MUS 102 A: CLASS GUITAR

Mon. 10:00 – 10:50 AM

Instructor: Steven J. Lerman

Office hours: By appointment
Contact Info: Email: sjlerman@email.arizona.edu ; Phone: 619-846-7744

Prerequisites: This course is designed for those with little or no knowledge of classical/general guitar
playing. If you already have some experience, inquire about auditioning for 102B.

Required Course Materials

-Classical Guitar (nylon strings).
-Classical Guitar Footstool
-Guitar Tuner

Required text: The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Vol. 1. Christopher Parkening (author).

All items can be purchased from the UA bookstore, Amazon.com or Metro Gnome Music Tucson

Main outline of content:

1.Basic guitar anatomy
2.How to sit and hold the guitar
3.Left/right hand positions and nail care
4.Note and rhythm reading
5.Dynamics/tone colors
6.Study and Performance of solo guitar pieces

Grading and Assessment:

Attendance and class preparation 30%

Each week during class you should be prepared to play the exercises previously assigned. Students
may be chosen randomly. If you are unable to play the assigned material you will receive an
unfavorable grade for that day. Everyone in class will perform several times during the semester. 2
excused absences are permitted. You must email instructor in advance to qualify. Each subsequent
absence will result in a reduction of the final grade by 5%. All holidays or special events observed
by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular
religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students will also be honored.

Recital reports 20%

Three classical guitar recitals must be attended this semester. Reports are to be turned in for each
recital (see next page for details).

Mid-term 25%
Demonstration of points 1-3 and play through a short melody (given in advance).

Final 25%
Play longer melody or piece demonstrating points 1-6. Play several major and minor scales (to be
determined and announced).
Testing In General
Due to the nature of this course, it is impossible to predict the exact point we will have reached by
mid-term or finals. The above lists can only serve as general guidelines. It is very likely there will be
differences. Test content will be announced at appropriate times.

Recital Reports
Everyone is required to attend three classical guitar concerts per semester, with at least one being
professional and two being Guitar Area Recitals which occur every Friday at 11 in the UA Art
Museum or every first Wednesday of the month at the Holsclaw Hall in the Music Building.
Requirements:
 2 pages min. (typed), double space
 Times New Roman, size 12
 1 inch margins
 Attach concert program as proof of attendance (You must stay for the entire
concert)

Constructing a Concert Review:

I. The concert as a whole
a. Brief description of the concert- performers, place, date, time and music style.
b. General reactions to the concert.
II. Discussing the individual composition (choose 1 or 2 pieces specifically to talk about)
a. Emotions, Images and Ideas conveyed.
b. Memorable feature of the concert.
III. Discussion of the performance
a. Emotional projection
b. Dynamics
c. Tempo
d. Melody

How can I succeed in this class?

-Come to class!
-Ask questions.
-Practice. Practicing 20-30 minutes per day is much more effective than two hours before class.
Think of playing as a development of fitness – it is an accumulative process.

Students with Disabilities:

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I
would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that
formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered
with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for
reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations

Policies against plagiarism, etc., within Student Code of Academic Integrity:

http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies Policies against threatening behavior by students:
http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml.

For up to date concert schedule refer to http://tucsonguitarsociety.org/ or follow the Tucson Guitar
Society on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tucson-Guitar-Society/50437501605