History of Rock

You can find the course at

https://dennisparnell.net/boodis

You will be using an online course
OnMusic Rock - 3rdEdition”
which you can obtain at 
connect4education.com

For Technical Support please contact  support@connect4education.com or you can visit our Student Support site. We can also be reached at 703-880-1180 x200 if you would prefer to speak to us by phone.

Support Hours: Monday through Friday 9AM - 6PM Eastern Time.

This will serve as your text and "workbook" for the whole course. 

You may work ahead in the course: both the midterm and final are open-dated, and may be taken as soon as you think you are prepared to take them. There are many quizzes and four written assignments which will all be graded.
Cramming in this course will definitely lead to a low grade.
The rest of your grade comes from class participation or any special project(s) agreed upon in class, such as groups of three or four students doing a joint presentation. I  will grade you on participation in discussions about the material in the course, so please be prepared to answer question and speak up in class. Silence in this course is definitely NOT golden. Please notice that the grades only add up to 95%  - that leaves you an extra 5% to "pull up" your grade by doing an extra report or something else I would approve.

                               Syllabus-Music 36: History of Rock

We meet in Building HSS - room 103 on the Main Campus

Section 2815  Friday 12:15pm to 3:20 p.m.

​OR

Section 2816  Tuesday and Thursday 3:45pm to 5:05pm

OR

Section 4179 Tuesday night 6:45pm to 9:50pm

Spring  2023 Santa Monica College

Course Prerequisite:  none​​​​​​​​   Units: 3.00​​​​​​​​​

Holidays: Feb 20, April 10, May 29, 2023      

Final Exam: open all semester

Office Hours: Fridays 3:40 - 7:00pm and online by appointment at Zoom 621432589

​Instructor: Dennis Parnell

Music Office Phone: 310-434-4342

email -parnell_dennis@smc.edu

Room Locations: room 103 (Main Campus) or PAC- room 115 (for office time)

Music Department Phone: 310-434-4323

I welcome you to contact me outside of class and student hours. You may email me,  or contact the music department and leave a message. I do not use Canvas.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

From its beginnings to the present day, we will survey the inception, evolution, and development of Rock music in America and abroad. We will also examine the sociological, political, and economic conditions which influence its development.

This course is about not only Rock music, but about the media of communication and their effect on American and eventually, world society as well. Music is a powerful way to "spread the gospel," as it were: i.e., not only "Gospel" in its original sense, but ANY form of political, religious, societal message. Music is a frame on which these ideas can be neatly delivered.

As additional reading I will ask you to read some of Marshall McLuhan’s writings. We will discuss some of his ideas in class as they pertain to different media, as this is an important part of understanding some of the "hows" and "whys" referred to in this course.

Please do some online research about this very important thinker and be prepared to discuss what you've found out about him in class. Your participation in class will go toward your grade. No participation will never earn you an "A" in this class.

My job is to attempt to show you where some of this music comes from and how it got here. As a consequence, we will look into some song material which has been around since the 1400s or even earlier. I will help you link these old melodic strands into their contemporary forms and hope that you will be able to do the same for yourself by the end of the course. This will give you a broader or wider set of perspectives, which, in turn will (hopefully) help you make more informed decisions. Marshall McLuhan’s eclectic writing is a perfect companion study for the music we will be studying.

Three unexcused absences will lower your grade by one letter. I'm usually OK with a bit of lateness, but if it's habitual and continues after I have said something to you, you can expect the same lowering of your grade. You need to be present and awake for this class.

Also, if you do a special report for extra credit, you MUST list your resources - and those must be at two other resources besides Wikipedia!

I will not give any "incomplete" grades, so don't ask for one.

I will expect you to spend at least one hour EVERY day (seven days per week) listening to assigned music. My suggestion is that you get together and listen with  your parents or grandparents (after all - this is their music) so you can discuss the music you hear.

This class is not so much about facts and figures, but about an evolutionary process in pop music which we refer to as "Rock."

There are several things you will need to learn, if you already don't know them:

1.     a blues progression - both 12 and sixteen bar forms

2.     the "doo-wop" progression

3.     rhythm patterns - waltz, common time, march, cha-cha, mambo, complex time patterns, downbeat, backbeat, and a few more.

4.     Instrument identification

 5.    Vocal identification (when possible) and vocal styles (holler, hiccup, country, r n' b,                 gospel, theater, classical, jazz, punk, etc.)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of the course, successful students will have completed the course objectives and demonstrated the following learning outcomes:

• Identify styles of early rock and roll.

• Reconstruct the development of rock and roll.

• Distinguish groups by their specific sound and methods of performance.

• Draw correlations between style periods and recognize the style period by its distinctive sound and performer.

• Appraise a specific musician giving specific examples of music, lifestyle, development, and contribution to music.

• Articulate the social factors that were influenced by rock

• Discuss the technological factors that influenced rock music

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO)

1. Students will be able to analyze a performance of a rock and roll piece and its use of the basic elements of music, i.e. melody, harmony, rhythm & meter, timbre, texture and form. As assessed by: a written concert report.

 

2. Students will compose a detailed critique for a rock and roll performance that analyzes the stylistic characteristics used in that performance. As assessed by: written critique.

 

3. Students will be able to analyze and evaluate how post Second World War history influenced the development of rock and roll music. As assessed by: classroom quiz.

