POPULAR MUSIC IN AMERICA POPULAR MUSIC IN AMERICA  MUSIC 3243
Tarleton State University Instructor: Vicky Boucher E-mail: boucher@tarleton.edu Phone: 254/968-9238 | Discussion Info Assignment Submission COURSE OUTLINE (Fall 2008) Week # | Week Dates All are Mon.-Sun. | Topic for Study | Discussion | Due @ midnight | Assignments | Due @ midnight | Exams | 1 | Aug 25 - Aug 31 | Introduction to Popular Music Tin Pan Alley | Introductions | Post: Fri Aug 29 Resp.: Sun Aug 31 | Assignment 1 | Sun. Aug 31 | Exam Info | 2 | Sep 1 - Sep 7 | American Musical Theater | Discussion 1 | Post: Fri Sep 5 Resp: Sun Sep 7 | Assignment 2 | Sun. Sep 7 | | 3 | Sep 8 - Sep 14 | African-American Influences Blues | Discussion 2 | Post: Fri Sep 12 Resp: Sun Sep 14 | Assignment 3 Assignment 4 | Sun. Sep 14 | | 4 | Sep 15 - Sep 21 | Early Jazz Big Bands and Swing | Discussion 3 | Post: Fri Sep 19 Resp: Sun Sep 21 | Assignment 5 | Sun. Sep 21 | | 5 | Sep 22 - Sep 28 | Jazz after World War II | | | | | Unit 1Exam Sunday Sep 28 (between 8 - 10pm) | 6 | Sep 29 - Oct 5 | Country Roots Country Western | Discussion 4 | Post: Fri Oct 3 Resp: Sun Oct 5 | | | | 7 | Oct 6 - Oct 12 | The Ladies of Country Music Bluegrass | Discussion 5 | Post: Fri Oct 10 Resp: Sun Oct 12 | Assignment 6 | Sun. Oct 12 | | 8 | Oct 13 - Oct 19 | Nashville and Beyond | | | Assignment 7 | Sun. Oct 19 | Unit 2 Exam Sunday Oct 19 (between 8 - 10pm) | 9 | Oct 20 - Oct 26 | Rock 'n' Roll Roots The Golden Age of Rock | Discussion 6 | Post: Fri Oct 24 Resp: Sun Oct 26 | | | | 10 | Oct 27 - Nov 2 | The British Invasion | Discussion 7 | Post: Fri Oct 31 Resp: Sun Nov 2 | | | | 11 | Nov 3 - Nov 9 | Gospel, Soul, and Motown Rock in the 70's | Discussion 8 | Post: Fri Nov 7 Resp: Sun Nov 9 | | | | 12 | Nov 10 - Nov 16 | 80's and 90's Rock | Discussion 9 | Post: Fri Nov 14 Resp: Sun Nov 16 | Assignment 8 | Sun. Nov 16 | Unit 3 Exam Sunday Nov 16 (between 8 - 10pm) | 13 | Nov 17 - Nov 23 | Work on final project | Discussion 10 | Post: Fri Nov 21 Resp: Sun Nov 23 | | | | 14 | Nov 24 - Nov 30 | Work on final project | | | Final Project Powerpoint | Sun. Nov 30 | | 15 | Dec 1 - Dec 4 | | | | Assignment 9 Project Critiques | Wed. Dec 3 | |
 Note: This is an organic document! It will change. You are responsible for what is on this page, not a copy you made at the beginning of the semester.
