Final

Final Analysis & Article
Step 1

Step 2
List 25 vocabulary terms/concepts that are used in this article related to music theory

1. Form

2. Texture

3. Style

4. Interval

5. Octave

6. Chords

7. Mixolydian

8. Locrian

9. Aeolian

10. Dissonant

11. Cadence

12. Leading Tone

13. Dominant

14. Tonic

15. Homophonic

16. Tone

17. Harmony

18. Diatonic

19. Chromatic

20. Pitch

21. Phrase

22. Circle of Fifths

23. Chorale

24. V7 Chord

25. Thirds/Fifths
Mov. 1:

The melody line is often times carried by the singers and the harmony is played by the instruments. If there are no singers, the melody is played by the trumpet usually. There are some parts that are polyphonic, with multiple melodies going on at the same time. The rhythm gets more complex as it gets much later in the piece, and the same melody can be heard repeated throughout the whole piece. It has a strong sense of dissonance and eeriness through the piece. At one specific part the singers just continue to crescendo and crescendo, and this happens again later as well. The tempo seems to speed up a tad at some parts but often stays at a nice moderate speed. The rhythms aren't severely complex from what I heard, with half or whole notes seeming to be very common throughout the piece.

Mov. 2:

The rhythms are more complex to the other movements' rhythms. The tempo isn't significantly fast but it is faster than the other movements. It seems to have strong parts of monophony, with the instruments occasionally playing 1-2 notes in the background very briefly. The singers are the most prominent part of this piece. They are usually singing harmonies together in one singular melody. Then the instruments come in with a stronger melody line later in the piece. This whole movement has a sense of aggression and power to it. The melodies don't really reoccur throughout the piece, indicating that the form is very diverse.

Mov. 3:

It starts out very accented and sounding aggressive, then slowly transitions into a very beautiful section. There is a dynamic change from the first section (which was more of a forte) to the second section (which was a mezzo forte/piano). There is a brief period where it is monophonic/homophonic, where only the instruments are playing. The majority of the time the piece is polyphonic, with the singers and orchestra playing different melodies. It then moves into a section with only the singers performing, then starts to have a darker feel. This is very brief, and then it immediately copies the second section from before, forming a sort of ABCB form.

Mov. 4:

This piece has a sense of hopefulness in the beginning as well as curiosity. The rhythms aren't significantly complex in this piece either, with a tempo that is quite slow as well. It is mostly homophonic or monophonic, hearing the singers and instruments almost never play at the same exact time. There aren't any significantly high pitches that are heard in this piece, and it ends on a very pleasing chord that signals the piece is ending.

Step 3
A.  How confident are you in the predicted outcome of the written analysis?  20%, 40%, 60%, 80% or 100%

80%
B.   How ‘theory smart’ do you feel after identifying the terms in the article? 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% or 100%

70-80%
C.  On a scale from 1-10, about how much effort/time did you put into this exam?

5
D.  What part(s) did you find most challenging?  Easiest?

The most challenging part was the written analysis and having to venture deep into my brain in order to remember all of the concepts for questions it was asking me. The easiest part was the second part, which was finding the vocabulary and then analyzing the movements provided. I have always found it easy to analyze the movements by ear rather then fill out a written analysis, so this was to be expected.

Final Reflection
Step 1
A.  Comment on your semester achievements in relation to your initial goals

Taking this class was a great success when it comes to accomplishing my initial goals. For the most part I accomplished those goals I set for myself, even if the conditions I met them in weren't the best or exactly what I had hoped for. My hope is to take this knowledge outside of the classroom and apply it further than I did during the course.
B.  How well did you achieve your goal?  What goals were met?  What goals were not met?

I believe my goals were met for the most part. My understanding and appreciation for music have increased drastically from when I started. I was also hoping to somehow improve my Oboe playing through having an understanding of this course, but I have yet to apply my knowledge to my Oboe.
C.  How well did you avoid sources of interference to stay on task?

The biggest interference was outside ones, there was no real distraction when it came to the computer itself. I did not really do a good job to avoid these sources, so I guess I can say that I did not avoid them well whatsoever.

Step 2
A.  Comment on how you addressed the weaknesses you identified and/or how you overcame challenges in regards to achieving success this semester

I did not address my weaknesses like I had hoped to. I got distracted throughout the semester and did not manage my time wisely whatsoever. I did try to overcome my weakness of time management this semester by telling myself what I would try to accomplish at the end of each class block, which helped to a certain extent. But I still did not complete stuff on time and did not prevent myself from becoming distracted as I hoped to.

B. Initial True: 20/30 False: 10/30 True to False: 20:10

Current True: 21/30 False: 9/30 True to False: 21:9
C.  How would you approach the process differently if you had another opportunity to learn in this manner?

