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MUSC 309 The History of Rock and Roll
Fall 2009
Instructor: Dr. Roberta Freund Schwartz
Office: 434 Murphy Hall
Office hours: T TH 10:00-11:30, or by appointment
Phone: (Home) 979-9440
(Office) (86)4-9737
E-mail: rfschwar@ku.edu
Course website: people.ku.edu/~rfschwar/rockpage1.html
Required text: Michael Campbell and James Brody, Rock and Roll: an Introduction. This text is a reprinting of the first edition, with a few minor corrections.
This course is designed to:
□ teach the history of rock and roll as a musical genre
□ confer familiarity with the major styles of rock music and the elements that define those
styles
□ develop active listening skills and the ability to discuss rock music intelligently
No prior familiarity with music is necessary or assumed. We will begin with an introduction to listening and musical fundamentals, and will gradually develop a vocabulary with which to discuss and experience selected works from the history of rock and roll.
Reading assignments should be completed prior to class sessions. All musical works discussed in the readings should be listened to at the same time. Both are equally important. A list of “Terms to Remember” appears at the end of each chapter. I suggest that you write out a definition for each term; this will be of great help in preparing for exams.
There are several ways to access listening examples and log lists. You may purchase the songs on iTunes or through a subscription service like Rhapsody; they will also be available as streaming audio on the course website. When you access the listening page for each chapter, you will be asked for a user name and password. DO NOT enter your KU ID and password; rather, enter the following:
User name: daddyo
Password: daddyo
You may need to download a media player to listen to these files. The Real One player will give you complete access, and can be downloaded for free at .
The study of music may be more difficult than your expect. It is to your benefit to keep up with the readings and review definitions and concepts frequently, and ask questions immediately if you do not fully understand something. The same applies to listening skills; if you are not hearing the characteristics discussed in lecture and in your readings, please ask for help!
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Attendance will constitute 10% of your final grade. The attendance policy of the university, as stipulated in the Undergraduate Catalogue, is as follows: “There is no system of permissible absences in any of the schools at KU. Students are expected to attend all meetings of their classes.”
Lectures will frequently introduce activities and materials that are meant to enhance your comprehension of styles and concepts. Thus, your attendance is essential. You will be allowed to miss class three times without penalty; after that, each absence will result in 5 points being deducted from your grade.
EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS
□ LISTENING LOGS
In order to cultivate your ability to discuss rock as music, five times during the semester you will be required to complete a listening log. For each, you will choose a listening list from the class website. Listen to all ten pieces on that list and write a paragraph about each song that describes (to the best of your ability) what you hear in proper musical terminology. You will be expected to address:
• instrumentation
• texture
• form
• stylistic influences on the song (at least 2)
• tempo OR dynamics
• whether a backbeat is present or not
• two other characteristics – you might also mention whether call and response or stop-time is employed; if a riff is an important part of the song; whether there is syncopation, any effects applied to the instruments (fuzz tone, reverb, etc.); or other similar characteristics
Each entry will be worth 5 points; if you complete each and make a sincere attempt to address the characteristics listed above using the terms we’ve discussed in class, you will do fine. Don’t be afraid to say “I think” or “maybe” if you aren’t sure about any given characteristic - I much prefer this to just skipping it. Below is an example of an entry that would receive 5 points:
“When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin includes lead electric guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, and a singer. The texture is medium, but it sounds almost muddy; there is a lot of reverb, especially on the harmonica. A lot of amplification is involved as well – the dynamic level is quite loud. There is obvious blues influence here – the form is 12-bar blues, with aab lyrics, but there is no backbeat. There is an intro (by the harmonica) and outro, as well as a couple of instrumental interludes for harmonica and guitar. There is some influence from acid rock too. I really like the call and response between the vocalist and guitar.”
Your logs can be typed or hand-written, but please do staple all pages together and identify yourself. Please do your own work. Listening logs help me and the GTAs evaluate your progress; we cannot do this if you and a classmate turn in the same log. Should this happen, we will split the points between you. Listening logs will be evaluated and returned, with comments, as soon as possible.
