IMPORTANT ADVISING INFORMATION: STUDENTS SHOULD CHECK THE FOLLOWING   1) You should be listed as a MUSIC MAJOR or Intended Music Major; if you are not, you need to fill out the top portion of the Declaration of Major Form and have it signed by Dr. Augenblick.   2) Have you completed the University Core Curriculum or General Ed Requirements?  The UCC requirements (or General Ed, if you transferred in with 60 credits) information can be found in the FIU Course Catalog/UCC Requirements.   3) Have you passed the CLAST EXAM (must be done prior to completing 60 credits)?   4) If appropriate, have you completed the Application for UPPER DIVISION?; you can fill out the top portion and give it to Dr. Augenblick to complete and submit.   5) Have you taken:                  

a) All the courses required of All Music Majors?

b) All the course required by your specific MUSIC MAJOR TRACK? This information can be found on pp. 21-33 of the Undergraduate Student Handbook. You must keep track of each course you have completed: semester taken/grade,

6) Have you taken 9 credits in SUMMER SESSIONS?   7) Have you or will you have completed a minimum of 128 credits?   8) If you have had any exceptions to the published requirements, there must be a memo in your Student File from the Faculty Coordinator of that Area.  

9) Keep a current copy of your unofficial transcript each semester and a current copy of your SASS report.  
FOR Core Curriculum & CLAST problems: See an Advisor in the Undergraduate Studies Office (PC429) FOR Specific AREA Requirement in MUSIC: See the Coordinator of your Major Area

FOR Special Problems and Graduation Checks: See Dr. Augenblick (WPAC 144A)

ADVISING TIPS

• Be proactive!
• Know your degree plan, which is described later in this publication.  Remember that you are obligated to follow the curriculum that appears in the Undergraduate Catalog the year you entered FIU.  You also have the option of choosing a plan instituted in a subsequent year, which flows from the principle that each subsequent curriculum improves its predecessor.
• In general, if possible, it is better to take courses that are specifically required by your program before taking courses from a basket of courses from which you can choose.  And take courses that are offered less frequently as soon as you have the opportunity.
• The more courses in a sequence the more likely delaying the commencement of that sequence will delay your graduation.  So, keep an eye on the four-course sequences in the Common Requirements: Music Theory & Sightsinging, Music History, and Class Piano. If you are a transfer student, this applies to you more than anyone.  Starting Music Theory right away is particularly important because it is a prerequisite for courses in many of the Area Requirements, e.g., Form & Analysis, Counterpoint, and Orchestration.  Because the first semester of the Junior year is the latest a student can begin the Music History sequence and graduate in four years, Juniors (and Seniors) are given priority. 
• Make sure to bring your SASS report to your advising session.  Instructions as to how to acquire your SASS report yourself are located later in this publication.
• Make every effort to brush up on theory fundamentals (scales, intervals, metric and rhythmic notation, triad and seventh chord types) BEFORE matriculating, in order to avoid beginning the Music Theory/Sightsinging sequence on an off-beat semester, i.e., taking Music Theory I in the Spring. Music Theory I may be offered in Spring 2009, but there is no guarantee that Music Theory III will be offered in Spring 2010.
• Consult the following list to make yourself aware of courses that you might need that are not going to be offered as frequently as they were prior to the budget cuts.

SELECTED MULTI-YEAR COURSE OFFERING SCHEDULESMusic Theory

1)  MUT 1001 (Fundamentals) will be offered on-line during Summer A if there is sufficient demand (at least fifteen registrants).  Theory IV and Sight Singing IV will be offered during Summer A 2009. These courses will not be offered again until Spring 2009; therefore anyone needing to finish lower-division theory before that needs to take these courses this summer.2) Lower division theory courses (Fundamentals, Sight Singing I-IV, and Theory I-IV) are offered at least once a year during the regular nine-month academic calendar.  Theory I & III and Sightsinging I & III are offered during the fall semester and Theory II & IV and Sightsinging II & IV are offered during the spring semester. 3) All three upper-division undergraduate theory courses (Counterpoint, Orchestration, and Analytical Technique/Form & Analysis) will be offered in 2008-2009.  Thereafter, Analytical Technique/Form & Analysis) will be offered every spring semester and Counterpoint and Ochestration will be offered on a two-year rotation.  The following summarizes:

Analytical Technique/Form & Analysis: every spring
Counterpoint: Fall 2010, 2012, etc.
Orchestration: Fall 2009, 2011, etc
Graduate Theory Review: Fall 2009, 2011, etc.

