Welcome to Dr. Stephan-Robinson’s page. Here you will find information pertaining to WLU’s Musicianship, Music Theory, and Ear Training classes.
Information for prospective students:
If you are planning to major in music in college, the more you know about theory and ear training in advance, the better! Here are some sites with information or resources for practice.
- Emusictheory.com – Contains lessons explaining content, practice drills, and more.
- Musictheory.net – Contains lessons explaining content (such as scales, triads, chords, rhythmic notation), practice exercises (spelling, note reading, ear training, etc.), and links to their (paid) downloadable app.
- Toby Rush’s theory page – This free site doesn’t have audio, but it does have a lot of pdfs that explain various theory concepts in a straightforward and fun way.
General WLU Music Theory/Ear Training Information:
- You can find a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding Music Theory and Ear Training classes at West Liberty here: FAQ. These will be updated as more questions come in.
- Here is a pdf of of some paper you can print and use to take notes in theory class: notepaper. It’s labeled “Music Theory I” at the top, but students in any class can use it!
- Here is some plain staff paper.
Basic Musicianship Information:
Required textbooks:
For Basic Musicianship (MUS 102) – There is no required textbook.
Music Theory Information:
Required textbooks:
For Music Theory I-IV, you will need –
- Miguel Roig-Francolí’s textbook Harmony in Context, along with the Workbook/Anthology. Both are available at the WLU Bookstore.
- At the following link, you can get information about the music theory textbook (click on “Student Edition” at the left side of the page). The most useful thing will probably be the mp3 audio files for examples in the textbook and anthology: Link to website for textbook.
Ear Training Information:
Required textbooks:
For Ear Training I-IV, you will need –
- Robert Ottman and Nancy Rogers’s textbook Music for Sight Singing. The textbook is available at the WLU Bookstore.
Form and Analysis Information:
- Here is the playlist with recordings for the pieces we have for homework: [I will add the link soon].
West Liberty University links:
- At the Learning and Student Development website, you will find links to Disability Services, Tutoring Services, and Counseling Services, among others. Choose “What We Offer” near the top of the page. The office is located in the East Wing of Main Hall.
- Sakai is where you will find information specific to your course.
- You can find WLU’s Academic Dishonesty policy on the Student Life website, here.
External Links:
- How is college different from high school? Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX has a great summary.
- Online metronome (I put this here rather than under Ear Training, because it could be useful to all students).
- Flash Piano: Again, this could be useful to all students.
Handouts:
- MTSMA 2015: Appendix 1, Handout of MUS 102 syllabus excerpts
- MTSMA 2015: Appendix 2, Calculation of retention rates
Other:
- A sample podcast that I made.
- Click here for my tenure documentation (invitation/login required).