Course Syllabus
Click the links below to jump to specific sections:
- General Course Information
- Contact Information
- Credits & Prerequisites
- Course Materials
- Course Description
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Expectations & Resources
- Course Management & Policies
- Assignments & Assessment Methods
- Course Grading
- Course Schedule
I. General Course Information
Course Title: CSO Online
Semester/Year: Fall 2020
Department, Course Number, Section: 3621
Meeting Time(s) and Location(s): Wednesdays 4:55 - 6:25 PM ET on Zoom or equivalent platforms
Course Website Link: http://cuorchestra.org
II. Contact Information
Instructor(s):
Chris Kim, Director of Orchestras, Associate Professor of Music
chriskim@cornell.edu
Course Staff/Teaching Assistants:
None for the Fall semester
Office hours:
(face-to-face or online), please make an appointment with me with an email request.
III. Credits and Prerequisites
NYSED Requirement
Credits and credit hour options:
Either 0 credits, S-U, or 1 credit, letter grade, each semester. Auditors are welcome
If Synchronous participation is not possible either due to time zone or conflicting course, an asynchronous option is available by taking an independent study.
independent study with me via MUSIC 4901 - 605 Independent Study in Music for 1 credit.
You can submit the Independent Study form from this website: https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.
Prerequisites:
Prerequisite: complete audition form. For Spring semester participation there will be an audition in November. More details will be posted on the orchestra website.
Major/minor requirements:
For Music majors; Two semesters of Collaborative Performance in a musical organization or ensemble is required. If the organization or ensemble is not sponsored by the Department of Music, participation must be registered and overseen via a 1-credit independent study with a faculty member. (Courses are typically numbered 3601-3660 and 4601-4651.)
IV. Course Materials
Reading list or viewing list from our guests will be added to this list;
September 2 - DBR Daniel Roumaine, composer, violinist, educator [Confirmed]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht5t4478GPw
Interview “Bending Genres to the World’s Shape”
A New Statement on Racial Discrimination
Introduction to his music
Workshop of Frederic Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge
http://musicgames.wikidot.com/wiki:les-moutons-de-panurge
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY MUST REGISTER
September 9 - Rachel Barton Pine, Music by Black Composers Foundation. https://mkiartists.com/rachel-barton-pine [confirmed]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7653yJDC6cY&feature=youtu.be (Links to an external site.)
Interview with DBR
Who We Are with DBR: Rachel Barton Pine
September 16 - Carlos Simon, Composer [confirmed]
September 23 - Jeri Lynne Johnson, Foundering Artistic Director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra [Confirmed]
September 30 - Aaron Flagg, Secretary of the Board and Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, League of American Orchestras & Faculty member of Jazz studies at Juilliard School [Confirmed] League of American Orchestra statement on Racial Discrimination https://americanorchestras.org/images/stories/diversity/League-Statement-Racial-Discrimination.pdf
October 7 - Afa S. Dworkin President and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization [Confirmed]
October 14 - BREAK DAY at Cornell, No classes and No assignments
NEW SPECIAL DAY AND TIME
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY MUST REGISTER
October 20 - Jessie Montgomery. https://mkiartists.com/artists/jessie-montgomery [confirmed]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAuhAwDC1PM
October 28 - Aaron P. Dworkin, founder of The Sphinx Organization, author of The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives, [Confirmed]
November 4 - Steven Banks, Performance Studies at Ithaca College [confirmed]
Julius Eastman Stay on it.
Score https://issuu.com/scoresondemand/docs/stay_on_it_aws_57872
Different realizations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgmadIqSv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESyBVNpap2Q
November 11 - Robert Deemer of the Institute for Composer Diversity [CONFIRMED]
Reading https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/dictionary-definition-racism-has-change/613324
Video interview with Robert Deemer and CK https://youtu.be/npw5T78Zkvc
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY MUST REGISTER
November 18 - Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of New York Philharmonic Orchestra [confirmed]
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2305296712906888
https://www.trilloquy.org/opuses
And here is the Kansas City Symphony Anthony interview. https://www.kcsymphony.org/music-for-our-time/ Scroll down to Episode 2.
