Calendar

LEC # TOPICS KEY DATES
1 Welcome - Ritual Reading of the Syllabus - Overview
Unit One: The Big Picture

Everyone will participate in Unit One large-group improvisations as a vocalist, even if you have no training. When you're assigned to participate in a small-group improvisation, you're free to choose your best instrument (where "instrument" includes your voice as an option).
2 What is "Music"? What is a "Score"? How are they Related?

Cook: "Music: An Imaginary Object"
3 Form and Proportion; Large-scale Rhythm and Phrase Rhythm (Special Guest: Jewlia Eisenberg, Composer-performer) Drill 1 (solo piece)
4 Speed, Volume, and Register

Quiz 1
5 Timbre Revision of Drill 1 (trio piece)
6 Texture and Articulation Assignment 1 (duo piece) due
Unit Two: Rhythm

Everyone will participate in Unit Two large-group improvisations as a percussionist, even if you have no training. You are responsible to procure or construct your own instrument no later than Lec #8 class meeting. When you're assigned to participate in a small-group improvisation, you're free to choose your best instrument (where "instrument" includes your voice as an option).
7 Symmetric Meter Assignment 2 (solo piece) due
8 Accent and Syncopation

Quiz 2
9 Polyrhythm and Polymeter Assignment 3 (duo piece) due
10 Asymmetric Meter Assignment 4 (duo piece) due
11 Alternatives to Meter Assignment 5 (trio piece) due
Unit Three: Melody and Harmony

Use your best instrument (or voice) for all improvisations, whether large-group or small-group. Instrumentalists: this means you must bring your instrument to every class meeting.
12 Consonance and Dissonance Assignment 6 (solo piece) due
13 Intervals and Harmony

Quiz 3
14 Melodic Construction and Transformation Assignment 7 (duo piece) due
15 Contrapuntal Relationships Assignment 8 (duo piece) due
16 Drone, Ostinato, Chaconne and Passacaglia Assignment 9 (trio piece) due
17 Contrasting Harmonic Areas

Quiz 4
18 Deadline For Final Projects
Unit Four: Onward and Beyond

Instrumentalists: bring your instrument only for the rehearsals of the piece(s) in which you'll play it.
19 Sampling, Quotation, Paraphrase, and Allusion

Read-through of Large-ensemble Compositions
Assignment 10 (trio piece) due
20 Polystylism

Rehearsal of Large-ensemble Compositions
Assignment 11 (trio piece) due
21 What (and How) do Sounds Mean? Assignment 12 (trio piece) due
21 Dress Rehearsal of Large-ensemble Compositions

Quiz 5
22-24 Performances Of Final Projects

Post-concert Discussion of Performances
25 Report on Your Final Project
Final Examination