READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
For Tuesdsay: pg. 100-107
For Wednesday: pg. 42 (vocal ranges) and pg. 108-115 (Renaissance secular music)

(By the way, if you are doing the reading, thank you! I don't get to recognize you in class because it's hard to tell who does the reading and who doesn't, but I really really appreciate it).

JOURNAL #7 DUE 11-6
Choose one:
A) Like journal #6, pick some aspect of Renaissance culture or history that interests you and write a one-page summary/reflection.
B) Write one page on one of your "New Year's Resolutions." This ties in with the spirit of the Renaissance (which means, "rebirth"). Your resolution must address how you will better yourself through intellectual and/or artistic pursuits in the coming year. Don't write a list and don't talk about how you will exercise more or eat more vegetables. This must deal with the mind or intellect. For example, you might decide you will read the newspaper everyday for your resolution. Write one page on why you chose that resolution and how your intellect will benefit from that practice. Or, your resolution might be to attend a public lecture or poetry reading once a week. Or you might decide you will learn how to play piano this year. Whatever your resolution, it must be in the intellectual/artistic realm, and you must write at least one page about it.

I'M STILL GRADING JOURNALS 4, 5, 6
I don't have a t.a. so I'm falling a little behind on grading. Be patient with me. If you must know your grades, I will grade yours first and get them to you.

WHAT I'M NOTICING ABOUT YOUR JOURNALS, PARTICULARLY J-4
Very important: make sure you know what plagiarism is. I've noticed that some of you hand-copied your articles but you didn't cite your source anywhere in the paper. This is a very very grave offense. For those of you who did this, I'm returning your papers with a grade of zero. Also, some of you paraphrased the author's comments, but didn't cite the author's name. When you use someone else's ideas, i.e. when you're quoting someone or paraphrasing what they said, you must cite the author's last name and the page number, like this (Fisk 387). Then, you need to include a footnote or bibliography on what source you used. For example:

Fisk, Josiah, ed. Composers on Music. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.

If you used a magazine or newspaper article or website, there are different ways of citing these sources. You will use the MLA (modern language association) format for things relating to the arts/humanities and footnote form for other disciplines (I'm not sure on this--check with your other professors to see what form they require). I'm sure the writing center or library can help you find the MLA Handbook. Also, look up EWU's Academic Integrity Policy online.

Also, I realize these journal assignments are more informal than other papers you might turn in for other classes, but don't be lazy about your penmanship and grammar. Use these journal assignments to practice good habits. Please know the difference between its and it's; their, there and they're; whether and weather; and where and were. Also, know how to organize your thoughts into paragraphs; use a dictionary or spell-check if you aren't a good speller, and know correct punctuation (run-on sentences or sentence fragments are a no-no). If grammar isn't your strong suit, now's the time to check out a book about it or go to the writing center for help. Grammar skills are extremely important, not just in school, but in the working world as well: they reflect on you and your intelligence. I'll admit that my grammar is probably not perfect, but if you have questions or need help on this issue you can always ask me for assistance.

Thanks for reading! Have a good day!

REMINDER:
Journal #6 due tomorrow (monday, 10-30)

Readings for this week:
Read the chapters on the Renaissance.
As always, jot down questions and comments about the readings.
We'll be discussing the Renaissance period tomorrow (monday) so please be prepared! Thanks!

WE'LL HAVE CLASS TODAY (THURSDAY, OCT. 26)

NO CLASS TODAY, I'M SICK (WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25)
Hopefully I will be feeling better by tomorrow but if I'm not I'll try to post by 7:00 tomorrow (thursday) morning to let you know.

Please keep up on your reading. Please finish the medieval chapter, and go on to the Renaissance chapter (sacred music). I will ask you (randomly!) about the readings so please be prepared.

JOURNAL #6 DUE MONDAY, OCT. 30
Choose an aspect of medieval life/culture and write a one-page (double-spaced) summary/reflection on your topic, and how you think it relates to the music of that period. You can choose any topic in the historical/social/art/literature/music/religion fields of that time period: Charlemagne, the Crusades, Hildegard, Giotto, Cimabue, Dante, Chaucer, etc. Pick just one. If you have questions, email me.

FOR MONDAY, 10/23
Journal #5
Read: pgs. 72-85 in textbook
Write: 3 questions, comments, or observations about the reading

FOR TUESDAY-FRIDAY 10/24-10-27
Read: pgs. 86-107
Write: questions, comments, observations about the readings

REMEMBER
*Presentations
*Staples (-3 points if journals come to me unstapled)
*No late journals (late= after the beginning of class, or 1 day late= -5 pts. Two days late: journal not accepted).

