Course # / Title:	AET 3050-01 Critical Listening
Course Credit Hours:	3 hrs.
Semester:	Spring 2009
Instructors:	Kent Walker, Ph.D. candidate, M.M, B.A.
Instructor Contacts:	walkerkn@mail.belmont.edu
Instructor Office Hours:	1pm-3pm MWF,  11am-12pm TR– by appointment
Class Location:	MCREMS B07 (Massey Center R. E. Mulloy Studios room B07)
Meeting Time(s):	TR 3:30-4:45pm. 1^st 8 weeks
Final Exam:	Tuesday March 17^th, 3:30 pm

Course Description:

This course is a study of critical listening, analysis, and technical ear training for audio engineering, sound recording, and music production.

Course Outcomes: At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

· recall facts and detailed information about the differences between Experienced, Expert, Naïve, and Trained Listeners.

· recall facts and detailed information about technical ear training tools designed for acquiring skills associated with Expert Listeners.

· demonstrate a technical vocabulary that describes timbre and spatial perceptual attributes.

· participate in listening tasks as Experienced Listeners.

· participate in listening tasks associated with Preference (Hedonic Response).

Performance Tasks:  During this course, the student will:

· use adjectives  that describe sound quality as it relates to the listener’s experience.

· form consensus language with others in regards to what they are hearing.

· attain greater perceptual acuity with regards to the ability to hear noise, distortion, and timbral resonances.

· participate in ABX listening tests implementing small differences between stimuli.

· participate in a listening test which explores spatial sound reproduction.

· practice technical listening skills with their own headphones and reproduction systems.

· schedule two individual tutorial sessions with the instructor to assess personal achievement.

Assessment Tools: During this course, outcomes mastery will be evaluated by:

· participation in 2 different kinds of listening experiments

· a long form written final exam testing students accrued knowledge of critical listening.

· an aural exam testing listening ability in regards to timbre.

Testing & Assignments:

Activity	Credit	Purpose / Description
1.  Listening Experiments & Class Analyses	33 1/3 %	Develop the student’s ability to focus for an extended period of time on aural stimuli.
2.  Long-form Written Exam	33 1/3 %	Based on reading assignments and lectures, a test will assess the depth of the student’s mastery of the knowledge base associated with the topic.  This test is comprised of a series of long-form essay questions.
3.  Aural Exam	33 1/3 %	This test will measure the abilities that the student has acquired over the duration of the course.

Attendance & Participation:

Class attendance follows university policy as stated in the current Undergraduate Bulletin.  Class participation is expected; attendance and absence will be noted.  Points (%) will be deducted from the final grade for unexcused absences. 1 absence, 2 %; 2 absences, 4 %; 3 absences, 6 %; 4 absences, 8 %;  5 absences, the student will be dropped from the class with a failing grade (WF).

Materials:

Standard classroom materials such as a notebook and writing utensils will be needed. Copies of readings will be given out in class.  Supplemental readings and resources will be posted on the class website (blackboard).

Students should have:

· A pair of closed high-quality professional headphones.  Suggested models include: AKG 240 series, Sony 7506s or MDRV professional series, or a number of Sennheiser Products.

Grade Evaluation:  As per CEMB policy, the grade assignment scale for this course is:

Grade	Percent (GPA)
A	94 (4.0)
A-	90 (3.7)
B+	87 (3.3)
B	84 (3.0)
B-	80 (2.7)
C+	77 (2.3)
C	74 (2.0)
C-	70 (1.7)
Final grades below 70 % will not apply to the major.
D+	67
D	64
D-	60
F	< 60

Honor Code:  It is the responsibility of each student to abide by the Belmont University Honor Code.  “In affirmation of the Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

Accommodation of Disabilities:  In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.

Class Schedule:

Week	Date	Activities
1	Jan 15th	-Class - “Happy New Ears” Naïve Listening Listening: Steve Reich Electric Counterpoint Reading: The Tuning of the World (excerpt)
2	Jan. 20^th& 22^nd	-Class An introduction to the expert ear (walker .ppt) -Class – Timbre Discrimination
3	Jan. 22^nd & 27^th	Individual Sessions: Timbre Discrimination -ABX Discrimination Software Reading: What is an ABX test?  What is it good for? (Walkerk)
4	Feb. 3^rd& 5^th	Individual sessions: Identification of +/- 12 dB boosts for ISO Octave Frequencies
5	Feb. 10^th & 12^th	Individual sessions: Identification of +/- 6 dB boosts for ISO Octave Frequencies
6	Feb. 17^th & 19^th	-Class – Distortion, Compression, Limiting (GE V2) -Class– Analysis and Verbal elicitation
8	Feb. 24^th & 26th	-Class – Analysis and Non-verbal elicitation -Class - Surround Sound & Listener Preference -Reading: S. Kim, M. de Francisco, K. Walker, & W. L. Martens. (2006). “Listener Preferences in Multichannel Audio: Examining the Influence of Musical Selection on Surround Microphone Technique”. 28th International Conference of the Audio Engineering Society, Pitea, Sweden.
9/10	March 3^rd & 5^th	Individual sessions: EQ Matching
11	March 17^th	Final Written Exam