Music 312/313, Composition Seminar:

Music 312/313, Composition Seminar, provides experience in original and creative musical composition, either acoustic or technological, or in combination. Music 312 is offered in the Fall semester and Music 313 is offered in the Spring. All seminarians will convene throughout the year both together as a larger group with the graduate composers of the School of Music, and separately as the smaller undergraduate composers group. Guest composers will include professional composers of a wide variety of aesthetic views, style and stature, as well as faculty composers of the Department of Music and the School of Music.

Requirements:

Those students in Music 312/313, Composition Seminar must complete two mini-etude projects per semester as required AND complete between 5-10 minutes of an originally designed composition project requisite to an individual's level of experience. The mini-etude projects are:

Mini-Etude #1: writing for voice (Fall 2009)
Mini-Etude #2: collective composition and performance (Fall 2009)
Mini-Etude #3: writing for percussion (Winter/Spring 2010)
Mini-Etude #4: scoring for film (Winter/Spring 2010)

Students must take a total of ten or more weekly lessons per semester, scheduled on a regular basis.  Lessons will be with Mr. Robert Honstein and Ms. Angel Lam in the Fall semester. Every student must present their work at one class each semester.

"Mid-term" and "Final" Evaluations:

At the middle of each semester, 312/313 students will have a "mid-term" evaluation with Professor Kathryn Alexander. Students will then have a "final" evaluation with Professor Klingbeil at the end of the each semester.

Students are required to attend the Yale College Composers Concerts and encouraged to attend the New Music New Haven concerts, as well as any other concerts on which they and their peers present their works.

Grading for Each Semester:

Class, lesson and concert attendance/participation/attitude -- 5%
      (Three or more combined absences from classes, lessons, and/or concerts will forfeit this 5%)
Class presentations -- 5%
Mini-Etudes -- 40%
Mid-Term Appointment -- 15%
Final Evaluation Appointment -- 15%
Original Composition Project -- 20%

Grading Criteria:

Students are expected to show advancement in their compositional skills to earn the following grades:

      A = Exceptional improvement in development of compositional techniques, syntax, and form
      B = Demonstrable improvement in development of compositional techniques, syntax, and form
      C = No change in use of compositional techniques, syntax, and form
      D = Regression in use of compositional techniques, syntax, and form

Preparation and attendance/participation for course work classes and lessons, the class presentation, and individual composition work - are the responsibility of the student. The professors and teaching assistant are NOT obligated to make-up classes and lessons students miss.