MORE SPECIFIC TEST REVIEW ITEMS

There will be four portions to the test:
1. Listening
2. Composer Matching
3. Multiple Choice
4. Short Essay (only 2)

For the listening, review these pieces/composers that are on the CDs that came with your book:
1. Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire
2. Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra
3. Crumb, Ancient Voices of Children
4. Lansky, Notjustmoreidlechatter
5. Tower, Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
6. Part, Cantate Domino canticum novum
7. Adams, Roadrunner from Chamber Symphony

There will be three pieces that aren't on your CD, but I played them in class:
8. Stravinsky, Rite of Spring (percussive strings, sounds like Psycho, the movie).
9. John Cage, Sonata #5 for Prepared Piano (sounds like bells and gongs--Kendall Feeney played this during her lecture on monday).
10. Steve Reich, Drumming (mimimalist drumming)

Next, comes composer matching. Review the biographies of Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Bartok, John Cage, and Joan Tower (can all be found in your book).

Next, multiple choice. Review basic definitions: melody (conjunct, disjunct, interval, range), rhythm (beat, triple and duple meter, polyrhythm), harmony (chord, tonic, tonality, major, minor, dissonance, consonance, cadence,), timbre, orchestral instruments (woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion), Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, Expressionism, atonality, polytonality, 12-tone, Sprechstimme, indeterminacy/aleatoric music, musique concrete.

By the way, John Taverner is a spiritual minimalist (hint hint).
Also, minimalist composers included Adams, Reich, Glass, and Riley.

Short Essay:
Review the short section in the first chapter about attending concerts and concert etiquette. Also, review your first discussion sheet and the question about the difference between hearing and listening (active and passive listening).

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me.

TEST ON FRIDAY, OCT. 20
No make-ups except for emergencies (see me ).

TEST REVIEW ON THURSDAY, OCT. 19
We'll be reviewing material that will be on the test. Until then, review your notes, and chapters 1-3, 7, 8, 61-65, 71, 72, 74, 75 (melody, rhythm, harmony, instruments--chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, idiophones--and instrument families--strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and 20th C. music: "Main Currents in Early-20th C. Music," "New Elements of Musical Style," Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Bartok, "New Directions," "Contemporary Composers Look to World Music," "Technology and Music," "Some Current Trends,").

Don't stress about the test. I won't ask you to recall dates and specific facts from memory. There will be multiple choice, matching, listening (I'll run you through that on thursday), and one (or two) very short essay questions about the articles we read on listening. If you've come to class and kept up on the reading, you'll be fine!

PRESENTATIONS
You are not required to meet with your group outside of class unless you want to. The only information you have to get from the other members is: what piece they're presenting, and who is sharing biographical information about the composer. These things can be accomplished via email and phone. These really are solo projects--I'll be evaluating each person separately, so you don't have to worry about delinquent members. If you do your portion of the work you'll get a stunning grade. Your grade will not depend on the others in your group.

JOURNAL #5 (DUE 10-23):

This is an in-class journal on tuesday and wednesday (10-17 and 10-19). If you come to class, you won't have to do anything outside of class. This is a listening journal, where we'll listen to pieces in class and you write down the following things about each piece:
1. Title and composer
2. Instruments/ensemble?
3. Notes on melody, rhythm, harmony
4. Keywords: (feelings, colors, stories, etc).
5. What you liked about it.
6. What you didn't like about it.

----Part two of journal: reflect on 20th C. music: did your feelings about contemporary music change after reading about, and listening to this kind of music? Would you listen to more outside of class (on a CD or in a concert setting?). Write a brief paragraph.

If you aren't in class, I ask that you go to the library, pick out 10 pieces (different composers!) of 20th cent./contemporary music and do the above exercise. To get ideas for composers/pieces, look at the book, chapters 71-72 and 74-75.

PRESENTATIONS

Important: your presentations need to revolve around listening. You need to design a guided listening exercise for your piece (which means that you need to listen to the piece outside of class, and bring a CD or record into class and tell us what to listen for, or use the suggestions below---scroll down until you see the word, PRESENTATIONS). There are record players/CD players in the library.

You only have to play 1-2 minutes of your piece. Also, be prepared to tell us something about the piece (historical facts, instrumentation, what ensemble is used, etc.).

If there are questions, please email me!

