The primary goal for this unit is to conclude the study of strict tonal voice-leading in this course sequence, using keyboard-style examples and incorporating all common diatonic and chromatic chords. Though the specific rules of strict voice-leading are important, the underlying principles of good voice-leading are the most important aspect of this unit.
The secondary goals for this unit are to continue to develop your ability to work collaboratively, and to begin to develop your ability to communicate clearly about music through writing. (Note the connection here with Chris Long’s four habits of the liberal arts.)
Classwork will continue many of the same activities performed in Unit I: analysis as a group, collaborative note-taking in Piazza, peer-instruction and quizzes in Learning Catalytics, group-based creative work (composing and writing), etc.
The unit will be directed towards a collaborative group project: a primer on strict keyboard-style voice-leading.
In groups of 2–4 students, you will write a complete primer (think concise textbook chapter) on strict keyboard-style voice-leading. It should include clear prose and, where necessary, musical examples embedded into the text, explaining all of the core concepts and necessary compositional devices for realizing a figured or unfigured bass that includes any of the common diatonic or chromatic chords of tonal, classical music.
Report your group members to me (on Piazza, preferably, or via email), and I will create a Google Document template for you and share it with your group. Make additions and edits to this document throughout the unit, and assemble a clear, accurate, proofread, attractive document by the end-of-unit deadline. (If you have experience with web design and would like to build your primer as a public website instead, that is fine, as well. I can help build the initial site.)
This primer should demonstrate 1) that you know enough about keyboard-style voice-leading to know what goes in the primer, 2) that you can explain those concepts and skills clearly and concisely to someone who doesn’t already know them, and 3) that you can compose, without error, any examples necessary for illustrating those concepts.
Class activities and materials will not provide you with the information you need for this primer directly, but will provide you with tools, resources, and experiences that will help you determine that information and the underlying concepts.
Unit II will address the following concepts and skills provided on the syllabus: harmony, strict keyboard-style voice-leading, form (though minimally), professionalism, and liberal education values. (All but keyboard-style voice-leading will continue on through the rest of the semester.)
Students will be assessed individually, according to each student’s self-evaluation. In that self-evaluation, you should make the case, citing evidence from class activity and your unit project, that you have mastered the material for each concept/skill or are on the way to doing so by the deadline. Be sure to keep records of anything not automatically recorded (in other words, things done on paper or in-person, rather than on Piazza, Learning Catalytics, or Google Drive). If you have any questions about this process, please consult me early.