Contemplating Music

Presented here are alterations to the class procedure and assignments in order to adapt to online function amid social distancing measures.

The course outline is hardly altered, we can just move our topics back one week. The main thing that will be altered is the manner of our working together, This will unfold gradually: we’ll try a hybrid of video-directed preparation ahead of class and video-conferencing in the last part of class in the first week. After seeing how that goes for the April 3 class, we’ll either do the same thing again or will alter the plan for the next week, and so on.


COURSE OUTLINE

March 20 no class – spring break
March 27 no class – spring break
April 3 Messiaen sixth movement: in-class work prepared by at-home work using a “Listen-and_Journal” method
April 10 Messiaen seventh movement: potentially same process as 4/3, potentially all by teleconference (Zoom)
April 17 Messiaen final movement: process TBD
April 24 Final paper due: SEA account of whole piece


ASSIGNMENTS

Here is where the biggest change will potentially occur, certainly for the first week, for class on April 3.

due date assignment

April 3 Using the video that will be available by Wednesday 4/1/20 at noon, complete the Listen & Journal assignment (see below) ahead of class (or during the first part of class on your own) and be ready to share your essay or other thoughts which come from the L&J process. We will start a Zoom teleconference from 1:00 on 4/3, realizing that we will likely end up with about a half-hour for actual class work once technical details are solved.

April 10Potentially a similar or the same process as described above, depending on how well that goes.

April17 Potentially a similar or the same process as described above, depending on how well that goes.
April 24 Final paper due: SEA account of whole piece


Listen and Journal steps:

1. Listen to the example once.
1. Write a brief entry that addresses these questions (responses here do not have to be in complete sentences, just capture your thoughts quickly:
1. What in the music caught your attention (attracted or repelled you)?
2. What details do you remember after the first listen?
3. What energies do you perceive, how would you describe them?
2. Listen again
1. Another brief entry, addressing these questions:
1. How did your impression of the music change on second hearing?
2. What in the music caught your attention this time?
3. What details do you remember this time?
4. How has your perception of the energies changed?
5. What in the music is causing your reaction, your assessment?
3. repeat the listen-respond cycle (i.e., step 2) until you have listened a total of at least four times, then:
1. Write a summary of the experience, taking special note of how your perception of the music shifted with repeated listenings.
2. Draw a diagram of the musical shape you perceive, tracing either its overall energy or some other outstanding parameter (volume, density, tempo, etc.) that gives it shape.
4. post your diagram and essay to the Teams site for our class (address a message to us by entering @2020CM and attaching the documents)