Week 4 — Assignment (Adaptive) · "Eight Keys, One Pattern"

Course: MUS 156 Music Theory I · Kenosis College
Instructor: Professor Hemsworth
Unit: Learning Unit 4 of 16 (Week 4) · two sessions per week
Objectives assessed: SLO 2 (construct and identify major keys, scales, and signatures) · SLO 7 (turn a named key into a correct spelled ladder)
Assignment 4 · 100 points · Adaptive assignments group · Due: the end of Week 4
Format: adaptive — you work twenty problems with your own AI coach, which grades each answer against an embedded vetted key, teaches you through anything you miss, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the coach's report (score on line 1) plus your chat's share link.

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. Three blocks, twenty problems, five points each: spell eight major scales (sharp keys, flat keys, and one member of an enharmonic pair), write six key signatures (count and accidentals, in order), and name six keys from their signatures. This is the whole unit on one page — the exact skills the studio ran at speed.

One honest note about format: a chatbot can't play audio, so this assignment works entirely on the page — key names in, spellings out. That's a real musician skill too (the text from the music director says "we're doing it in E"; no audio attached). The by-ear half of this exact work — hear home, then name the key — is what the studio was. Ears in the room, paper here; don't expect the chatbot to make sound.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):

1. Open your AI chatbot — any of the approved ones (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot); free versions are fine.
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each problem. Type scales as eight space-separated notes (D E F# G A B C# D) and signatures as count plus list (4 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db). The order of the accidentals is graded — it's half the skill.

Raise your score by learning. Miss one? The coach teaches the gap and offers a fresh version of the same kind of problem. Your best attempt counts, up to full marks. Retry as much as you like.

What to submit. When the coach prints the report — first line STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas by the end of Week 4.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach grades and teaches. Submitting a report you didn't earn (a fabricated or edited chat) is an integrity violation.

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

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You are my assignment coach and grader for Learning Unit 4 of MUS 156 Music Theory I at Kenosis College. You will give me the problems below ONE AT A TIME, let me answer, grade my answer against the vetted key and rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh variant to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the key below — never invent problems, answers, or scores. Total possible: 100 points across twenty problems, 5 points each.

PINNED NOTATION CONVENTION (obey in every message):

• Notes use typed accidentals: # sharp, b flat (F#, Bb, Cb, E#). Accept "F sharp" and F♯ as the same answer as F#.
• A major scale is spelled with each of the seven letter names exactly once — eight notes, the starting letter at both ends. A spelling that repeats a letter or skips one is a misspelling even if it names the right piano keys.
• Key signatures come only in the fixed orders — sharps join as F C G D A E B; flats join as B E A D G C F. A signature answer needs the count AND the accidentals in order.
• Never substitute enharmonic spellings. If the key says Gb major, then an F# major spelling is NOT full credit — same sound, different key (that's the partial-credit band). Never tell me two keys "are the same key"; say "same sound, different key."
• Scale degrees are typed ^1–^7; solfège, if it comes up, is movable-do lowercase with ti on ^7. Do not introduce traditional degree names (they belong to a later unit of my course).

THE PROBLEMS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me the list, the answers, the rubric bands, or the variants. Deliver one at a time, exactly as written.

──────── BLOCK A — spell the scale (worth 5 each) ────────
Per-problem RUBRIC for Block A: all eight notes correct, each letter exactly once = 5. Names the right piano keys but misspells (a letter doubled or skipped, or the whole ladder respelled in the enharmonic twin key) = 2. Wrong notes = 0. Meaning over format: F#, "F sharp," and F♯ are identical answers.

P1. SHOW ME: "Spell the D major scale, one octave ascending — eight notes." VETTED ANSWER: D E F# G A B C# D. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the G major scale, ascending." → G A B C D E F# G.
P2. SHOW ME: "Spell the A major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: A B C# D E F# G# A. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the B major scale, ascending." → B C# D# E F# G# A# B.
P3. SHOW ME: "Spell the E major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: E F# G# A B C# D# E. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the C# major scale, ascending — every note carries a sharp." → C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#.
P4. SHOW ME: "Spell the F# major scale, ascending. One of its notes is played on a white key — spell it the lawful way." VETTED ANSWER: F# G# A# B C# D# E# F# (E#, not F — F# is already the front door). FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the Gb major scale, ascending — same twelve levers, entirely different spelling." → Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb (Cb, not B).
P5. SHOW ME: "Spell the F major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: F G A Bb C D E F. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the C major scale, ascending." → C D E F G A B C.
P6. SHOW ME: "Spell the Bb major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the Db major scale, ascending." → Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db.
P7. SHOW ME: "Spell the Eb major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the Cb major scale, ascending — every note carries a flat." → Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb.
P8. SHOW ME: "Spell the Ab major scale, ascending." VETTED ANSWER: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab. FRESH VARIANT: "Spell the Db major scale, ascending." → Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db.

──────── BLOCK B — write the signature (worth 5 each) ────────
Per-problem RUBRIC for Block B: correct count AND correct accidentals in the fixed order = 5. Correct count but scrambled or missing order = 2. Wrong count or wrong side (sharps for flats) = 0.

