| MUAP n60 & n61, Applied Music – Composition | NSU Policy Statements | William Wieland |
| Northern State University, By arrangement | ||
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Instructor: Dr. William Wieland Office: Spafford Hall Room 304 Phone: 626-2499 |
Office Hours: Please refer to my Class Schedule. E-mail Address: William.Wieland@northern.edu | |
| Course Description: Individualized practical experience in the composition of music. Problems of notation, scoring for instruments, basic concepts of form, and contemporary techniques will be explored. In addition to genre exercises to develop technique, students are allowed freedom in the development of a personal music style and the exploration of forms and genres. |
| Prerequisite: MUS 111 |
| Materials: Pencil and staff paper as well as music notation software. (Several are free, including MuseScore.) |
| Activities: Composing, listening, reading, discussing, and presenting. |
| Objectives: To compose music and study the creative process. To listen to and learn about new music. To premiere and record an original work. |
| Practice: According to the NSU Music Major Handbook, “For every applied lesson students are expected to practice five hours per week.” Please budget five hours per week for composition activities. |
| Grades: Evaluating the merit of a music composition is highly subjective and I want you to find your own voice. I do not want you to spend the semester asking yourself, “What does Dr. Wieland want to hear?” Therefore, your grade is primarily based upon completing assignments on time—mostly composing. | |
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Grades are weighted as follows: 80% Weekly Compositions (½ credit for late work) — Grading Rubric — Assignments 20% Other (½ credit for late work) — Create a meaningful culminating activity. — Explore new techniques of music composition. — Listen, study, and discuss new music which we choose individually and together. (2014 Listening, 2015 Listening, & 2020 Listening) — Research and share insights about creativity. — Learn about Composition Associations and Awards. (new music titles galore!) — Possibly offer a Presentation. I will calculate your grade early in the semester, at midterm, and at the end of the semester. |
A — 90 and above B — 80 to 90 C — 70 to 80 D — 60 to 70 F — Below 60 |
| Though I grade quantity rather than quality, excellence is more important than productivity. In fact, appraising or evaluating your work is as important and as difficult as creating it. (See the new Bloom's Taxonomy.) After you compose, ask yourself the following two questions: 1) Is it good? 2) Is it new? Being a teacher, I grade my sketches A through F. I try to be strict. |
| Academic Honesty: Please refer to the Student Disciplinary Code of the NSU Student Handbook. |
| Caveat: This syllabus is subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. |