IF YOU'VE BEEN GONE THIS WEEK, we've been discussing Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Bartok. There hasn't been any homework to turn in. However you need to catch up on the readings if you've been gone (pg. 366-393).

THERE IS A TEST on Friday, Oct. 20. On Thursday, Oct. 19, we'll be reviewing the listening done in class, so if you've missed class you should plan on being there Thursday. On the test, I want you to be able to tell the difference between Stravinsky's music, Schoenberg's, Bartok's, and the other composers we'll be discussing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

IMPORTANT AND SWEET: GUEST LECTURER ON MONDAY, OCT 16!
On Monday, Oct. 16 (this coming Monday) we'll be having a guest lecturer, Kendall Feeney, who will be talking about experimental music and also giving a demo of her theremin. If you don't know what that is, you need to come to class to find out! It's wicked cool!
She's one of our piano professors who also directs the contemporary ensemble on campus. NOTE: I will be there taking attendance on this day.

TONIGHT, FRIDAY THE 13TH:
Symphony on the Edge concert at the Big Easy in Spokane, 7:30pm. Tickets for students with ID are only $9! The Big Easy will open the doors for ticket sales at 6pm.
This concert will be really amazing because it's at a non-traditional venue, the orchestra players will be wearing jeans and t-shirts, and you can drink a cold beverage (21+!) while listening to some cutting-edge 2oth century/Contemporary music. I highly recommend it, especially since we've been talking about 20th C. music. It'll be a great first-time experience for all you newbies.

MONDAY'S JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT #4

You need to find an article about music, and write a 1-2 page (typed, double-spaced) summary and reflection on this article. Write what you liked/didn't like about the article, if you learned anything new from it, and any other comments, questions, or observations about the article. Sources: look in the NY Times (online or in the library), The New Yorker magazine, Harper's, or any other reputable magazine/newspaper. Our library also has some music journals, so you may look through those to find something that interests you. The article may be about any style of music, including musical theatre. Don't forget to include the author, name of the article, and where you got it (source). Please attach a copy of the article.
Email me if you have questions.

READING/LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 16:
*Ch. 66: Music of the Americas, pg. 394-407
*Ch. 71 & 72: New Directions/Contemporary Composers, pg. 458-483
*Ch. 74 & 75: Technology and Music/Some Current Trends, pg. 495-516.

As always, write 3 questions, comments or observations about each reading.
Also, when the book has a GUIDED LISTENING exercise, would you do that also and write down notes about melody/harmony/rhythm/texture/instrumentation? Again, I will be choosing random people to tell me about the reading/listening they did. If you don't have your own CD player, the library has CD players and headphones.

ABOUT READING:
It is extremely important that you do the readings. You should not depend on your teachers to provide all the information you need to be successful in the class. Why is this? Because, I may forget to mention something important, I may deliver the wrong information accidentally, and I don't go over everything that's in the book. I try to supplement what's in the book. When you don't do the readings, you miss a lot of general information about pieces and composers. The tests will be geared toward what you've read in the book, and if you don't do the readings, you may not do well on the tests (i.e. you may not pass the class.....).
I could be mean and have you turn in a written summary of each and every reading you do, so I know you've done it, but I won't do that because you're grown-ups, and also, this is college. In high school you may have gotten by not doing readings, but college demands more sophistication and intelligence. You need to take responsibility for your own learning. I know the textbook is expensive, and it's not the most riveting thing you'll ever read (I had no choice in the matter! I am but a humble grad student.....), but I take offense when I ask you to do readings and you don't do them. Okay, I'm through with my little rant.....thanks for reading.
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REMEMBER: PRESENTATIONS
Presentations begin the week of Oct. 16. Scroll down if you have questions about the presentation (I explain the project in more detail down below). You can be as creative as you want with the presentations. If you need a DVD player or VCR, let me know two days in advance and I can arrange for one. Any other questions? Let me know.

Have a good weekend!

Just a reminder:

If you plan on being real-sick or fake-sick tomorrow (Monday) or missing class for whatever reason, you need to figure out some way to get your journal #3 to me (9am class: before 10 and 11am class: before noon). If your journal is turned in late on Monday or on Tuesday, I will take five points off (each journal is only worth 10 points).

Also, if your papers aren't stapled I will automatically take 3 points off. There are staplers all around campus (the music bldg, the library, the PUB, the bookstore--mini ones for 4 bucks you can put in your backpack!). There is no excuse.

See you tomorrow!

