Advice on Recommendation Letters

Hi all!

I am current a sophomore in a BA program at college and I am planning to transfer to a BMUS program this year. I have asked a music history professor in my current college for a recommendation letter, however the professor has rejected my initial request for a recommendation letter that is due on Dec 1st, as he believes he is not really in the position now to talk about my academic abilities comprehensively, given the course I am having with him is still in progress and he won’t be able to see how I perform in the final research paper and exam (which are big projects for the course) before the submission deadline of the reference letter.

Is it appropriate for me to follow-up with an email asking him if he is still willing to write me a recommendation letter for schools with deadlines next year when the course I am having with him now would have ended?