Topics in Musicianship: Psychology of Music for Musicians, MUS 360

DePaul University, Fall Quarter 2012 Tuesdays 6-8pm, SOM 214

Caroline Davis, Ph.D

Contact Information Office: TBA, hours by appointment Mailbox: TBA Phone: 847.471.2673 Email: carolinedavismusic@gmail.com Required Materials Thompson, W.F. (2009). Music, thought, and feeling: Understanding the

psychology of music. Oxford University Press. Additional readings will be posted on course website or provided in class. Course Description As musicians, we deal with a lot – practicing, reading about those who

came before us, and demanding performing schedules are only a few of our many concerns. The psychology of our interactions with music affects those concerns we encounter on a daily basis. What aspects of this music (that I choose to perform) draw my mind to it? What is the origin of compositional rules? How many hours of dedicated practice a day can my mind mentally handle? How important is musical memory? How does music evoke emotions? How is music represented in the brain? What does the “musician lifestyle” do to human beings? These questions lie at the heart of Music Cognition and will be explored throughout the quarter.

More specifically, in this course, we will:

• Identify the subgenres of research in music cognition and reflect upon their contributions to the field

• Describe music by way of learning the basic elements of physical and perceptual sound and how these affect our cognition and mental processes of sound

• Illustrate the relevance of empirical studies to the understanding of music

• Discuss the lifestyle of musicians and its relationship to the psyche

• Appreciate musicians’ contributions to the cognition of music by attending and discussing a live performance

Attendance Policy We are all learning together, so being present and on time in class is as

important as your assignments. Absences are excused only in the case of a serious illness or family emergency. If there are extenuating circumstances such as these, please contact me by phone.

Assignments Policy Assignments turned in after the due date will be lowered by one letter grade for each day they are late. Assignments may be submitted electronically (email or blackboard) or in hard copy form. Feedback will be provided in whatever format the assignment was submitted. If you have an issue with any particular due date, please notify me as soon as you are able.

Assignments Weekly Readings: Readings will be assigned each week, with a focus

on a particular set of questions that you develop while reading. Be prepared each class day by bringing those questions to our discussion.

Quizzes: Four quizzes throughout the quarter will test your knowledge of topics discussed in the readings as well as in class. Specific dates will be announced in class, and there will be no make-up opportunity for these quizzes.

Live Music Experience: Go out and listen to music in Chicago! It’s your choice what you see and hear. Write a reaction paper (750 words) focusing on one or two elements of the performance. Here are some topics you might consider.

• Auditory scene analysis: I’m choosing timbre as the element to parse in this case. Speaking in terms of physical sound, are the ranges of each instrument overlapping? In terms of your perception, can you separate the various timbres? Speculate on reasons why.

• Performance Practice: Does the music imply a standard or normative interpretation? In other words, is this an authentic way of playing this music? How?

• Communication: Does this music require coordination of activities? Are the musicians communicating well? How can you tell (e.g. gesture, eye contact, etc)?

Mid-term Group Presentation (Due October 16th): With your group (3 people), devise a topic to research and present to the class. Topics are due on October 2nd with a small description of your plan. The presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes. Please incorporate for a visual (powerpoint slides, handouts, or overhead slides) component. Each person in the group should be a speaker during the presentation (so, dividing the talk into structured units is advised).

Assignments Final Paper/Experiment (Due November 20th): We all have those burning questions – think of one that you have had for a long time, and use the information we have learned throughout the course and your experience as a musician to expand your understanding of music cognition. Your paper can be a literature review or an experiment/questionnaire (that you devise, carry out on a small sample size). Topic proposals should be handed in no later than November 6th. References should be a combination of sources from books, journal articles, personal experience, and the online references (in order of preference). The required length is 2000-2500 words. More guidelines to come.

Course Website Announcements and readings will be posted on the course website at https://oll.depaul.edu/. Check for updates periodically! Academic Integrity Academic integrity entails absolute honesty in one’s intellectual efforts.

The DePaul Student Handbook details the ramifications of academic integrity violations, but you should be especially aware of the policies on cheating and plagiarism. Cheating is any action that violates University norms or an instructor’s guidelines for the preparation and submission of assignments. Such actions may include using or providing unauthorized assistance or materials on course assignments, or possessing unauthorized materials during an examination. Plagiarism involves the representation of another’s work as your own, for example: (a) submitting as one’s own any material that is copied from published or unpublished sources such as the Internet, print, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores without proper acknowledgement that it is someone else’s; (b) paraphrasing another’s views, opinions or insights without proper acknowledgement or copying of any source in whole or in part with only minor changes in wording or syntax even with acknowledgement; (c) submitting as one’s own work a report, examination, paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you are unsure about what constitutes unauthorized help on an exam or assignment, or what information requires citation and/or attribution, please ask me. Violations may result in the failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and additional disciplinary actions.

Disability Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with Accommodation disabilities on an individualized and flexible basis. The Office of Students

with Disabilities (OSD) determines appropriate accommodations through consultation with the student. For certain learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorders, the Productive Learning Strategies Program (PLuS) determines the appropriate accommodations. See me for more information or call OSD at 773-325- 7290 (phone) or 773-325-7296 (TTY); or call PLuS at 773-325-1677.

Assessment In-Class Discussions/Attendance 20% Quizzes 20% Mid-Term Group Presentation 20% Live Music Experience 20% Final Paper 20%

Course Schedule: The following is a guideline and may be altered due to student preferences, time constraints, or changes in reading material.

Week Topic Assignment Due1: 9/13 Overview and Perception2: 9/18 Perception and Origins Read Chp 1-3 in MTF

3: 9/25 Acquisition Read Chp 4 in MTF, Quiz4: 10/2 Emotion and Meaning Read Chp 6 in MTF, Live Music Experience

5: 10/9 Musical Brain Read Chp 7 in MTF, excerpts from Musicophilia, Quiz6: 10/16 Midterm Presentations Midterm presentation7: 10/23 Memory and Performance Read Chp 5, 8 in MTF, Quiz8: 10/30 Creativity Read Chp 9 in MTF, excerpts from Flow

9: 11/6 Lifestyle Read Chp 10 in MTF, excerpts from Effortless Mastery, Quiz

10: 11/13 Final Paper/Experiment Presentations Final Paper/Experiment Draft

11: 11/20 Final Paper/Experiment Due Final Paper/Experiment