If you've been absent from class this past week, here's what you've been missing:
Tuesday: Melody (pgs. 13-17 in textbook)
Wednesday: Rhythm (pgs. 18-22)
Thursday: Harmony (pgs. 23-26)
Friday: A reading from "The Listening Book" and listening exercises using the musical terms learned in tuesday's/wednesday's/thursday's class.

You have also missed out on student performances on piano, violin, and viola.

Also, there was a fantastic noon convocation in the music building recital hall friday. I announced it to the classes this morning, and I saw that a few of you were there. Remember, one of these friday noon convocations counts as concert credit. Members of the music faculty performed, and it included: a brass quintet, a woodwind quintet, a baritone vocalist, a marimbist, a guitarist and singer performing Spanish songs, a jazz combo piece with scatting jazz vocalist, and a piano quartet playing a really cool Libby Larsen piece (in which they put on sunglasses in the middle of it--it was a very jazzy piece, using upright bass, violin, cello and piano. By the way, we will be studying Libby Larsen in a week or so, not only because she's a cool contemporary, living composer, but also because she's coming to our school in February to give a lecture, masterclass, and concert).

Speaking of concerts, the Spokane string quartet is giving a concert at the Met this Sunday, the 8th at 3pm. I'm not sure how much tickets cost, but you can look them up online (try googling "Spokane string quartet"). Tonight at the Opera House is "Brahms Blast" in which students receive free t-shirts (the t-shirts are sweet: there's a picture of a cannon on it blasting out musical notation. It made me laugh when I saw it)! On monday, Oct. 9 there is a pianist playing classical music at a church in Spokane--sorry I can't remember more details than that--but there are gold-colored flyers around the music building, so keep your eyes peeled. I will also try to remember to make an announcement on Monday.

IMPORTANT ISSUES BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION

I really appreciate receiving feedback from you, because it lets me know how I am doing. This is my first time teaching my own class, and need all the feedback I can get--positive or negative. You can post annonymous comments on this blog if you want to bring something to my attention if you don't feel comfortable emailing me. But I really do need to know what you think about your assignments, and class lectures and discussions, in case I end up teaching this class again here or elsewhere. One important comment brought to my attention was the fact that my lectures up until this point have seemed meandering, and the student wasn't sure what I expected of the class. This was a great comment, and I will attempt to answer that question so you all can get a sense of my teaching style, and also what I expect of you so that you will be able to pass this class.
YOU WILL PASS THIS CLASS IF:
--you turn in all of your journals and discussion sheets on time
--you show up for all three exams
--you come to class more than 3 times a week
--you turn in all four concert reports

YOU WILL FAIL THIS CLASS IF:
--you come to class 2 times a week
--you turn in less than 8 journals/or turn them in late
--you don't show up for exams
--you don't turn in concert reports

I'm certain most, if not all of you, will pass this class with flying colors. You need not know music theory or intensely memorize dates and facts. For every test I will hand out a review sheet at least three days in advance, and we will review material the day before the test. There is no need to worry. The tests will cover basic listening skills, such as being able to tell the difference between Stravinsky's music and Schoenberg's music; or Bach and Beethoven's music, etc. As we go through the class this quarter I will equip you with the skills you need to be able to do this. In fact, you could probably do it now with a little in-class listening. I will try to use examples from the CD's that come with your books so you can practice listening at home. The tests will also cover basic music history knowledge, and will either be in a multiple-choice or matching format. You will pass the tests if you come to class, and use the great resources that come with your books, including the CD-Rom, the listening CD's, and all the practice quizzes, composer biographies, etc. that can be found online (your book should have a link. If you can't find it, just google Norton's "Enjoyment of Music"). Please use these resources, especially if you tend to miss class a lot. I will not ask you music theory questions. I will not ask you anything that either hasn't been covered in class, or covered in the book.

As I said on the first day of class, my main objective for you is to develop your listening skills (in music as well as real life), and to develop an appreciation for music you may not have been exposed to before. Even if you don't develop an appreciation, I want you at least to think critically about why you like or dislike a piece of music. I want you to take away something valuable, something you can apply to real life--not just regurgitation of facts and dates, which you can all get from books----which leads me to my teaching philosophy.

Did any of you keep that handout I had you read the first week of class? It was for the listening exercise where I asked you to read an article, write a letter, and talk while I was playing music. That article was not accidental and random: it basically summarizes quite nicely my philosophy of education. It's written by an artist named Ben Shahn, from a book he wrote called, "The Shape of Content." It's the article that begins like this:
Attend a university if you possibly can. There is no content of knowledge that is not pertinent to the work you will want to do. But before you attend a university work at something for awhile. Do anything. Get a job in a potato field; or work as a grease-monkey in an auto repair shop. But if you do work in a field do not fail to observe the look and the feel of earth and of all things that you handle---yes, even potatoes!.....

