MUS 182
OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION TO MUSIC THERAPY

T, Th - 9:30 a.m., Moody 258
Spring, 2008
Prerequisites: MUS 181 and its co/prerequisite, MUS 115, or professor's permission

PROFESSOR: Carol A. Prickett

OFFICE HOURS: Moody 253, MW, 9:00-9:50; TR, 10:30-11:00, or by appointment

PHONE: 348-1432

E-MAIL: cpricket@bama.ua.edu

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR 100-200-LEVEL COURSES:

1. Students will be able to identify key concepts in the arts, sciences, and humanities to provide a broad perspective on the human condition.
2. Students will be able to demonstrate effective written communication skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS COURSE:

1. To use vocabulary and explain basic concepts of the principles of psychology which form the basis for most modern treatment systems.
2. To write scenarios which demonstrate the applications of these principles in music therapy settings.
3. To identify examples of these principles' occurrence in everyday life, including specific data-collection and evaluation of one's own personal behavior..
4. To work with clients in a supervised setting.
5. To write behavioral objectives which meet professional educational criteria.

TEXT: Principles of Everyday Behavior Analysis, Miller

MATERIALS:
One pocket stapler and staples

CLASS RULES:

1. No chewing gum during class or practicum.
2. No phone calls to the professor's home.

GRADE DETERMINATION

Final Grade Points:

Grade Weights:

NOTE: Any student who receives less than satisfactory grades on assignments or quizzes is urged to schedule an appointment with the professor to discuss strategies for improved performance.

POLICY ON INCOMPLETE ("I") GRADES:
The only circumstance in which a grade of "I" will be given is that of hospitalization or a "home to bed with a contagious illness" order from a physician at the time of the final exam and the professor has to have been notified prior to the beginning of the exam. In such a case, a contract for taking the final at a later date will be negotiated. Failure to complete other assignments, including meeting the class attendance requirement, will result in forfeiture of points.

REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATION:

Qualified individuals with disabilities are welcome to make reasonable requests for accommodations in order to complete course requirements. To request disability accommodations, please contact Disabilities Services (348-4285). After initial arrangements are made with that office, contact Dr. Prickett in writing as soon as possible (i.e., before the first quiz) to discuss your request.

SEVERE WEATHER GUIDELINES:

University Relations will disseminate the latest information regarding conditions on campus in the following ways:

1) Weather advisory posted on the UA homepage
2) Weather advisory broadcast over WVUA at 90.7 FM
3) Weather advisory broadcast over WVUA 7

WVUA 7 Storm Watch provides a free service you can subscribe to that allows you to receive weather warnings for Tuscaloosa via e-mail, pager or cell phone. Check http://www.wvua7.com/stormwatch.html for details.

In the case of a tornado warning (tornado has been sighted or detected by radar; sirens activated), all university activities are automatically suspended, including all classes and laboratories. If you are in a building, please move immediately to the lowest level and toward the center of the building away from windows (interior classrooms, offices, or corridors) and remain there until the tornado warning has expired. Classes in session when the tornado warning is issued can resume immediately after the warning has expired at the discretion of the instructor. Classes that have not yet begun will resume 30 minutes after the tornado warning has expired provided at least half of the class period remains.

DETAILS OF REQUIREMENTS:

Class attendance -

Perfect attendance at every scheduled class meeting on campus will earn 5 points. Each absence, FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING ILLNESS, will forfeit 1 point. However, no student is encouraged to spread communicable diseases. Tours with UA ensembles do not count as absences.

Clinic attendance -

Perfect attendance at every scheduled clinic meeting on campus will earn 8 points. Each absence, FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING ILLNESS, will forfeit 1 point. However, no student is encouraged to spread communicable diseases. Tours with UA ensembles do not count as absences.

Clinical experience will begin January 31at a Sprayberry Elementary School. We will assemble no later than 9:30 a.m. each Thursday. Dress in a manner which appears professional, but which will allow you to sit on the floor. The Dress Code for practica applies to this course. No perfume, please.

Weekly in-class quizzes -

Each week's material will be covered in a quiz. Quizzes will be taken at the end of class in Room 258. If the answers are 80% correct, full credit will be earned. Failure to take an exam will forfeit that exam's entire point, plus the point for the absence. No make-up exams will be offered unless they are scheduled prior to 9:30 a.m. on the scheduled date.

Co-teaching a lesson -

Each student will be assigned a unit to co-teach to the class, assisting Dr. Prickett. This will require covering the text material in advance, meeting with Dr. Prickett to plan the lecture, and leading the class to understanding the assigned concept.

Observation exercises -

Several observation exercises will be conducted in class. Each must be completed during the scheduled class period. A student who cannot complete an assignment, for any reason, will forfeit the point for the class absence plus 1 point for the missed assignment, or a total of 2 points. A student who attends each of these classes and completes the in-class assignments according to instructions will earn 5 points.

Time log -

Print and fill out a time log for five days out of seven consecutive days. This will assist you in objectively observing your daily behaviors. It should be handwritten.

Task analyses -

Instructions on task analysis will be given in class. Task Analysis 1 and Task Analysis 2 scenario details are on the web site.

Distraction index -

After instruction in class, keep a distraction index across 5 days for some consistent study or practice behavior. A form for you to print out is provided on this site. This should be handwritten.

Completing Behavior Modification: A Teacher's Guide to Writing Instructional Objectives -

You will be supplied with a programmed workbook, Behavior Modification: A Teacher's Guide to Writing Instructional Objectives. This is an out-of-print book and, due to copyright rules, you will be required to return the completed book. You must attain a score of 90% correct by the due date in order to earn full credit.

CMTA luncheon or alternative assignment -

The annual CMTA luncheon for current students, UA music therapy grads, and Alabama music therapists will take place on a Saturday, probably in April. The cost will be around $20. A student who attends and remains until the end of the luncheon will earn all the points. If a student cannot attend, a 5 page typed paper, with a topic chosen by the student from a list of course-relevant options, must be turned in no later than the Thursday following the luncheon.

Videotape reviewsheets -

Videotapes of televised information will be made available in the Music Therapy Clinic. Worksheets, due at various times throughout the term, will be completed to indicate that each item has been reviewed.

Self-monitoring project -

Details of this assignment will be given on February 26.

Final exam -

A final, comprehensive exam will be given Wednesday, May 7, 2007, at 8:30 a.m.

Policy on
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty is unacceptable in any college course. Evidence of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Arts and Sciences via the Director of the School of Music. If the evidence warrants, according to university policy, the Dean may assess penalties ranging from a reprimand to suspension from the university.

Academic dishonesty may take many forms:

- On examinations, examples include (but are not limited to) use of unauthorized materials to assist in answering questions, consultation with another person during the test (includes take-home tests), or altering answers after seeing the key.

- For out-of-class papers, examples include (but are not limited to) failure to adequately cite sources of information, plagiarizing the work of others (includes classmates and former students in this course), representing work prepared by someone else as one's own, or fabricating video review sheet answers when a video was not completely watched.

- Additional examples include (but are not limited to) removing anything (materials, instruments, equipment) which belongs to the music therapy program from the Clinic or the Media Center without following the procedure for checking it out. Videotapes may not be checked out.

Professional integrity and responsibility for ethical conduct are important aspects of being a music therapist. Understanding what behaviors are unacceptable is an important part of developing this aspect of your professionalism.