Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Music Theory Pedagogy (Online)

MUED 6110-70I

Course: MUED 6110-70I
Credits: 2
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: MUSC
CRN: 20706

Course Description

A graduate course in music theory, students will review music theory concepts and examine pedagogical approaches to teaching high school AP theory courses. (As Needed) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Master of Music Education students only

Required Texts

The texts for this course that will be used by the instructor are Techniques and Materials of Tonal Music, seventh edition, by Thomas Benjamin et al., and Dr. Ipson’s theory text available in the pages tab of this course. Many excellent texts exist and students are free to use whatever theory text with which they feel comfortable, including OER texts or other online resources. The hope is that students will explore multiple texts and find one they will use in their own teaching.

Learning Outcomes

  • Teach beginning tonal theory in an AP high school setting (Communication).
  • Analyze music (written and aural) from the tonal period (Inquiry and Analysis).
  • Apply multiple strategies in teaching music theory (Critical Thinking).

Course Requirements


Prerequisite: Admittance into the MMEd degree program.

Grades will be calculated on the following criteria:
            Assignments:                       60%
            Midterm Exam:                    10%
            Final Exam:                          10%
            Participation:                        20%

The following scale will be used to determine the final grade:
A = 93-100%     A- = 90-92.99          B+ = 87-89.99 B = 84-86.99   B- = 80-83.99
C+ = 77-79.99  C = 74-76.99            C- = 70-73.99 D+=67-69.99 D = 64-66.99
D- = 60-63.99   F=below 60

Assignments will be given almost every class period.  Though I do not take attendance, it is necessary to receive assignments and master the material as well as receive participation points. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. No assignments will be accepted late.  If the assignment is satisfactorily completed on time, full credit will be given. Assignments will include in-class presentations applying pedagogical approaches to teaching the class, and assessment tools to give feedback to student comprehension.

2 Exams will be given. Students will be assigned a topic in class from the list provided and will give a 5 to 10-minute lecture on the topic. Students will have 10 minutes to prepare their lecture. Students will be graded on clarity, multiple approaches, student engagement, and thoroughness (as much as 10 minutes will allow).

Participation will include giving thoughtful critique to fellow students, participating in lectures, and being a good citizen of the class. Attendance is necessary for participation points. 1 point for each unexcused absence will be deducted from the participation grade. 

Course Outline


June 8 Introductions. Course overview. General teaching strategies. Syllabi  
Introduction to clefs, grand staff, pitch, note values, ledger lines, accidentals,
Teaching Assignment: Whole and Semitones, Major Scales, Natural Minor Scales, Harmonic Minor Scales, Melodic Minor Scales, Key signatures, Circle of fifths, relative and parallel keys.

June 9: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to intervals.
Teaching Assignment:  Size and Quality, M m Seconds, Thirds, Fourths, Fifths, Sixths, Sevenths, inversions.

June 10: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to triads
Teaching Assignment: Major, minor, diminished and augmented triads, root position, first inversion, and second inversion.
Create an assessment tool (assignment or quiz) for materials covered from the beginning through triads.

June 11: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to Tonic, Dominant, and voice-leading principles in four parts.
Teaching Assignment:  Tonic Triad in root position (major and minor keys), spacing, doubling, open/closed position, voice-leading between tonic triads, voice ranges. Dominant Triad root position, voice–leading between Dominant and Tonic (common-tone and non-common-tone connections).
Complete assessment tools provided by classmates as assigned. Provide feedback.

June 12: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to dominant seventh chords.
Teaching Assignment: Dominant seventh chords in root position. V7 resolutions (Strict/Free/Incomplete to complete, major and minor keys).

June 15: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to the Subdominant triad and the Tonic triad in second inversion.
Teaching Assignment: IV chords, moving from I-IV, IV-I, IV-V, IV-I 6/4, Tonic 6/4, Resolving I 6/4-V, I 6/4-V7 standard, I6/4-V7 Incomplete.
Assignment: create an assessment tool on Tonic, Dominant, or Dominant seventh chords.

June 16: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback. Review primary triads.
Introduction to primary triads in first inversion and figured bass.
Complete assessment tool provided by classmates as assigned. Provide feedback.

June 17: Midterm exam: Be prepared to teach one of the following topics (to be chosen by the instructor): Intervals, Triads, Tonic triads, Four-part writing (doubling and spacing), Tonic to Dominant voice-leading, Subdominant to Dominant voice-leading, Dominant seventh resolutions. You will be given 10 minutes to prepare your lecture, which should last five to 10 minutes.

June 18: Introduction to Cadences, non-harmonic tones, and supertonic triads.
Teaching Assignment: PAC, IAC, HC, PC, DC, PHC, Passing Tones, Neighbor Tones, Escape Tones, Free Neighbors, Appoggiaturas, Suspensions, Anticipations, Pedal Tones, Supertonic in root position, and Supertonic in 1st inversion.

June 19: Holiday, No Class

June 22: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to V7 inversions.
Teaching Assignment: V6/5-I, V4/3-I, V4/3-I6, V4/3-I6 exception, V2-I6, V2-I6 scale degree 2-5 in soprano, V2-I6 scale degree 5-8 in soprano.
Create an assessment tool for inversions of the V7.

June 23: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to submediant, Mediant, and Leading Tone triads, 
Teaching Assignment: Submediant in major key, minor key, deceptive cadence; Mediant triad in major key, minor key, as an augmented triad in a minor key, Leading Tone triad, chord progressions. Neighboring 6/4 chords, passing 6/4 chords, arpeggiated 6/4 chords.

June 24: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to Leading Tone Seventh chords, other diatonic seventh chords, Linear 6/4 chords.
Teaching Assignment: LT º7th chord, LT half-diminished seventh chord, ii7 major key, ii7 minor key, other diatonic seventh chords  
Complete assessment tool provided by classmates as assigned. Provide feedback.


June 25: Watch teaching presentations and provide feedback.
Introduction to Scalar Variants, Modal Borrowing, and Secondary Dominants

June 26: Final Exam: Be prepared to teach one of the following topics (to be chosen by the instructor): Dominant Seventh inversions, ii, iii, vi, vii chord, seventh chords, including the leading-tone seventh, linear 6/4 chords, non-harmonic tones, and cadences. You will be given 10 minutes to prepare your lecture, which should last five to ten minutes. 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Assignments are due at the beginning of class. No assignments will be accepted late.

Attendance Policy

Participation is 20% of the grade. Attendance is required to participate. 

Course Fees

No course fees are attached to this course. A program fee of $11/credit is assessed for all music courses. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.