MUS 2102: Aural Skills III, section 001
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00-9:50, 2.03.08 ARTS
Dr. David Heuser Office: 3.02.20 ARTS; Office Phone: 458-5321; email: david.heuser@utsa.edu
Office Hours: Monday 10:00am-11:00am; Wednesday 3:00pm-4:00pm; Thursday 2:00pm-3:00pm; Friday 9:00am-10:00am or by appointment

Prerequisite: successful completion of Basic Skills II
Web page: http://music.utsa.edu/electron/aural3.htm

Required Textbooks and Materials (always bring to class):

Robert Ottman, Nancy Rogers, Music for Sightsinging (sventh edition)
staff paper, pencils (not pens)
Blank CD-R (for project)

Course Description:
Aural Skills III is designed to develop your ear training 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. The group laboratory sessions will provide a good opportunity to practice your dictation skills.

Goals of the Course:
After going through this course, the student should be able to:

- aurally identify all intervals
- aurally identify all diatonic triads and some diatonic seventh chords in major and minor keys in any inversion
- aurally identify diatonic non-harmonic tones

- perform harmonic dictation writing bass and soprano lines using all diatonic triads in any inversion
- perform melodic dictation on diatonic and chromatic melodies (major and minor)
- perform rhythmic dictation on rhythms containing small subdivisions of the beat and borrowed rhythms.
- sight sing simple chromatic melodies in major and minor keys

- convincingly modulate while singing
- perform rhythmic exercises containing small subdivisions of the beat, borrowed rhythms, and changing meters.
- improvise musical phrases

 

Grading and course policies
Final grades will be determined by this formula:

 

 

3 Sight singing exams:

30%

 

Daily Sight singing/Rhythmic performance work:

15%

 

5 Dictation quizzes:

45%

 

Transcription project:

5%

 

Homework:

5%

Attendance:
Attendance is essential and will be taken at the beginning of each class. 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. Being late to class will also lower your grade: two tardies equal one absence. If a student is absent more than 8 times for any reason during the semester, the instructor, at his discretion, may assign a final grade of F for the course. 

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, anthology, 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.

Homework will be accepted past the day it is due, but not for a grade. Late homework may not always be returned to you in a timely manner.

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.

Communication: If you need to contact me, there are a number of ways to do it. I am usually in my office, and will often be available to see students outside of posted office hours. If my door is closed, please check the schedule next to my door before knocking to make sure you are not interrupting a lesson or lunch. You can also reach me via my office phone and email, which are listed above and on the web (http://music.utsa.edu/Faculty/heuser/index.html). Emails should be courteous and formal, with proper spelling, capitalization, etc., and with a subject line that clearly states the purpose of the message. Ambiguous subject lines may result in an email being deleted as suspected spam. All Music Department faculty also have mailboxes located in the music office (3.01.58). If you would like to put something in my mailbox, give it to the office staff and ask them to place it there. If you have a concern, problem, question, issue or whatever, the best thing you can do is talk to me about it. Stay in touch!

*In order to pass Music 2102 a passing grade must be made on the final*


 

Aural Skills III Schedule – Subject to Change

 

Week

Topics

 

Week 1, August 23

Review Solfege; Review dictation

Week 2, August 28, 30

Ottman/Rogers - review melodies (minor melodies marked “m”) 11.27m, 11.28m, 11.30m, 11.31m, 12.1, 12.2, 12.7, 12.13, 12.23, 12.25m
Ottman/Rogers - review rhythms 10.3-10.12; 10.36-10.41

 

Week 3, September 4, 6

Review melodies 12.33, 12.34, 12.40 – 12.42, 12.44, 12.45, 12.46, 12.53m
Review rhythms 10.14 – 10.18; 10.42 – 10.50

Dictation Quiz No. 1 – Thursday, September 6

 

Week 4, September 11, 13

Review melodies 12.47, 12.48,12.51, 12.52m, 12.55, 12.56, 12.59, 12.60m

Review rhythms 10.14 – 10.18; 10.42 – 10.50

 

Week 5, September 18, 20

Sightsinging Test No. 1 - Tuesday, September 18

New Singing Element: Chromaticism

Melodies 13.1 – 13.7
Rhythms 15.3 – 15.6, 15.16 – 15.21

 

Week 6, September 25, 27

Melodies 13.8 –  13.14
Rhythms (two part) 15.27 – 15.30, 15.32 – 15.37

 

Week 7, October 2, 4

Dictation Quiz No. 2 – Tuesday, October 2

Melodies 13.18 –  13.22
Rhythms 15.40 – 15.49

 

Week 8, October 9, 11

Melodies 13.27 – 13.33
Rhythms 15.54 – 15.59

 

Week 9, October 16, 18

Melodies 13.34, 13.36, 13.40, 13.41, 13.50, 13.51
Rhythms 15.40 – 15.49; 15.54 – 15.59

Dictation Quiz No. 3 –  Thursday, October 18

 

Week 10, October 23, 25

Melodies 13.55, 13.56, 13.57 13.59, 13.63 – 13.65, 13.69

Rhythms 15.40 – 15.49; 15.54 – 15.59

NOTE: October 23: Final drop day

 

Week 11, October 30, November 1

Sightsinging Test No. 2 – Tuesday, October 30

New Singing Element: Modulation

Melodies 14.1, 14.3, modulation exercise handout
Rhythms 16.6 – 16.11

 

Week 12, November 6, 8

Melodies 14.4 -14.6, 14.9, 14.10
Rhythms 16.21 – 16.25

Dictation Quiz No. 4 –  Thursday, November 8

 

Week 13, November 13, 15

Transcription Project Assigned

Melodies 14.2, 14.7, 14.28, 14.29, 14.42, la minor
Rhythms (two part) 16.31 – 16.34

 

Week 14, November 20, 22

Melodies 14.8, 14.13, 14.17, 14.23
Rhythms 17.3 – 17.6; 17.8-17.12
Dictation Quiz No. 5 –  Thursday, November 22

 

Week 15, November 27, 29

Review for final
Transcription Project Due Thursday, November 29

 

Final: Sight Singing Exam 3 -Thursday, December 6, 2007 from 7:30AM to 10:00AM.

 


Copyright © 1999,David Heuser
Revised - August 2007
Email any problems, questions or requests about this page to david.heuser@utsa.edu
URL: http://music.utsa.edu/electron/aural3.html