MUT 1121: Music Theory and Musicianship I

Department of Music
College of Arts and Humanities, University of Central Florida

COURSE SYLLABUS – Fall 2018

Lecture Instructor: Bob Thornton Lecture Meeting Times: MWF (8:30-9:20am)

Office: PAC – M231 Class Location: PAC-M150
Office Hours: Wed. and Fri. (9:30-11:30am)
Tues. and Thurs. (1:30-3pm)
E-Mail: robert.thornton@ucf.edu
Office Phone: 407-823-3377

Lab Instructors: David Herzog, TBD Lab Meeting Times: various

Lab Locations: various

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is the first semester of a four-semester music theory program.

It provides an introduction to the study of tonal music through the exploration of melody, rhythm, harmony, and
musical form. Written and aural skills will be emphasized.

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

The general goal for the music theory sequence is to develop an informed and intelligent approach to the perception
and creation of tonal (and atonal) music.

By the end of this semester, students should have a fluent understanding of the following concepts:
Pitch Notation, Rhythmic Notation, Simple Meter, Compound Meter, Major and Minor Scales, Major and Minor
Keys, Intervals, Triads, Seventh Chords, Basic Chord Functions, Common Harmonic Progressions, SATB Texture,
Principles of Voice Leading, Triad Inversion Functions, and Cadences

Aural Skills – Students will develop the ability to perform and/or identify intervals, simple meter rhythms, major
scales, minor scales, diatonic melodies, triad chord qualities, and basic chord functions.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

(1) Kostka, Stefan, and Dorothy Payne. Workbook for Tonal Harmony with Connect Student Access Card. 8th
Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2018. ISBN: 9781260197082
(2) Benjamin, Thomas, Michael Horvit, and Robert Nelson. Music for Sight Singing. 6th Edition, Boston, MA:
Schirmer, 2013.
(3) Horvit, Michael, Timothy Koozin, and Robert Nelson. Music for Ear Training. 4th Edition, Boston, MA:
Schirmer, 2013.
(4) Staff Paper
WEBCOURSE:

The webcourse for MUT1121 can be accessed through your myUCF account using your NID and NID password.
Once logged in, simply click the “Online Course Tools” tab at the top of the page to list your webcourses. The
homework assignments will be posted each week on the webcourse.

GRADING SYSTEM:

60% of your final semester grade for the course will come from the lecture portion and 40% will come from the lab
portion.

LECTURE – 60% of overall semester grade

40% Homework Assignments

Homework will be assigned each Friday in lecture and due the following Wednesday.
Each assignment will be graded for accuracy and given a percentage grade. Late
assignments, no more than one class late, will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor
for half credit. Your homework grades will simply be averaged to determine your overall
Homework Assignments grade.

25% Midterm Exam

25% Final Exam

10% Composition Project

Composition project format/details will be discussed when the project is assigned on the
date listed in the lecture schedule.

LAB – 40% of overall semester grade

75% Ear Training and Sight Singing Tests

Three ET/SS tests will be given throughout the semester. Tests will include elements like
interval recognition, rhythmic dictation, melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, isolated
chord recognition, rhythmic performance, sight singing, and/or prepared singing.

25% Ear Training Assignments / Prepared Melodies

Ear Training assignments will be posted on a regular basis to the webcourse. The
assignments will come from the Ear Training textbook. Specifics such as due dates,
grading procedures, etc., will be included in the posted directions for each assignment.

The melodies/rhythms listed in the lab schedule should be prepared weekly for lab
performance. Instructors might specify which melodies to prepare for each class. Students
will be called on randomly to demonstrate their preparation of the appropriate exercises.
Also, lab instructors might randomly collect in-class dictations to check progress. Prepared
melodies/rhythms and in-class dictations will be graded simply as CREDIT, HALF
CREDIT, or NO CREDIT.
 Lecture Proficiency Tests
Three 5-minute proficiency quizzes will be administered throughout the semester. These will be graded
simply as PASS or FAIL. A passing grade is 80% or better. 2 points will be deducted from your overall
final semester grade for each proficiency quiz failed. However, you’ll have unlimited opportunities to take
each quiz.

Attendance
LAB – Students are allowed two unexcused absences throughout the semester. A student’s final lab
grade will drop three points for each unexcused absence beyond two.

LECTURE – Students are allowed three unexcused absences throughout the semester. A student’s
final lecture grade will drop three points for each unexcused absence beyond three.

Make-up Tests
Make-up tests are only allowed in cases involving medical or family emergencies. It is a student’s
responsibility to contact the instructor about making up a test. If allowed, all makeup tests will be scheduled
ASAP after the original test date.

