MUST 1311, Music Fundamentals I CHARLES FRANCIS LEINBERGER, PH.D. UTEP Course Syllabus, Fall Semester

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
For Fall 2025, all course content will be delivered in person. Quiz and exam questions that include music notation will be done by hand during class on Fridays. However, quiz and exam questions that are suitable for Blackboard (True/False, Multiple-Choice, Multiple-Answer, Matching, etc.) will be in Blackboard at my discretion. I will occasionally send very important emails to students who are enrolled in MUST 1311. I will enter my email address in the "TO:" field and the teaching assistant's email address in the "CC:" field. To protect students' privacy, student email addresses will be entered in the "BCC:" field. I very strongly recommend that students add my email address, CHARLESL@UTEP.EDU, to their "Safe Senders List." Thank you! C.F.L.
COURSE INFORMATION
Description:	An introduction to the elements of music and music notation, including, but no limited to, major scales and key signatures, intervals, triads, and simple meters. Includes singing and dictation in major keys and in simple meters.
Location:	Fox Fine Arts Center, Room M402
Meeting Times	MWF, 0930AM-1020AM
Prerequisite:	There is no prerequiste for MUST 1311.
Co-requisite:	There is no corequiste for MUST 1311.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name:	Charles Francis Leinberger
E-mail:	CHARLESL@UTEP.EDU
Office:	Fox Fine Arts Center, Room M401B or M301B (Music Office)
Office Phone:	(915) 747-7800
Office Hours:	Charles Francis Leinberger's Office Hours
Biography:	Charles Francis Leinberger's Biography
TEXTBOOK/WORKBOOK
Textbook/Workbook:	Textbook: Jane Piper Clendinning, Elizabeth West Marvin, Joel Phillips: The Musician's Guide to Fundamentals, Third Edition Media Update (Required) The Ebook, "Know It? Inquisitive Activities," "Show It! Workbook Exercises," and Playlists are available at: https://digital.wwnorton.com/musfund3update.
Also see:	My.UTEP.edu
Supplemental Reading:	L. Poundie Burstein and Joseph N. Straus: Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony, Third Edition Stefan Kostka and Byron Almén: Tonal Harmony, Ninth Edition Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin: The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis, Fourth Edition Steven G. Laitz: The Complete Musician, Fifth Edition
COURSE GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND TEACHING PHILOSOPHY.
Course Goal:	To provide the student with the theoretical knowledge and skills needed for success in a career in music performance, education, composition, production, and business.
Course Objective:	Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: Understand and appreciate the existence of music as a written language; Understand the rules of music notation and to develop skills at notating music accordingly; Understand the musical structures used by composers of tonal music in the creation of melody, harmony and rhythm; Develop proficiency at writing two-, three-, and four-part harmony from figured bass using diatonic root-position and inverted triads and seventh chords, and composing contrapuntal melodies above a given bass line.
Teaching Philosophy:	Charles Francis Leinberger's Teaching Philosophy

GRADING
The final grade will be calculated according to the following point values:
10 Assignments	10 points each	100 points	10% of final grade
12 Quizzes	25 points each	300 points	30% of final grade
Midterm Exam 1		150 points	15% of final grade
Midterm Exam 2		150 points	15% of final grade
Final Exam		300 points	30% of final grade
Total Points Possible		1000 points	100% of final grade
Letter grades will be assigned based on the total number of points earned.
A		900-1000 points	90.0-100.0%
B		800-899 points	80.0-89.9%
C		700-799 points	70.0-79.9%
D		600-699 points	60.0-69.9%
F		0-599 points	0.0-59.9%
W		A grade of "W" (Withdrawal) will be assigned only if a student drops the course before the Course Drop Deadline, which is the Friday of Week 10.
I		A grade of "I" (Incomplete) will be assigned only if the student provides documentation for a situation that prevents him or her from completing the requirements for a passing grade. These situations include, but are not limited to, hospitalization, incarceration, and military deployment.

COURSE POLICIES

The following policies apply to all of Dr. Leinberger's classes: Attendance Policy Assignment Policy Classroom Policy Final Exam Policy and Schedules Each student should check his or her UTEP email account each day of the semester when registered for this class. The following policies apply to this class: Come to class on time and prepared. Quizzes take place in class on Fridays. Quizzes begin at the top of the hour and students have 20 minutes to complete each quiz. If a student misses a quiz or exam due to an excused absence (university function, medical emergency, car trouble, etc.), the student should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make other arrangements. Some listening will be done in class, but the student is responsible for all listening assignments. The Midterm Exams will be during class on Friday of weeks 5 and 10. Students will have fifty minutes to complete each exam. Some students may be excused from class on Monday and Wednesday of weeks 5, 10, and 15 during the review sessions for the midterm and final exams.

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SCHEDULE
Week	Days	Topic	Assignment	Test
1	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 1: Pitch Notation and the Grand Staff	Read Syllabus Assignment 1.1 Assignment 1.2
	W
	F			Quiz 1
2	W	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 1: Pitch Notation and the Grand Staff continued	Assignment 1.3 Listen and Write Assignment 1.1
	F			Quiz 2
3	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 2: Accidentals and Half and Whole Steps	Assignment 2.1 Assignment 2.2
	W
	F			Quiz 3
4	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 2: Accidentals and Half and Whole Steps continued	Assignment 2.3 Assignment Listen and Write
	W
	F			Quiz 4
5	M	Review for Midterm 1	None
	W
	F	Midterm 1		Midterm 1
6	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 3: Simple Meters	Assignment 3.1 Assignment 3.2
	W
	F			Quiz 5
7	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 3: Simple Meters continued	Assignment 3.3 Assignment Listen and Write
	W
	F			Quiz 6
8	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 4: Beat Subdivisions and Syncopation	Assignment 4.1 Assignment 4.2
	W
	F			Quiz 7
9	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 4: Beat Subdivisions and Syncopation continued	Assignment 4.3 Assignment Listen and Write
	W
	F			Quiz 8
10	M	Review for Midterm 2	None
	W
	F	Midterm 2, Course Drop Deadline		Midterm 2
11	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 5: Major Scales and Keys	Assignment 5.1 Assignment 5.2 Assignment 5.3
	W
	F			Quiz 9
12	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 5: Major Scales and Keys continued	Assignment 5.4 Assignment Listen and Write 5.1 Assignment Listen and Write 5.2
	W
	F			Quiz 10
13	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 6: Compound Meters	Assignment 6.1 Assignment 6.2 Assignment 6.3
	W
	F			Quiz 11
14	M	Clendinning, Marvin, Phillips: Chapter 6: Compound Meters continued	Assignment 6.4 Assignment Listen and Write 6.1
	W			Quiz 12
15	M	Review for Final	None
	W
Final	W	Final	None	Final

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COVID-19 STATEMENT
Charles Francis Leinberger's COVID-19 Statement

PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY STATEMENT
Charles Francis Leinberger's Plagiarism and Collusion Statement

DISABILITIES STATEMENT
Charles Francis Leinberger's Disability Statement

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charlesl home Charles Francis Leinberger's Fall Semester Schedule Roman Numerals for Musical Analysis CHARLESL@UTEP.EDU This page was updated 14 August 2025. All of this information is subject to change.