Syllabus
Location of class: B648 Course description: Being a professional jazz artist in today’s world requires a large set of musical skills including composing, arranging, transposing, transcribing, accompanying and of course improvisation. Essential to all these activities is a working understanding of jazz harmony. Jazz harmonic progressions and the numerous ways they can be voiced, rearranged and reharmonized form the backbone to these skills, and this can mostly easily be learned at the keyboard. Graduates of this course will be given the necessary This course addresses both technical issues of fingering, harmony and rhythm as well as individual arranging skills inherent to being a jazz musician. The class will involve playing all the materials on a keyboard- though piano background is not strictly required.Emphasis will be placed on application of the techniques to the voicing, arrangement, and analysis of jazz standards. Course reader: 1) Jazz Keyboard Harmony, Phil DeGreg (at bookstore)
The Music Library website’s class reserves contains a digital listening reserves section. http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/music/audio/eres.cfm?i=167 Listening examples are assigned throughout the year, and are available for research purposes for the midterm and final arranging assignments. A reading and listening diary is due twice a quarter. Note: A blank music notebook and tape recorder are required for notetaking in the class. Attendance: Three or more absences from class after your official enrollment will result in an automatic failing grade, unless you provide a doctor's note attesting to illness. If a religious holiday falls on an exam date, you need to let me know as soon as possible, and certainly no later than two weeks beforehand, so that alternative arrangements can be made. No make-up exams are given for any reason other than illness (with doctor's note), family death, citizenship interview/ceremony (with documentation), other court appearance (with documentation), car breakdown (with mechanic’s report), or religious holiday. Timeliness is expected and both attendance and being on time for class are considered part of the class participation grade. No food or drink is allowed in class.Full attention and participation during class is expected, and students are responsible for respecting the rules of the keyboard lab and returning equipment to the condition it was found in. Keyboard lab practice hours are posted on the door and technical questions should be directed to the lab director, Thomas Withey, ext. 5-2806. Daily practice of concepts learned is crucial. If unclear about material learned, Requirements and grading: Consistent class attendance, prompt completion of all readings and assignments, and participation in class discussion and demonstration are required. Unless I am informed immediately (within two days of the assignment being due) of illness or death in the family, I deduct a full letter grade for each week an assignment is late. E.g., if an assignment that would normally be graded "A" is handed in one class later, it will be awarded a grade of "B." Assignment may not be handed in more than a week late. For all students, grading is based on the following:
PERMISSION TO ENTER: Instructor will give PTE #’s to students required to take the course. Non-jazz-majors will be given PTE #’s at instructor’s discretion the week after 2nd class Grading scale: For all elements of the course, grading will be done using letter grades. The percentage equivalents are: A+ (100%) A (95%), A- (90%), B+ (87%), B (83%), B- (80%), C+ (77%), C (73%), C- (70%), D+ (67%), D (63%), D- (60%), F (under 60%). Extra credit: An opportunity for extra credit is available, up to a maximum of 4%. Other points to note: 1. The syllabus is subject to minor changes as necessary. |