Music Theory I: Fundamentals

This course was a bit of a disappointment for me. I took it because I love music and wanted a bit more of a formal background, but I absolutely did not get that. Prof. Taylor rarely assigned any work outside of the first two weeks of class, and he only suggested we practice ear training exercises on our own time. He never formally tested us, so for me there was very little external motivation to give this class much time and dedication compared to my other classes. Prof. Taylor would also cancel classes frequently. However, since he is not working at Midd anymore, it's entirely possible that another professor would have more skill and effectiveness when teaching this course.

This course was a bit of a disappointment for me. I took it because I love music and wanted a bit more of a formal background, but I absolutely did not get that. Prof. Taylor rarely assigned any work outside of the first two weeks of class, and he only suggested we practice ear training exercises on our own time. He never formally te …Read more

Overall this class is definitely good for an easy A if you pay attention and just do the work on time. But, I will say he isn't great at teaching the basics of the class. If you already know some basic information on music then the class will be pretty easy and you should have no problem, but if you don't you will be lost for the whole year. He tends to cancel class a good amount and most classes are pretty tough to sit through. But definitely not a bad class to take if you need an easier class for the semester.

Overall this class is definitely good for an easy A if you pay attention and just do the work on time. But, I will say he isn't great at teaching the basics of the class. If you already know some basic information on music then the class will be pretty easy and you should have no problem, but if you don't you will be lost for the who …Read more

This class was the easiest A you can get. This was Professor Taylor's last year at Middlebury; he was unenthusiastic about the class (likely because there was minimal student participation) which made the class feel like a waste of my time. From beginning to end, the class consisted of listening to one song three times and doing very basic analysis, being lectured about a small new concept, and singing basic sheet music with the class. There was very low amounts of homework which he was chill about turning in late. There are required concerts you have to attend and do an easy worksheet for that are a little boring. If you have genuine interest in music theory and have any background in music at all, test into Music Theory II. Otherwise, this is an easy cross off for the Art distribution requirement, just a little bit of a snooze fest every class.

This class was the easiest A you can get. This was Professor Taylor's last year at Middlebury; he was unenthusiastic about the class (likely because there was minimal student participation) which made the class feel like a waste of my time. From beginning to end, the class consisted of listening to one song three times and doing very …Read more

Jeff is an incredibly kind human who loves music and getting people excited about music. But the way he taught this course was just not all that great. He didn’t really lecture on the important material, and instead just encouraged us to learn the material ourselves from the textbook. We had a weekly canvas quiz that was where i learned the majority of the course material. All of the quizzes you could retake until you got a 100, so it was a super easy class. But it didn’t exactly encourage us to retain the material.

Jeff is an incredibly kind human who loves music and getting people excited about music. But the way he taught this course was just not all that great. He didn’t really lecture on the important material, and instead just encouraged us to learn the material ourselves from the textbook. We had a weekly canvas quiz that was where i l …Read more

I love Jeff he knows what he is talking about and clearly has a very deep and passionate about the subject and that is clear in his teaching. The class does require a bit of reading and practice but nothing that isn't unattainable. I had no previous knowledge about music theory, yet Jeff was very good at explaining concepts

Professor Buettner is a great guy and, in my experience, is exactly what you would expect a music professor to be. He is fun and makes his class that way. If you have a high interest in learning about music theory, you will love this class. If you don't, it can still be alright - the more you buy into class activities, the better it will be. It is extremely easy to get a good grade as everything is take home and open note.

Professor Buettner is a great guy and, in my experience, is exactly what you would expect a music professor to be. He is fun and makes his class that way. If you have a high interest in learning about music theory, you will love this class. If you don't, it can still be alright - the more you buy into class activities, the better it …Read more

I loved the professor. Extremely friendly and accomodating, takes late work, online quizzes. An easy class but sometimes difficult to sit through the lecture and a lot of busy work at home. Would definitely reccomend.

Professor Su is clearly an experienced musician and composer. She does, however, clearly have a preference for composing and sometimes can emphasize more on that. She also does stray from the topic often, and can get very philosophical, but nevertheless she is a wonderful and sweet Professor. It is a relatively easy and reasonably paced course - particularly if you know a bit of music theory prior. However, if you have no background in music, that is okay too.

