MUST 1313, Music Theory I CHARLES FRANCIS LEINBERGER, PH.D. UTEP Course Syllabus, Fall Semester

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
For Fall 2026 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. You do not need to purchase a printed workbook! I will be creating assignments for MUST 1314. Assignments will be XML files that you can import into Noteflight, free web-based music notation software. Once complete, you can save and dowload your assignments as PDFs files, suitable for uploading into Blackboard. If you have the means to do so, please bring your laptop computer to class. I will show you how to create a free account in Noteflight, log in, complete, save, and download assignments. Visit Noteflight.com. I will occasionally send very important emails to students who are enrolled in MUST 1313. 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:	Introduction to diatonic harmony for all music majors, including the elements of pitch and rhythm, major and minor key signatures, and functional harmony. Introduction to the principles of voice leading in species counterpoint as well as four-part harmony using root-position and inverted triads and seventh chords.
Location:	Fox Fine Arts Center, Room M402
Meeting Times	MWF, 0930AM-1020AM and 1030AM-1120AM
Prerequisite:	Acceptance into MUSA 1195, Individual Instruciton (lower-level music major lessons).
Co-requisite:	MUST 1111 Aural Skills I
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name:	Charles Francis Leinberger
E-mail:	CHARLESL@UTEP.EDU
Office:	Fox Fine Arts Center, Room M401B
Office Phone:	(915) 747-7800
Office Hours:	Charles Francis Leinberger's Office Hours
Biography:	Charles Francis Leinberger's Biography
TEACHING ASSISTANT INFORMATION
Name:	Grant Brown
E-mail:	gbrown5@miners.utep.edu
Office:	Fox Fine Arts Center, Room TBA
TEXTBOOK
Textbook:	Textbook: L. Poundie Burstein and Joseph N. Straus: Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony, Third Edition (Required) Textbook Listening Examples are available at: https://digital.wwnorton.com/conciseharmony3.
Also see:	My.utep.edu
Supplemental Reading:	Stefan Kostka, Dorothy Payne, and Byron Alm n: Tonal Harmony, Eighth Edition Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin: The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis, Third Edition Steven G. Laitz: The Complete Musician, Fourth Edition Kent Kennan: Counterpoint, Fourth 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. Monday: Bring your Textbook, laptop (or workbook), and mobile phone. Wednesday: Bring your laptop (or workbook) and mobile phone. Friday: Bring your laptop (or workbook). Assignments are due on Fridays. Assignments should be submitted electronically. Log into Blackboard and go to the folder for each week. In the folder, look for the Assignment file and open it. Under "Assignment Submission," click on "Browse My Computer." Navigate to the folder on your computer where you have the completed assignment. You do not need to change the file name of the assignment. After attaching all files, click "Submit." Upload your assignments before 12:00 p.m., noon, on the due date. 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	Listening: Textbook	Test
1	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapters 0: Notation of Pitch and Rhythm	Read Syllabus Assignment 1 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 1
2	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapters 0: Notation of Pitch and Rhythm continued	Assignment 2 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 2
3	W	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 1: Scales	Assignment 3 (TBA)	None
	F				Quiz 3
4	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 2: Intervals	Assignment 4 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 4
5	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 3: Triads and Seventh Chords	Assignment 5 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 5
6	M	Review for Midterm 1	None	None
	W
	F	Midterm 1			Midterm 1
7	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 4: Four-Part Harmony	Assignment 6 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 6
8	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 5: Voice Leading Also read Stefan Kostka, Dorothy Payne, and Byron Almn: Tonal Harmony: Chapter 6 On Reserve in the Music Library	Assignment 7 (TBA)	5 B: 2 c
	W
	F				Quiz 7
9	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 5: Voice Leading continued	Assignment 8 (TBA)	5 B: 2 c
	W
	F				Quiz 8
10	M	Review for Midterm 2	None	None
	W
	F	Midterm 2, Course Drop Deadline			Midterm 2
11	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 6: Harmonic Progression Burstein and Straus: Chapter 7: Figuration and Embellishing Tones	Assignment 9 (TBA)	6 B: 2 a 7 C: 1-3
	W
	F				Quiz 9
12	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 8: Species Counterpoint Also read Kent Kennan: Counterpoint (4th edition): Chapters 4 and 6 On Reserve in the Music Library	Assignment 10 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 10
13	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 9: I and V Burstein and Straus: Chapter 10: The Dominant Seventh Chord V7	Assignment 11 (TBA)	None
	W
	F				Quiz 11
14	M	Burstein and Straus: Chapter 11: I6 and V6	Assignment 12 (TBA)	None
	W				Quiz 12
15	M	Review for Final	None	None
	W
Final	W or F	Final	None	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 20 July 2026. All of this information is subject to change.