Course Syllabus

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Welcome

We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Mizzou  Academy's global student body.  

Course Overview

Music is everywhere today; you couldn't escape it if you wanted to. Unfortunately, most of us don't know how to truly listen to music. We are forced to hear it all the time—when on hold on the telephone, in elevators, in the grocery store—and so we train ourselves not to listen to music. This course is intended to help you cultivate and train yourself to listen and to respond intelligently to music of all genres and periods.

This course should help you to meet the following objectives:

  • fit music into the context of world history
  • recognize instruments of the orchestra
  • recognize music from various musical periods
  • identify what you think is good music and understand why

Throughout your life, you will most likely be a consumer of music, either through live concerts or recorded music. The only true requirement for you as a student of this course is to take it with an open mind. You probably will not have heard most of the music we will be listening to in this course; don't assume that because you haven't heard it, it isn't any good. Everything we will listen to is a proven winner! Understand the period, and you will appreciate the music. Remember, there is a difference between liking and appreciating something. This course isn't about liking all types of music; it's about appreciating all types of music.

This course will help you get introduced to many different types of music while also learning to listen to the music you know and love from a different point of view.

Course Description

This course explores the concepts, styles, techniques, instruments, and history of music from the Medieval through the Classical eras as well as contemporary music.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • identify melodies and fundamentals of music
  • explain form and dynamics
  • listen to and recognize music instruments and ensembles
  • relate period music to music of other times: medieval, renaissance, Baroque
  • learn to analyze the music you love

Note: Not all of these objectives will occur in every lesson, but they are the basis for our study.

Pacing

This course can be completed in as few as six weeks or take up to 6 months (180 calendar days). The six weeks are counted from the date of the first lesson submission and not the date of enrollment. For your convenience, here is a pacing guide you can download to track your progress in the course. 

Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Exams

You are required to take two proctored exams for this course.

To pass the course, you must earn a minimum of 60 percent on your exams group (see grades section below for details.) See the "About Exams" in the policies section for addiitonal information on exams at Mizzou Academy.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on submitted work and exams. The available points are distributed as follows:

Weight Distribution
Source Weight
Quizzes and Written Assignments 40%
Exams 60%
Total 100%

The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard:

Grading Scale
Grade Percentage
A 90–100
B 80–89
C 70–79
D 60–69
F 0–59

After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts. 

Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due