| Week 1: Introduction to Popular Music Tin Pan Alley
Greetings online students! Welcome to Popular Music in America.  Here is a handy page that answers many common questions about the course and about online courses in general. Please follow the link to review the PopularMusicSyllabus which contains grading and policy information. Let me know if you have any questions. Unless they refer to personal matters or grading issues, a good place to ask questions is the "Ask Vicky" section in the Discussion forum in Blackboard. Please read these instructions about the Discussions On this Course Outline page, you will find links to the lecture for each week, as well as any general announcements to the class. The animated bullets to the right will designate "action" items, so be sure you accomplish these each week. There is an overview calendar at the top of the page for quick reference. Now, click in to the first lecture, and let's get started! Lecture: Introduction to Popular Music and Tin Pan Alley Disclaimer Your final project in this class is a PowerPoint presentation on a topic of your choice. The technology involved in attaching audio files (which are required) and zipping the project for submission causes significant anxiety for some students. I am therefore giving you fair warning that tech savvy is necessary for that project. Do not wait until the last couple of days to address this issue. Even if you think you are familiar with PowerPoint, Have you ever used mp3 files linked to the slides? Have you ever made audio clips of mp3 files? Have you ever used WinZip for file compression? If any of those answers are "No," then allow extra time. Otherwise . . . 
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| Blackboard /Computer configuration Click on "My Blackboard" (upper right of your screen) to go back to the first screen. Click on "Check Browser" and follow the instructions.
Follow this link to familiarize yourself with the Blackboard interface. |
| Week 1 Reading: Chapter 1 Note: We cover the entire book in the class. Please note that the lectures do not include all questions found on the exams, so skip the reading at your own risk! |
| Introductions In the discussion forum, please introduce yourself to your online classmates. Include any personal information that would help us to get to know you; for example, your major, future career plans, home town, family info, etc. Also, tell us what your favorite popular music is and what influences have caused that to be so. Did you grow up with that kind of music, were you more influenced by your friends, or do you just march to a different drummer? Last of all, please give an overview of your experiences as a musician. Did you take piano lessons, play in the band, join a church choir, sing in the shower? Don't be modest. I promise I won't ask you to perform! After writing your answer in the discussion forum, feel free to respond to your classmates' posts in order to get to know them a little better. This discussion question will not be graded, but try to post your introduction by Friday so others can respond if they wish. |
| Assignment 1: Music List Your textbook discusses over 65 types (or styles) of popular music. Using the bold headings and chapter summaries of your book, see how many you can find. List them on a Word document. Be sure to number them. Save the document as Assignment1_YourName.doc (using your own name :-) Read these instructions on Assignment Submissions, paying particular attention to the instructions about the Assignment heading and how to name the file before submission. Upload the Word document in the assignment section as an attachment. You will receive a point for every style of popular music that you list (up to the 50 possible points for the assignment). It's always wise to throw in a few more than 50, to ensure that you get full credit for the assignment. Make sure you list styles (Swing), and not times (Swing Era), people (Big Bands), or forms (strophic). Ask yourself on each one: Is this a popular American style? Does it (or did it) make money? |
| Looking ahead: Next week's assignment requires you to watch a video of a musical. Since these videos are not recent releases, be sure to give yourself sufficient time to locate one of those listed. For those of you with digital recorders (like Tivo) on your TVs, sometimes you can search the guide for a title and record the program. Also, in Week 4, you will be asked to choose and watch a movie from the Jazz Movie List. Try to find one of these movies OTHER THAN "Ray." I know that this is the most accessible one, but the discussion will be much more interesting with a variety of movies to discuss. |
| Week 2
American Musical Theater
Lecture: Musical Theater
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| Week 2 Reading: Chapter 2 |
