Course Syllabus for UTD Community Chorale

Course Information: MUSI-2327.501, ENS, Fall 2010, M 7:00 – 9:45, AH1 1.106,
http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/programs/arts/musi/communitychorale.html

Professor Contact Information: Hoyt Neal, (214) 334-5205 cell, Office AH1 1.106,
Office hours: 6:30 – 7:00, Mondays
hoytneal@hotmail.com, hoyt.neal@utdallas.edu ,

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions: This is a non audition choir. However
to enjoy this singing experience, student singers should have the ability to match pitches and the ability to learn their
part and sing in an ensemble. Recordings and midi-files may be provided or recommended to help. Students will be
expected to attend and participate in ALL classes/rehearsals.

Course Description: This class is designed for student singers at UTD, for college credit, and as an outreach to
singers from the surrounding communities as a part of UTD outreach to the community. This semester UTD CC
will perform a wide variety of music.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes: Students and community members will prepare choral
selections for public performance at the Arts Festival, Saturday, December 11th at 3:00 p.m. Clear your calendar
immediately.

Students will be expected to improve the beauty and expressiveness of their singing and their ability to
entertain an audience. Students will be graded on the progress they make towards learning their assigned part and
the success of their performance during the Arts Festival.

In addition, students will write two three page reports. Both reports will develop the student’s judgment of a live
music performance, preferably vocal/choral. Go to http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/events/events-music.html for more
information on free concerts here at UTD. Check with me for approval of concerts located elsewhere. See
“CONCERT REVIEWS” below for more information.

Approximately two to three hours practice time outside of class per week will be needed unless you can learn your
part faster. Singing involves mastering the coordination of athletic breath, muscle coordination, posture, ear
training, the music and text to be performed, and the theatrics of entertainment to really move an audience. Just
learning the notes is not enough.

Required Textbooks and Materials: Music will be provided for the semester. Students must bring all music
to all rehearsals with a pencil and use ONLY the pencil, no pens or highlighters, to record notes and instructions
given by Professor Neal.

Music issued by UTD for this course is the property of UTD and must be returned in good condition. You will be
expected to pay the replacement cost of any missing or damaged music.

The chorale website will have midi files or recordings of most of the works we will sing to aid your study.
Choral Wiki website: http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Has both compositions with midi files and
scores that can be printed out. Even YouTube performances can be used.

Concert Attire will be basically Black and White. Women: Black full length Dresses or Back Slacks and white
blouse. Men: Black pants and White Shirts.

Suggested Course Materials: Several well sharpened pencils and access to the internet.
Course Syllabus MUSI-2327.501, ENS, UTD Community Chorale Page 2

Assignments & Academic Calendar: Learn your part, attend all rehearsals, sing during rehearsals and do not
interfere with Professor Neal’s efforts to prepare the music, sing the concert, and turn in two papers. The concert
will be on Saturday afternoon, December 11 as part of the Arts Festival. Please clear this date immediately.

CONCERT REVIEWS: You are also required to attend approved music concerts, listen and observe, collect a
program and or ticket, and submit at least a three-page, double spaced review. Your paper will include a listing of
all of the music performed and what you liked/disliked about each selection performed and why. Then you should
make general comments about what you liked/disliked about the total performance and why. Attach the program
and ticket, if any, you received to the paper and turn it in. Your grade will be reduced if the paper is less than three
full double spaced pages of report, not including title or your personal information, or is submitted after the
deadline. All of the music concerts at UTD are free to students if arrangements are made for tickets in advance.
You can review concerts outside of UTD. Just clear them with me before going to the concert and submitting the
paper. Going back to your high school for concerts is not an option.

Date Events/Information
August 23 Review Syllabus and Sing for Professor Neal
August 30 Community Singers join us. Students come at 8:00. Start Singing as a group
September 6 Labor Day no rehearsal
September 13 Rehearse
September 20 Rehearse
September 27 Rehearse
October 4 Rehearse
October 11 Rehearse,
October 18 Rehearse, First Concert Report/Review paper due
October 25 Rehearse
November 1 Rehearse
November 8 Rehearse, Your part learned
November 15 Rehearse, Second Concert review paper due
November 22 Rehearse
November 29 Rehearse
December 6 Rehearse
December 11(?) UTD ARTS FESTIVAL, UTC Chorale Concert (tba) Saturday afternoon
December 13 Final. Review Concert/Semester /Students Only Sing

Grading Policy: Class attendance, class participation, and practice outside of the class are strong indicators of
success for the individual student and for the ensemble. Students will be graded on class attendance, class
participation, and the progress they make towards learning their assigned part and contributing to the success of the
performance.

ATTENDANCE AND SATISFACTORY CLASS PARTICIPATION ARE REQUIRED.

Attendance: One absence is the equivalent of missing one week’s work which is a lot. Therefore you are allowed
one (1) absence in the semester without any grade penalty. Each additional absence may result in a reduction in
your final grade by one full letter grade for each occurrence (i.e., an A will be lowered to a B, and so forth). You
should inform me within 24 hours of a missed class of the reason why you missed. A doctor’s note will be required
for medical excuses. Sore throat, can’t sing? Come anyway you can learn by listening. Two other acceptable
reasons for absence are a legitimate UTD Activity or a Family Emergency with appropriate documentation. Singers
will be expected to arrive on time and stay until dismissed or their grade will be lowered. All concerts and dress
rehearsals are mandatory and must be attended except in case of emergency.
Course Syllabus MUSI-2327.501, ENS, UTD Community Chorale Page 3

Class Participation: The success of a choir depends on the efficient use of time during a rehearsal. The ideal
rehearsal process is that each member gives his/her own best effort, the director processes the result and then gives
instructions to improve the performance. Each choir member is expected to give full attention to the choir director,
bring their music and pencil to every rehearsal, take notes on performance directions, and maintain a focus and
demeanor that contributes to the success of the choir’s ultimate performance.

Any behavior by a choir member that interferes with any part of this process is harmful to producing an effective
and moving performance and is unfair to all other members of the choir. Any student who exhibits such behavior
will be subject to the lowering of his/her final grade to as low as an F based on the harm done to the class , or in this
case the University, and/or the failure to respond to requests to improve harmful behavior(s).

GRADING POLICY: Grading is based on attendance (5% or more), class participation (45% or more),
participation in the performance (30%), and written concert reports (20%). The grading scale is as follows: A =
100 - 90, B = 89 - 80, C = 79 - 70, D = 69 – 60, F = 59 - 0. You may ask about your grades at any time during the
semester.

Course & Instructor Policies: There will be no make ups, late work will result in lower grade. See grading
policy for information about class attendance.

In an effort to “go green,” the Provost says we need not include the cut-and-paste information
about University policy in our syllabi. Instead, we can include the URL address of the web
page that describes University policy (http://provost.utdallas.edu/home/syllabus-policies-and-
procedures-text) or http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies and ask students to review this
material on their own.

These descriptions and timelines, except those written by the University, are subject to change at the
discretion of the Professor
of the Professor