Carolina Courses Online

MUSC 121: Fundamentals of Music I

Course Home Page Blackboard Instructor's E-mail
Course Overview Course Format Required Materials
Discussion Forums Exams Grading
Course Policies Course Mechanics Schedule

Course Overview

This course covers the musical building blocks of pitch, melody, rhythm, meter, harmony, and form, along with the notation system used in Western art music. We will explore these materials in both a written and an aural form, developing skills in each domain. This course will be helpful for students who wish to read and write conventional musical notation; to understand the concepts and systems behind music they play, sing, and hear; and to prepare for further academic studies in music theory, composition, or performance.

The basic repertory we will be using is Western art music, which is sometimes casually called “classical music,” along with some examples from folk song and contemporary popular music.

By the end of our studies, you will be able to

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Course Format

Any study of music requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline. To undertake this study in an online course format places an even greater burden of responsibility on the student. To put it very simply, online music courses are not for everyone.

We will be exploring connections between sounds, written notation, and very abstract concepts. In a typical classroom, there is constant aural reinforcement of these ideas, and there is group participation in the acquisition of these skills. Students clap together as they learn rhythms, sing together as they study melodies, and gain the tactile experience of playing intervals or chords on a piano. In an online course format, you will still have all of the same resources. The aural reinforcement will be provided through sound files; the discussion forums allow you to interact with your classmates; the assignments and exercises will encourage you to physically engage with the music as you learn new skills; and Web-based drills will let you practice your new skills with instant feedback. However, your experience will still be more isolated than it would be in a conventional classroom.

Make sure that you bring the individual discipline to this course that you’ll need to succeed, and make sure you reach out to your classmates and to your professor. Finally, make sure you immerse yourself in the resources that have been provided to you so that you get the rich, multidimensional, and especially aural experience that is necessary to genuinely master this material.

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Required Materials

The required text and software package for the course are

For both the text and software, make sure you purchase the correct edition.

You will also need music manuscript paper for this course. Five-line (regular) manuscript paper can be printed for free from a number of Web sites, including:

•  Music Paper—University of Virginia
•  The Printable Staff Paper Page
•  Blank Sheet Music

You can also purchase music manuscript paper from many commercial music retailers. Make sure you get five-line (regular) manuscript paper and not six-line tablature paper. I prefer standard, 8.5 x 11 sheets with nine or ten staves per sheet.

Additional Materials

Some lessons have assignments posted in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to read some files in PDF format. You probably have a version of Adobe Reader installed on your computer already, but you can download the latest version free from the Adobe site:

get adobe reader free

In order to master some of the concepts in this course, I recommend you have access to some sort of piano or electronic keyboard. If you do not own one, consider whether a neighbor or friend might let you use theirs occasionally. You might also investigate community centers or your house of worship as other possible locations to try out some of the course’s ideas at a piano. You do not need to buy a keyboard for this course; all the work can be done with the online resources and your textbook. However, most students find that they can apply the concepts better if they also have a piano or keyboard with which to experiment.

Technical Requirements for the Course

This course requires a high-speed Internet connection, newer versions of Web browsers, and a media player (RealPlayer) that will play mp3 files. Most of the audio files for this course are in the regular class notes, but some are not, due to various legal restrictions. To access those sound files, you will be required to enter a course-specific user ID and password. Details and complete instructions are on How to Access the Sound Files.

Off-campus students: In addition to the above, you may be required to download special software and configure your computer to connect to the password-protected Listening Web Site. You will find complete instructions on How to Access the Sound Files. See especially Section 4: Can I listen to the music off campus?

You will need to print out assignments and exercises each week. Your printer must be able to handle PDF documents.

Many of your assignments will require you to notate music by hand. The preferred way to turn in these assignments and exams is to scan them and then submit them through Blackboard’s Assignment tool. You are encouraged to use a scanner to submit your work electronically; however, you may mail your assignments to Professor Neal if you do not have access to a scanner. Be advised that mailing the assignments will increase the amount of time it takes to get graded feedback on your work. If you choose to submit your assignments by mail, you must inform Professor Neal of this at the start of the term and confirm the arrangements for this.

