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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
MUSI D003A
Course Title (CB02)
Comprehensive Musicianship (First Quarter)
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2021
Course Description
This course covers basic knowledge such as notation, key signatures, scales, intervals, and rudimentary harmony as well as skill development including sight-singing, rhythmic training, ear training, and keyboard work.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is a major preparation requirement in the discipline of music for at least one CSU or UC. This course is required for the °®¶¹´«Ã½ A.A. Music degree. This course is part of the core six-quarter group of courses, each of which is required. This course is needed for all music majors or minors in order to graduate or transfer. This course introduces students to basic music literacy.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
C-IDArea(s)StatusDetails
MUSMusicApprovedMUSI D003A & MUSI D003B & MUSI D003C required for C-ID MUS 120 and C-ID MUS 125 and C-ID MUS 130 and C-ID MUS 135

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours3.57.0
Laboratory Hours1.50.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
42.0
Laboratory
18.0
Total
60.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
84.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
84.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned material

Discussion and Problem solving performed in class

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative Projects

Assignments

  1. Music notation exercises
    1. Notation of all or part of the first 16 partials of the partial series from any given fundamental or from any given partial number within a named partial series
    2. Transcription of non standard notation into standard notation
    3. Writing of diatonic modal and tonal scales with and without corresponding key signatures
    4. Rudimentary notation of various tertian sonorities in various positions with various voicings
  2. Composition of and with motivics demonstrating direct manipulation, close variation and specified development techniques
  3. Analysis of 2, 3, and 4 imitative polyphony indicating intervals, voice motion, dissonance treatment, and standard identification of basic imitation relationships
  4. Readings in the principal text
  5. Computer lab work on assignments both specific to a particular week and in pursuit of quarter length goals distributed at the beginning of the quarter.
  6. (Optional) Suggested extra credit assignments in pursuit of the performance or study of any style of music from any culture, especially those not presented to any significant extent at the college and linked to the course by the student

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Student in class board work evaluated for the extent to which the student is making progress towards the minimum 70% accuracy required to be deemed successful
  2. Computer lab work for skill development, effort, and improvement evaluated for the extent to which the student is making progress towards the minimum 70% accuracy required to be deemed successful at the time of the transfer ready exam in Music 4B.
  3. Individual sight singing/rhythmic training final exam graded on a percentage of accuracy basis
  4. Individual keyboard final exam graded on a percentage of accuracy basis
  5. Final written exam including short answer, fill in, and notation
  6. Periodic and final in class melodic and rhythmic dictation evaluated for the extent to which the student is making progress towards the minimum 70% accuracy required to be deemed successful by the time of the transfer ready exam in Music 4B
  7. Written assignments (generally 2-3 per week) graded for whether the work is above, at, or below the standard established for satisfactory progress. "At" the standard means the combination of conceptual and mechanical errors is at or close to the historical average of students who later succeed on tests of the same kind of material.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • Music manuscript paper
  • Access to a keyboard instrument
  • Access to recorded audio playback
Essential College Facilities:
  • Classroom with enough staff lined boards to allow all students to work simultaneously, piano, multiple media sound playback equipment with adequate speaker system, and computer lab facility suitable for Comprehensive Musicianship instructional and notational software

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
*Benward, Bruce. "Music in Theory and Practice", 9th edition 2014.
*Sadie, Stanley Ed. "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", London: Grove Press 2nd edition, 2001.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Berkowitz, Charles et al. "A New Approach to Sight Singing". New York: W.W. Norton, 6th edition 2017.
Burkhart, Charles. "Anthology for Musical Analysis". New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston, (7th edition 2012).
Sadie, Stanley Ed. "The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music", New York: W.W. Norton, 2003.
Starer, Robert. "Rhythmic Training", Universal Music Publishing Group, 1997.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Recognize and write, as appropriate, all basic standard notation as well as the harmonic partial series, its intervallic structure, and the basic formulas for various tuning systems, utilizing the frequency ratios found in the partial series.
  • Recognize basic musical materials by sound in the music of many cultures such as Japanese, Chinese, Balinese/Javanese, Indian, Pakistani, Persian, North African/Middle Eastern, West African, East African, South African, and Latin American.
  • Play at the keyboard basic versions of diatonic modal and tonal scales (to three sharps or flats), intervals, and simple notated melodies in preparation, ultimately for transfer placement exams.
  • Sight sing simple, conjunct diatonic melodies in major, minor, and the diatonic modes and sight read (includes the production of sound) simple and compound meter rhythms including all permutations of two and three to the beat in a steady tempo.
  • Analyze and compose first and second species 2 part modal counterpoint and analyze 3 and 4 part imitative diatonic counterpoint as directed.

