Cultural Fusion,blending Indian classical and American contemporary jazz styles, features guest sitarist Sandip Burman with pianist John Stetch, bassist Nicholas Walker, trumpeter Paul Merrill, and Rick Huyge on alto sax.
Kurtag's Ghosts.Italian pianist and conductor Marino Formenti has distinguished himself as a compelling and original interpreter of both classical and contemporary music, often in unusual and experimental concert formats which reveal striking connections between ancient and modern. Tickets available starting Aug. 16 at www.CornellConcertSeries.com and BaileyTickets.com and in-person/by phone at Ticket Center Ithaca (on The Commons, 607-273-4497.) *Please note that capacity is limited at Barnes Hall and there will be no late admittance for this program – ticketholders must be in the auditorium by 7:45p for guaranteed seating.
Papers: The first paper assignment is to compare and contrast a selection of short musical works using ideas developed in class discussion. For details, see the course schedule at the paper due date, Thursday, September 9. The paper should be 5-8 pages. A hard copy of the paper is due in class.
The topics of the second and third papers are chosen by the students in consultation with the instructor a few weeks before the due date and should refer to some combination of movement and sound culled from the readings, listenings, viewings, classroom and online discussion, and experiences at concerts and in class. At least four of the readings must be cited in each paper. The paper due dates are Tuesday, November 9, and Wednesday, December 8. Each paper should be 5-8 pages. A hard copy of Paper #2 is due in class; a hard copy of Paper #3 should be dropped off in my mailbox on the 2nd floor of the Schwartz Center by noon on the date due.
Papers should be concise and to the point. Brief, pithy, well-organized arguments with reasons and explanations count more than extra pages. Give some description of the material under consideration, including some specific details and examples. Use the readings, listenings, viewings, and concerts as sources of examples. Argue or agree with the readings. Use the examples to support or undermine your own statements and those of the authors. Assume the reader is not familiar with your subject matter. Late papers will be penalized 2 points per day. Re-writes will not be accepted. E-mail copies will be accepted but penalized 2 points.
Creative work: There are three assignments which require students to create work for studio presentation in Schwartz SB10. For the first assignment students are asked to create a 1-minute dance to one of the musical works listed under either "1-minute counterpoint pieces" or "Other 1-minute pieces" in the "Music for Choreography" folder under the "Assignments" section of the course "blackboard" website. The second assignment is to make one minute of sound. The third is to make three minutes of movement to one of a limited number of music choices. For details, see the course schedule at the due dates, Tuesday, September 28, Thursday, October 14, and Tuesday, November 23.
You will need recordings of the music in order to choreograph. Please give the instructor two blank CD-Rs and he will burn onto them all the possible choices of music for choreographing for this course. Do not wait until the last minute before an assignment is due to ask for the CD-Rs to be burned! Allow turnaround time of at least one week!! It is highly recommended that you bring the blank CD-Rs to class no later than Tuesday, September 7.
Music Analysis Assignment: Students are required to talk about particular 1-minute pieces of music in class on Tuesday, September 7; see due date in course schedule for details.
Discussion board: The course discussion board is at http://blackboard.cornell.edu//. Each week by 11 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday please read recent continuations of threads, and either add at least a paragraph to an existing thread or write at least a paragraph starting a new thread. You may continue discussions begun in class. Go beyond simply offering an opinion; instead, take a position and offer evidence and an argument to support it. Weekly topics are suggested under "Discussion Board Questions" which you can find by clicking on "Assignments," but you may choose your own topics from the readings, listenings, viewings, and anything experienced or discussed in class. Multiple and more frequent (than twice a week) posting is encouraged but not required. A tentative grade on your discussion board participation up to that point will be included among the comments accompanying the return of each of the first two papers. In addition, for each of the music concerts you attend, post a paragraph of reaction on the discussion board.
Academic integrity: Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work.
Class attendance and participation: participation means being prepared by having read or listened to the assigned materials and engaging in conversation (if not debate) with other students and the instructor. The instructor will usually not lecture but instead elicit discussion on the assigned materials. A tentative grade on your class participation up to that point will be included among the comments accompanying the return of each of the first two papers. Missing class and being late to class has a negative impact on your grade.
Grade: based on 600 points as follows:
| Assignment | Points | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Music Analysis | 20 | Tuesday, September 7 |
| Paper #1 | 100 | Thursday, September 9 |
| 1-Minute Choreography | 40 | Tuesday, September 28 |
| 1-Minute Sound Composition | 40 | Thursday, October 14 |
| Paper #2 | 100 | Tuesday, November 9 |
| 3-Minute Choreography | 80 | Tuesday, November 23 |
| Paper #3 | 100 | Wednesday, December 8 |
| Discussion board participation | 70 | semi-weekly |
| Music concert reactions | 10 | week of attending concert |
| Class participation | 40 | every class |
Outside-of-class reviewing of audio and video recordings: all audio materials are linked to from the course "blackboard" site; all video materials are on reserve at the circulation desk of the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance, 220 Lincoln Hall.