Week 13 · Studio

Week 13 — Studio · "Round to two voices"

Music Theory I · MUS 156 Fictional sample

Course: MUS 156 Music Theory I · Kenosis College
Instructor: Professor Hemsworth
Unit: Learning Unit 13 of 16 (Week 13) · two sessions per week
Objectives: SLO 6 · SLO 7 (the spine: hear the independence → name it → build it)
Studio 13 · 20 points · Studios group · In session, Week 13's second session · async make-up path below, full credit, submit by the end of Week 13
Format: the room sings rounds in two groups, maps why they work, then writes real second voices and hunts each other's parallels — with the verdicts checked against the course's own voice-leading software. Nothing to buy or download; writing sheets are provided, and bring your instrument or your voice — every round uses them.

Every content unit has a the second session studio. It's the week's payoff enacted: this week, the payoff is two lines, both alive — the harmony vocal that doesn't melt into the melody, the bass line that's actually a line.

Part 1 — The Big Picture

Session 1 named the machinery: four motions, the parallel-perfect ban, direct fifths, lanes, tendency tones. Today the machinery goes into your voice and your pencil at rehearsal speed. Every round runs the ear-first direction — sing it → map it → write it → check it — and the last check isn't an opinion: your table's writing gets run against the same voice-leading checker this course's own materials had to pass. Software doesn't flatter anybody, which is exactly what makes a clean pass feel so good.

By the end of the session your table will have written a second voice that survives the checker, and you'll have caught real voice-leading faults in somebody else's writing — quoting the fault by its precise name.

Part 2 — The Task

The guiding question: You've been able to SING two independent lines since childhood. Can you now WRITE one — and can you spot, by name, the exact moves that would quietly weld two lines into one?

Before Round 1, jot your honest guess on the sheet: out of the four printed passages in Round 3, how many faults do you think you'll find without help? You'll check the guess at the end.

Part 3 — Procedure (the five rounds)

You'll work on the studio writing sheet. Tables of 3–4; the rounds also run fine solo, and every sung prompt has a self-serve path in the make-up list. Voices and instruments out the whole session.

Round 1 — Sing the rounds (≈10 min).
The room splits in two and sings Frère Jacques as a round — group two enters as group one reaches the third phrase. Then trade roles. Then, if the room is feeling brave, Row, Row, Row Your Boat — the 6/8 one, a little callback to unit 3. While you sing, notice two things and mark them on your sheet afterward: (1) one moment your group was holding while the other group moved; (2) one moment both groups moved together. No vocabulary required yet — just honest marks. Here is the tune itself, for reference:

KEY: C major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: treble
| C4/q D4/q E4/q C4/q | C4/q D4/q E4/q C4/q | E4/q F4/q G4/h | E4/q F4/q G4/h |
| G4/e A4/e G4/e F4/e E4/q C4/q | G4/e A4/e G4/e F4/e E4/q C4/q | C4/q G3/q C4/h | C4/q G3/q C4/h |

Frère Jacques in C major, eight bars on the treble staff: the stepwise opening "Frè-re Jac-ques" (C4–D4–E4–C4, twice), the rising "Dor-mez-vous?" (E4–F4, G4 held, twice), the tumbling "Son-nez les ma-ti-nes" eighth-note phrase (G4–A4–G4–F4–E4–C4, twice), and the closing "ding, dang, dong" tag that dips to G3 and returns home (C4–G3–C4, twice).

Round 2 — Map why it works (≈12 min).
Now put session 1's names on what you just sang. The sheet prints the two overlap moments below; at each numbered checkpoint, label the motion type and name the harmonic interval (size and quality). Work as a table; settle disagreements by counting letters first, semitones second — in that order, always.

KEY: C major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: grand
U: | E4/q F4/q G4/h |
L: | C3/q D3/q E3/q C3/q |

Overlap moment 1: group one sings "Dor-mez-vous?" (E4, F4, G4 held) while group two, an octave down, walks its opening "Frè-re Jac-ques" (C3–D3–E3–C3). Checkpoints: the first three beats (one label covers them), and the last beat, where the upper voice holds while the lower voice falls away.

KEY: C major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: grand
U: | G4/e A4/e G4/e F4/e E4/q C4/q |
L: | E3/q F3/q G3/h |

Overlap moment 2: group one runs the "Son-nez les ma-ti-nes" eighths (G4–A4–G4–F4, then E4 and C4) while group two climbs E3–F3 and holds G3. Checkpoints: beat 2 (upper F4 against the held F3 an octave below — how did that perfect interval get approached?), and beats 3–4 (upper moving over the held G3).

