Music 133 Syllabus: Fall 2025
Course Description
Music, in all its many forms and styles, is an integral part of human nature, culture, and society, playing a significant role in the expressive and creative development of the individual. In this course, students will develop an appreciation of music as a means of personal communication through an intensive introductory study of music theory. Students will be able to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of music: pitch, rhythm and meter, notation, keyboard layout, scales and keys, intervals, chords and chord progressions, and basic musical form. Knowledge of these principles will equip students with the practical and cognitive skills to engage directly in the reading and composing of music.
Detailed online lessons with extensive audio and visual components are supplemented with regular practice via assignments and examinations. The unit and lesson structure mirrors Joseph Straus’s theory textbook, Elements of Music. All course materials, coursework, and interaction with the professor take place online.
School of Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum Learning Goal
1. Areas of Inquiry
c. Arts and the Humanities
Students will be able to engage critically in the process of creative expression.
Course Learning Objectives
• To demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of standard pitch and rhythm
notation, keyboard layout, meter and time signatures, scales and keys, intervals, consonance and dissonance, chords and chord progressions, and basic musical phrase structure.
• To develop the ability to perceive, analyze, describe, and transcribe simple musical passages.
• To identify and define the elements of musical composition.
• To articulate musical terminology and concepts effectively.
• To analyze a short musical composition, thus demonstrating a critical understanding of the principles and concepts of music theory.
Technology/Materials
Music 133 is designed to be best viewed on a desktop display. Students should use either Firefox or Chrome browsers on a desktop machine. Viewing the course on a mobile device may result in missing important information.
All course materials and activities are on Rutgers' Canvas site:https://rutgers.instructure.com/. The Music 133 course site contains a set of online lessons with embedded audio and video, which together serve as an "online textbook. " All homework assignments (HW) and exams also occur on the course site. Live interaction with professors occurs via email and video chat.
Staff paper (for writing music) is recommended for taking notes as you read the online lessons and practicing and working out your online assignments. Here is a good source of free printable staff paper:https://www.musicca.com/files/documents/staff-paper/no-clef-8- letter.pdf.
Time and Workload
Students should expect to spend at least 3-7 hours per week reading the online lessons, watching and listening to online videos and music examples (embedded in the lessons), and completing weekly homework assignments and exams.
Reading/Listening: Lessons with embedded audio/video: 1-2 hours/week
Homework Assignments (HW): Multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank format: 1-4 hours/week
Creative Projects: Compose and Perform. Simple Melodies. variable
To be successful in this course, you should:
• Thoroughly complete all the reading and listening contained in the online lessons.
• Complete all homework assignments (HW).
• Complete the Core Concept Exams.
• Strictly observe all deadlines.
• Complete all Creative Projects
• Read all instructions carefully!
Teaching Strategies
To enable student achievement of the learning goals, your instructor will:
• Respond to your questions and requests for extra help promptly and fully.
• Initiate regular email contact (reminders, news, updates) with all course students.
Grade Weights
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Tasks
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Grade Weights
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Homework assignments (HW)
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62%
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Core Concepts Exam
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10%
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2 Creative Projects (10% each)
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20%
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Chord Identification Project
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8%
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TOTAL:
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100%
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Homework Assignments (62%)
There are 31 required homework assignments, all worth between 1% and 2%.
- Assignments (12, 14 & 30) must be handwritten and submitted as a pdf.