□ EXAMS
There will be three exams, each consisting of three portions:
1) fill in the blank and/or multiple-choice questions over concepts, terms and artists
discussed in lectures, discussion sections, and readings
2) aural identification of important rock styles
3) description of a previously unheard musical example, in the manner described for listening logs
The third exam will be in lieu of a final. It will be given during the assigned finals period for this class (Thursday, December 17, 1:30-4 PM), but will be no longer than the other two exams and will not be comprehensive.
□ Review sheets will be distributed at least a week before each exam. No makeup exams will be given unless arrangements are made ahead of time and a suitable reason given.
The course grade will be determined as follows:
Exam I: 200 points
Exam II: 200 points
Exam III: 250 points
Listening Logs: 250 points
Attendance and participation: 100 points
TOTAL: 1000 points
You will be given an opportunity to write up to 3 concert reports, film reviews (see below), or listening logs for extra credit; each is worth a maximum of 20 points, or to 2% of your final grade.
□ Grades will be calculated as follows:
1000-920 A 919-900 A-
899-880 B+ 879-820 B 819-800 B-
799-780 C+ 779-720 C 719-700 C-
699-680 D+ 679-620 D 619-600 D-
599 or below F
Syllabus
8/20-8/27 Blues basics; rock style; the roots of American music (pp. 1-27)
9/1-9/3 The roots of rock: Jazz, blues, and country (pp. 28-41)
9/8 Roots of rock: Gospel and doo-wop (pp. 44-48, 70-74)
9/10 Roots of rock : R&B (pp. 59-69, 74-78)
9/15-17 Rock 'n roll: the beginning (pp. 49-58, 79-84, 89-90)
9/17 Listening log 1 due
9/22 Rockabilly (pp. 84-88, 90-96)
9/24 The Brill Building and the reaction to rock (pp. 97-108)
9/29 EXAM 1
10/1 Technical developments, surf music and garage rock (pp. 108-121)
10/6-10/8 ‘60s soul: Motown, Stax, and James Brown (pp. 123-142)
10/13 Folk rock, Bob Dylan
Reading: pp. 150-174
Listening log #2 due
10/15 NO CLASS – Fall break
10/20-22 The Beatles
10/27 Blues rock, The Rolling Stones and the British Invasion (pp. 167-186)
10/29-11/3 Art rock (pp. 187-200)
10/29 Listening Log #3 due
11/5-10 The San Francisco sound, country and southern rock (pp. 201-214)
11/12 EXAM II
11/17 Hard Rock and heavy metal (pp. 215-225)
11/19 Soul in the 1970s (pp. 265-278)
11/24 Funk and disco (pp. 278-284; 317-328)
Listening log #4 due
11/27 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING
12/1-3 Have a Nice Day! Rock in the 70s (pp. 285-306)
12/8 Punk and new wave (pp. 307-316)
12/10 The MTV Generation: Rock in the 1980s (pp. 329-354)
Listening log #5 due
Last day to turn in late work or extra credit
FINAL EXAM - THURSDAY, DEC. 17, 1:30-4 PM
EXTRA CREDIT CONCERT REPORTS
It is hoped that you will not only experience new music in class, but will also attend live rock shows. Lawrence has one of the best local music scenes in the country - take advantage of it! There are dozens of concerts on campus and around town each month; look for listings in The Daily Kansan, Pitch Weekly, and Lawrence Journal-World, and on-line at .
Download the review form from the course website. Then, choose a concert. If you are under 21 and the venue serves alcohol, make sure that they allow underage attendees (most do, but some don’t). You may wish to have a small pad of paper and a writing implement with you so that you can jot down some notes during the performance.
After the concert, fill out the review form (neatly would be greatly appreciated) using correct musical terminology. Use your notes and your textbook for background information and to check on terms and their proper usage. If it is more convenient for you to recopy the questions onto another piece of paper, please feel free to do so.
You may turn in concert reports at any time during the semester.
Film reviews
As rock concerts do cost money and it can sometimes be difficult to see live music in Lawrence if you aren’t 21, you also have the option of reporting on a concert film. But - as your review is a substitute for attending a concert, your choice must be wholly, or mostly, live performance footage. Movies that are about rock acts (fictional or real), have primarily rock soundtracks, have rock singers in the cast, or are documentaries about rock acts (unless they contain mostly concert footage) are NOT acceptable. If you have any questions about a film, feel free to ask.
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