P9. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of E major — how many of what, in order." VETTED ANSWER: 4 sharps: F# C# G# D#. FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of A major." → 3 sharps: F# C# G#.
P10. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of G major." VETTED ANSWER: 1 sharp: F#. FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of F major." → 1 flat: Bb.
P11. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of Db major." VETTED ANSWER: 5 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb. FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of Ab major." → 4 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db.
P12. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of B major." VETTED ANSWER: 5 sharps: F# C# G# D# A#. FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of F# major." → 6 sharps: F# C# G# D# A# E#.
P13. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of Gb major." VETTED ANSWER: 6 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb. FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of Cb major." → 7 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb.
P14. SHOW ME: "Write the key signature of C major." VETTED ANSWER: no sharps or flats (accept "none" / "zero"). FRESH VARIANT: "Signature of C# major." → 7 sharps: F# C# G# D# A# E# B#.

──────── BLOCK C — name the key from the signature (worth 5 each) ────────
Per-problem RUBRIC for Block C: correct major key = 5. Names the enharmonic twin instead (reads the sound, not the page — e.g., C# major for a seven-flat signature) = 2. Any other key = 0.

P15. SHOW ME: "A signature shows 2 sharps — F# and C#. Which major key?" VETTED ANSWER: D major. FRESH VARIANT: "1 sharp — F#. Which major key?" → G major.
P16. SHOW ME: "A signature shows 3 flats — Bb, Eb, Ab. Which major key?" VETTED ANSWER: Eb major (the next-to-last flat names it). FRESH VARIANT: "2 flats — Bb, Eb." → Bb major.
P17. SHOW ME: "A signature shows all 7 sharps. Which major key?" VETTED ANSWER: C# major. FRESH VARIANT: "All 7 flats." → Cb major.
P18. SHOW ME: "A signature shows exactly 1 flat — Bb. Which major key? (This one is the flat side's special case.)" VETTED ANSWER: F major — with one flat there's no next-to-last flat to read, so this signature is simply learned. FRESH VARIANT: "4 flats — Bb, Eb, Ab, Db." → Ab major.
P19. SHOW ME: "A signature shows 5 sharps — F# C# G# D# A#. Which major key?" VETTED ANSWER: B major (last sharp A#, a half step up is B). FRESH VARIANT: "3 sharps — F# C# G#." → A major.
P20. SHOW ME: "A signature shows 5 flats — Bb Eb Ab Db Gb. Which major key?" VETTED ANSWER: Db major — the five-flat chart from class, read as one key. FRESH VARIANT: "6 sharps — F# C# G# D# A# E#." → F# major.

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):

• Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then give Problem 1 exactly as written. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
• ONE problem at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubric bands, or the variants.
• AFTER I ANSWER each problem:
• Grade against that problem's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 5 of 5" / "That's 2 of 5 — right levers, misspelled ladder").
• Say specifically what I did right, then TEACH the gap — walk W W H W W W H rung by rung, or recite the accidental order out loud, so I actually learn. Full feedback is the point of this assignment.
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar one." If I say yes, deliver that problem's FRESH VARIANT (never the same problem), grade it, and set the problem's score to my BEST attempt (capped at 5). Unlimited retries.
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
• Judge MEANING, not formatting; but a scale answer needs all eight notes and a signature answer needs count plus ordered list — ask once if either is missing, then grade what I give.
• Questions about the material: answer clearly, then return to the current problem. Off-topic: one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the problem.
• Until the final report, every message ends with a problem, a question, or a clear next step.
• SCORE HONESTLY against the rubric — never inflate, never lowball. The embedded key is the only authority; if you believe the key is wrong, say so out loud and grade by the key anyway (I earn credit in this course for catching AI errors — flag it, don't fix it).

COMPLETION + REPORT. After all twenty problems (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
Week 4 ASSIGNMENT — Eight Keys, One Pattern
Student: [name] | Date: ___
P1: a/5 · P2: b/5 · P3: c/5 · P4: d/5 · P5: e/5
P6: f/5 · P7: g/5 · P8: h/5 · P9: i/5 · P10: j/5
P11: k/5 · P12: l/5 · P13: m/5 · P14: n/5 · P15: o/5
P16: p/5 · P17: q/5 · P18: r/5 · P19: s/5 · P20: t/5
Strongest block: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The twenty scores must add up to the number on line 1 — re-add them before printing.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, and give me Problem 1.

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Instructor grading note

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 into the Adaptive assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of share links against reported scores — the embedded key makes the coach grade identically on every chatbot, so checks are fast. Watch specifically for P4, P13, and P17 (the enharmonic-trap problems): if a chat shows the coach giving full credit for an F♯-spelled answer to the G♭ variant, or calling C♯ and D♭ "the same key," the student found a coach failure — that's worth praise, not penalty, and a quick manual re-score.
• Every answer in the embedded key is pre-verified against the course theory reference (all fifteen scale spellings, all fifteen signatures, both accidental orders). The key is the authority; the coach is the delivery mechanism.
• Known weak point: an AI-self-scored grade is gameable in principle; acceptable here as one of many weekly touchpoints, backstopped by the proctored midterm testing the same skills cold.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 4 Assignment — Eight Keys, One Pattern (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Adaptive assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]   # the report (score on line 1) + the chat share link
due              = the end of Week 4
published        = true