| Assignment 2: On Broadway Rent a DVD of a musical and watch it. Choose from the following musicals: Showboat, Oklahoma, Singing in the Rain, Evita, or West Side Story. Choose one that you have never seen, if possible. Answer the questions on the Assignment 2 Worksheet. Remember to use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Submit the completed worksheet by the due date and time in the form of a Word document saved as Assignment 2_YourName.doc Note: When referring to a single song, use quotation marks ("Oh What a Beautiful Morning") but when referring to a larger work, such as a symphony or a musical, use italics (Phantom of the Opera). |
| Discussion 1: Musical Theater What musicals have you seen? What was your opinion? Do you think this is a viable form of entertainment in our current popular culture or will it go the way of the dinosaur (and vaudeville)? Why or why not? Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). Use the peer review function and rate all of the original posts that you read; in other words, your classmates' answers to the question, but not the responses that are due on Sunday. |
| Week 3
African-American Influences
Blues
Lecture: Jazz Part I |
| Week 3 Reading: Chapters 3, 4, and 5 |
| Assignment 3: Write your own blues song Compose your own blues song. See your text (pp.57-58) and the lecture notes for more info. You do not have to write the music, but the words only. Your song should have at least 3 verses (one verse would be 3 lines long as in the example on the bottom of p. 58). Choose your own topic - perhaps too much rain, or your part-time job, or online college classes can give you inspiration! Put your blues song in the form of a Word document for submission and name the file Assignment3_YourName.doc These will be published for your classmates to see after the deadline (which is again Sunday midnight). |
| Assignment 4: NEA Jazz in the schools Follow this link to find some jazz Listening Exercises. Choose Listening Two and answer the questions. Be sure to look up any words you do not understand before you answer the questions. For example, what is "collective improvisation"? There are 10 musical examples, so you should answer those questions for each musical example. Submit your answer by the due date and time in the form of a Word document saved as Assignment4_YourName.doc |
| Discussion 2: Discrimination and jazz Based upon your reading (and NOT your assumptions or pre-conceived notions), how did race discrimination affect the development of jazz? How might jazz be different today if there had been no discrimination against black composers and performers? Be specific in your conjecture (not just "better" or "worse"). Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). Don't forget to use the peer review function and rate all of the original posts that you read. |
| Week 4
Early Jazz
Big Bands and Swing
Lecture: Jazz Part II
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| Week 4 Reading: Chapters 6, 7, and 8 |
| Assignment 5: Hot/Cool Jazz Comparison
Download the Assignment template above and fill in the sections based upon your reading for this week. Answer each section completely, but do not plagiarize from the text! Links to the songs are below. Save your document as Assignment5_YourName.doc and submit it by Sunday at midnight.
Hotter Than That Singin' the Blues |
| Discussion 3: Back to the Movies Choose a movie from the Jazz section of the Movie List to rent and watch. In your discussion forum, give a brief summary of the movie. Share something you learned about jazz that you found particularly interesting and name the jazz song in the movie that you liked best. Note: Remember to try to find one of these movies OTHER THAN "Ray." Post by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). |
| Week 5
Jazz after World War II
Unit 1 Exam - Sunday, Feb 17
Lecture: Jazz Part III Please notice that I have posted a study guide (below) to help you prepare for the Unit 1 test. Unit 1 Practice Here is a fun way to review the material Unit 1 Study Guide |
| Week 5 Reading: Chapter 9 |
| Assignment No assignment this week. Study for the Unit I exam (see study guide to your left) However, there is new material in the lecture (Jazz Part III) that will also be included in the test. |
| Practice Test This is posted in the Assessment section and consists of only 6 questions. You may take this at any time. It will give you an idea of the types of questions that will be on the exam and will ensure that all of your technology is working properly. There will not be a Practice Test prior to the other 2 exams. |
| Unit 1 Exam Sunday Feb 17: You may begin any time between 8:00pm and 10:00pm. You will have 1 hour to complete the exam after you begin You may begin anytime within this window of time. Before you begin, be sure to print out the Listening List. The answers to the listening questions will be the numbers assigned to the songs on that page. Note that there is a large question set for each exam and the questions are randomly selected for each student and each test. Therefore, the test may not seem to be comprehensive because of this random selection of questions. However, don't be fooled into studying selectively for the next exam based upon the chance selections you got on this one! |
| Week 6
Country Roots