Round 3 — The parallel hunt (≈15 min).
Four short passages, printed below. One of them is clean. For each: hunt, and write your verdict on the sheet — the fault's precise name plus the pitches involved, or "CLEAN — no findings" with one sentence of evidence. When every table has verdicts, Professor Hemsworth runs each passage through the course's voice-leading checker on the projector, and the room compares its calls to the software's. (An honest "clean" call on the clean passage earns exactly as much as a catch — false positives are the only way to lose points here, same as the tutor audit.)


Passage A: the upper voice descends C5–B4–A4–G4 while the lower voice descends F3–E3–D3–C3, a twelfth below it the whole way. (A twelfth is a fifth plus an octave — same fusion, longer distance.)

```music counterexample
KEY: C major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: grand
U: | E4/q D4/q C4/h |
L: | E3/q D3/q C3/h |

Passage B: the upper voice walks E4–D4–C4 while the lower voice walks E3–D3–C3, exactly an octave below, note for note.

```music counterexample
KEY: C major METER: 4/4 CLEF: grand
U: | G4/h D5/h |
L: | E3/h G3/h |


Passage C: both voices rise — the lower from E3 to G3, the upper leaping from G4 up to D5 — landing on G3–D5.

```music
KEY: C major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: grand
U: | F4/h E4/h | D4/h C4/h |
L: | A3/h G3/h | F3/h E3/h |

Passage D: the upper voice descends F4–E4–D4–C4 while the lower voice descends A3–G3–F3–E3 beneath it.

Round 4 — Write the second voice (≈15 min).
Your table receives the given line below — a tune in G major — and writes a lower voice against it, note against note (one lower note per melody note, half notes throughout). Use the guardrails card on the sheet, which is session 1's procedure in six lines: read the engine · default to thirds/sixths/tenths · spend perfects at arrivals, approached by contrary or oblique motion · vary the motion · ti rises, sevenths fall · run the two-rules pass before you call it done. Write it so your table could sing it — and then sing it, quietly, both lines at once. If it can't be sung, it isn't done.

KEY: G major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: treble
| D4/h E4/h | F#4/h D4/h | G4/h E4/h | F#4/h G4/h |

The given line: four bars in G major, half notes — D4 rising to E4, F♯4 falling back to D4, a climb to G4 and E4, and a close that walks ti to do: F♯4 rising to G4. (One sharp in the signature: F♯.)

Round 5 — Swap and hunt (≈8 min).
Tables trade sheets. Run the Round 3 hunt on the line the other table wrote: name any fault precisely (with pitches), or certify it "CLEAN — no findings" with evidence. Then sheets come back, and each table fixes one flagged spot (or, if clean, marks the single moment it's proudest of — and says why in interval language). Professor Hemsworth spot-runs tables' lines through the checker live as time allows; watching your own writing pass with zero findings is the week's trophy.

Fallback (no partner needed): if you can't sing with a group from your seat, or you're doing the make-up path, every round works solo — sing one line while playing the other on any instrument or keyboard app, or record yourself singing line one and duet with the playback. The make-up list below prints everything you need.

Part 4 — The Scaffold (complete during the rounds)

Round 1 record: a moment my group held while the other moved: __ · a moment both groups moved together: ____

Table 1 captures Round 2 — the map.

Checkpoint	Motion type	Harmonic interval(s) (size + quality)
Moment 1, beats 1–3	______	______
Moment 1, beat 4	______	______
Moment 2, beat 2 approach	______	______
Moment 2, beats 3–4	______	______

Table 2 captures Round 3 — the hunt.

Passage	Verdict (precise fault + pitches, or CLEAN + evidence)
A	______
B	______
C	______
D	______

Round 4 workspace: write your lower voice's eight notes, in order, under the tune's notes — then the harmonic interval of each pair: ______

Round 5 record: the other table's verdict on our line: __ · what we fixed (or our proudest moment, in interval language): ____

Round 3 pre-guess from Part 2: __ · faults I actually found: ____

Part 5 — Analysis Questions (short answers on the sheet, ≈5 min)

In Round 1 you sang two-voice independence years before you could name it. Which was easier today — singing the independence or labeling it? One honest sentence on why.
Passage A and Passage D both move in parallel the whole way. One is banned, one is beloved. Name the difference in one sentence — using the word perfect.
Your table's Round 4 line: name one moment you used contrary or oblique motion on purpose, and what the tune was doing right there.