4) This schedule will require careful planning on students' parts.  Upper-division theory courses are normally taken only in the junior and senior years, i.e., after Theory I-IV and Sight Singing I-IV have been passed.  Therefore, most students will only have one chance to pass an upper-division theory course by the end of their fourth year.5) We recognize that this schedule may make it difficult for students to graduate in four years if they have had to take MUT 1001 (Fundamentals) during their first semester.  The solution to this problem is straightforward: make sure to pass the fundamentals portion of our theory placement test!  This is not an unreasonable demand to make of music majors.  Asking a potential music major for fluency in fundamentals is like asking a potential French major already to be able to conjugate the verb avoir. You can take this test when you audition and/or when it is offered during registration period.  All this test asks is that you know major and minor scales, key signatures, intervals, triad types (major, minor, augmented, 5/3, 6/3, 6/4), and the sort of rhythmic and metric notation that you would find in "common-practice" scores c. 1700-1900 (e.g., the sort of music most of you play anyway).  Fluency is required because the placement test is timed.  Students who have received a 3 or better on the Music Theory AP Examination will automatically be permitted to register in Theory I and Sightsinging I.Students who have failed the placement test during their auditions or who have any reason to believe that they are less than fluent in these matters should prepare themselves during the summer prior to their matriculation.  They may take an online Fundamentals course.  Many universities (including FIU, depending on demand) offer such a course, for a fee.  Students may also study on their own.  There are many good fundamentals texts on the market.  We recommend Elements of Music by Joseph Straus for students who have trouble grasping music notation.  For students who already have a reasonably solid grasp of fundamentals, it may be sufficiently merely to review the first six chapters of the textbook we use for Theory I-III:  Harmony and Voice Leading by Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter.  Finally, there are many free on-line resources, although caveat emptor:  on-line resources are not necessarily peer-reviewed.  Stick to on-line resources that are affiliated with an accredited university or college or that are recommended by the Society for Music Theory. 

Music History

For Music History requirements, see the Music History page under Academic Departments. sThe Music History sequence begins anew every fall semester so that during fall semesters, Music History Survey I/Graduate Music History Review I (MUH 3211/5685) and Music History Survey III/Graduate Music History Review III (MUH 3213/5687) are offered and during the spring semester Music History Survey II/Graduate Music History Review II (MUH 3212/5686) and Music History Survey IV/Graduate Music History Review IV (MUH 3214/5688) are offered.  As is the case with the Music Theory sequence, these courses may not be taken out of sequence, however, the Graduate Music History Review classes do not have prerequisites and may therefore be taken out of sequence. Music of the World (MUH 3052/5057) is offered every spring semester.  There is no prerequisite for this course and it may be taken concurrently with any Music History Survey or Graduate Music History Review class.Music History Seminar/Special Topics in Music History (MUH 4680/6937) is offered every other year in the fall of odd numbered years. Collegium Musicum (MUN 1471/3474/ 5477) is offered every fall semester.The Music Bibliography course (MUH 3912C/MUS 5711) is offered every year in the fall semester.

Keyboard

Piano Pedagogy: offered in Fall semesters-even-numbered years (2008, 2010, etc)Keyboard Lit I: offered in Fall semesters-odd-numbered years (2009, 2011)Keyboard Lit II: offered in Spring semesters-even-numbered years (2010, 2012)

Music Education

The B.S. in music education will be phased out by 2011. All students must student teach no later than Spring 2011 to receive a B.S. in music education.  We are pleased to announce the BM in Music Education beginning Fall 2009.EVEN FALL
MUE 2250 BRASS TECHNIQUES
MVS 1116 GUITAR TECHNIQUES
MUE 2xxx CHORAL METHODS
MUE 3340 ELEMENTARY METHODSODD SPRING
MUE 2450 WOODWIND TECHNIQUES
MUE 4341 SECONDARY METHODSODD FALL
MUE 2470 PERCUSSION TECHNIQUES
MUE 3xxx VOCAL TECHNIQUES
MUE 3395/5995 SPECIAL EDUCATION EVEN SPRING
MUE 2240 STRING TECHNIQUES
MVV 3630 VOCAL PEDAGOGY
MUE 2xxx INTRO TO MUSIC EDUCATION

Music Technology

MIDI Technology (MUC1342) will be offered in Spring 2009 and online during Summer 2009. In general, it will be offered at least twice during every academic year.

Jazz

Jazz Theory I & II (MUT 3170C/3171C) are offered in even years (2010, 2012, etc.).Jazz Improvisation I & II (MUT 2641/2642) are offered in odd years (2009/2011, etc.).Jazz Arranging (MUT 4353) is offered in odd years (2009, 2011, etc.). The Innovators (MUH 5815) is offered in even years (2010, 2012, etc.).