Course credit
3 credit hours
Course description
Exploration of music within the context of evolving Western culture. Music fundamentals and vocabulary. Repertories from the medieval world through the post-Romantic era. Students must attend and report on two live classically oriented concerts.
Delivery
This course is available in a web-based format, utilizing web pages and WebCT, a computer conferencing program. WebCT requires Internet access and a web browser — no additional software is required. Students may need access to someone who can assist with computer set-up.
This course is available in a print-based format. Mail completed assignments to the GIS Office. We will forward them to the instructor for grading.
Prerequisites
none
Instructor
Diane Vallentine, Instructor
Mrs. Vallentine received her B.M.E. and B.M. in Theory and Composition degrees from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1982. She received her M.M. in Theory degree with an emphasis in composition from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky in 1991.
Currently she is an Adjunct Music Instructor in the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa. Previous employment has included: Private Studio Teaching; Director of Bands (grades 5-12); Woodwinds Instructor; guest Conductor, Adjudicator, and Clinician; Church Music Director; Professional Music Copyist.
Mrs. Vallentine’s musical experience is mainly in instrumental music. While the saxophone is her primary instrument, she enjoys performing on the flute as well. She performs regularly in a church music group, has participated in various musical ensembles at the university level and in the community, and has also made guest solo and faculty recital appearances. Mrs. Vallentine has won several awards in composition contests and her compositions have been performed throughout the Midwest.
Mrs. Vallentine was a Summa Cum Laude graduate and is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Iota (women’s professional music fraternity), and currently is a faculty advisor to the SAI chapter on the UNI campus.
Personal interests of Mrs. Vallentine include photography, scrapbooking, bike riding, cooking, reading, crafts, travel and tennis (unfortunately not much time is left for these activities after attending to family and career!).
The Vallentine family consists of Diane, her husband John, daughter Cori, daughter Nicki, son Stefan, and daughter Mallory.
Evaluation
8 assignments, 2 concert reports, 4 exams
Overview
Our Musical Heritage explores music within the context of evolving Western Culture (music as it developed in European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, England, etc.), ca. 400-2000, and examines the basics of music fundamentals and vocabulary. Our current style of music has taken a very predictable and logical course of development and we will observe these changes from the earliest times into the 20th century. Even though this class concentrates on the classical style of music, this course is designed to enhance your general musical knowledge and to help you become a more perceptive and critical listener of any musical style.
The most important aspect of this course is the time spent in listening. Listening to examples as you read through the text and understanding the influences placed on the development of our musical styles is of utmost importance. Influences from the past guide the future and without listening and understanding these influences, the student will not fully appreciate our musical heritage.
Course outline
The required course assignments, concert reports and exams will be divided as outlined below:
Assignment 1: Units 1-2
"Intro to Music" & "Elements of Music"
Assignment 2: Units 3-4
"Structure/Form" & "Voices/Instruments"
Assignment 3: Unit 5
Concert Report #1
Assignment 4: Unit 6
"Medieval Music"
Assignment 5: Unit 7-9
"Renaissance Period" & "Baroque Music"
EXAM #1
Assignment 6: Unit 10
"Music in Our World"
Assignment 7: Unit 11-13
"Classical Music"
EXAM #2
Assignment 8: Unit 14
Concert Report #2
Assignment 9: Unit 15-19
"Romantic Music"
EXAM #3
Assignment 10: Unit 20
"The Twentieth Century"
EXAM #4
("Take Home")
Course organization
Access to a CD Player equipped with a counter is required to complete the course.
The course is divided into 10 assignments, and four exams. Three of your exams will be taken as a proctored exams and Exam 4 will be a take home exam that you will mail to the Guided Independent Study Office.
Assignments
All assignments must be completed in the order given.
Assignments 3 and 8 are Concert Reports.
Concert reports
Two live concerts must be attended within the duration of the course (according to the outline of assignments above) upon which reports must be written. These concerts must be a classically oriented performance such as orchestra, band, chamber group, choir, solo recital, etc. Each concert must be a different type of performance. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce, University, or Community College for possible performances in your area. You must clear your choice with the instructor before you attend the performance to make sure it qualifies for this requirement. It is preferred that you attend either a college level or professional level performance (not Elementary, Jr. High or High School). If you attend a professional level performance such as the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra or those in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids or Des Moines, you will receive 5 extra-credit points on your final grade average for the class. Please note that this is the only way to earn extra credit in this course. The information and format of these reports will be outlined within the respective Assignment pages.
Exams
The exams are composed of multiple choice questions covering the material studied in each unit for that particular exam, as well as listening analysis examples. The first three exams are proctored. You will need to take a cassette recorder with you when you take the exams. The final exam is a "take home" exam.
Grading
Grading is based on an average of all completed assignments, concert reports and exams. The approximate percentage breakdown is as follows:
Textbook(s)
Listening to Western Music by Craig Wright, ©2008; Thomas Schirmer
Purchase text packaged with a 6-CD set (also includes an Intro. CD inside the back of the book) + CengageNow™
Texts are available from www.bookfinder.com
University Book and Supply carries most books used in guided independent study.
To search for textbooks by course, click on "Select a Campus Term" and select Univ.Northern Iowa - Guided Independent Study
Visit the store at 1009 West 23rd Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: 319-266-7581 or 800-728-7581
Fax: 319-277-1266
E-mail: bookstore@panthersupply.com
To enroll
ONLINE
GIS enrollment information
IN PERSON
UNI Continuing and Distance Education
2637 Hudson Road (corner of 27th St. and Hudson Rd.)
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0223
Campus map (Look for Building 31)
For more information
Cindy Klodt, Guided Independent Study
UNI Continuing and Distance Education
319-273-2123 or 800-772-1746
ContinuingEd@uni.edu