December 2 - Workshop Performance Workshop of Frederic Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge
http://musicgames.wikidot.com/wiki:les-moutons-de-panurge
December 9 - Workshop of Louis Andriessen Workers Union: Symphonic movement for any loud-sounding group of instruments
https://katagata.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/andriessen_workers-union.pdf
December 16 - Wynton Marsalis [confirmed]
Zoom registration link
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwudOigqDMuE9NY4eq2KuPuFGJseogU9rHC
V. Course Description
NYSED Requirement
The goal of this music performance course is to provide the opportunity for you as an orchestral performer to come together with other like-minded musicians in an ensemble setting to rehearse and perform the highest quality literature from the symphonic orchestra repertoire. In this course, we will focus on the overall concepts of self and ensemble expression, engagement, participation, and performance. We will also address musical concepts of ensemble and individual balance, blend, intonation, phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, rhythmic precision, color, and ensemble clarity. We are going to listen to ourselves, to each other, and to the composer’s voice. This semester we will be engaged with 12 speakers with the topic of confronting racism in the Orchestra. We will strive to gain a better understanding of the current state of inequities and to form a constructive path to improving the state of the orchestra.
VI. Student Learning Outcomes
NYSED Requirement
Identify and devise solutions to a musical problem.
Compare all the possibilities of interpretation to a musical passage.
Critique one’s own performance as well as their peers through verbal reflection and performance.
Gain a better understanding of self in the wider world with empathy towards another person from a different background,
VII. Expectations and Resources for Student Success
You expected to treat each member of our orchestra, course, guests, and instructors with respect and humility. Be present to all our sessions. If possible turn the video on so that our guests and your fellow classmates can connect with you. Be on time for our sessions. When readings or videos are posted in advance of the guest's appearance, read and view them so you can interact and engage with our speakers.
Inclusivity Statement
Cornell University (as an institution) and I (as a human being and instructor of this course) am committed to full inclusion in education for all persons. Services and reasonable accommodations are available to persons with temporary and permanent disabilities, to students with DACA or undocumented status, to students facing mental health or other personal challenges, and to students with other kinds of learning challenges. Please feel free to let me know if there are circumstances affecting your ability to participate in class. Some resources that might be of use include:
- Office of Student Disability Services: https://sds.cornell.edu
- Cornell Health CAPS (Counseling & Psychological Services): https://health.cornell.edu/services/counseling-psychiatry
- Undocumented/DACA Student support: See the list of campus resources at https://dos.cornell.edu/undocumented-daca-support/undergraduate-admissions-financial-aid
If you are feeling overwhelmed, or are worrying about a friend, please reach out to one of your instructors or your academic adviser. We can try to help or we can put you in touch with someone who can help. Cornell has trained counselors available to listen and help: Empathy, Assistance, and Referral Service (213 Willard Straight Hall, 607-255-3277), Cornell Health's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, 607-255- 5155), and Let’s Talk. The Learning Strategies Center offers a range of academic resources.
Expectations
Actively participate. To succeed in this class, you must be focused and involved, offering your comments, questions, feedback, and answers. Your participation grade will be derived from in-class activities you will hand in.
Take steps to avoid distractions. During class discussions, please turn off your cell phone and other electronic devices so you can focus on discussion.
Be respectful. In this course, we will be exposed to a variety of viewpoints, values, and opinions that may differ from our own. All students in this class should feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints and concerns. We are each an important part of creating the atmosphere that makes this possible.
Act with integrity. Your instructors and fellow students expect you to choose to act with integrity in all your classes, including this one. For clarification, see the Essential Guide to Academic Integrity.
VIII. Course Management and Policies
If you are unable to participate in the weekly sessions please let me know of your situation or concern in advance.
Academic Integrity
Students at Cornell have communicated a need for transparency about academic integrity and specific expectations for your class assignments in your syllabus. Having clear rules, talking about what is written in the syllabus, reinforcing your expectations in class when assignments come up, and breaking up longer assignments into short pieces due throughout the term with feedback on drafts, reduces student cheating. Explicit communication about what is permissible offsets students fending for themselves. Students are more likely to ask a peer than ask the instructor if there are no articulated rules. Three areas students at Cornell suggest faculty address are: setting forth your rules regarding whether students may use answer keys or consult with others on problem sets; indicating whether students may get editorial or other assistance on written work; and providing parameters for acceptable collaboration when you assign group work.
The Cornell faculty senate strongly encourages all faculty to include the following statement about academic integrity in their syllabus:
"Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work."
