MUSI 1310

As someone who has been involved with music and has been able to read music since kindergarten, I thought this would be a super easy class to fulfill my fine arts requirement. It starts out super easy with just learning where notes are on the staff but then quickly takes off into theory. I actually really enjoyed this class, but I can imagine that students who have never once read music would have a hard time. If I were to change the name of this course I would change it to "Intro to Music Theory." My friend took Theory I this semester and we quickly realized we were learning pretty much the same thing, she just also learned a little bit more. I liked this class a lot because I learned all the stuff about music I didn't know like chord progressions, chord building, and composing. We obviously didn't get super detailed into these topics, especially composing, but it definitely was an interesting start. The class is based 40% on homework, so make sure to always do it (he doesn't always collect it, so you never really know when he will. Don't gamble). There were supposed to be 3 quizzes I think based on the syllabus as our last quiz (which was quiz #2) was labeled quiz 3 on it. I'm guessing he got rid of the second one because of the snow day. Quizzes are worth 20% and are definitely doable as long as you are doing the homework. There is a midterm worth 15% which was a breeze except for one section that he didn't say we had to study that I missed. If he had told us to study it, it would have taken about 2 more minutes of studying to get a 100. The final exam is worth 25% and is long but doable. I finished pretty early compared to everyone else I think. There is also a final project where you compose your own piece of about 32 bars and then write about it. I had a lot of fun with this and was definitely the best part of the course. It's not really clear how that will be factored in the grade but I think it's worth 2 homeworks, so not terrible at all. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in learning a lot about music, but only if you're willing to put in the time.

ENGINEERS BEWARE, THIS DOES NOT FULFILL YOUR HSS ELECTIVE. My counselor was a big old goon and said I could take this course to fulfill it but then I come to find out towards the end of the semester that it doesn't. This course is very difficult if you don't already know a lot about music theory. I have played guitar and know how to read music but as I am writing this I have no clue what is happening in the class currently. There is homework due most classes and he doesn't really tell you if he's collecting the homework or not so you have to do the homework as assignments are worth a large portion of your grade. He sometimes takes attendance so you have to go to class. Going to his office hours confuses me more than it helps. He's a really nice guy and I like talking to him, but just not that great of a teacher.

This class is much, much, much more sophisticated than its title, "Basic Music Skills." If you have no prior knowledge of music theory, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! Professor Davis is extremely talented and knowledgable, but he is an AWFUL teacher. He is very disorganized, and it is obvious this class is not his top priority. His lesson plans are all over the place, and his explanations of the content are confusing to those who have no knowledge of basic theory. Professor Davis has an extremely warped view what is "easy" and "obvious" to the average student, and he acts frustrated when students don't know the answer to what he views as an "obvious" question. He once said in class that getting a perfect score on one of his homework assignments "shouldn't really be possible" but that is was okay because homework grades were "extremely high" at the time. Ultimately, I would not recommend this class if you do not already have a pretty solid knowledge of basic music skills.

Do not even bother. This class is bland and will not teach you much at all. Davis is an approachable guy outside of class but his lectures and explanations are not clear. The guy is clearly passionate about music but he should definitely not be teaching music classes. If you want an easy A, this ain't your class. It's a good amount of work and you probably will not gain much at all from the material.

The course says that it is a basic music skills course, but I HIGHLY do not recommend taking it if you don't know any music at all. I played piano competitively for over ten years, and the theory in this class would have stressed me out if I hadn't taken AP music theory in high school or had some musical background (there's a VERY big difference between performing and theory itself, so be wary of that). Some people I knew took this as a stress-free class, but they ended up withdrawing halfway through the semester. If you want to do well, it takes a decent amount of time to assimilate the material and definitely study in groups or go to office hours, as Davis kind of makes the material confusing. I didn't really like how the homeworks were graded based off accuracy because sometimes the readings could be confusing (note: there's no textbook; Davis posts the readings on Collab), but they were doable. (Homework is 40% of the final grade, 25% is the final exam, 15% is the midterm, and 20% is the quizzes.) As for Davis himself, he can go on tangents, like analyzing Youtube music that you don't need to know for the class specifically, but he's a nice guy and really helpful one-on-one in office hours. He's really committed to helping you learn the material if you put in the work for it.

This class is pretty decent if you already have some experience with music, and you have the ability to count. Kevin is all over the place with his lessons though. It is obvious he picks a topic and without any idea of how he is going to explain it, and he just pushes through. Overall, I would recommend this class if you have some musical experience, but maybe with a different professor.

Kevin is a decent teacher, but sometimes the class can be a bit unorganized. In regards to him moving way too fast, I would have to disagree. He would usually ask the class how they felt about a certain topic before moving on to the next. If the class was uncomfortable or unsure about the material, he would push back the date for some homework and quizzes until the class was up to par with the material. Yes he does give a decent amount of homework, but I think it's necessary in the sense that it helps you get an understanding of the concepts. Overall, I'd recommend this class as a good intro to music or just as a general elective if you're looking to fulfill credit requirements.

Professor Davis really does care about his students, and wants them to learn and love music just like he does, but he just moves WAY too fast. If you have no musical experience or can't read music fluently, don't take him, take Decker. Professor Davis tends to let his imagination run wild sometimes and doesn't realize that most students can't keep up. And on top of that, he assigns a lot of homework. Really fun guy, but you'll be better off with someone else!

The class itself is easy if you have a slight bit of musical knowledge, or are naturally good with musical things HOWEVER if you are a complete music noob, i reccomend that you DO NOT take this class with KEVIN DAVIS!!!! TAKE IT WITH DECKER!!! Davis will make music even more confusing for you and the daily homework will be a nightmare

Kevin Davis is the man. He is the most stylish man ever with a beautiful voice. His lectures are so engaging because of his beautiful voice. Kevin is nice at first but goes crazy in the middle of the term by giving a shit ton of homework every week. Kevin does not look through your homework fully. He skims a few questions.