 

TEXT AND MATERIALS: Required

• REQUIRED: from connect4education.com - OnMusic Rock 3rd edition


 

Grading: Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the following: 

​Written assignments ​​​ 25%     ​​90-100%  ​ A Excellent                           

​Class participation​​​    15%​​      80-89%   ​ B Good​                                  

​Midterm:​​                   30%​​       70-79%    ​ C Satisfactory                               

​Final Exam: ​​​25%​​                    60-69%    D Less than Satisfactory

​​​​​​​                                               59% or below  F Failing​ 

Final Exam:  open all semester -however:

You must be present on the day of your in-class final 

or you will fail the course.  

Check on the SMC website for times and dates of your Final!


Attendance and Participation: classes will begin on time. Poor class participation resulting from absences or tardiness may result in being dropped from the class. Please inform the instructor as early as possible if you will be late or will miss a class.

In-Class Assignments:  You must be present to receive credit for In-Class Assignments. You can not “make up” In-Class Assignments, if you are tardy or absent.

Instructor Methods: We each have roles that will facilitate your understanding of the course material.  My role is to aid you by elaborating on History of Rock that is presented in the text, introducing relevant “real world” examples, and being available to answer specific questions.

Your role is to come to class prepared.  Students are expected to come to class equipped (having studied, with text, paper, pencil, and homework).  You are required to have read the assigned chapter before the lecture and to be ready to participate in class discussion. 

 Students are encouraged to ask questions.  The only wrong question is an unasked question; if asking that question would have improved your understanding.  I will attempt to answer all student questions during lecture except when it is apparent that the student has not read the material.  I am also available during office hours, via telephone, e-mail and by appointment

 Class Decorum:  Class participation points are assigned based, in part, upon these expectations.

• Treat our time with respect. This means come to class early to settle your mind for learning, put your cell phone away, and stay engaged until the class is finished.

• Approach your classmates with kindness and encouragement. Creating a successful class means being able to relay on those around us when we are in need. Be the type of person you would like to turn to when you are in need of help.

• Struggle productively. My goal is to give you what you need to get used to using your memory skills. Music recognition requires a lot of repetitive listening.You cannot learn to recognize music after hearing it once or twice. It will take about 6 or 7 listens before you can identify the piece a week later. Figure out a way to burn a CD of the assigned stuff and listen in the car. Listen when taking a shower. Listen when you're bored. You will only appreciate music when you can recognize it, it's style, its impact and it's lastingness (how many times you can hear it without getting sick of it)

• Other than water bottles, no food or drink is permitted in the classroom.

• If arriving late or exiting during class is unavoidable, please do so quietly.

• Students are expected to remove headphones and earbuds and close laptops, iWatches, etc. while in class.

ADD/DROP PROCEDURES:  It is the sole responsibility of the student to add or drop a class by officially doing this procedure through Admissions.  Simply not attending the class may result in a failing final grade if this procedure is not completed.  The last day to withdraw to receive a refund is Jan. 5, 2023. The last day to withdraw to avoid a “W” grade is Jan. 9, 2023.  The last day to withdraw for a guaranteed “W” grade is Jan. 30, 2023. The last day to request for Pass/No Pass grade Feb. 9, 2023.

 Completing your Assignments:

1. There are 3 Units per week for you to go through: 1 Unit every 2 days should work well

2. Quizzes: Besides answering the question from the course, in order to receive a good grade, you must add additional material to your answers. Who published the song. Were there covers? Who else had a similar style? What type of voice? What was going on at the time the song came out? Was it an old song with a new arrangement? Was there a single writer, or a writer and lyricist or more? I expect between 300 and 500 words for each quiz. Basically these four quizzes will be your research work for the class. This written work should be turned in every three or four weeks apart.

3. Listen to music that is discussed in each chapter for at least one hour each week.


Write 3-5 page paper on:

• Choose your favorite band/artist, write a 3-5 page paper (double spaced):

• About the Band/Artist

• History of the Band/Artist

• TRACE the band's influences and decide if their influence came more from Country, R&B, or Pop (or any combination of the 3)

• Provide at least 5 URL's of your Band and their influences

• This Project is due on the day of your Final exam

 

Nondiscrimination Policy:  This class will be conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Active participation is encouraged, and both respectful discourse and reasoned debate are welcome.  However, if your language or conduct at any time demonstrates a lack of respect for anyone’s race, gender, sexuality, culture, beliefs, or abilities, you will not be permitted to participate further.


Students with Disabilities:  Students with a verified disability who may need authorized accommodation(s) for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and the Center for Students with Disabilities. The Center for Students with Disabilities is located in Room 101 of the Admissions/Student Services Complex, located on the north side of Main campus, next to Admissions. For more information, call 310-434-4265 or 310-434-4273 (TDD). Please notify me of your approved accommodations before the end of the first week of class.


Campus Emotional Support for Students: Over the course of the semester you may face difficult circumstances beyond your control, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down or depressed, or having difficulty concentrating. These challenges may create barriers to learning or may make it difficult for you to meet some of the course requirements. If you or someone you know is suffering these or other similarly difficult circumstances, please reach out for support. The staff and faculty of Santa Monica College want you to succeed academically and care about your wellbeing. You may contact the College’s Center for Wellness and Wellbeing (LA 110, 310-434-4503), which provides short-term mental health services, community referrals, and a 24/7 emotional support line for students, 800-691-6003. Or, if the situation is an emergency, you may contact the SMC Police Department (310-434-4000 or the SMC LiveSafe app). Please contact me if you want to discuss which SMC service or support might be best for you.

 

Honor Code & Code of Academic Conduct:  Honest and ethical students are protected in this class. The SMC Honor Code and Code of Academic Integrity, printed in the General Catalog, remind students of their responsibility to behave honestly and ethically. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with these codes.


NOW CLICK ON THIS to see all the units you will be working on:

RnRStudyGuide.html