Just a reminder to everybody, course evaluations are due tomorrow night. These are important, because your input will help make the course better in the future. It’s always nice to know your opinion matters :) Anyway, in the spirit of course evaluations, I am going to give an overview of my courses for anybody who might be taking those courses and stumble upon this in the future.
First off is MUSC 105 (Musicianship I).
Course description: This is basically ear training and sight singing. You learn to use moveable-do solfege, identify intervals and chords, dictate melodies and rhythms, and perform rhythms and melodies at sight. If you already have these skills, you can take challenge exams at the beginning of the year and be exempt from this course and move up to a higher level that suits you.
Textbook use: This course requires Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing and Anthology for Sight Singing by Gary S. Karpinski, and the accompanying CD. They’re rather expensive, but you use the anthology every class and the manual is needed to examinations, and using the CD for practicing dictation. Also, there are four Musicianship courses you will take in your first two years, and you use these books for all of them, so it’s a good buy.
Homework: Homework is assigned each class, but it isn’t much and it isn’t for marks. So you could just not do any homework, but I’d really recommend doing it, because if you do you’ll be in great shape for the exam. This is stuff you have to practice to get the hang of.
Professor/TA: This course is only taught by TAs that alternate each class. The TAs I had were very good and very nice, but they’re typically graduate students, so the TAs probably change each year.
Class format: This class is just a tutorial twice a week. Class sizes are small, about fifteen or so. You practice the concepts in class with the TA and your classmates. I thought it was a good preparation for the exam.
Additional comments: This is a pass/fail course, so even if you aren’t awesome at sight singing, it won’t affect your average. That said, make sure you practice enough to do well, because if you fail this course twice, you’re kicked out of the school!
That's me! I'm a fourth year, introverted, Winnipeg-hailing, blog-writing, cookie-eating, harp-playing, yoga-doing, blanket-knitting music student at UBC. I'm always trekking around campus in my Pumas and massive black backpack, and if you spot me, come say hi! It would be nice to know someone actually reads these things!
Wow! Impressive and thorough review! :)
THIS IS SO HELPFUL!!!!! You are literally saving my brother! (and I am b/c I am doing his work) He is about to fail grade 10 and needs to do an assignment on post-secondary courses, having trouble finding out about required textbooks until I found your blog! You are a lifesaver, really cool how you documented your post-secondary experience, I wish everyone did this!