Country Western
Lecture: Country Roots Lecture: Country AND Western No assignment this week to submit. |
| Week 6 Reading: Chapters 10, 11, and 12 |
| Discussion 4: Country Culture Your textbook in Chapter 10 paints a picture of the culture of the rural south that was reflected in early country music. How much of that culture do you think still remains in the rural south today? (I’m talking attitude, not occupation). Is it still male-dominated with macho tendencies? Is it still shaped by Fundamentalist Christianity? Is it still “behind the times”? Many of you live or have lived in rural areas. Feel free to give specific examples to illustrate your opinions. Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight) |
| Week 7
Lecture: The Ladies of Country Music
Lecture: Bluegrass
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| Week 7 Reading: Chapter 14 |
| Assignment 6: Country Music Trivia tests Go to the following link and choose 3 quizzes. Test your knowledge of Country Music. List the 3 quizzes that you took and your scores. Save your document as Assignment6_YourName.doc and submit it by Sunday at midnight. This assignment will not be graded, but will be checked for completion. Country Music Trivia Quizzes |
| Discussion 5: Country music article In The Economist, there is an article called "Country Music: Middle America's Soul." The article says "If you want to understand America, turn that dial to a country-music station." Read the article (link below) and comment on its content. You may agree or disagree, but be specific. You may prefer to comment on the writer's assessment of country music as it relates to politics, economics, sociology, patriotism, religion, or any of the other associations that are made. Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight) Country Music: Middle America's Soul |
| Week 8
Lecture: Nashville and Beyond
Unit 2 Practice Unit 2 Study Guide |
| Week 8 Reading: Chapter 13 |
| Assignment 7: Do-It-Yourself Country Western Songkit This is just a fun exercise - a tongue-in-cheek version of country song-writing Go to the link above and fill in one for yourself. Use suggestions from the list, or make up your own. Don't change the other part, though, or it won't rhyme. Submit in a Word doc as usual. This assignment will not be graded, but will be checked for completion. If you'd like to see how your song would sound, here is a midi file to Red River Valley This tune will fit your newly created country hit! |
| Unit 2 Exam Sunday Mar 9: You may begin any time between 8:00pm and 10:00pm. You will have 1 hour to complete the exam after you begin You may begin anytime within this window of time. Before you begin, be sure to print out the Listening List. The answers to the listening questions will be the numbers assigned to the songs on that page. Do not use a period after the number. |
| Week 9
Lecture: Rock 'n' Roll Roots |
| Week 9 Reading: Chapters 15 and 16 |
| Discussion 6: The first Rock 'n' Roll song On the lecture page (to your left), the question is posed, "What was the first rock song?" Four possibilities are offered by your text, and audio links are provided on the lecture page. There is also a link to a more extensive list. Listen to the songs and draw your own conclusions. Which song would you choose and why? Be sure to justify your opinion. Remember to avoid the "I agree" responses unless you offer some additional perspective. Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). |
| Week 10
Lecture: 60s Rock
The British Invasion Psychedelic Rock
This discussion question requires some depth of thinking and maybe even some additional reading outside your textbook. This is sort of a combination discussion/assignment, but it will be graded like the other discussion questions. Since there is no additional assignment, try to spend a little extra time formulating your thoughts on this one. I look forward to reading your ideas! |
| Week 10 Reading: Chapters 17 and 18 |
| Discussion 7: More Depth In the 60's, rock matured. Two principle influences were Bob Dylan and the Beatles. What changed in the message and music that gave rock music more depth than before? Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight) |
| Week 11
Lecture: Gospel, Soul, Motown Lecture: Rock in the 70's
Note: This lecture is not as fleshed out as I would like, but I must give you some time! All of the listening is included, but be sure and read for further explanations in your textbook.
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| Week 11 Reading: Chapters 19, 20, and 21 |
| Discussion 8: How do they mix? Do you think that there is a natural and necessary chasm between the styles of classical music and popular music, or is it an artificial separation? Based upon your answer to the first question, do you think art rock successfully mixed the two genres, or not? Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). |
| Week 12
Unit 3 Exam - Sunday, Apr 13
Lecture: 80's and 90's Rock
There IS no lecture this week. The material is covered in the last 2 chapters of the textbook.
