the link on the Music Library page.

Attendance is a course requirement.  You may miss at most two classes, unless you have a written excuse from a health care provider or another authorized excuse as arranged with the teacher.  A pattern of unexcused absences will cause your final grade to drop.

Schedule

This schedule shows dates of quizzes and, for each class meeting, the topic to be presented on that day.  For most days, class topics correspond to detailed notes in the reader.  Generally it is a good idea to prepare for each class by studying the reader in advance; however, this is not required, and if you are able to follow the lectures well without preparation, you may use the reader for review instead.

NOTE: this schedule may be adjusted during the semester. 

W 8/24           Unit 1: Intervals
F 8/26                         Unit 2: Major and minor scales; circle of fifths

M 8/29            Unit 3: More about scales
W 8/31           Unit 4: More about scales
F 9/2               Unit 5: More about intervals; triads

M 9/5              Unit 6: Consonance and dissonance
W 9/7                         Unit 7: Species counterpoint—introduction and first species
F 9/9               (continued)

M 9/12                        Unit 8: Figured bass numbers and Roman numeral notation
W 9/14           (continued)
F 9/16                         Quiz 1

M 9/19            Unit 9: Seventh chords—types, inversions, roman numeral notation
W 9/21           Unit 10: Lead sheet notation; textures
F 9/23             Unit 11: Species counterpoint—second species

M 9/26            Unit 12: Basic rhythmic concepts
W 9/28           Unit 13: Additive meters
F 9/30                        

M 10/3                        NO CLASS—Fall Break
W 10/5           Unit 14: Cadences; harmonic structure for 18^th- and 19^th-c. European music
F 10/7                         Unit 15: Species counterpoint—3^rd species

M 10/10          Quiz 2
W 10/12         Unit 16: Hemiola; metric ambiguity
F  10/14          Unit 17: Some West African rhythms

M 10/17          Unit 18: Some rhythms in popular music
W 10/19         Unit 19: Seventeenth-century French dance rhythms
F 10/21           Unit 20: Species Counterpoint: 4^th species

M 10/24          Unit 21: Harmony and melody; non-harmonic tones
W 10/26         Unit 22: Periods 
F 10/28           Unit 23: Sentences

M 10/31          Unit 24: Dominant sevenths and secondary dominants
W 11/2           Unit 25: Modulation, key relations
F 11/4                         (continued)

M 11/7            Quiz 3
W 11/9           Unit 26: 12-bar blues
F 11/11           Unit 27: Other common song forms in popular music

M 11/14          Unit 28: Harmonic progressions in popular music
W 11/16         (continued)
F 11/18           Species counterpoint: 5^th species (free writing)

M 11/20          (continued)
W 11/22         NO CLASS
F 11/25           [Thanksgiving break]

M 11/28          Unit 29: Harmony in minor
W 11/30         (continued)
F 12/2                         Unit 30: Introduction to four-part choral texture

M 12/5            Review           
Last day to turn in late assignments for credit

Final exam: Friday, December 16 2016, 9 a.m.