Etc.

If you want a copy of this article I'd be happy to give you one. I love it because it's all about active learning---active vs. passive learning. Passive learning is what most of us are used to in college: going to class, listening to a professor give a lecture, and taking notes while the prof is lecturing. On the other hand, active learning is all about doing--not sitting and reading about something, or taking notes, but doing. If I told you how to run a cash register in a store, and gave you a book to read about it, it wouldn't be the same as actually standing in front of a cash register and ringing someone up. Does this make sense? I've tried to tailor my classes so that I give you some active experiences--playing and listening and writing about music, bringing in student performers to play for you, singing/dancing/clapping exercises, etc. I'm not interested in being a passive teacher or learner. I'm not intersted in delivering lectures that basically cover what you just read in the book (at least I hope you read). I will not cover every little detail in the book. That part is your responsibility. If you don't understand something you read, please tell me and I will try to make it more clear or illustrate it in class. Why would you even need a teacher who simply lectured from the book when you could just read this information in a book on your own time? Why take a class?

My job as a teacher is not to spout out facts, but to get you interested in the subject matter. If I see that you are coming to class, taking part in discussion, and doing your assignments with thoughtfulness, you will pass this class. That is all I ask. After the class is over you can decide to love or hate classical music or jazz, but at least consider it for the time being.

If you want to know more about me and my educational philosophy, read books by John Holt, Grace Llewellyn and John Taylor Gatto. I'm not just randomly thowing lectures together: I ponder deeply what I will bring to class everyday, and to be honest, it's consuming me right now. I spend a minimum of two hours everyday preparing for class--mostly because I'm new at this, but also because I want to format lectures that will be interesting, or at least amusing to you. I try to shake it up a bit by making each class a little different--by playing weird music that maybe you haven't heard before, by showing films, by reading passages from The Listening Book, by making you do silly Orff exercises (if you don't know about Orff music education, you should check out a book about it).

More about my educational background: My B.A. is in art education. That means I took art classes as well as education classes: developmental psych, general methods in education, current issues in education, etc. I went to a private women's college in St. Paul MN. I've been teaching private flute and piano lessons for 11 years. I have about six months classroom teaching experience, teaching elementary kids, junior-high school kids, and a few college teaching experiences where I subbed for a few classes last year. My deep interest and passion is education. I'm constantly thinking about what's wrong with education today and how I can help fix it.

Anyway, like I said at the beginning of this long-winded paragraph, I really need your feedback. Don't be afraid to tell me what's working and what isn't working. I realize that there are as many learning styles as there are people in the class, and it would be impossible for me to accomodate every learning style. It is your responsibility to tell me when you're confused by my lectures or something you read. I want to make this class as enjoyable and painless as possible.

TOPICS FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 9

Starting this coming Monday, we will begin discussing the various periods in music history. We are starting with the Contemporary/20th Century period (which differs from other classes, which start with the Medieval period. If you want to know why we're doing this, you can ask me). On Monday we will discuss Stravinsky. The following days, we will discuss Schoenberg, and Cage, depending on how much we vary from the schedule. The last page of your syllabus gives you a general outline of the weeks to come. I will be as specific as possible about the weeks as they happen. It's hard to project readings/assignments into the future when you have a class that meets everyday.

So, we will slip into more of a routine starting monday, although don't be surprised by the unexpected (to keep you from falling asleep in class).


ASSIGNMENT FOR MONDAY OCT. 9

*Journal #3 due (ideal playlist, 10 songs. etc. See previous post).

*read pgs. 366-379 in textbook (Chapter 61-63: "Main Currents in Early-Twentieth Century Music," "New Elements of Musical Style," and "Stravinsky and the Revitalization of Rhythm.")

*As you're reading, write down 3 questions, comments or observations about the reading. You do not have to answer your own questions, like a discussion sheet. If something confuses you about the reading, write some questions down and I will try to answer them for you. This step is important, because, starting Monday, I WILL RANDOMLY DRAW NAMES FROM A HAT TO SHARE THEIR QUESTIONS/COMMENTS WITH THE CLASS.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me or put a comment on this blog.
Thanks for reading this very long post.

Hello--

Just wanted to mention a few things before I go into detail about the presentation assignment, journal assignment for 10/9, and upcoming readings for this week.