Consider expanding on this to express your expectations and guide students to be successful. For example, include tips about the types of issues that may come up in relation to your teaching strategies (e.g., specifying if collaboration is allowed or discussing assignments with peers; aspects of group projects that should be completed independently versus jointly; whether students are permitted to get help with editing their papers, and if so, whether they are required to acknowledge the help they received; utilizing course materials that may be online; utilizing course materials produced by students who have taken the course in prior semesters; bringing course material with them into exam rooms; expectations for citing all sources). Research on academic integrity shows that talking about academic integrity policy with students is important. Consider asking students to take the Arts & Sciences Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism quiz; read the university statement on Commitment to Academic Integrity, Equitable Instruction, Trust, and Respect; and discuss them in class. See also the academic integrity code.
Since students are reluctant to ask an instructor to clarify their rules, it is best to include a note letting students know you are open to inquiry.
Circulating or Selling Class Materials
You may want to add copyright information to your syllabus and your Canvas site to inform students that the course material is your intellectual property. For more information, see the Cornell Faculty Handbook.
Sample: All materials of this course are copyrighted and it is prohibited to circulate or sell to commercial vendors the course materials, including syllabus, exams, lecture notes, images, presentations, and student papers. Such unauthorized behavior constitutes academic misconduct. Video and/or audio recording of class lectures and review sessions without my permission in advance is prohibited. If you have an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services or if you are interested in recording for your personal use as a study aid, please make an appointment, via youcanbookme, to meet in office hours before you record anything.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with Disabilities: Your access in this course is important to me. Please request your accommodation letter early in the semester, or as soon as you become registered with SDS, so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.
Attendance and Absences
In this course, the main focus of each class session will involve continuing discussions with your colleagues. Therefore, attendance in this class is mandatory. We will be doing many in-class activities, so a missed class is an inconvenience to your fellow classmates. Please come to class on time. You have three “free pass” absences during the semester. If you have special circumstances (i.e. illness, family emergency), please come talk to me or e-mail me. If you have more than three absences from class your final grade for the discussion will be dropped by 5 points for each additional unexcused absence.
IX. Assignments and Assessment Methods
NYSED Requirement
Weekly assignments/Homework
Each guest will be sending an article or a video for you to read and absorb before their appearance. You should look up the bio so that you know who they are and what work they have done.
X. Course Grading
Grading Practices and Policies
- Grading is based on participation in the discussion module for each guest. It won't be possible to get to everyone in the live conversation sessions with our guest. Thus participation in the discussion session as well as your attendance of the live session will be factors in your grade. Each guest will send an article or a chapter of a book or a video for you to respond, reflect and engage with. In the discussion module you can ask a question which will be incorporated into the interview portion with the guest or a reflection or response to the materials for each speaker.
Grade Distribution
Grades will be based on participation and engagement with the speaker throughout the semester.
Grading Rubrics
| Always Contributes (A) | Sometimes Contributes (B) | Rarely Contributes (C) | Never Contributes (D) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Criteria for Frequency and Quality of Participation |
Always contributes to the discussion by raising thoughtful questions, analyzing relevant issues, building on others’ ideas, synthesizing across readings and discussions, expanding the class’ perspective, and appropriately challenging assumptions and perspectives. | Sometimes contributes to the discussion in the aforementioned ways. | Rarely contributes to the discussion in the aforementioned ways. | Never contributes to the discussion in the aforementioned ways. |
XI. Course Schedule
September 2 - DBR Daniel Roumaine, composer, violinist, educator [Confirmed]
September 9 - Rachel Barton Pine, Music by Black Composers Foundation. [confirmed]
September 16 - Carlos Simon, Composer [confirmed]
September 23 - Jeri Lynne Johnson, Foundering Artistic Director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra [Confirmed]
September 30 - Aaron Flagg, Secretary of the Board and Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, League of American Orchestras & Faculty member of Jazz studies at Juilliard School [Confirmed] League of American Orchestra statement on Racial
October 7 - Afa S. Dworkin President and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization [Confirmed]
October 14 - No classes
October 20 [Note special time and day of Tuesday 5-630 pm ET - Jessie Montgomery, composer [confirmed]
October 28 - Aaron P. Dworkin, founder of The Sphinx Organization, author of The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives, [Confirmed]
November 4 - Steven Banks, Performance Studies at Ithaca College [confirmed]
November 11 - Robert Deemer of the Institute for Composer Diversity [CONFIRMED]
November 18 - Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of New York Philharmonic Orchestra [confirmed] [Yes we will have a session as that was the only date available to Anthony McGill]
December 2 - Workshop of Frederic Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge http://musicgames.wikidot.com/wiki:les-moutons-de-panurge
December 9 - Workshop Performance repertoire TBA
December 16 - Wynton Marsalis [confirmed]
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|