Notes:
- Course schedule subject to change. All updates will be made on this page.
- Assignments and readings are listed next to their due dates
- Abbreviations in “Readings” column:
- “UBMT” = Understanding Basic Music Theory
- “OMT” = Open Music Theory
- “SR” = Sound Reasoning
- “UM” = Understanding Music: Past and Present
| Date | Topic | Reading | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., 8/26 | Welcome! Pitch Day 1: Staff and Keyboard | UBMT 2.1.1, 2.1.3 (up through Figure 1), and 4.1 | — |
| Tue., 8/30 | Pitch Day 2: Treble and Bass clefs | UBMT 2.1.2 | HW #1 |
| Fri., 9/2 | Pitch Day 3: Accidentals | UBMT 2.1.3 (full page), and 2.1.5; OMT Basic notation | HW #2 |
| Tue., 9/6 | Rhythm Day 1: Basics of Rhythm and Meter | SR 4 (Musical Emphasis); UBMT 2.2.1, 2.2.3, and 2.2.4 (stop at “Classifying Meters”) | Blog post #1 |
| Fri., 9/9 | Rhythm Day 2: Dots, Ties, and Rests | UBMT 2.2.2 and 2.2.6; OMT Rhythm values | HW #3 |
| Tue., 9/13 | Rhythm Day 3: Duple and Triple Meter | UBMT 2.2.4 (full page); OMT Meter and time signatures | HW #4 |
| Fri., 9/16 | Rhythm Day 4: Simple and Compound Meter, and Syncopation | UBMT 2.2.7; OMT Syncopation in Pop/Rock Music | HW #5 |
| Tue., 9/20 | Scales and Keys Day 1: Major Scales | OMT Scales and scale degrees; UBMT 5.2; SR 12 (Time’s Effect on the Material) | Blog post #2 |
| Fri., 9/23 | Scales and Keys Day 2: Major Keys and Key Signatures | UBMT 2.1.4 and 5.3; OMT Key signatures | HW #6 |
| Fri., 9/30 | Scales and Keys Day 3: Minor Scales | UBMT 5.4 | HW #7 |
| Fri., 10/7 | Scales and Keys Day 4: Minor Keys and Key Signatures | — | HW #8 |
| Tue., 10/11 | Putting it all together: Composing Melodies | UBMT 3.3; OMT Composing a cantus firmus | HW #9 |
| Fri., 10/14 | Review for Midterm | — | Blog Post #3 |
| Tue., 10/18 | Midterm Exam | — | — |
| Fri., 10/21 | Sidebar: Guest Speaker | — | — |
| Tue., 10/25 | Intervals Day 1: Interval Size & 2nds and 3rd | UBMT 5.5; OMT Intervals and dyads | — |
| Fri., 10/28 | Intervals Day 2: 6ths and 7ths & Perfect Intervals | — | HW #10 |
| Tue., 11/1 | Intervals Day 3: Consonance and Dissonance | UBMT 6.3 | HW #11 |
| Fri., 11/4 | Chords Day 1: Triads | UBMT 6.1, 6.2; OMT Triads and seventh chords; UM Chapter 8 (pp. 255–273 | Blog Post #4 |
| Tue., 11/8 | Chords Day 2: Triads in Inversion & Figured Bass | OMT Introduction to thoroughbass | HW #12 |
| Fri., 11/11 | Chords Day 3: Roman Numerals | UBMT 6.5; OMT Generating Roman numerals from a figured bass line | HW #13 |
| Tue., 11/15 | Chords Day 4: Seventh Chords and Inversions | UBMT 6.4 | HW #14 |
| Fri., 11/18 | Chords Day 5: Harmonizing a Melody | — | HW #15 |
| Tue., 11/22 | Composition Project Day 1: Analyzing Classical Melodies | UM Chapter 5 (pp.117–127) | Blog Post #5 |
| Tue., 11/29 | Composition Project Day 2: Composition Practice | UBMT 6.6 | HW #16 |
| Fri., 12/2 | Composition Project Day 3: In-class work on Composition Projects | — | — |
| Tue., 12/6 | Composition Project 4: Performances of Student Projects | — | Composition Project |
| Fri., 12/9 | Composition Project Day 5: Performances of Student Projects | — | Composition Project |
| Tue., 12/13 | Review for Final | — | — |