Grading Scale A = 92-100 C = 72-77

A- = 90-91 C- = 70-71
B+ = 88-89 D+ = 68-69
B = 82-87 D = 62-67
B- = 80-81 D- = 60-61
C+ = 78-79 F = 59 and below

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

All faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. In order to
document that you began this course, please complete the pre-assessment by the end of the first week of classes, or as
soon as possible after adding the course. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the disbursement of your financial
aid. The pre-assessment will not affect your grade at all, but will simply allow us to document the varying degrees of
fundamental theory knowledge among enrolled students.

Students are strongly encouraged to keep a consistent study routine for this course. The homework assignments
mandate some outside work, but additional study will be necessary for some students to feel comfortable with the
material. It is extremely important that you fully understand a concept before we can introduce a new one.

Please come by my office at any time throughout the semester if you are having trouble grasping the material. I am
happy to offer additional assistance and guidance. If you are unable to come by during my office hours, please
schedule an appointment.

Student Conduct: Students should conduct themselves at all times in accordance with the University of Central
Florida’s “Golden Rule” and its accompanying rules of conduct. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to
the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words,
don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. Please do not ask me to change (or expect
me to change) your grade illegitimately, or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.
Please refrain from using cell phones (texting) during class.

Student Disabilities: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all
persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the
professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided
until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be
registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD
only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.
Notice: This syllabus provides a general overview of the expectations and schedule for this course. I reserve the right
to make alterations to the course syllabus and/or schedule if I deem them beneficial or necessary.

GENERAL LECTURE SCHEDULE

Chapters refer to Tonal Harmony.

All homework will be assigned on Friday in lecture and will be due the following Wednesday.

Week of:
Aug 20 Intro and Pretest, Chapter 1
Assignment #1

Aug 27 Chapter 1
Assignment #2

Sept 3 Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3)

Chapter 2
Assignment #3

Sept 10 Chapter 3
Assignment #4

Sept 17 Chapters 3-4

Assignment #5

Sept 24 Chapters 4-5

Assignment #6

Oct 1 Chapter 5 and Review

MIDTERM EXAM (October 5)

Oct 8 Chapter 5 cont.

Assignment #7

Oct 15 Chapter 6
Assignment #8

Oct 22 Chapters 6-7

Assignment #9

Oct 29 Chapter 7, Composition Project Assigned (Nov. 2)

Assignment #10

Nov 5 Chapter 8
Assignment #11

Nov 12 Veterans Day (Monday, Nov. 12)

Chapter 9
Assignment #12

Nov 19 Chapter 9-10

Nov 26 Chapter 10 and Review

Dec 5 FINAL EXAM (7:00 – 9:50am)

GENERAL LAB SCHEDULE
Units correspond with both the Ear Training and Sight Singing textbooks. The prepared melodies/rhythms for each
week come from the Sight Singing book. Regular ear-training assignments will be posted to the webcourse.
Week of:
Aug 20 Intro, Unit 1

Aug 27 Units 1-2

Melodies – pages 6-8 (nos. 1-26)
Rhythm – Unit 1

Sept 3 Unit 2
Melodies – pages 18-19 (nos.1-11)
Rhythm – Unit 2

Sept 10 Unit 2
Melodies – pages 20-21 (nos. 12-27)
Rhythm – Unit 2

Sept 17 ET/SS Test 1

Sept 24 Unit 3
Melodies – pages 27-28 (nos. 1-15)
Rhythm – Unit 4

Oct 1 Unit 3
Melodies – pages 29-30 (nos. 16-26)
Rhythm – Unit 4

Oct 8 Unit 4
Melodies – pages 39-40 (nos. 1-15)
Rhythm – Unit 4

Oct 15 Unit 4
Melodies – pages 41-42 (nos. 16-27)
Rhythm – Unit 4

Oct 22 ET/SS Test 2

Oct 29 Unit 5
Melodies – pages 55-56 (nos. 1-11)
Rhythm – Unit 5

Nov 5 Unit 5
Melodies – pages 57-58 (nos. 12-21)
Rhythm – Unit 5

Nov 12 Unit 6
Melodies – pages 73-74 (nos. 1-10)
Rhythm – Unit 6

Nov 19 Unit 6
Melodies – pages 75-76 (nos. 11-20)
Rhythm – Unit 6

Nov 26 Unit 6 and review

Melodies – pages 75-76 (nos. 11-20)
Rhythm – Unit 6

Finals Week ET/SS Test 3