Mon Apr 8 - class cancelled

Class cancelled today Mon Apr 8. I really don't want to share this high fever etc with you! See you Wednesday.

Chamber Singers Concert to Feature Swing, U2 and Bandari

The Middle Georgia State College Chamber Singers, directed by Rebecca Lanning, will present their spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Arts Complex Rehearsal Hall on the Macon Campus.

The Chamber Singers will be joined by the Middle Georgia State Drumming Ensemble, directed by Miguel Castro, and Robert McTyre, tenor. The music will include everything from swing to U2 to the multi-movement Bandari that features Afro-Caribbean and African rhythms from Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya.

This event is free and open to the public.

http://www.mga.edu/news/newspage.aspx?sqid=59

Just Because It's Monday....

http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/nose/

[No, it has nothing to do with class].

CONCERT COMING UP - Sunday April 14

Warner Robins Community Concert Association

presents

Griffin Choral Arts

The repertoire for the Warner Robins concert will feature John Rutter’s GLORIA and Robert Ray’s GOSPEL MASS, as well as other selected repertoire from Griffin Choral Arts’ sixth season.

Griffin Choral Arts is composed of 50 singers from all over the region, many of whom are music teachers at the elementary, middle, secondary, or college level. The mission of  Griffin Choral Arts is to bring “the best choral music to the community.".

Sunday, April 14, 20133:00 P.M.First United Methodist Church 205 North Davis DriveWarner Robins, GA 31093
Students: FREEAdults: $10 at door
For more information:info@wrconcert.orgwww.wrconcert.org

Personal note:
The Macon State Chamber Singers performed both of these pieces a few years back - VERY COOL stuff. The "Gospel Mass" is exactly what it sounds like. Very enjoyable to perform AND to hear.

Joey Stuckey Band - Friday - MOVED INSIDE

Because of the weather, the Friday 3/22/13 Joey Stuckey Band concert HAS BEEN MOVED to the Cox Capitol Theatre.

6-8 pm, FREE.
We will be selling the CD, of course... and you can get it autographed.
[ooooooooooooh!]


Cox Capitol Theatre
382 Second Street
Macon, GA 31201
478-257-6391

D2L reminders

1. The Calendar has several concerts listed - mostly stuff I lifted from Mercer Music Dept.'s online calendar. These are NOT the only possibilities. Time's a-wasting - better get on it!
   
2. I've updated the gradebook in D2L with Class presentation grades and all the concert reports grades to date.
   
3. I've also added in the absences - the Attendance column has the number of ABSENCES I have recorded for you. Let me know if there is a problem with the number there - best method is to send a D2L email to me.

Test 2 has been graded and posted

Dive over into D2L and check your score.

Concert: Fri March 22

A concert with a Caveat:
[look it up if you don't know what that means!]

Coleman Hill Jazz Concert
Presented by Jones, Cork & Miller
Come early, with blanket and picnic ready for a fantastic evening of music from the Joey Stuckey Band overlooking one of the most beautiful views of Macon, Georgia at night!
6-8 p.m. -  Free admission

The Caveat:
I'm keyboardist for the band - but don't try to be "nice" and butter me up! I want honest writing and opinions, so don't be afraid to write something negative. I grade these based on your writing, NOT whether I agree with your opinions!

Quick notes for a rainy Monday 2/25

Check D2L for

1. Classical powerpoint file
2. Calendar entries for concerts that count. Do NOT assume they are correct, though - things can change since I typed them up!

Test 2 will be RIGHT after Spring break - so don't let your brain go to mush over the break!

Mercer percussion ensemble concert this Friday. It's going to be verrrrry interesting, and fun - and FREE - AND it counts for a concert report. Ya just can't beat that!

Feb 6 class recording posted to D2L

I just posted the recording of the Feb 6 class. Head over to D2L, in the
Music Appreciation class --> Baroque folder.
You'll see the mp3 there, as well as the powerpoint.

Several good concerts coming up - check the D2L calendar [which has several listed - it is NOT everything going on, though. Check the Friday Macon Telegraph!]

Test News

IF you left something in PSC109, it's in my closet office...er...cubbyhole.

The score you saw on EZtest is NOT complete - the listening hasn't been added to it. Your test score will be [questions answered correctly] + [listening score] / 69.. which will give you your score out of 100 points.

Each listening example is worth a half-point each.

Apologies for the blank question. Oh, well, more work for me...D'oh! That one won't count at all on your test score.

When will it be scored? I will be grading them over the next day or so, between lessons and rehearsals and meetings and and and..... I'm hoping to get them posted to the D2L gradebook by end of day Friday.

Have an excellent weekend - See you Monday, ready to dive into the Baroque period!

Pix from Fall 2012 posted

If youa re still on the email list from Fall 2012 - you might like to know that the pix from our recording session have been posted at

http://on.fb.me/VPd3n4

FYI!

Free Concert: Thursday night in Rehearsal Hall

Since "Classical" music is more complex than Popular styles, it is often helpful to know a bit about what you are going to hear, and to actually get familiar with the piece beforehand. It is FAR more interesting that way [and thus it'll be easier to write the concert report!].

Below the graphic are some notes and links.

CONCERT ETIQUETTE

1. If the concert has already started, DO NOT ENTER until you hear applause.
2. TURN OFF THE ELECTRONIC GIZMOS before you enter the room!
3. You generally applause only at the end of the ENTIRE piece [ie. NOT between movements] - thought somebody may go ahead and applaud anyway.
4. This material is extraordinarily difficult, and requires a tremendous amount of concentration by the performer.....so out of respect for the several thousand hours of preparation [yes, that number is correct], do nothing to distract the performer!

