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MUS 1122: Aural Skills II, section 002
Instructor: Dr. David Heuser
Mondays and Wednesdays 8:00-8:50
2.03.14 Arts; Lab: Fridays
8:00-8:50 or 9:00-9:50 2.03.14 Arts
Office: 3.02.20 - Phone: 458-5321 - email: dheuser@utsa.edu
Office Hours: TBA or by appointment
Web page: http://music.utsa.edu/electron/aural2.htm

 

Required Textbooks and Materials (always bring to class):

·        Ottman, Robert, Music for Sightsinging (sixth edition)

·        staff paper, pencils (not pens)

·        Additionally you will need a recordable CD (CD-R) or cassette for the transcription project near the end of the semester.

Course Description:

Aural Skills 1 is designed to develop your eartraining and sightsinging skills, increasing your aural understanding of music. Classroom time is primarily for drill; most of the work you will do for this course will be done outside of class. For eartraining, which is harder to do on your own, there is a Friday lab (8:00AM and 9:00AM).

Goals of the Course:

After going through this course, the student should be:

Grading and course policies

Final grades will be determined by your sightsinging and dictation grades (from tests), and attendance, including lab attendance.

 

Sightsinging exams:

25%

 

Daily Sightsinging Work:

20%

 

Dictation exams:

45%

 

Transcription project:

5%

 

Homework, Preparation:

5%

Attendance and punctuality are essential to this course. It will be factored into your grade by the following formula: zero absences will add 2 points to your Final average; 1 absence will add 1 point; each absence after 2 will lower your final grade by 2 points. Two tardies will equal one absence; being late by more than 15 minutes will count as an absence. If a student is absent more than eight times for any reason during the semester, I may, at my discretion, assign a final grade of F for the course. This attendance policy applies to Lab meetings, treating them exactly like regular class meetings.

ALL absences and tardies count. Due to my inability to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate excuses, I choose not to deal with them (excuses, that is). The two absences you are allowed (a week of classes) are expected to be legitimate (why would you not come to class if you were able?). The only exception to this policy would be a case of prolonged forced absence, such as would be caused by a serious injury requiring hospitalization, or the like. In these cases, documentation is required (of course); otherwise, I do not wish to be shown doctor's notes, letters from funeral directors or a mechanic's bill.

I reserve the right to count you as absent or tardy if you habitually (more than twice) come to class without the required materials (textbook, staff paper, etc.).

Make-up Work: Students are expected to make up all work missed.  If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get the notes from a classmate and to come to my office to pick up your homework. I am willing to meet with you and discuss the course material only after you have taken appropriate steps to get caught up on your own. Do not make my office your first stop when you are trying to find out what you missed in class.

 

Daily Sightsinging and Rhythmic Performance: Each week you are assigned melodies and rhythms from the Ottman’s Music for Sightsinging. You should prepare these exercises for the first class day (usually Monday) of the week they are assigned. I will call on students to perform melodies and rhythms every day except test days, and these performances will be graded. If you are unprepared you will receive a grade of “F” for that day.

Lab: There are two lab sessions, Fridays at 8:00 and 9:00. All students should expect to be assigned to lab, so all students should clear one of these times from their schedules.

Exams:  Make up exams for scheduled exams will be allowed only if notice is given prior to the scheduled time.

Class Deportment: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. To assure all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, students are prohibited from engaging in any form of distraction. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom shall result, minimally, in a request to leave the class. Examples of inappropriate behavior include the use of cellular phones or beepers, eating in the classroom, prolonged chattering, excessive tardiness, sleeping, and overt inattentiveness.

Cheating:  Cheating in any form will not be tolerated.  All infractions will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs and prosecuted to the maximum extent allowed by the university. Any work you hand in is expected to be your work and your work only; claiming someone else’s work as your own is cheating.

If you have a concern, problem, question, issue or whatever, the best thing you can do is talk to me about it

(in person, on the phone or through email). Stay in touch!

*In order to pass Music 1102 a passing grade must be made on both the dictation and sightsinging final exams*


Aural Skills II Schedule

Week                                                        Topics

Week 1, January 19

Review Solfege, review harmony (I, ii, IV, V in root position)
Ottman - review using melodies from chapters 4 and 5
Review Rhythm: Ottman – 184-187 and 16-22

For Monday, January 24 the handout on Sightsinging procedure

 

Week 2, January 24, 26

Phrase Completion
Ottman – melodies 303-307, 311
Review Rhythm: Ottman – 184-187 and 16-22

 

Week 3, January 31, February 2

New Dictation Elements: Inversions of triads
Ottman - melodies 313-318
Review Rhythm: Ottman – 184-187 and 16-22

 

Week 4, February 7, 9

Sightsinging Test No. 1 - Wednesday, February 9

 

Ottman - melodies 322-328
Review Rhythm: Ottman – 184-187 and 16-22

 

Week 5, February 14, 16

New Dictation Element: intervals (2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths)
Ottman - melodies 339, 343, 347-350, 354
Rhythm: Ottman – 493-497

 

Week 6, February 21, 23

Dictation Test No. 1 - Monday, February 21

 

Ottman - melodies 372-374, 376, 385, 387-388
Rhythm: Ottman – 498-501

 

Week 7, February 28, March 2

New Dictation Element: Harmonic function: vi

Ottman - melodies 398, 406, 410-412, 415-416
Rhythm: Ottman – 502-507

 

Week 8, March 7, 9

Sightsinging Test No. 2 – Wednesday, March 9


Ottman - melodies 417, 420-423, 439, 441
Rhythm: Ottman – 517-521

 

 

Spring Break, March 14-18

 

Week 9, March 21, 23

Dictation Test No. 2 - Wednesday, March 23


Ottman - melodies 452-455, 458, 460
Rhythm: Ottman – 531-535 (both lines)

Week 10, March 28, 30

New Dictation Element: intervals (6ths, 7ths)

Phrase Completion

Ottman - melodies 466, 470-471, 478, 481-483
Rhythm: Ottman – 522-525

 

Week 11, April 4, 6

Ottman - melodies 543, 550, 552-553, 563-564, 566

Rhythm – 526-530

 

Week 12, April 11, 13

Ottman - melodies 557-558, 561, 568, 570-571
Rhythm - handout

 

Week 13, April 18, 20

Dictation Test No. 3 – Monday, April 18

 

New Dictation Element: Harmonic function: iii

Transcription Project assigned

Ottman - melodies 576-578, 583, 588, 589, 591
Rhythm - handout

 

Week 14, April 25, 27

Sightsinging Test No. 3 - Wednesday, April 25

 

New Dictation Element: intervals (tritone)
Ottman - melodies 592-593-597-600
Rhythm - handout

 

Week 15, May 2, 4

Review for final

Transcription Project Due Wednesday, May 4

Final: Dictation Test #4 - Monday, May 9 from 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM.

 


Copyright © 1998, David Heuser
Revised - January 2005
Email any problems, questions or requests about this page to dheuser@utsa.edu
URL: http://music.utsa.edu/electron/aural2.htm