CMUS 108: Commercial Musicianship II

07/01/2018 to 12/31/2199 • Modified 09/04/2026

Course Description

A continuation of CMUS 107. Commercial music reading and sight-singing skills are developed through singing and rhythmic exercises from a variety of musical idioms. Transcription skills useful for commercial musicians are refined through guided practice, instruction, and interaction with real musical examples. Seventh chords, chromatic harmony, and harmonic inversion are introduced.

Rationale

Aural perception and sight reading are essential skills for any person desiring to function successfully in the field of music. While such skills require many years to develop, the fundamental elements must be explored for a successful music career with intent to build life-long skills. Skills are practiced and immediately applied to “real world” situations. Likewise, the listening portion is designed to develop the skill of listening to music from a variety of media sources in order to do transcriptions of melody and harmony for use in diverse musical settings.

Course Assignment

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

AI and Being a Christian Musician Assignment

The student will explore how Artificial Intelligence interacts with biblical truth by comparing an AI’s definition of a Christian musician to that of the course instructor. The paragraph will be at least 150 words. 

Teaching Assignments (20)

The student will practice course concepts using an asynchronous video nature technology. The student will submit a video through McGraw Hill Connect responding to the professor’s instruction to participate in musical techniques such as conducting, singing, or saying rhythmic syllables. These for credit assignments help the student build skills and apply learned concepts.   

Unit Assignments (7)

The student will apply listening techniques and skills to “real world” situations by notating what is requested on each Unit Assignment. The student will utilize the software, Flat, and Spotify to complete each Unit Assignment.

Performance Evaluation Assignments (7)

The student will be evaluated on the material reviewed in the assigned textbook unit. Regular practice of assignments is required and encouraged for successful completion of the course. Evaluations are designed to track the student’s skill development. Each evaluation is completed through a video submission in McGraw-Hill Connect. Completion of the related Teaching Assignments is required before submission of the Performance Evaluation.

Final Dictation Assignment

Using a provided Spotify list and the Flat software, the student will select 2 songs and transcribe a select portion of the songs as outlined through the Flat software. The student will need to create a free Spotify account to fully access and complete the assignment. 

Quizzes (6)

Weekly quizzes assess student skill development in the basic aspects of musical dictation. The student will complete 6 quizzes throughout this course. Most quizzes will cover the Learn material for the module in which it is assigned. A few quizzes also explore elements from earlier modules or from CMUS 107. The quizzes contain multiple-choice questions. The amount of time varies between each quiz. In addition to the graded quizzes, a series of practice quizzes is provided. The student can repeat the practice quizzes as often and as many times as desired. The goal of these practice quizzes is to hone skills and understanding in preparation for the graded quizzes. The student is granted multiple attempts on all quizzes.