MUSIC 150 – Music Technology Syllabus

Credits: 5

Location: Building-0A2          Room-A154

Class days and time: Monday-Friday 12:30pm-1:20pm

Instructor: Dr. Brian Cobb

Office Hours: By appointment

Office: A156

E-mail:  TBA

 

MUSIC 150 introduces the student to music technology and the basics of sound, hearing, music and production.  This course will begin with an overview of the theory of sound, simple physics, electricity and acoustics.  The history of music production will be surveyed focusing on the progression from analog beginnings to today’s digital workstations. We will simultaneously explore current hardware and software for writing and producing music featuring Digital Performer, PEAK, and Sibelius music notation software in the BCC MIDI Lab.  Throughout the quarter important examples from the history of electronic music will be presented for further scrutiny.  No prerequisites are required, but music and computer skills are helpful. 

 

Texts: There are no required texts, but for the student who wishes to have hard copy references to supplement the course lectures and demos, the following texts are optional:

 

Audio in Media  by Alten, Wadsworth Press ISBN: 0534548040

Modern Recording Techniques, Huber Focal Press  ISBN: 0240804562

Producing Music using Digital Performer by Newhouse, Berklee Press; ISBN: 0876390564

 

Additional requirements: Students may wish to purchase a zip disk or USB flash memory device later in the term to save their projects to.  A notebook or laptop will assist in note taking.  Please bring a writing instrument and paper to class.   Students will be asked to supply their email address. Assignments will be submitted by email or on paper.

 

Important dates:           Wednesday, October 11th   (no class)

                                    Monday, October 30th (no class)

Friday, November 4th  (no class)

Friday, November 11th  (no class)

November 23-24 Thanksgiving break (no class)

December 4-6 Finals week

                                                                       

Class schedule:  Monday-Friday 12:30-1:20pm

Lab hours: TBA

 

Course Organization:  The course will meet Monday-Friday for fifty minutes each day in a lecture/demo format.  Lab sessions will also be included with instructor assistance on Digital Audio Workstations. Demonstrations involving sound, recording, and technology will be given as appropriate with an emphasis on practical use. Students will be expected to participate in discussions and may volunteer to perform as part of the class demos.  Quizzes will be given about once a week and at least two written assignments will be given. Students will complete simple MIDI projects in preparation for more in-depth work in Music 151.  MIDI Lab will be available for students outside of class.  See hours listed above.

 

Grading Criteria: (Class attendance is required in lieu of required texts)

Attendance and class participation –10%

Presentations, projects, and assignments – 40%                        

Final project – 30%

Graded Quizzes – 20%                      

 

MU150 Class Plan

(This plan is open to modifications)

 

Week 1—September 18-22

·         Sound basics & the elements of music

Week 2—September 25-29

·         Introduction to acoustics & spatial music

Week 3            —October 2-6

·         Introduction to Sibelius Notation Software and Sibelius lab work

Week 4—October 9-13

·         History of recording & audio production

o        Project 1 due Tuesday, October 10th

 Week 5—October 16-20

·          “Musique concrete”, sample based music, & digital audio editors 

·         Introduction to PEAK audio editor software

Week 6—October 23-27

·         PEAK project, basics of electronics, music synthesizers, MIDI, & signal-based music

o        Project 2 due Friday October 27th

Week 7—October 30 – November 3

·         Introduction to Digital Performer software & lab work

Week 8—November 6-9

·         “MIDI music”, Digital performer project & lab work

Week 9—November 13-17

o        Project 3 due Friday, November 17th

·         Final Project preparation and assignment

Week 10—November 20-22

·         Final project work

Week 11—November 27- December 1

·         Final project work & presentations

Finals week—December 4-6

                        Final Project due date TBA

 

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of Disability Support Services located in room B132 to establish their eligibility for accommodation.

 

Student Responsibility:

Instructors may, at their discretion, agree to accept student work that is submitted in various ways, including in person, to the division office, or via e-mail.  It is the student’s responsibility to verify that all assignments are actually received by the instructor, whether they are submitted in person or electronically.

 

It is the student's responsibility, not the instructor's, to initiate communication about progress or concerns with the course.  Instructors are under no obligation to inform students that work is overdue, to nag students to complete assignments, or to call students who fail to attend class.  Similarly, students need to keep themselves informed about syllabus changes that may have been made in class.  We suggest finding a partner the first week of classes and keeping each other up to date if one is absent.

 

 

BCC Attendance policy:

Attendance at all scheduled class meetings is mandatory.  This requirement is particularly meant to apply to courses that are designated for classroom delivery, although distance education courses may also have certain attendance requirements. This requirement is intended 1) to prevent instructors from having to adjudicate individual excuses, and 2) to recognize that excuses are ultimately irrelevant both here at BCC and in the workplace.

 

While specific attendance requirements are up to individual faculty members, the Arts and Humanities Division recognizes that attending class and participating actively are perhaps the most important way in which students can set themselves up for success.  Conversely, not attending class almost certainly leads to failure.

 

Students in performance courses (Drama, Music, etc.) are reminded that attendance builds the professional relationship necessary between partners or in working groups.

 

In order for students to be eligible for a grade in a course, they must not miss more than ten classes, or 20% of the total class time scheduled, for any reason.  When absences go beyond ten, instructors may a) give a grade of "F" for the course, or b) lower the final grade as much as they see fit.  This does not imply that you may be absent fewer than ten times or 20% without seeing an effect on your grade; indeed, we wish to emphasize that any absence undermines your progress and will result in your having to work harder to catch up.  Ten absences or 20% is merely the figure beyond which you cannot go without risking your eligibility for a course grade.  In cases of legitimate hardship, students may also request that instructors grant a “HW” (hardship withdrawal), which is a non-credit grade. 

 

In summary, when you are absent from a class more than ten times or 20% in any given quarter, you may receive a failing grade.  Whatever written policy an instructor has in the syllabus will be upheld by the Arts and Humanities Division in any grievance process.