Refer to the Unit 3 Study Guide below for the audio clips from Chapters 22 and 23
Unit 3 Practice Unit 3 Study Guide |
| Week 11 Reading: Chapters 22, 23, and 24 |
| Assignment 8 Submit the title of the PowerPoint that you have chosen for your final project. Give a title and brief description of your content. Do not submit as a Word document. Just type your info into the window in the assignment section. This assignment will not be graded, but will be checked for completion. |
| Discussion 9: The Future of Rock The commercial success of American popular music reached its apex with rock music. Many different sub-genres have since developed from this popular style. Where do you think rock music is headed in the future? How will the move from CDs to digital music affect it? Answer the questions by Friday (midnight) and post responses to two peers by Sunday (midnight). |
| Unit 3 Exam Sunday April 13: You may begin any time between 8:00pm and 10:00pm. You will have 1 hour to complete the exam after you begin You may begin anytime within this window of time. Before you begin, be sure to print out the Listening List. The answers to the listening questions will be the numbers assigned to the songs on that page. |
| Week 13
Work on final project
PowerPoint Project Note: If you are using PowerPoint 2007, please save your file as a .ppt file and not a .pptx file. I can't open the file in Blackboard in that format. |
| Discussion 10: Your Questions Based upon your reading about rock & roll, form what you would consider to be a thought-provoking discussion question. This should be a question that could theoretically be posed in a discussion forum such as the one in which you have participated. Then choose two of your classmates' questions to answer. Your question is due by Friday (midnight) and your posts to two peers' questions are due by Sunday (midnight). |
| Week 14
Work on final project
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| Final Project: PowerPoint Presentation Be sure and review the information on the PowerPoint Project link before submitting your file. This project is due on Sunday, April 27 at midnight. Save your document as Powerpoint_YourName.zip and submit it by Sunday at midnight. |
| Week 15
Project Critiques
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| Assignment 9: Project Critiques View the PowerPoint Projects of your peers. They are posted in the "Published" tab under "Assignments." Choose two presentations for review and critique them. Go to this link for instructions for your Critiques. Post your findings in the Discussion section. These two "Critiques" will be due on Wednesday, April 30, at midnight. |
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YOU are an awesome class!!  END OF SEMESTER
 | Blackboard/Computer Configuration
| Be sure and configure your computer BEFORE you need to submit an assignment or take a test. Take the practice test early so that we can troubleshoot any computer problems. |
| Do not try to use dial-up access for exams. |
| Go to the Exam section below for additional computer information. |
| Discussion Info
| Requirements and deadlines: You will have a discussion question each week. You should post an answer to the question by Friday at midnight. At least two additional posts (responses to other students' posts) are due by Sunday at midnight. Points will be deducted from the week's discussion grade if posted late. Be aware that doing the bare minimum will not earn an "A." NOTE: You should read all posts, not just the ones to which you intend to respond. Blackboard logs all activity and I am aware if you only read 2 posts in a discussion. |
| Answer the question entirely, not just one thought. Don't just paraphrase something in the lecture - do some thinking, reading on your own. It doesn't have to be a long answer, but it should not consist of a single point. It should also not be a simple yes or no answer, even if you put the word "definitely" in front of it. |
| In responding to others' answers, feel free to ask them for clarification or for further information to justify their answers. "I agree" is not a discussion. Neither is a paraphrase of their post. Your response should add something to the original post, ask, or answer a question. Ask questions like "I wonder why . . .," "Why is it that . . . ," "Do you think . . . ," to encourage others to delve deeper into the subject. Remember that chit chat responses ("I saw you at the movies last night," etc.) will not be counted toward the response post requirement. As a matter of fact, those belong in the Water cooler! Also, you are welcome to respond to as many posts as you like, but again, with something of substance, not just a "me, too!" answer. I am suspect of any answer that begins with "I agree . . . " |