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Discussion Forums

The concepts and skills we will explore require active investment on the part of all students in the course. Different students will likely find some skills more or less difficult than others, and in all cases, students can help each other master these skills together. To facilitate our studies, we will use a weekly “Discussion Forum” where you can post questions on the material, discuss aspects of the lesson that you find most challenging, or post your solutions to the weekly homework; other students will respond and can help you with your homework questions. All students must post at least twice a week. The required posts can be questions, discussion points, or homework problems you’re working on, or they can be responses, discussion, and assistance in response to your classmates. You will be graded only on participation. Please view the weekly discussion forums as a way to connect with the other students in the class, and consider those students a resource as you undertake your musical studies.

Our discussion forums are on Blackboard. See Course Mechanics if you need help using Blackboard.

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Exams

This course consists of two midterms and a final exam. A small portion of each exam will involve listening to sound recordings. To prepare for the exams, review the homework assignments for each portion of the course; questions on the midterm exam will be similar in content, scope, and type to exercises on your homework assignments. The exams will include questions that require typed answers, as well as handwritten answers, which you will then scan or mail to Professor Neal.

You will take your exams on Blackboard. Dates and times are listed in the Schedule.

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Grading

Your course grade is based on the following:

Discussion Forum (weekly participation) 10 percent
Weekly Homework 35 percent
Midterm I Exam 15 percent
Midterm II Exam 15 percent
Final Exam 25 percent
TOTAL 100 percent

Based on your semester grade (numerical), a letter grade will be assigned as follows:

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Course Policies

Late work is not accepted, and assignment deadline extensions are not granted, except in cases of extenuating circumstances such as family death, documented extended illness, religious observance, and so on. If you are unable to submit your work on time, contact me as soon as possible.

Work Load: you should plan to spend between ten and fourteen hours per week on the course materials, including reading, listening, participating in the discussion forums, and working on assignments. Remember that the summer session lasts far fewer weeks than a regular fall or spring semester, but the amount of material covered is the same. As a result, the workload is more intense than it would be in a fall or spring semester.

Honor Code: All work done in relation to this course is bound by the University's Honor Code. It is essential that you adhere to the principles outlined in the Honor Code at all times.

I encourage you to discuss topics together, talk about your readings and new musical skills with classmates and colleagues, and engage with the course material as a community of scholars. However, all work that you submit must be your own.

Take pride in your work, maintain the integrity of your academic studies, and respect the tradition of scholarly professionalism at all times.

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Course Mechanics

Blackboard

Some of your class components (discussion forums, announcements, exams) are accessed through a software called Blackboard, and you will need to log in to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen and Onyen password.

There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to log in to Blackboard. Click on the MUSC 121 link, and you will see navigation buttons on the left side of the screen labeled Announcements, Discussion Forum, and so on.

If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:

If you have technical problems while using Blackboard, contact Blackboard Help (use the Help button in Blackboard, or call 919-962-HELP).

Library Services and Resources (including e-reserves)

Students enrolled in Carolina Courses Online have access to the UNC Library System. Visit Distance Education Library Services to access a wide array of online services and resources including e-reserves, online databases, online journals, online books, and live help with research and library access.

Most online resources require you to log in with your Onyen and password. If you have any trouble finding the resource that you need or logging in to a resource, you can contact the library through the contact information at Distance Education Library Services. You can chat live about your problem, or send an e-mail to request assistance.

Listening to the Sound Files: Technical Requirements

Because this course is based on the music itself, there is a listening component to some assignments and in the weekly notes. Most of the sound files are in the regular class notes, and you can simply click and hear them with any MP3 player you have on your computer. However, some recordings are not posted on the regular class notes or Blackboard. Those sound files are on the separate Listening Web Site. The recordings will not play properly over a modem connection. You will need to locate a computer with high-speed Internet access in order to complete the assignments.