A bandmate says: "the checker flagged a 'direct fifth' — same thing as parallel fifths, right?" Set them straight in two sentences.
Where in your own repertoire — a song you actually play or sing — does a second voice live (a harmony vocal, a countermelody, a bass line with its own shape)? What will you listen for in it now that you didn't know to listen for last week?

Part 6 — AI-Critique Moment (≈3 min, phones out — or on the projector if the room prefers)

Type your table's Round 4 lower voice into your chatbot as paired moves — for example: "Two voices. Upper: D4 E4 F#4 D4 G4 E4 F#4 G4. Lower: [your eight notes]. Check for parallel fifths, parallel octaves, direct fifths, and voice crossing." Then judge its report against the verdict the course checker already gave your line in Round 5. The classic failures to hunt: it misses a real parallel, flags your perfectly legal parallel thirds or sixths, or calls a direct fifth "parallel." Write 2–3 sentences on your sheet: what it got right, and at least one thing you corrected or verified against the checker's verdict. The habit all term: the tool drafts, you judge — and this week you had ground truth on the desk.

Part 7 — What to Submit

Hand in before you leave: the studio sheet (Round 1 record + Tables 1–2 + the Round 4 line with its intervals + Round 5 record + analysis answers + AI-critique sentences). Round 4's line is graded from the sheet; the checker verdicts stay on the projector. 20 points, graded on the rubric below.

Async make-up path — full credit, submit by the end of Week 13. Life happens; missing the studio costs you nothing but the room. Do the same tasks alone: (1) sing Frère Jacques against yourself — record line one on your phone (or play it on any instrument), then sing the round against the playback with the second entry at the third phrase — and complete the Round 1 record; (2) complete Table 1 from the two printed overlap moments; (3) run the Round 3 hunt on the four printed passages and complete Table 2; (4) write the Round 4 lower voice yourself, list the eight harmonic intervals, and sing or play both lines together once; (5) skip Round 5's swap — instead, run the AI-critique step on your own line and hunt the chatbot's verdict yourself; (6) answer the analysis questions. Submit: phone photos of your completed sheet, plus a short recording (a minute is plenty — voice memo or video) of your round-against-playback or of both Round 4 lines sounding together. Same rubric, same 20 points, no penalty.

Instructor key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

Round 1 (run it, don't grade the singing): entries at the third phrase ("Dormez-vous?"), group two an octave lower if the room's ranges split that way naturally. The two marks students make are seeds for Table 1 — any honest holding-vs-moving and moving-together observations are right answers. If Row, Row, Row Your Boat runs: 6/8, entries at "gently down the stream"; enjoy the compound-meter callback out loud.

Round 2 vetted answers (Table 1):

Checkpoint	Motion	Intervals
Moment 1, beats 1–3	parallel (tenths — legal, say why out loud)	C3–E4 M10 · D3–F4 m10 · E3–G4 m10
Moment 1, beat 4	oblique (upper holds G4, lower falls to C3)	lands P12 (C3–G4) — perfect interval, legal approach
Moment 2, beat 2 approach	oblique into a perfect octave (F3 held, upper falls F4 onto it: F3–F4 P8)	preceding pair F3–G4 M9; the P8 is approached with the lower voice holding — clean
Moment 2, beats 3–4	oblique (G3 held; upper E4 then C4 above it)	G3–E4 M6 · G3–C4 P4

Teaching beat: the round spends perfect intervals (P12, P8, P4) and every one arrives by oblique motion. The tune harmonizes itself correctly — that's why it has survived three hundred years of children.

Round 3 vetted verdicts (run the checker on the projector; its verbatim findings below):

Passage	Checker verdict	Teaching note
A	parallel perfect twelfths flagged at every move (F3–C5 → E3–B4 → D3–A4 → C3–G4, all P12)	A twelfth is a fifth an octave out — same fusion. "Parallel fifths at a distance" is a fine student phrasing; the precise pitches earn full credit.
B	parallel perfect octaves flagged at both moves (E3–E4 → D3–D4 → C3–C4)	The tune in boots — one voice pretending to be two.
C	direct (hidden) perfect twelfth — similar motion, leap in upper voice (m10 E3–G4 into P12 G3–D5)	NOT parallel — nothing perfect preceded it. The name matters; quoting "direct" or "hidden" earns it.
D	CLEAN — zero findings (parallel sixths: A3–F4 m6 · G3–E4 M6 · F3–D4 M6 · E3–C4 m6)	The decoy. An honest CLEAN with "they're all sixths — imperfect — so parallel is legal" is a full-credit catch of nothing, which is the audit skill.

