[Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Fri Feb 17 11:18:58 EST 2012

Yes, A B B A, that stuff, recap, etc.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonboy13 at comcast.net>
To: "This is for discussing music and braille literacy" 
<menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

> Hello,
> I'm good to even get a theory class at my school! These teachers are 2 
> adjunct teachers that are filling the place of the normal teacher who 
> usually teaches there. (He took a break to go write an Opera! :()
> The problem with the pieces that he analyzes are that they are pieces he 
> thinks of on the spot and pulls out of his guitar case, they are examples 
> in the book or they are pieces he writes in front of the class.
> I will suggest to him that he should reduce the number of pieces to maybe 
> one and to play that one in class before we start taking it apart. I will 
> also ask that he get our opinions before he takes the piece apart.
> When you say he asked for the form analysis do you mean identifying if it 
> was sonata form and where the themes were and whatnot?
> We haven't learned any of that in this class. If we want to learn about 
> sonata form or any other structural form we need to take the classical 
> music history classes. I will suggest to him that he please go over that 
> as well.
> The problem is in the entrance exams at conservatory they don't ask you to 
> dissect a piece's form. Also I'm thinking that because there is a majority 
> of non musicians in the class the teacher doesn't want to go out of their 
> comprehenchen. If he does loos those students they won't sign up and if a 
> class doesn't get at least 20 people at the start of a quarter it gets 
> canceled. Also the teacher thinks of music in his 50s rock songs which for 
> some reason most of the non musicians know... It's a balance between 
> pleasing the audience and teaching the material. The second teacher at the 
> lab is very good with this...
> In my opinion staying with classical would be fun, composing in class 
> would be great and I totally get the need for understanding the different 
> forms music takes, but I'm not sure if all the other students who don't 
> play do. I will suggest the above things to him and see if he will be 
> willing to apply them.
> Any other suggestions or descriptions of another theory class would really 
> help!
> Thank you,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Dewald van Deventer
> Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 12:42 AM
> To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.
>
> Hi.
> Wow, 6 in 2 hours!
> We would have done only one in one hour's lesson, and then we would only 
> do
> the necessary stuff.
>
> Maybe you could just listen to the recordings beforetime.
>
> My professor had a CD player in class, and the first thing we did, was to
> first listen to the piece completely.
>
> And then he would ask the form annalesis. And then break it apart bit by
> bit.
>
> The small examples he would then play at the piano.
>
> So i would say, get really familiar with the corals or whatever you do the
> day, and then sleep in class!
> Just joking.
> But he really sounds, a bit, erm, on his own planet.
>
> Dewald.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonboy13 at comcast.net>
> To: "This is for discussing music and braille literacy"
> <menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 8:37 AM
> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.
>
>
>> Hello,
>> I'm learning OK, just not all the time. I have a tutor and Bettie is 
>> transcribing my assignments. The problems are the 2 hours in class...
>> I suggested to him that instead of analyzing other composers we write 
>> something and ask questions that way. The problem is that the other kids 
>> seem to be at a loss to figure out what to do. This is not a 
>> conservatory, it is a community college, so my teacher is not the top of 
>> the line. He does play the music somewhat, but not in a very descriptive 
>> fission. He's one of those teachers who rambles on and doesn't stop till 
>> the class is at the end. I have no idea how he keeps enough energy to 
>> ramble for 2 hours strait, but he does. I've been getting an A by just 
>> going to class and guessing what all the theory is from the basic 
>> instructions are in the assignments, but I feel like I could be learning 
>> so much more
>> The music book they are using isn't Brailed and I've had some difficulty 
>> trying to get the right book on the computer... They do have modules 
>> online that give websites that have all the instructions for the concepts 
>> they are teaching though. The online stuff is for the online class, so 
>> perhaps I can consider taking just the online class if this teacher 
>> doesn't start becoming more creative. We do have two teachers in this 
>> class, the lab teacher is really good, her 1 hour lab seems like 5 
>> minutes so if I did the online section I wouldn't want to miss that...
>> I'm just wondering what other teachers do? I'm pretty sure they don't sit 
>> at the piano and board going note by note through 6 Bach corrals in one 
>> day. I'd say that analyzing a piece is cool, but 6 pieces is a little 
>> much in 2 hours. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. I am getting the 
>> feeling that he is starting to get the message that things are really 
>> boring, but this is his first year teaching theory, so I think he is just 
>> not brimming with ideas to make his class interesting. Composing in class 
>> is cool, but what else could he do? He plays guitar pieces and some piano 
>> pieces, but he does jump through every kind of music without any kind of 
>> restraint... He doesn't get why parallel 5ths were considered bad and he 
>> goes from talking Bach to talking beetles in the same sentence. In 
>> something like this it is the teacher's job to teach ideals and it is up 
>> to the students to break them. This might just be my opinion, but I don't 
>> want to be given a very loose etheric set of rules when I'm trying to 
>> prepare for conservatory. He said: "My teacher made us rays our hand and 
>> promise that 'the seventh must resolve down.' I still don't see why 
>> people thought that way because to me the 7th sounds just fine moving up, 
>> but that is what I was taught."
>> I get the idea that music is all in the ears of the beholder, but that 
>> doesn't tell me what the classical ear wants.
>> Am I mistaken to expect a second quarter first year theory class to 
>> establish firm rules and only go over exceptions later in the second two 
>> years? I know Bartok, Bach and Beethoven didn't follow very many rules, 
>> but when the teacher goes off and starts to talk about the Blues or Jazz, 
>> he's talking about a whole new set of ideas. Jazz is somewhat close, but 
>> Blues and rock are two vastly different ideas. A rock song usually has 4 
>> chords, but then my teacher will talk about something like Dark Side of 
>> the Moon or some other artist that was popular in the 70s...
>> I've only been in theory for one and a half quarters and I haven't been 
>> exposed to any other theory teachers.
>> What else could I suggest to accelerate the class for me while still 
>> keeping the sighted students happy and while not swamping the teacher 
>> with loads of extra assignments to keep track of.
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message----- 
>> From: Chris Smart
>> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 10:47 AM
>> To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
>> Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.
>>
>> yes, you need to have a serious talk with your teacher! He needs to
>> either give you a copy of his notes you can access before or after
>> class, or adapt his teaching style so he is verbalizing more of
>> what is going on. Also, playing all examples on the piano or
>> similar instrument.
>>
>> If he doesn't seem receptive to this at all, go to your college's
>> disability services people. If they give you the brush off, go to
>> the Dean of the music department. Go as high as you need to up the
>> chain of command, until someone takes you seriously and is willing
>> to fight for you.
>>
>> Chris
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> CTS MASTERING: PROFESSIONAL MIXING AND MASTERING!
>> http://www.ctsmastering.com
>>
>> Dropbox: Have your stuff when you need it. 2GB is free
>> http://db.tt/bQ2GuIt
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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