<p>Music Hum Exemption Exam
Friday 9/8/06, 10:00am-11:30am
622 Dodge Hall
Please refer to your Academic Packet for updated information about this exam. The exemption exam for Masterpieces of Western Music (Music Humanities) will last about 90 minutes. It requires major musical masterworks identification, comments on features of style such as texture, meter, mode, and short answers on principal musical terms and concepts. You may only take this exam once.</p>
<p>Very few people test out of that. I had taken 13 years of classical piano lessons entering columbia and didn't pass. Unless you can think, off the top of your head, of several compositions by Schoenberg, I wouldn't waste your time. Music Hum is a course worth taking.</p>
<p>Basically, they probably expect you to know everything from Bach to John Adams....
Every style from 12 tone music, minimalism and John Cage back to Bach fugues and middle ages music. </p>
<p>Music theory probably won't help because what we think of a traditional music theory course only covers so-called common practice music. Four-part writing and species counterpoint isn't music history or a repertoire survey course. </p>
<p>Just take it...I know about 5 people that can pass the test when they are just starting college and they're all composers.</p>
<p>I agree with steve, music hum was a fun class and worth taking (depends on your teacher though)...and besides, in SEAS you only need to take Music Hum OR Art Hum.</p>
<p>...which are both worth taking. I know SEAS students who couldn't fit both classes in with their requirements and wound up sitting in on the other just for the experience. </p>
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Basically, they probably expect you to know everything from Bach to John Adams....
Every style from 12 tone music, minimalism and John Cage back to Bach fugues and middle ages music.
<p>
[quote]
I know SEAS students who couldn't fit both classes in with their requirements and wound up sitting in on the other just for the experience.
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not me, man. Art Hum might be the only total-BS course in the core. Boring memorization of art pictures with flashcards. Hell, I got laid once last year in exchange for writing this girl's art hum essay on a particular picture... had never taken the class or seen the picture before, got her an A-. I mean, honestly, I don't need an excuse to go to the met.</p>
<p>I feel the same way about not having to take biology or foreign language. SEAS has just the right set of requirements.</p>
<p>"Similarly, students with an adequate background in music can test out of Music Humanities; roughly 50 percent of the 60-odd students who take the music exemption test each year pass."</p>
<p>Steve, you don't need an excuse to read the Iliad either. Does that mean you wanted to transfer to Brown? Art Hum, like any Core class, can feel like a boing waste of time with the wrong teacher. With the right one, it's hardly just "flash card memorization".</p>
<p>No man, I loved every minute of columbia. The core curriculum means that (1) the university clearly cares about its undergraduates, and (2) nobody's at a competitive disadvantage for taking the challenging courses that make up the core - everyone does it, so don't worry about trying to load up your GPA. That doesn't mean I don't think UW is at least somewhat of a joke (the old L&R was much more serious, and probably taught you much more about extemporaneous essay writing.</p>
<p>Anyway, i've never heard of one person really expressing an enjoyment of art hum, including art history majors. many people talk about how much they like their CC section or their crazy composer of a music hum teacher. Maybe it's just me.</p>
<p>I don't know anyone who really hated Art Hum, but I know a bunch who certainly loved it. I agree, though, that Music Hum is probably the more beloved of the courses.</p>
<p>Did you take L&R, Steve? What was the curriculum like?</p>
<p>My S hated Art Hum. Terrible teacher, incredibly tough, only gave A's to Art History majors. Worked his butt off, and got the lowest grade he's gotten.</p>
<p>For these classes (Art and Music Hum) I recommend registering every semester and going to the first class or two (or waiting until they release the instructors' names so you can CULPA them) until you wind up with a good one.</p>
<p>Next to UW, due mostly to the grad student instructor more interested in his own work than our section (and understandably so), ArtHum was the biggest waste of a class that I've had at Columbia. This, like so many courses at Columbia, varies by instructor, but be careful with CULPA -- my instructor has glowing reviews on there, but so many students from that class couldn't stand her. If it's any consolation, the flashcards can be printed and memorized, at least in my case, a couple of hours before the exams and still earn a perfect score. Not a total waste of time, but certainly close to it. And watch out for the know-it-all morons, or laugh at them. There seems to be one (and only one) in <em>every</em> core class.</p>
<p>As for CULPA in general: be careful. 90% of the time, you're going to find students that either loved or hated the class (with sometimes absolutely no reflection on the professor), with very little room in the middle. I've had a few professors on there slammed that turned out to run fabulous courses, while, likewise, some of my worst received glowing reviews.</p>