This is topic I survived! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
 
...my first lecture-teaching experience, that is. 131 students, in a large lecture hall, and I actually got to interact with a few of them! (I was told it would be difficult to get a group that large to have any interaction).

To provide some perspective for this, previously the largest group of people I've taught has been 30 or so, so it's VERY exciting that this went well.

Does anyone else have any early back-to-school success stories?
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
Yay for Megan!

What did you say you were teaching? Music theory?

Farmgirl
 

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Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
 
Music theory, but this time it's Fundamentals of Music (as in today, I said things like, "In music, we name the pitches of the notes by the first seven letters of the alphabet!"). We also get into early ear-training, making them sight-sing and recognize intervals and things like that. They're nearly all freshmen, so they're too young yet to have decided that I know nothing simply because I don't have the Dr. in front of my name quite yet.
 

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Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
 
Wow, nice milestone.
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
*shock* There are actually people that go to college that have never been exposed to the fundamentals of music in lower grades?

Farmgirl
 

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Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
 
As it turns out, yes...though the first day is pretty basic for 99% of my students. We get into slightly more complicated material pretty quickly, things like harmonic structure and performing moderately complex rhythms on sight.

I have a broad mix of students, though. The range from people who are music majors and have just never been exposed to the theoretical side of music to people who are just taking the course because they want a basic understanding of how music is structured. My class is one of the only theory classes here that is available to non-music-majors, so I get ALL sorts of people.

Edit: Thanks, Sara!

[ August 31, 2004, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Megan ]
 

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Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 

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*shock* There are actually people that go to college that have never been exposed to the fundamentals of music in lower grades?

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There are actually people that go to college that have never been exposed to the fundamentals of music in lower grades?

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*raises hand sheepishly*
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
That's great Megan, congratulations! I think that about 25 is the biggest class I've ever taught, and I found that to be pretty overwhelming. I'm impressed!
 

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Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
Keep in mind that the "fundementals of music" isn't the same "fundementals" you were taught in grammer school...

College courses are a bit more involved. I played 9 insturments in High School, and sang (poorly) in choir, but my music theory class was harder than i thought it would be considering my background in music.

I liked it, but it wasn't all BEADGCF...

Kwea
 

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Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
 
Hooray! Congrats, Megan!
 

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Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
 
I took AP Music Theory in High School and could not get the hang of it, and I was a six-year saxophonist.

[ September 02, 2004, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
 

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Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
 
I WISH my high school offered AP music theory!
 

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Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
 
Kwea, actually, that's what my fundamentals of music class is, to be honest In fact, we won't get to BEADGCF for a week or two yet. The class I teach is sort of semi-remedial. The vast majority of incoming music majors go straight to the class after mine.

Re AP Music Theory, I took it in high school, but mine was primarily ear-training (which actually was what I needed more!). I did well (got a 5 on the exam)...and then discovered that the vast majority of music schools don't count any score on that exam for anything important. Most places have their own placement exams, and really don't care what you get on the AP exam.

And thanks for everyone's support and good wishes! It's been a nice start to the school year for me.

[ September 02, 2004, 03:45 PM: Message edited by: Megan ]
 

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Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 

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I liked it, but it wasn't all BEADGCF...

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There are actually people that go to college that have never been exposed to the fundamentals of music in lower grades?

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I'm more surprised that there are music majors who have never been exposed to the basics of music. I can understand that many people first learn to play by ear, but it surprises me that they know hardly anything. How many of these types of people, Megan, do you have in your class?
 

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Posted by TimeTim (Member # 2768) on :
 
I'm taking music Theory 1 now. It's absolutely terrible. My Professor will say something in class that will make sense, but then when I try to apply it to my homework, I become confused, disoriented and frustrated. I like the material, I just wish I could figure out what the hell is going on.
 

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Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
 
Teshi, most people at least know the very basics that I'm introducing this week. A lot of people, though, have never learned things like the pattern of whole steps and half steps in a scale, or how to sight-sing (both of which I teach early on, and components of skills that get reinforced throughout the semester). Some of these people just have a lot of native skill but have had their private teachers focus so much on performance and very little on the structure of the music they're performing. Also, a lot of singers (of which I get a bunch!) have ALWAYS learned things by ear and have barely learned to read music at all...but sing very beautifully for all that, and get accepted into the music school based on that.

TimeTim, where are you at school? Are there graduate assistants who can help you? Or a tutor list? What book are you using? If push comes to shove, you can always go to the professor and say, I really don't understand what's going on; can you help me? Most professors are glad to help students who are having difficulties.

And Dag, actually music theorists are using coded acronyms in order to take over the world and subjugate athletic departments at schools everywhere. After that, we'll force all of you to learn to sing movable-do solfege and to write four-part chorales with perfect voice-leading! Muahahahaha!

BEADGCF is the order in which flats appear in a key signature. The order in which sharps appear in key signatures is actually that in reverse, FCGDAEB. We use the mnemonic device "Fat Cats Get Down And Eat Beans" for sharps and "BEAD Gets Crushed Flat" for flats. This probably doesn't make any sense out of context...but I thought I would at least try to explain that acronym...

I think this may be my longest post ever. Maybe I'm starting to come out of my lurker's closet...
 

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