In order to comply with copyright law and University policy, access to the Listening Web Site is restricted. You must enter the course-specific user name, musc121, and a password, rhythm, to gain access. You will need a media player configured to work with your Web browser to play the sound recordings. Complete information is available on How to Access the Sound Files.

Off-campus access: The Listening Web Site is available only to computers that show a UNC-Chapel Hill on-campus IP address. If you are accessing the site from off campus, you can obtain authorized access in one of two ways. See How to Access the Sound Files: Section 4: Can I listen to the music off campus?

E-mail

All communication from your instructor will go to your UNC Onyen e-mail address (the one that appears when you post to the discussion forum). Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail using Webmail. You can have your e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking “Forward e-mail” at the Onyen Web site.

We strongly recommend that you use your UNC e-mail account for all e-mails regarding your course. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses “blind carbon copy” to protect privacy. If you forward your mail to a commercial e-mail service provider (yahoo.com or msn.com, for example), messages from your instructor, Friday Center staff, or other students may be delayed because these service providers sometimes place temporary blocks on messages originating from universities. If you are using a commercial e-mail service provider, the e-mail links in this course may not work for you.

Communication

When e-mailing your instructor, please include “CCO MUSC 121” in the subject line, along with a word or two describing the nature of the message. You can expect a response from Professor Neal within two regular weekdays (not counting weekends or UNC holidays). Please remember to include your full name in the body of the message.

Submitting Assignments

Your weekly assignments will involve many different kinds of work. Computer files, such as those created by Finale NotePad® or scanned images of your handwritten homework, should be submitted through the Blackboard Assignment tool. Alternately, printed versions of your assignments can be mailed to Professor Neal.

If submitted electronically, homework is generally due each week by Friday at midnight; if submitted by mail, homework must be postmarked by that Friday. I strongly recommend that you scan and submit your work electronically to avoid a significant delay in getting your graded work returned to you.

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you submit through Blackboard. If your instructor does not receive your files, you must have a copy of the original files. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails as well as any homework files, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered. For e-mail correspondence, you should send yourself a copy of your message at the same time you send it to your instructor. Make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to your instructor and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

And, finally, remember to keep your in-box cleaned out—a full in-box will not accept new messages.

Other Questions

Contact your instructor with questions regarding the content of the course and your progress. (There is an e-mail link at the top of every lesson page.) Please include “MUSC 121” and a word or two about the content of your message in the subject line of your e-mail. Remember to include your full name in the message.

Contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center about problems with this Web site, including bad links.

If you have any logistical questions as you work through the course (enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on), contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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Schedule

Class begins May 12. Please take note of the start and end dates for each lesson, and remember that you must post at least twice to the weekly discussion forum. Click on the link for each lesson to view your assignments and the lecture.

Week 1 Introduction
Chapter 1: Pitch
Week 2 Chapter 1: Pitch (cont.)
Chapter 2: Introduction to Rhythm and Meter
Week 3 Chapter 2: Rhythm and Meter (cont.)
Week 4 Chapter 3: Scales
Midterm Exam I Your midterm exam will become available on Blackboard at 8 am. You must complete and submit the exam within one hour from the time you open it. The exam period closes at 11 pm.
Week 5 Chapter 4: Intervals
Week 6 Drilling Scales and Intervals
Midterm Exam II Your midterm exam will become available on Blackboard at 8 am. You must complete and submit the exam within one hour from the time you open it. The exam period closes at 11 pm.
Week 7 Chapter 5: Triads and Seventh Chords
Week 8 Chapter 5: Triads and Seventh Chords (cont.)
Week 9 Chapter 6: Fundamentals of Harmony
Week 10 Phrase, Cadence, and Form
Week 11 Music Analysis
Final Exam Your final exam will become available on Blackboard at 8 am. You must complete and submit the exam within two hours from the time you open it. The exam period closes at 11 pm.
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Week 1