I would manage my time better and let myself get ahead of the units and due dates if I had the extra time. Instead, I worked on things from other courses, which ended up pulling me back in this class. Being on Unit 5 when Unit 4 is coming up to its due date is not the worst thing in the world, and I could've spent more time at home completing the work for other courses.
D.  What have you learned about learning?

Learning requires a sense of dedication and organization that I wasn't 100% ready for. I believe I was ready to learn these concepts and take this course, but I didn't properly perform throughout the course itself.
E.  How does what you learned relate to other things you have been learning or have experienced?

Throughout this entire year I had a significant lack of time management and dedication to most everything I did. I haven't fully come to terms as to why this may be, but I believe if I focus simply on the work of one specific class at a time, I will learn better through this process.
F.  How has your thinking about your thinking(metacognition)changed?

I have realized that I need to seriously develop some self-discipline in order to complete work and further my learning. My thinking usually goes that if I am slightly ahead whatsoever, I can work on assignments for other classes, which pulled me behind in the current class. I am not as proud of my thinking as I used to be and I would like to improve it significantly.

Step 3
A.  Comment on the status of your current comfort level with this material relative to the past

I have a much stronger understanding of the material compared to what I knew in the past. There are concepts that I never would've been able to grasp unless I took this course, and by the end of the semester I can thoroughly understand each piece that is put in front of me.
B.  How well did you achieve what you set out to learn?

Each concept that was a mystery to me became understandable as I went through the course. I have a sense of satisfaction knowing that I now understand the concepts that looked very hard and confusing when I first saw them.
C.  What concepts were achieved?  What concepts remain a mystery?

Most everything in this course was concepts that were achieved. Even if I had a rough understanding of them, they were amplified in knowledge and understanding once I got to the end of this course. Some things did not stick as well by the time it came to the end of the course, so I would like to review those a bit more before moving on in my Music Theory "career". One concept we did not learn but I wish we did tackle was 4-part writing. I am very curious as to what it is, even if it was perceived difficult, and wish we pursued it in this course.

Step 4
A.  Identify areas of strengths

Working independently, having good attendance, and working with others if it is needed.
B.  Identify areas of needed improvement

Allowing myself to get easily distracted throughout the course and not managing my time properly.
C.  What strategies might you use to overcome these challenges?

Right at the start of class I should have put on my headphones to block outside distractions and gotten right to work. Instead, I worked but left my headphones off and let any conversation come directly at me. There was a respect that if the other person is wearing headphones, we don't speak to the other to let them stay in their work. And starting work right at the beginning of class and working until the end of the block would help with my time management.

Step 5
A.  Comment on the quality of work reflected in your ePortfolio as well as the content of your manila folder

The contents of my manila folder did not change drastically, but that is because we did not have much written work for the final half of the semester. The few papers that are in there seem to resemble the ones from the first half of the semester. As for my ePortfolio, I cannot sense any signs of change in this either. My work is of the same quality that it was during the first half of the semester; if not then maybe a bit sloppier.
B.  Did you modify your approach for the second part of the semester or repeat your approach from the first part?

I truly believe I repeated my approach from the first half of the semester. There was a lot going on so I did not put much thought into modifying my approach in order to change the work that I was putting out in this class. I wish that I did slightly change my approach so that I got more stuff done on time.

Step 6
Identify 3 of the most important concepts or skills you learned in this course

1. Composition

2. Transposition

3. Chords & their progressions (Cadences)
Explain why you perceive these concepts or skills to be important

Composition and transposition sort of tie in together in the same idea. Knowing how other instruments sound and are transposed ties into how you will use them in composition. Composition is important to know if I wish to write music in the future or simply just analyzing music and having a better understanding of the piece. Having an understanding of chords will further help me write music and transpose as well as succeed in playing chords in band and understanding their attributes and effects.
How do you anticipate using these concepts or skills in the future?

Chords are something we use every single day in band, but having a broader understanding of them is useful in case I would like to see it from a different perspective (ex. not playing but conducting/listening). Having knowledge of transposition is very helpful when it comes to learning different instruments as well as writing music for them. As for composition, I'd like to write pieces in the future and become much more better at the overall writing process of music. This course overall significantly helped and there is no real way for me to narrow down and say 3 skills are the most important, when everything was quite impactful.

Step 7

Time management and asking for help will be your best friends. Stay focused on the task at hand and make sure you understand a concept thoroughly before moving on. The worst thing you could do is rush through the work and then not have a true understanding of it when it comes time to write your composition. Make sure you manage your time wisely and reflect on previous units to prepare yourself when it comes to finishing the course.

Step 8

Should've totally taught us 4 part writing. I feel like that knowledge would've been very useful going into the composition and the future. Also shorten the due dates at the beginning of the year so there is more time later on so students feel a slight bit of pressure to get the easier parts done quicker in the beginning, providing them more time with the harder final pieces.