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MUS 104

I. TITLE: Introduction to Jazz History

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A survey of the many facets of jazz music. Designed to follow stylistic trends as jazz developed from nineteenth-century African and European influences to the modern forms of today. The study of significant composers, compositions, performers and terminology associated with this uniquely American musical form through listening assignments, reading and discussion activities.

III. PURPOSE: To present to the student an overview of jazz as America’s only true original art form. To give information about jazz and its participants. To present recorded examples of the various styles of jazz throughout this century. Through group/team discussion, written concert reports, open-ended essay questions. INTERNET and email resources, and oral team project students will: demonstrate effectively mature and independent thought, apply sound standards of analysis and evaluation to reach logical decisions, demonstrate a critical understanding of this type of diverse artistic tradition, understand the role and application of technology. and will understand the dynamics of cultural diversity involved in this type of musical tradition.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
A. Students should: (1) acquire and demonstrate the knowledge necessary to know the major figures in jazz: (2) be aware of and identify the subtleties of jazz through listening to jazz: (3) acquire and use basic knowledge of jazz, including terminology, instruments, styles and performers.
B. Students should combine the above base of knowledge and skills with that from World Civilization, English Composition, and Oral Communications in placing in perspective the role of jazz and jazz musicians in a diverse society.
C. Students should become familiar with the importance of the heritage of jazz: a combining of elements from totally dissimilar cultures: i.e., Africa and Western Europe. Students should observe the ways in which musical elements from both of these cultures intermingled and were compromised into a totally new art form.
D. Students should become more informed consumers of jazz allowing them to formulate intelligent decisions and value judgments in purchasing recordings, attending live concerts, and supporting the performing arts in general throughout their lives.

V. CONTENT OUTLINE: A four-unit division of the major stylistic development of jazz from its beginnings in New Orleans ca. 1900 to current trends and future directions. These styles include: Blues, Dixieland, Ragtime, Boogie-Woogie, Swing, Be-Bop, Cool, Straight-Ahead, Free-Form/Avant Garde, Jazz in Movies and Television, Technology and the Future of Jazz.

VI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
A. Group/team discussion and presentation strategies will be incorporated into
the learning and reinforcement of jazz styles, trends, and particularly musicians not covered in the text.
B. Examinations will measure students’ ability to comprehend information from the assigned reading without discussion in class; examinations featuring open-ended essays will assess students’ critical thinking and writing abilities.
C. Written work should be created on a word processor or should be submitted via email; dates and locations of campus concerts (for the concert report written assignments) should be located through the INTERNET WEB page for the music department.

VII. FIELD AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES: Campus and local jazz concerts provide an invaluable live resource for both entertainment and reinforcement of the course content Concert reports expressing students’ reactions and insight will combine the theoretical and the practical aspects of jazz traditions.

VIII. RESOURCES: In addition to the required text for the course, set of recorded listening assignments will compliment theoretical discussions of jazz with the actual application of musical techniques. Students will become familiar with the role of different instruments and the voice from this practical additional resource. Copies of CDs and LPs for additional listening are located in the Holton Listening Center. Video tapes for additional review are located in the Media Room of Waterfield Library. Cassette tapes which accompany the text may be purchased from the University Bookstore.

IX. GRADING: High academic standards will be demonstrated in the evaluation of  examinations, discussion groups, team presentation projects, and concert reports.
Evaluations will focus on: grammar, structure, spelling, content, level of critical thinking expressed, level of participation, and level of progress demonstrated throughout the course. In order to better acquaint instructors of this course with methods to evaluate student skills, instructors will examine models provided by the USP and will attend USP-sponsored workshops and seminars.
Class size: 40 Class leadership: 1 instructor
1) computer-scored objective examinations
60% of final grade
each exam covers 70% in-class discussion of material
each exam covers 30% readings not discussed in class
2) concert reports and/or open-ended essays throughout the semester
30% of final grade
evaluated on: content, grammar, structure, level of critical
thinking applied
3) team oral reports, group discussion or individual oral responses
10% of final grade
each student must contribute to a team presentation or as an individual in class; evaluation of contributions will be based on: quantity, content, grammar, structure, level of critical thinking applied

X. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance at all class sessions is strongly encouraged. Students are held accountable for all materials in the text, from class notes and discussions, from listening assignments in and out of class, from any films presented and any changes which might result during the semester regarding those assignments. Being absent from class is not a viable excuse for incorrect answers to information on an examination or from group project assignments.

XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: Cheating, doing another person’s work for someone else and submitting another person’s material as one’s own are all impermissible. Disciplinary action may be taken beyond the academic discipline administered by the instructor for copying of examinations or assignments. The instructor reserves the right to invalidate any examination or other materials if evidence exists that the integrity of the exam/assignment has been compromised.

XII. TEXT AND REFERENCES: (1) Tanner, Paul, Megill, David, and Gerow, Maurice. Jazz. Dubuque, IA: Win. C. Brown. 8th edition. (2) 2 cassette tapes of listening assignments which accompany the text.

XIII. PREREQUISITE: None

Last updated February 14, 2000. Designed and maintained by Kyosung Koo