The Beethoven Waldstein Sonata is a 3 movement piece - that means that there are 3 primary sections to it, and Dr. Altman will pause in between each one and "reset". Each movement is a difference mood and speed.

Wikipedia article - Youtube search [pick any of them towards the top of the list]

The Stravinsky piece

is renowned for its notorious technical and musical difficulties. All three movements include wild and rapid jumps which span over two octaves, complex polyrhythms, extremely fast scales, multiple glissandos, and tremolos. [Wikipedia]

i.e. you are going to see and hear some incredibly difficult music. Watch Dr.Altman's hands - they will be flying!   Youtube search

Chopin wrote many pieces for piano, most of them shorter in length than the other pieces on this program. These are all meant to capture the character of a moment, as opposed to the epic Beethoven sonata. Mazurkas and Polonaises are Polish folk dances - Chopin has written music that would remind you those dances [if you were Polish!] but that goes well beyond just the simple folk dance music.

• Ballade - recording available on the wikipedia page
• Mazurka
• Polonaise

Kamien Connect problem - FIXED!

If you tried to setup teh Kamien Connect account, and were told that the class was no longer open for registration.......my apologies!

I missed a setting. It has now been [presumably] fixed!

WELCOME TO SPRING 2013

Just a post to get things started for the new semester.

If you're done with the class, you might want to UNSUBSCRIBE to keep your inbox from getting cluttered - there's a link down at the bottom of the email.

GRADES

It will be Thursday before the grades get posted into Banner (I have a funeral to attend this afternoon).

HOWEVER:

1. All the grades - even the Kamien Connect grades, are in the Vista gradebook. You can type them into the downloadable gradebook [an excel spreadsheet I've placed in Vista]
2. The final exam has been graded as well.
3. The concert reports that were turned in have been graded - they are all in my mailbox in the MCA office, inside a folder. Ask the secretary about them - and be nice. She has a difficult week this week with all the end-of-semester stuff she has to handle! 

THE LISTENING:

1. Slow Ride in a fast machine by John Adams - on your CDs. 20th C. The syncopation and instrumentation were clues, as was the use of the synth [but that's a bit tricky to hear] .
2. "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on piano - JAZZ. I mentioned to someone that it was my recording, but that is NOT true [ I forgot which file I'd uploaded]. This is a recording by a phenomenal pianist named Cyrus Chestnut. Check him out @ http://www.cyruschestnut.net!
3. Concerto Grosso #1 1985 by Zwilich-Taffe. 20th C, built around a theme by Haydn... so is a mix of 20th C. and Baroque [a.k.a. "quotation music"].
4. "Mars", from THE PLANETS by Holst. This is late Romantic orchestral music, but does foreshadow some 20th C techniques, as some of you heard. Many of you saw it as a movie score - a very programmatic thing!
5. Minimalism #2, by.......THIS CLASS! This was the recording we did the other day. I was a bit surprised at the number of people who DIDN'T catch that. See http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments to listen to all we recorded that day.

More news later.........

Our Recordings - online!

The Aleatoric and Minimalism pieces we recorded the other day have [finally!] been edited and posted online.

Surf over to

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

This semester's tracks are at the top of the album. You can download them, stash them wherever, use them to annoy siblings/pets, etc. Share the links with your family/neighbors/pet hamster/favorite enemy......!

Feel free to compare your version with other class' versions!

Some notes regarding Vista, Final Exam

Some tidbits:

1. After signing into Vista, click on Assessments. You should see a  list of the exams. Click on one, and you can see the questions, your answer, plus the correct answer.
2. This is also how you'll see how you did on the Final Exam listening - I'll be adding text in the comment box for each listening question.
3. The gradebook in Vista is a bit annoying for you guys - it shows spaces for several years worth of previous tests. Basically, just look for items [tests, scores, etc] that have a number beside them. Ignore everything else.
4. I'd explain why it's that way, but you'd be bored, and we're dropping Vista in another week anyway!
5. There is a grade spreadsheet available in Vista where you can manually type in your grade and it will calculate it for you.
6. Final Exam: new questions from 20th Century after 1945 section, plus jazz, plus the Music Biz/Tech stuff covered over the semester.....between 1 and 34,745 questions.
1. 
   
7. Final Exam listening: Could be anything on the planet that has ever been recorded. This is the question you'll see on each one: "What era is this piece from? Why do you think so?"
8. Get a handle on the basic musical characteristics of each period - that will be a good starting place. More information about your thinking is MUCH better than less.
9. In other words: Longer answers are probably a better choice, unless you can positively identify the piece. That automatically gets you the points.
10. DO NOT PANIC!

See you Monday.

Vista Grades

I just updated the Vista gradebook with Concert Report scores, Presentation Scores, and number of absences.

Check them - if something is missing or incorrect, it is YOUR responsibility to let me know!

Concert Report Deadlines

Concert Reports are due at today's class [Wed]
EXCEPT:

1. If you attended Tuesday's MSC Chamber Singers concert, turn in your concert report NO LATER THAN 11:59pm Friday night [12/7/12]. Put in my mailbox in the MCA office, OR email it to me.

2. If you attend the Thursday night Joey Stuckey Band thing at the Sports Hall of Fame [$10/ticket, starts @ 7:30] turn in your concert reports at the Final Exam Monday.