Horn Pedagogy and Literature Syllabus


UI School of Music
Horn Pedagogy and Literature
025:254:001
Spring 2009


Syllabus


Instructor: Jeffrey Agrell
Office: M12
Phone: 335 -1648
Cell: 541-6965
E-mail: jeffrey-agrell@uiowa.edu
Instructor No. 127
Office Hours: TBA
Horn Studio Web Site:
www.uiowa.edu/~somhorn


Course Description

25:253 Advanced Brass Pedagogy and Literature I: Horn. This is a half-semester course, meeting twice weekly (T/Th 9:30-10:20 in M12), January 20-March 12, 2009

I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require some modification of seating, testing or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me in my office by appointment.

Course Goals
Through bi-weekly classes the student will gain:
Knowledge of pedagogical topics relating to the horn
Knowledge of the standard literature (etudes and solos) both elementary and advanced, of the horn
Basic knowledge of the history and development of the horn

Course Requirements
Contribute to class discussion by being prepared with all assignments on time.
Assignments as specified below. Due dates are not negotiable because
class discussion will often be dependent upon your understanding of the assigned work. Late papers will be graded down one letter grade per day late.
Consider making extra copies of all assignments to give to the other students.
Students should pick up Course Pack at Zephyr Copies asap.
Students should have a 3-ring binder for any additional handouts, notes, and other information.

Grading
The final grade will reflect the average of grades:
Class discussion participation: 30%
Papers & reviews 40%
Listening notes 20%
Giving a beginner lesson 10%
Plus/minus grading will be used.

Listening assignments
Listen to the assigned recordings. Hand a paragraph each on each composer and work (general style and specific characteristics). Suggestions to get started: liner notes, Groves Online, reserve texts, UI horn studio web site links.

Written papers
•Peruse the texts on reserve in the library, take notes.
•Take note of agreements and disagreements, with special attention to particularly interesting or unusual approaches to each topic. Give your own opinion, but justify it.
Format: upper right hand corner: Name, Horn Ped/Lit, Date. Centered title: subject of assignment.
•Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date listed.
All written assignments (including Listening Assignments) should be computer printouts (i.e. not hand-written). Spell check [computer] and proofread your work before handing in! Computers will not catch confusions between homonyms like their and there, your and you’re, for example. You will be marked down for typos and proofreading errors. Consider exchanging papers with a classmate and proofread each other’s papers.

Written reviews
Format for title bar (first paragraph):
Composer: Title. Arr/ed. Publisher, year. Grade level (1-6 [easy to difficult]).
should be well-written and specific, including discussion of:
musical style, harmonic language, rhythmic complexity, historical perspective (including date or era of composition), comparable pieces if helpful
difficulty, range, tessitura, endurance considerations
special techniques required (multiple tonguing, mutes, stopped horn, extended techniques)
length, number & character of movements
the accompaniment (difficulty, relative weight, reduction?)
the edition, especially for older works available in multiple editions

Review Suggestions
1. Use professional musical vocabulary. Take care with word choice and syntax. Avoid clichés, slang, and trite colloquialisms like the plague. Eliminate qualifiers like “rather”, “quite”, “sort of”, and so on. Don’t use constructions like “it seems.” Take a stand: is it or isn’t it?
2. Refer to music and book reviews found in
The Horn Call for examples of length and style (most often, 150-200 words; 2-3 paragraphs)
3. Reviews can and should reflect your opinion of the material, but you must back up your statements with facts, references, and logic.
4. Readers of your reviews often want to know whether they should purchase the material. Tell them very clearly why they should spend – or save – their money. List pros and cons; tell who would benefit from the material and who would not.
5. Be clear, simple, and direct. Don’t say “eschew obfuscation” when you can say “be clear.”

NB: We will use the pitch naming convention of the American Acoustical Society, i.e. middle C = C4, an octave about that is C5, and so on.

Note Taking
What you don’t have to hand it for grading:
•class notes (but it is highly advisable to take them – detailed notes will help you later when you have to teach horn)
•Notes from your reading
What notes you do have to hand in for grading:
•Notes on listening assignments
Attendance
Attendance is expected for all classes. If you are unavoidably detained, let me know asap by phone or email before class begins. The first unexcused absence will drop your semester grade by one-third; the second an additional whole letter grade; three unexcused absences mean an Incomplete for the semester.

Disclaimer
Changes may be made in the course content and/or order of presentation as the semester progresses in response to the needs of the individual students and the class as a whole.

Questions?
If there is anything about the course information or assignments that is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask the instructor asap. Announcing on the day that an assignment is due that the instructions were not clear is not an acceptable excuse for lateness of an assignment.


