MUSC 103 Music Appreciation

MUSC 103 is an overview course that introduces the student to the elements of music and the engagement of music in historical and global contexts. In this course, the student will seek to understand music and its relationship to his/her life and other cultures. The student will study diverse music of both Western and non-Western traditions, including an introduction to a rudimentary familiarity with the Western art music (Classical) tradition. Additionally, the student will cultivate active listening skills and practice using vocabulary and analytical tools necessary to articulate his/her musical perceptions.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create threads to demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to posts by his/her classmates. The student will post one thread of at least 250 words, with the exception of the Discussion Thread: Course Reflection, where the student will post a thread of 500 words. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 100 words. (CGE: 1, 2, 3, 4; CIL 3; CT 2; SSI 1)

Homework: Listening Assignments (30)

Weekly listening exercises help the student to develop active listening skills on a higher level. The student will listen to embedded musical excerpts and answer questions based on the content of each module’s materials. Homework: Listening Assignments are accessed via MindTap links included within each Module: Week for the duration of the course. These assignments have up to ten attempts and include a “Check My Work” feature that may be used to assist in knowledge acquisition.

Listening Journal Assignments (2)

Since this is a music course, the student must dedicate time to listening! To really understand and explore the songs, the student must listen multiple times to each song. Active listening takes time and cannot be rushed. The student should find a quiet place without distractions and listen to the music actively. Oftentimes, music becomes the background for other activities; this is passive listening. In this course, the student will need to focus closely on the music. A guide to active listening is posted in the course, which will help the student to focus on the appropriate details needed to have success in the course (and to grow as a music lover!). Each Listening Journal Assignment will contain 2 entries of at least 100 words, for a total of 250-300 words. All sources should be cited in current Turabian format. Each piece/song of music will demand anywhere from 10-30 minutes of active listening, depending on the genre (e.g., art music pieces may take longer than popular music songs). (CGE: 2; CIL 3; SSI 1)

Final Project: Music Research and Analysis Assignment

Each student will select a composer, artist, or band/group who has made significant cultural contributions with their music. The student will write a four (4) page research and analysis essay based on biographical details of the chosen composer/artist/band and an analysis of 3 pieces of music. The analysis of three (3) pieces of music by the chosen composer, artist, or band is the primary focus of this essay, in addition to discussing the significance of the composer, artist, or band to the student and brief biography details about the composer, artist, or band chosen. The student must cite at least 2 quality/academic sources in addition to 3 YouTube source links. All sources should be cited in current Turabian format. (CGE: 1, 2; CIL 3; CT 2; SSI 1)

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the content from the Module: Week in which it assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice, true/false, and multiple answer questions, and have a 1-hour time limit. The student will have two attempts for each quiz. (CGE: 1, 2; CIL 3; SSI 1)