40% of your grade for the semester will be based on the Midterm and the Final Exams you will submit. More information will be presented as the exam time draws near, but here are general guidelines for those examinations.

The frequent quizzes and proctored exams found in traditional classes allow students to demonstrate the accumulation of low level facts and information, from which it is assumed they have mastered the higher order thinking presented in lectures and discussions. A distance learning environment requires, by its nature, "open book" testing. In such an environment, you will need to display your mastery of low level facts and information by using them to construct your own higher order syntheses or analyses.

This is a good time to remind you of the self-reliance needed to succeed in a distance learning class.

Each of the exams will require you to attend a live performance of music. [If there is some physical reason which would absolutely prevent you from attending any performances during the semester, let me know as soon as possible.] There are many potential performances available. For instance, for those of you in Casper, ARTCORE, the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society present dozens of programs. Many of these require an admission fee. There are many free productions of the Casper College Music Department. The CC Theatre Department presents a musical every Fall semester. (This year it is Children of Eden. ) Every full-time student is allowed one free ticket as part of their fees. ARTCORE, in association with the Student Senate, has been making a ticket to any of its events available to full-time students. Check at the desk at the Student Center. Any music performance counts: public school concerts, high school musicals, nightclubs, etc., as long as the music is a live presentation.

The 4-5 page paper may require some additional research into the background of the composers, performers, style, history, etc. Each paper should demonstrate your mastery of the knowledge acquired in the course. Therefore, the Midterm should concretely describe the concert and the music in terms of the information presented in the early chapters: the music's function, the physical environment, means of expression, component to culture, connection to a community, memory and learning, etc.

In the Final exam, you will briefly address these points, but you will also add more direct analysis of the music itself, as related in later Units of the text and videos, in terms of rhythm, timbre, melody, harmony, and form. You should also give information relating to the composers and/or performers.

As with the biweekly papers, the value inherent in the words you write is more important than the exact number of words you use in the process. Although it may sound like an overwhelming task now, remember, you will know a lot more by the time you tackle either of the reports.

Intro to Music syllabus

General Information onIntro to Music Biweekly Assignments