The curriculum for all four music theory courses are developed from the same five themes. Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) for Music Theory I are listed under each theme. SLOs are also aligned with the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) EC-12 music standards.

Theme 1

Technical terminology allows musicians to communicate efficiently and accurately in order to enhance the creation and performance of music. 

SLO 1: (SBEC 001:A-B, D; SBEC 004:A-C, E; SBEC 009:D) Students who successfully complete Music Theory I will strengthen their written and oral communication skills by demonstrating fluency with technical terminology through the identification and/or construction of the following music fundamentals:

• Pitches on Treble, Bass, Alto and Tenor Clefs
• Pitches on Keyboard
• Major/Minor 2nds
• Simple Meter Rhythmic Patterns
• Compound Meter Rhythmic Patterns
• Major Scales
• Major Key Signatures
• Minor Scales
• Minor Key Signatures
• Major/Minor 3rds
• Major/Minor/Diminished Triads
• Dominant Seventh Chords

Theme 2

Music is an aural art form that can be visually captured through music notation in order to improve its longevity and performance accuracy.

SLO2: (SBEC 004:A; SBEC 005:A) Students who successfully complete Music Theory I will strengthen their written communication skills by demonstrating proficiency in the construction of the following musical notation fundamentals:

• standard placement of notepads, stems, and accidentals
• standard placement of staff elements such as time signatures and key signatures
• standard placement of expressive elements such as articulation and dynamic markings
• style-specific spacing and placement used in species counterpoint and Common Practice Period chorale-style and keyboard-style 4-part writing 

Theme 3 

Musical genres and eras are defined by shared expectations of composers, performers, and listeners across a variety of musical elements (melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, orchestration, form, etc.). The interaction of these elements create a distinctive sound for a piece of music or music of a particular composer, era, region, or genre. 

SLO3: (SBEC 001:A, SBEC 002:A,C; SBEC 003:A,C; SBEC 004:A-E; SBEC 005:B,D) Students who successfully complete Music Theory I will strengthen their cultural awareness and analytical and critical thinking skills by summarizing basic stylistic characteristics of various styles of Western music through the analysis of musical scores and performances. 

Theme 4 

The theory of music is based upon a set of expectations that composers and performers can meet, exceed, and thwart to elicit emotional response from their listeners.

SLO4: (SBEC 001:A-E, SBEC 003:A,C; SBEC 004:A-E; SBEC 005:B,D; 007:B-C, 009:D-E) Students who successfully complete Music Theory I will strengthen their analytical and critical thinking skills by analyzing how the following musical elements elicit emotional response by comparing these characteristics to oral communication and motion principles in the physical world:

• rhythmic & metric devices
• melodic contour
• dynamic contrast
• tendency tones
• treatment of dissonance
• cadences

Theme 5 

Musicians must develop a “hearing eye” and a “seeing ear” through essential aural and performance skills in order to convey and understand meaning in musical contexts.

SLO5: (SBEC 005:A-D) Students who successfully complete Music Theory I will strengthen their written, technological, and analytical and thinking skills by composing the following musical structures:

• melodic phrases
• melodic periods
• short chord progressions
• 2-line species counterpoint exercises

All students are expected to attend synchronous face-to-face sessions in the classroom. A synchronous Zoom option or an asynchronous option will be available to students who are currently ill/quarantined or who have direct conflicts with the class time (e.g. medical appointment). Students who need one of these options for a particular date should send an email to the instructor by 8 a.m. of the day they will miss.

Attendance for both options will be taken through D2L. An attendance assignment will be posted in the course for every class session. If you attend a synchronous face-to-face session, you will submit a photo with a daily posted image during class or you will log into the day’s Kahoot. If you attend a synchronous Zoom session, you will be required to submit a screenshot of the posted image or log into the day’s Kahoot. If you view an asynchronous video of a class session, you will be required to submit a screenshot of the day’s posted image.

Students who have failed to submit attendance assignments for 3 or more consecutive classes will be reported to the Early Alert monitoring system. Students who have failed to submit attendance assignments for 6 or more total classes by October 1st will be dropped from the course for non-attendance.

All course content is posted on the course site on D2L. There is no need to ask what was missed during a particular session, as a video from each class will be posted in the attendance assignment for that day.

If you encounter any emergencies during a particular week that make any of the attendance options impossible, please contact the instructor via email as soon as possible. Please designate a roommate or loved one who will email your professors in case you become incapacitated and cannot attend class. The instructor is unable to reply to your designee unless you have signed a FERPA release form in the registrar’s office allowing them access to your educational records.

Initial submissions of homework and composition projects must be made by the due date for each assignment. If the initial submission is late, a 10% penalty will be incurred. There is no penalty for resubmissions.

Note: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception.

Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters.

We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student.

We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed.

Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, (940) 397-4140.

The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor's expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MSUTexas e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

All students seeking a Bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University must satisfy a writing proficiency requirement once they've 1) passed the 6 hours of Communication Core and 2) earned 60 hours. Students may meet this requirement in one of three ways: by passing the Writing Proficiency Exam, passing two Writing Intensive Courses (only one can be in the core), or passing English 2113. If you have any questions about the exam, visit the Writing Proficiency Office website at https://msutexas.edu/academics/wpr, or call 397-4131.

Senate Bill 11 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature allows licensed handgun holders to carry concealed handguns on campus, effective August 1, 2016. Areas excluded from concealed carry are appropriately marked, in accordance with state law. For more information regarding campus carry, please refer to the University’s webpage at https://msutexas.edu/campus-carry/rules-policies.

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