Round 4 — one passing solution (the checker returns zero findings on this):

KEY: G major    METER: 4/4    CLEF: grand
U: | D4/h E4/h | F#4/h D4/h | G4/h E4/h | F#4/h G4/h |
L: | B3/h C4/h | A3/h B3/h | B3/h C4/h | A3/h G3/h |

The sample lower voice under the given tune, as a harmony line close beneath it: B3–C4 rising with the tune (thirds: B3–D4 m3, C4–E4 M3), A3 dropping under F♯4 (M6) and back to B3 under D4 (m3), a held B3 while the tune leaps to G4 (m6 — oblique motion under the tune's biggest leap), C4 under E4 (M3), then the close: A3 under F♯4 (M6) opening by contrary motion onto G3 under G4 — a perfect octave earned from the opposite direction while ti rises above.

Pair-by-pair for grading: m3 · M3 | M6 · m3 | m6 (oblique) · M3 | M6 · P8 by contrary motion, ti→do in the tune.

Accept ANY lower voice that passes the guardrails — the checker is the referee, not this sample. Common flagged errors to expect and name kindly: doubling the tune in octaves (parallel octaves — Passage B's move); G3→A3 under D4→E4 (parallel fifths: G3–D4 → A3–E4); a lower voice that wanders above the tune (crossing — watch bar 2, where the tune sits on D4); and a final bar that approaches the last octave in similar motion with a leap (direct octave — the fix is contrary motion, as in the sample). A table whose line is legal but pure shadowing (parallel thirds wall to wall) passes the checker — grade it full marks and challenge them out loud to earn one oblique or contrary moment; that's arranging feedback, not a deduction.

Round 5: the swap grades itself against the projector runs. False positives are the coaching moment: "you flagged their parallel sixths — what does the ban actually cover?" Full credit for the hunting table requires precise names + pitches or an evidenced CLEAN; full credit for the writing table's fix requires the fix actually clearing the flag (re-run the checker where time allows).

AI-critique full credit: names a specific claim checked against the checker's ground truth, with either a caught chatbot error (most common: missed parallels, or thirds/sixths condemned) or a real verification ("it agreed with the checker, and I confirmed its interval names by counting letters"). "The AI said it was fine" with no comparison shown earns the partial band.

Where students collect their own responses (Round 1 marks, the pre-guess, the proudest-moment line), grade the method — honest marks, intervals named with size and quality — never agreement with one "right" observation.

Grading rubric — 20 points

The rubric below maps the studio's parts to points; bands are full / partial / none. The async make-up path uses the identical rubric.

Criterion	Full	Partial	None
Round 1 — the rounds sung, both marks recorded honestly (2)	2	1	0
Round 2 — the map: all four checkpoints labeled, motion + intervals with size and quality, ≥3 of 4 correct (4)	4	2–3	0–1
Round 3 — the hunt: all four verdicts recorded with precise names + pitches (or evidenced CLEAN), ≥3 of 4 matching the checker (4)	4	2–3	0–1
Round 4 — the second voice: eight notes written with all eight intervals named; line passes the guardrails (checker-clean, or ≤1 flagged spot) (4)	4	2–3 (line complete but 2+ flags, or intervals unnamed)	0–1
Round 5 — swap and fix: verdict given on another table's line; own flagged spot fixed (or proudest moment defended in interval language) (2)	2	1	0
Analysis questions: honest, specific answers to all five (2)	2	1	0
AI-critique: 2–3 sentences with a specific catch or a real verification against the checker (2)	2	1	0

Quality gate (self-checked): every model fence in this sheet passes the course voice-leading checker with zero findings (the two overlap moments, Passage D, and the Round 4 sample solution — verified this build); every deliberately broken passage (A, B, C) is tagged as a counterexample and confirmed to trigger exactly the named finding; all interval names re-derived (letters, then semitones) against the course theory reference; rubric sums 2+4+4+4+2+2+2 = 20; no purchased or downloaded materials; the round repertoire (Frère Jacques; Row, Row, Row Your Boat) is out of copyright per the course registry. ✓

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 13 Studio — Round to two voices"
assignment_group = "Studios"
points_possible  = 20
grading_type     = points
submission_types = [on_paper]        # in session; async make-up: online_upload (photos + short recording)
due              = in session, Week 13's second session; make-up by the end of Week 13
published        = true

~ Professor Hemsworth's edition · Kenosis College · built with thecoursemaker.com