Introduction to Music
Introduction to Music In this course we will develop critical listening skills through guided study of selected works of Western classical, popular, and folk music, as well as a sampling of music from non-Western cultures, from the Middle Ages to the present. Students will learn to listen actively, to identify how music uses basic sound materials— such as rhythm, melody, timbre, texture, and harmony—to create meaning and expression, and to draw connections between music and its social and historical context. Previous musical training is not required.
Class was fine, honestly just felt like a waste of time a lot. Work was pretty optional as all readings were covered in class. It was very western-centric, but the musical selections were interesting sometimes.
This course would have been good if there where 20 people in the class not 50. There is not any room to really talk about music because of this. I felt like there wasn't much engagement with the material and days blended into each other. However, I you are looking for an easy class to fill out an art requirement look no further.
This course teaches the overall history of Western music. There are two writing assignments and quizzes, both asking you to analyze music pieces we learned in the course. Professor Simon will credit your answer as long as you show your effort. You don't need any prior experience to take it.
I took this class for the distribution requirement, and even though I received a good grade, I did not enjoy the format or content of the class very much. I enjoyed the concert report assignment, but I felt there was an unnecessarily long word count for most of the homework assignments.
This class was very much out of my comfort zone but the professor made all the material digestible and easy to understand. I loved the listening projects and the concert reports, because it made the learning very personal.
Professor Simon was enthusiastic and you could tell she tailored this class to those who were not as familiar to music. If you put in the effort, this class is an easy A class and I recommend it for those looking for a filler class.
Danielle Simon is a very passionate professor who really enjoys the thinks that she lectures about. Fact of the matter I didn't find the course that interesting, and its one of those were you get out what you put in. Easy A regardless.
Honestly a great, easy class. If you need a filler this is the class for you. There were 2 hw "quizzes" every week with a listening response that take no more than a half hour each. You have to do a little bit of studying for the exams, but those aren't terrible. Good class if you need a filler.
This course feels like a missed opportunity - it could compare the musical traditions of a variety of areas across the world. Instead, it follows a very western-centric worldview that does not add much value to my life. The only redeeming quality of the class is listening to some interesting pieces, but honestly not worth taking overall.
There was very little course work for this class and occasional readings. However, the exams were difficult because you needed to memorize a lot of random songs. Professor Hamberlin was very enthusiastic about the class.
Professor Hamberlin's class is really easy, and the assignments aren't too bad. Just remember to stay on top of the assignments, and go to class for the exams. Its a good filler class, but do not ignore the work.