Professor Su is clearly an experienced musician and composer. She does, however, clearly have a preference for composing and sometimes can emphasize more on that. She also does stray from the topic often, and can get very philosophical, but nevertheless she is a wonderful and sweet Professor. It is a relatively easy and reasonably pa …Read more

The class was very easy, but very unorganized. Classes got cancelled quite a few times throughout the semester. If you are looking for a class to fulfill your art requirement, this is definitely the class to take

This class was very enjoyable at times, but was pretty unorganized. It was highly dependent on in-class participation and understanding of music concepts. We listened to plenty of great music and it was overall a laid back class

Anyone who wants to begin reading and understanding sheet music, this class is for you. Professor Buettner is amazing, enthusiastic and has an obvious passion for music. I have been able to understand music theory truly for the first time because of his teaching. Class has laid-back quizzes almost weekly that you can retake for better scores and to practice. In class, the professor plays the piano and trains skills to be able to hear and identify notes, intervals, etc. Singing, clapping, and engaging is also included in lectures - which I thought made the class very fun! Definitely would recommend.

Anyone who wants to begin reading and understanding sheet music, this class is for you. Professor Buettner is amazing, enthusiastic and has an obvious passion for music. I have been able to understand music theory truly for the first time because of his teaching. Class has laid-back quizzes almost weekly that you can retake for bette …Read more

Professor Buettner is an amazing professor who is very excited about music theory. He does a great job of detailing the material, and altogether led a good course. The only thing is that if you have any previous music theory experience, I would recommend trying to test into a higher level. I hadn't taken music theory in years and thought it would be good to start at the beginning. Through week 10 of the course we were still learning very basic fundamentals. If you have little to no experience with theory, this is absolutely the course for you.

Professor Buettner is an amazing professor who is very excited about music theory. He does a great job of detailing the material, and altogether led a good course. The only thing is that if you have any previous music theory experience, I would recommend trying to test into a higher level. I hadn't taken music theory in years and tho …Read more

Su loves music and definitely knows her stuff, but her lectures stray from the topic almost all the time. I personally felt like the TA knew how to explain things better than she did. If I were completely new to music theory, I would have struggled in the class. The class is low effort and pretty easy to get a good grade in though, so if you’re looking for a relatively easy art credit to get but also learn something from it, this would be it

Su loves music and definitely knows her stuff, but her lectures stray from the topic almost all the time. I personally felt like the TA knew how to explain things better than she did. If I were completely new to music theory, I would have struggled in the class. The class is low effort and pretty easy to get a good grade in though, …Read more

It's hard to speak highly of this class. It is certainly good for students with little to no musical knowledge but I think it should be appropriately advertised as an extremely fundamental class. Additionally, I felt that there wasn't a great deal of care extended to the class by Professor Taylor. I understand that it is a very low level music class and easy to overlook but it's concerning that almost all of his grading was done by the TA and he chose not to hold an alarming number of classes. If my estimation is correct, I think we did not meet in person for an entire 1/3 of the scheduled classes. In my opinion this is unacceptable. Especially if the class is one that covers basic concepts that will be built upon in the future, it is ridiculous that we would only meet in person for 24 classes when we're supposed to have 36. That is disappointing.

It's hard to speak highly of this class. It is certainly good for students with little to no musical knowledge but I think it should be appropriately advertised as an extremely fundamental class. Additionally, I felt that there wasn't a great deal of care extended to the class by Professor Taylor. I understand that it is a very low l …Read more

Su Tan is a great lecturer and she is very passionate about what she teaches. She can go on tangents and she sometimes isn't very clear on what her expectations are for course work, but her assignments are very doable, and the final was take home which was very nice. Also, a part of your grade consists of going to three concerts that Midd offers and writing a reflection about your experience in them, which is a very nice way to listen to live music during your semester.

Su Tan is a great lecturer and she is very passionate about what she teaches. She can go on tangents and she sometimes isn't very clear on what her expectations are for course work, but her assignments are very doable, and the final was take home which was very nice. Also, a part of your grade consists of going to three concerts that …Read more

Su is a very nice person. Also, it is clear, both from her credentials and lectures, that she is extremely knowledgeable. She is a wonderful flautist and composer, and clearly has an immense passion for music. I enjoyed her class very much. I learned a lot from her, much of which I still employ when listening to music.

Music Theory with Matthew Taylor was the easiest A (almost a 100% in the class). He does not seem to have a basic structure in his lectures and does not really build up from the previous lectures. He canceled class quite a few times, and attendance wasn't mandatory. There was only about one assignment or two per month, and the final project was just another easy 100.

This course is a cakewalk for anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of music theory. There are virtually no projects, the final was a 12 measure composition for two voices that didn't need to follow any actual counterpoint rules, and the professor cancelled almost a third of the scheduled classes for one reason or another. Take if you want the easiest A of your life, avoid if you actually want to learn about music.

This course is a cakewalk for anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of music theory. There are virtually no projects, the final was a 12 measure composition for two voices that didn't need to follow any actual counterpoint rules, and the professor cancelled almost a third of the scheduled classes for one reason or another. Tak …Read more

This class was very easy for someone coming from a music background. I needed it for the minor but only learned a little bit about music theory since I knew some before. I did learn about minor scales and inversions which was helpful.