| Please write in complete sentences and use correct punctuation, capitalization, etc. We do become accustomed to shorthand in e-mails and text messages, but you should be able to communicate in a more formal manner also, and this is a good forum in which to practice. You will be graded on this as a writing assignment, both on content and form. |
| Please begin your response posts with the person's name to whom you are responding. Some of the threads go back and forth between people and when read in compiled format, become very confusing. |
| These submissions are time and date stamped, so don't miss the deadlines. I read all of your posts in context, in the discussion forum. However, when I grade them in Blackboard, I am looking at only your posts, so keep that in mind when you judge your own participation. |
| Ask VB: Think of this as raising your hand in class. This is for clarification or problems that others might be having, as well. However, please be conscientious to check the course outline and your email, as well as reading the other "Ask VB" posts before asking questions so as not to duplicate, as that wastes others' time to read through and my time to answer. Also, please don't send the same question through "Ask VB" and email for the same reason. I do appreciate receiving posts when links are missing, or other errors so I can correct them quickly. |
| Assignment Submission
| Submit assignments as Word documents unless specified otherwise. Do not try to submit the document without saving it first. Be sure and save it to a folder where you can retrieve it later. Sometimes resubmissions are necessary. |
| Save the document as Assignment1_YourName.doc (substituting the correct assignment number and using your own name :-) |
| Use a heading at the top of the page which includes your name and the assignment number. Use a heading on every assignment you submit. |
| Upload the Word document in the assignment section as an attachment. |
| Occasionally your assignments may be returned to you for a redo. Make your corrections and resubmit through the Assignment section as before. |
 Note:
| It is very important that you name your file according to the instructions above. Otherwise, I have to rename each file. So please take a moment to rename the file before submission if you do not name it as above originally. |
| Exams
| Each exam will be available within a two-hour window of time, from 8:00pm to 10:00pm on the test days. The exams will only be available during the specified times. Each exam should take about 30-40 minutes. You will have one hour from the time you begin the exam to finish it. |
| Each exam will consist of two parts: 1) multiple choice questions based upon the lectures, reading, and other links, and 2) identification of songs from your listening list. There is a complete list of the audio excerpts on your Study Guide. |
| In order to do the listening portion of the exams, you must print out the Listening List. The answers to the listening questions will be the numbers assigned to the songs on that page (without a period after the number). Do NOT try to type in the name of the song. |
| Each time you answer a listening question, a media player will play a song excerpt. Behind the media player will be a white screen. You will have to close that screen as well as the media player screen to get back to your test questions. |
| IMPORTANT! Before you begin your exam, please turn OFF your pop-up blocker(s). |
| Do not try to take the exam using dial-up as it will take too long to load the audio files and you might not have time to finish the test. |
| Click on the "Save" button after every question, not just at the end. This will ensure that your answers are recorded. |
| If your computer freezes during the exam, just log back in, and click on 'Continue Assessment' and it will pick you up right where you left off. |
| Some of the test questions will have more than one correct answer. Here's an example: Mickey Mouse is A. a Disney character B. a cartoon C. a character on Law & Order The correct answer would be to select both "A" and "B". If you select only "A" you would receive half credit on that particular question. Always be aware of the possibility of multiple answers and select all that apply. |
| On every exam, there will be questions that are not covered in the lecture or study guide and that you will only recognize if you have read the material in your textbook. So, keep up with the reading. It will be worth your while. |
| Only in case of "excused absence" will you be able to make up an exam. These instances will require written documentation (something from a healthcare provider, for example). Missing an exam because of work or personal conflicts does not qualify as an excused absence. The exams are scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Please make sure that you make arrangements. |
| Created and maintained by Vicky Boucher |
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