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate knowledge of notation and scales by being able to notate all diatonic modes and standard diatonic mode variants from a given key and mode name.

  • Demonstrate the use of solfeggio in accurate sight singing of melodies containing a preponderance of conjunct motion.

Outline

  1. Recognize and write, as appropriate, all basic standard notation as well as the harmonic partial series, its intervallic structure, and the basic formulas for various tuning systems, utilizing the frequency ratios found in the partial series.
    1. Timed and untimed interval recognition and interval notation quizzes used for instant feedback and increasing security and usability of knowledge
    2. Writing clefs, key signatures, and meter signs in appropriate order and exactness in an approximate tempo as well as for use in other notating tasks.
    3. Writing rhythms demonstrating proportional durations up to two rhythmic levels above and below a beat rate indicated by various meter signs, both rests and note values.
    4. Notating the partial series from memory using standard notation, including indications of where this notation might be said to be misleading if not modified by something indicating higher or lower frequency than standard tuning systems would produce.
    5. Solving various acoustics based problems by using knowledge of the frequency ratios in the partial series and the capacity of various sound sources for sympathetic resonance
    6. Writing critically about statements regarding both the technical aspects of various tuning systems and their musical ramifications
  2. Recognize basic musical materials by sound in the music of many cultures such as Japanese, Chinese, Balinese/Javanese, Indian, Pakistani, Persian, North African/Middle Eastern, West African, East African, South African, and Latin American.
    1. Given a recorded example of multidurational or metered music, the student will identify rhythmic proportions and or meter in music of a variety of cultures as above
    2. Given a recorded example, the student will identify tempos, articulation, and basic textures in music of a variety of cultures as above
    3. Given a piano distillation of the stable pitch content in a recorded example, the student will identify scales and or modes used in music of a variety of cultures as above as well as notate unfamiliar scales from a given pitch.
  3. Play at the keyboard basic versions of diatonic modal and tonal scales (to three sharps or flats), intervals, and simple notated melodies in preparation, ultimately for transfer placement exams.
    1. Given the name of a major or minor key, the student will play at the keyboard up and down one or two octaves using any kind of articulation named, major and minor scales (all three familiar forms) to three sharps or flats
    2. Given the name of any of the six diatonic modes for which there is a body of music literature, the student will play at the keyboard up and down one or two octaves using any kind of articulation named.
    3. Given a major or minor key and the name of a simple or compound interval, the student will play at the keyboard, other pairs of pitches with the same arithmetic distance from a series of given single pitches/pitch class names in tempo.
    4. Given the name of a simple or compound interval, the student will play at the keyboard, all but the least commonly used intervals from a series of given pitches/pitch classes in tempo
  4. Sight sing simple, conjunct diatonic melodies in major, minor, and the diatonic modes and sight read (includes the production of sound) simple and compound meter rhythms including all permutations of two and three to the beat in a steady tempo.
    1. Individual and group sight singing/rhythmic in weekly training sessions
    2. Using beaters, conducting gestures accompanying vocalization, clapping, and dancing to demonstrate beat cycles and beat subdivision up to six
    3. Using beaters, conducting gestures accompanying vocalization, clapping, and dancing in sight reading difficult to memorize rhythms.
  5. Analyze and compose first and second species 2 part modal counterpoint and analyze 3 and 4 part imitative diatonic counterpoint as directed.
    1. Given a short two voice piece, the student will produce a written analysis of intervals, voice motion, and dissonance treatment
    2. Given a short two voice piece, the student will produce a written analysis of cadences and cadence formulas
    3. Given short two, three, and four voice pieces of highly imitative music, the student will produce a written analysis including the duration of and intervals of time and pitch of imitative sections in terms of successive points of imitation or changes in imitative relationship.
    4. Compose, in first species 2 parts, of a counterpoint against a given utilizing the Fux species counterpoint approach
    5. The student will analyze the rules and norms presented in the Fux method for stylistic appropriateness versus an understanding of musical effects from a non stylistic approach as well as its applicability to non diatonic and or post tonal music

Lab Topics

  1. Computer assisted instruction: Scales
  2. Computer assisted instruction: Intervals
  3. Computer assisted instruction: melodic dictation
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