MU 316-01– Instrumental Composition & Arranging – 2 Credits – [last updated: spring 2008]

David B. McGrew – Assistant Professor

Contact: 570.585.9298 (office ext.) – dmcgrew@bbc.edu   

Class Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 11:30 am – 12:20 pm   

This course is concerned with the distinctive, particular sound each instrument makes alone and in combination with other instruments, the techniques used to produce these sounds, and the translation of any musical texture to an instrument medium. Emphasis is on traditional orchestral instruments with secondary emphasis on scoring for band and wind ensemble. Prerequisite: MU201 [This description from the 2007–2008 College Catalogue]  

With most disciplines it is important to carefully progress from less to more complex skills. Instrumental composition and arranging demands an additional introduction to the interplay of many corequisite, internal demands placed on a composer or an arranger. It is simultaneously important to know how to write idiomatically for individual instruments, how orchestral choirs function, how textures are balanced, and how musical energy and form work together to shape a piece and give it meaning to an audience. These may each be taught from simple to complex, but to a great degree each must be approached in conjunction with the others. Students should always learn from great masters as well.

            With these things in mind, the approach taken in this course of study will include a composite of: instrumental composition (writing formally ordered pieces for instruments from the single phrase to the multi-page section that expose, develop, and progress within a consistent musical landscape), instrumentation (proper understanding of each individual instrument), orchestration (writing effectively for multiple choirs of instruments), and a process called mimesis (mimicking the orchestration decisions of master composers and arrangers using excerpts from some of their best known works). Successful students will be able to demonstrate what they have learned by their ability to artfully orchestrate a short piece for performance by a reasonably large ensemble of mixed instruments. 

(C = Cognitive domain, A= Affective domain, and P = Psychomotor domain)

 1.      General (C): students will understand the appropriate interplay of instruments owning different textural aspects of a single piece of music

1.1.   Specific (C): students will be introduced to the idiomatic ways of writing for each orchestral and band instrument individually

1.2.   Specific (C): students will be introduced to many of the typical ways of scoring for different choirs—sections—of homogenous instruments (woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion)

2.      General (P): students will learn to translate more easily between their ears, eyes, imaginations, and the score

2.1.   Specific (P): students will learn to recognize sounds they hear—real or imagined—and place pencil on score to precisely define it in terms of analysis or composition

2.2.   Specific (P): students will begin to learn to look at a score and audiate (hearing in the imagination) elements of the music that it represents

2.3.   Specific (P): students will learn to translate their own ideas from a reduced score to a full orchestration using their developing auditory imaging capacity to render a colorful orchestration of their own

3.      General (A): students will grow in their appreciation of the beauty and complexity of orchestral music

3.1.   Specific (A): an introduction to the full score of masterworks will reveal the place where the human will to be musically creative is disciplined and refined into particular notes that translate across time—across concert halls and through eras—to the wonder of their listening ears; the sharing in a language that reveals the expanse of the human soul and the brilliance of its Creator 

Adler, Samuel. The Study of Orchestration. 3^rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002. 839 p. (ISBN# 0-393-97572-X)  

Institutional policies governing academic integrity, class attendance, absence appeals, and instructional accommodations are delineated in the Student Handbook [available online in pdf format at: http://www.bbc.edu/docs/2007Student_Handbook.pdf ]. All students are responsible to keep track of their own class absences.  This includes both the date of each individual cut as well as the reason. At the end of the semester, the student will have an opportunity to appeal cuts if they exceed the allowable limit. Without complete information, the appeal will be denied. In a class meeting two days a week, each absence after the four allowed will reduce the final grade by 3%. Any student absent without approved excuse in excess of eight classes will fail the course. Students found sleeping during class lecture will be counted absent. 

Procurement of the required textbook should occur before the end of the first week of class. The text is available in our college bookstore. At the instructor’s discretion, the entire class may be required, by advance notice, to bring their textbook to class. Students who do not have their textbook may be counted absent. For a 300-level class, students should expect three hours of work outside of class for every credit hour. This may include reading, listening, writing, or various course-related creative projects.

As a courtesy to the financial investment and commitment of time made by each class member please turn off all cell phones, pagers, etc. before entering the classroom. If you have a particular need (learning, visual, hearing, etc), please speak with the course instructor at the very beginning of the semester. It is our aim to assist all students who want to be successful.  

 Unit Exams (50% of Final Grade—16 ²/3 % each)

Each unit exam is cumulative in the sense that it presupposes an understanding of all material covered in the course prior to exam day.

   • Unit Exam No. 1:    Tuesday, February 5 (date subject to change)

   • Unit Exam No. 2:    Tuesday, March 11 (date subject to change)

   • Unit Exam No. 3:    Finals Week. For date and time, check: http://academics.bbc.edu/registrar/ 

 Weekly Aggregate Grade (50 % of Final Grade)

Students receive a grade at the end of each week corresponds to the successful completion of homework assignments and intelligent interaction in class. The weekly grade may also include quizzes, presentations, and other specialized projects. On the left side of the Course Calendar below, thirteen graded weeks are delineated. Their average is equal to half of the overall grade.