Student Rights and Responsibilities (From Chapter 7 of the CLAS Faculty Handbook)

All students in the College have specific rights and responsibilities. You have the right to adjudication of any complaints you have about classroom activities or instructor actions. Information on these procedures is available in the Schedule of Courses and online in the College's Student Academic Handbook. You also have the right to expect a classroom environment that enables you to learn, including modifications if you have a disability .

Your responsibilities to this class - and to your education as a whole -include attendance and participation. You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and cheating is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook. You have a responsibility to the rest of the class-and to the instructor-to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level, this means that you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the courtesy you hope to receive in turn.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Policies and Procedures


Administrative Home of the Course
The administrative home of this course is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which governs academic matters relating to the course such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, issues concerning academic fraud or academic probation, and how credits are applied for various graduation requirements. Different colleges might have different policies. If you have questions about these or other CLAS policies, visit your academic advisor or 120 Schaeffer Hall and speak with the staff. The CLAS Academic Handbook also contains important CLAS academic policy: www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/index.shtml

Accommodations for Disabilities Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, instructors provide reasonable academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Students seeking academic accommodations first register with Student Disability Services and meet with a counselor in that office who reviews documentation and determines eligibility for services. Students approved for accommodations arrange to meet privately with course instructors. Visit Student Disability Services at www.uiowa.edu/~sds/.

Complaint procedure
www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml#4
Making a Suggestion or a ComplaintStudents have the right to make suggestions or complaints and should first visit with the instructor, then with the course supervisor if necessary, and next with the departmental DEO. All complaints must be made as soon as possible. For more information visit, www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml#5
CLAS policies and procedures for complaints involving grades
Complaints should be brought to the attention of the instructor, department, and if necessary the CLAS Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services (120 Schaeffer Hall) as soon as possible. Only in extraordinary cases may a procedure involving a complaint begin more than six months after the time of the incident. Students with grading grievances are responsible for providing all documentation except for grade records. According to College policy, grades may not be changed by the College without the permission of the department concerned (see the above link).
Understanding Sexual HarassmentSexual harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University. It subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Visit this site (www.sexualharassment.uiowa.edu/) for definitions, assistance, and the full University policy.
The Ombudspersons Office, located at C108 Seashore Hall (335-3608), provides conflict resolution services, as well as general information about University policies and procedures. (www.uiowa.edu/~ooombuds/)

Make-Up Exams
University regulations require that students be allowed to make up examinations which have been missed due to illness, mandatory religious obligations, other unavoidable circumstances, or University-sponsored activities. (www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/iv/02.htm#21)

Academic fraud and cheating
http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml#1
All forms of plagiarism and any other activities that result in a student presenting work that is not his or her own are academic fraud. All academic fraud is reported to the departmental DEO and then to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services. See Academic Fraud at www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml for the complete policy.*
Be aware that almost all instructors at The University of Iowa check for plagiarism using the Turnitin.com plagiarism detection system:
www.uiowa.edu/~provost/plagiarism/turnitin/index.shtml.

University’s Statement on Diversity
“The University of Iowa values diversity among students, faculty, and staff, and regards Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action as tools to achieve diversity. The University believes that a rich diversity of people and the many points of view they bring serve to enhance the quality of the educational experience at The University of Iowa.” (http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/ii/08.htm#82)

Student Classroom BehaviorStudents have the right to a classroom environment that encourages learning. The ability to learn is lessened when students engage in inappropriate classroom behavior, distracting others; such behaviors also is a violation of the Code of Student Life (http://www.uiowa.edu/~vpss/policies/ii/a.shtml#main). When disruptive activity occurs, a University instructor has the authority to determine classroom seating patterns and to request that a student exit the classroom, laboratory, or other area used for instruction immediately for the remainder of the period. One-day suspensions are reported to appropriate departmental, collegiate, and Student Services personnel (Office of the Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students).

Reacting Safely to Severe WeatherThe University of Iowa Operations Manual section 16.14 outlines appropriate responses to a tornado (i) or to a similar crisis. If a tornado or other severe weather is indicated by the UI outdoor warning system, members of the class should seek shelter in rooms and corridors in the innermost part of a building at the lowest level, staying clear of windows, corridors with windows, or large free-standing expanses such as auditoriums and cafeterias. The class will resume, if possible, after the UI outdoor warning system announces that the severe weather threat has ended.

University Examination Policies; Missed exam policy. University policy requires that students be permitted to make up examinations missed because of illness, mandatory religious obligations, certain University activities, or unavoidable circumstances. Excused absence forms are required and are available at the Registrar web site: www.registrar.uiowa.edu/forms/absence.pdf
Final Examinations. An undergraduate student who has two final examinations scheduled for the same period or more than three examinations scheduled for the same day may file a request for a change of schedule before the published deadline at the Registrar's Service Center, 17 Calvin Hall, 8-4:30 M-F, (384-4300).