MUP131: CLASS PIANO I COURSE SYLLABUS

Fall Semester 2014

ASU School of Music
Class Piano Program Coordinator: Hannah Creviston (W255)
Hannah.creviston@asu.edu
(480) 965-3823
MUP 131 Instructor or Teaching Assistant: Dani Shraibman (W280)
dshraibm@asu.edu
(718) 785-7147
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Alfreds Group Piano for Adults, Student Book 1, Second Edition, by E.L. Lancaster and Kenon
D. Renfrow.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The main objective of MUP131 is to introduce students, via the keyboard, to skills necessary to
produce well-rounded musicians. In this first semester of the class piano sequence, students will
begin learning the following:

keyboard theory chord progressions, diatonic chords and chord functions

harmonization various styles

transposition

improvisation both melodic and chordal

score reading and sightreading melodies with simple accompaniment

technique major and minor five finger patterns and scales

repertoire in a variety of musical styles.

This semester will cover units one through thirteen of the text. Supplementary materials provided
by your instructor may be used as well.
PRACTICING
Your instructor will introduce materials during class time, with the expectation that you will
practice outside of class and use your instructors office hours to help you with any questions
about assignments. As a general guideline, you will need to practice at least 20-30 minutes every
day in order to attain maximum benefit from the class.
ATTENDANCE
Daily attendance in class is expected. You are responsible for all of the material covered in class
(including homework, quizzes and exams), whether or not you are present. Absences are
categorized as excused or unexcused for grading purposes (see below). Student absences that are
considered excused are those that involve the following:

ASU required events (please provide documentation in advance from the

professor in charge of the event to your MUS 194 instructor)

Religious holidays not observed by the university (please contact your

MUS 194 instructor and explain your absence in advance)

Medical Emergencies (please provide written documentation from your

doctor, emergency room physician or medical clinic)

Other absences may considered excused in consultation with your

instructor at his/her discretion (please consult in advance when possible)

You are allowed 3 unexcused absences before your grade will be affected. On the 4 unexcused
absence, your final grade will be lowered 8%. On the 5 unexcused absence, your final grade
will be lowered 15%. On the 6 unexcused absence, your final grade will be lowered 20%. On
the 7 unexcused absence, you will automatically fail the class.
*A tardy of more than 10 minutes will be considered an absence.
*Three tardies of more than 5 minutes are considered one absence.
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GRADING
You will be graded regularly in class throughout the semester. Make-ups for missed grades due
to unexcused absences and tardiness are not allowed and will be averaged into the final grade as
zeros, with the exception of the midterm and final exam grades (see below). For those absences
that are excused, assignments/quizzes must be made up at the next class meeting. (Exceptions
may be made at the discretion of the instructor.)
Quizzes have a multiplier of 1.
The midterm exam has a multiplier of 3.
The final exam has a multiplier of 4.
Your level of preparation and participation in class is part of your grade and will be computed as
10% of your total grade at the end of the semester.
The grading scale is computed in percentages and is as follows:
96.6 100 = A+
93.3 96.5 = A
90.1 93.2 = A86.6 90 = B+
83.3 86.5 = B
80.1 83.2 = B76.6 80 = C+
70.1 76.5 = C
60.1 70 = D
0 60 = E
The School of Music requires that students must earn a grade of C or above in all required
classes in their major; therefore anything below a C will not be considered a passing grade.
MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS
The midterm exam will take place during the week of October 6th. Students will be tested on
what they have learned so far; the exam consists of a group of smaller tests (for example, a test
over improvisation, a test over transposition, etc.), each of which produces a grade, each equal in
weight. Each of these grades is added to your other grades. The midterm counts as three quiz
grades.
The final exam will occur during the time slot assigned to your class during finals week and will
cover what you have learned since the mid-term exam. Again, there will be individual smaller
tests, each of which produces a grade, each equal in weight, which will be added to your other
grades to calculate your final score. The final exam counts as four quiz grades.
*You must take the midterm and final exams to pass the class!

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All necessary and appropriate sanctions will be issued to all parties involved with plagiarizing
any and all course work. Plagiarism and any other form of academic dishonesty that is in
violation with the Student Code of Conduct will not be tolerated.
http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity
ACOMMODATION NOTICE
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the ASU Disability
Resource Center http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/lab/ (Phone: 480-965-1234; TDD:
480-965-9000). This is a very important step as accommodations cannot be made retroactively.
If you have a letter from their office indicating that you have a disability requiring academic
accommodations, please let the instructors know no later than the end of the first week of the
semester so we can discuss the accommodations that you might need in this class.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Please check http://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar for important dates regarding drop, add,
and withdrawal. You are responsible for withdrawing from the class, should you wish to do so.
CELL PHONES AND ELECTRONICS
Participation in this class is mandatory, so please turn off all electronic device, including cell
phones and laptops, before coming to class sessions. These are to remain out of sight during the
class.
STUDENT CONDUCT STATEMENT
Students are required to adhere to the behavior standards listed in Arizona Board of Regents
Policy Manual Chapter V Campus and Student Affairs: Code of Conduct
(http://www.abor.asu.edu/1_the_regents/policymanual/chap5/5Section_C.pdf), ACD 125:
Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications
(http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html), and the ASU Student Academic Integrity
Policy (http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm).
Students are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other members of the class.
If a student is disruptive, an instructor may ask the student to stop the disruptive behavior and
warn the student that such disruptive behavior can result in withdrawal from the course. An
instructor may withdraw a student from a course when the student's behavior disrupts the
educational process under USI 201-10 http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-10.html.
A FINAL NOTE
This course has been designed to help you learn the basic skills of piano and musicianship.
Please take advantage of everything this course has to offer. There are many resources available
to you class time, your instructor, the coordinator, office hours, and your classmates.

MUP 131 TECHNIQUE SUPPLEMENT

FiveFingerPatterns:GoingupChromatically,HandsTogether(IncludingBrokenandBlocked
Chord)
Scales:OneOctave,HandsSeparately
Arpeggios:FourOctaves,HandoverHand
ChordProgression:
IIV6/4IV6/5I