First--

If you miss class for whatever reason, you need to be responsible for keeping up with assignments and discussions. It's crazy--as a first-time "prof" I am realizing how hard it is to make sure all students get all the information they need to pass this class. Since I can't control the frequency of your attendance, you need to check this website daily to keep up with assignments and other class info. As of now, I will not be repeating myself. I will not tell you what we talked about in class, or what the assignment was, or what articles I handed out. Please check this site or talk to someone in class. However, I appreciate emails letting me know the reasons for your absences--it's nice to know what's going on, and it shows me you care about the class and your grades. Keep sending those. But don't be discouraged if I don't reply back--I may not be able to respond to all emails.

Second--

After tomorrow (tuesday), I will take five points off 1-day late journals. Since each journal is only worth 10 points, it would be a moot point to turn it in two days late. If you are sick the day a journal is due, please try to get up off the couch and send it via email as an attachment. That way, I'll know it was done on time. That may be a good reason to start typing your journal assignments. I'm not totally unreasonable about late assignments, but I also want to make you responsible for your class work. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the class (who completed their journals on time) to give you a full grade for a late journal. Does that make sense? If there is an absolute emergency, I can be more flexible--just let me know and we'll work something out.

PRESENTATIONS:

Today, Monday, in class, we discussed the presentation assignment. I organized the class into 14 groups of four. If you were gone, you need to talk to me to see who else is in your group. I decided the groups based on your place in the alphabet and on my class roster. After we broke into groups, each group chose a Romantic-period composer (or in one case, a group specifically chose Bach) and a date to present. This is what needs to happen in each presentation:

*The group, or one person in the group, will share basic biographical information about the composer.

*Then, each person in the group takes turns presenting their piece to the class and guiding us through a listening exercise. Each person in the group needs to choose a different piece by the same composer, or a different movement within a symphony. For example, if your group was assigned Debussy, one person could present a piano prelude, one person could present the first movement to La Mer, another person could present the second movement of La Mer, and the fourth person could present string quartet. Each person, for their piece, needs to present basic info about the piece: when it was composed, when it was first performed, reception history (did the audience like it the first time it was performed, etc.), and any other little details, like, was the piece written for someone? Does it have a program? Basically, include whatever you can find on the piece. Go the the library and look at the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians in the reference section; type the composer and title of the piece into the keyword category on the library computers; ask a librarian for help; check wikipedia and google. Etc. Then, design a listening exercise for your piece. This means you must listen to it extensively to know it inside and out: listen to it at least five times (deep listening!). Then, you can decide if you want the class to listen to your piece in the dark, or with lights on and eyes closed, drawing or writing while listening, sitting on the floor, etc. Tell us what to listen for (anything special about the melody? Rhythm? Harmony?--we will be talking more about these elements this week). Each person in the group has a max of 5 minutes, for a total of 20 minutes class time. Presentations begin the week of October 16. Check in with your group to see when you're presenting. Any questions? Ask three people in your class before you ask me. Then, if you're still confused, send me an email.
--------------------------------------------

Journal #3:

Due Monday, 10/9

*Ideal playlist
--write down at least 10 songs you would include on your ideal playlist (or, if you were to make a CD of your 10 favorite songs, what would be on the list?). Be specific. Write the artist's name and the name of the song. You could also think of it as a life soundtrack: What do you listen to when you're crabby? Happy? Wistful? Angry? Sleepy? Etc.

*Find another CD in the library, or download something new, or borrow from friends--a CD/song you've never listened to before. It's just like the journal assignment you turned in, but this time it can be any style of music (not just jazz and classical). If there's a band you've been excited about checking out, do it this week, and write about it: Title, artist, song name, impressions, etc. Looking for some complete sentences here.

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The rest of this week:

On Tuesday we will be talking about "Melody." Please read this small section in the textbook. It starts on page 13. If you have a CD you'd like to share that you feel is a good example of a cool melody, bring it in and we'll give it a listen. If you want to, read ahead through the other "elements" chapters: rhythm, harmony, texture, form, dynamics, etc. We will be discussing these elements of music this week.

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Also--one last thing. I just moved this weekend, and am a little behind on grading. I will work at finishing everything this week and getting your assignments back to you. Due to the huge number of people in both classes, I may not be able to write comments on each paper. I just wanted you all to know that I am really enjoying reading your journals and responses to articles. You're doing a great job and have really profound things to say. They're quite beautiful, really. Keep up the great work.