MUSC205 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/03/2024	Amazing class amazing professor, overall really fun and the workload is very manageable. Give it a 10/10 for a gen-ed and I highly recommend taking the class if you like music and are looking for a chill gen-ed/GPA boost class.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 10/10/2024	Great professor really understanding and friendly. Took this class because I already play a few instruments so the content was basically a review. However, if you're looking to take a really fun and easy gen-ed this is the class. There is no attendance in the regular lectures however, discussion is mandatory. Your grade boils down to two factors; 1. If you just review the review sheets before exams and 2. Your TA. Great class I highly recommend to anyone with any interest in music.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 02/20/2024	Very good lecturer, makes sure you understand the material and keeps it interesting. TAs are friendly and good at teaching the material. Didn't have to study at all except for an hour before the exams. Enjoyed this class and the professor's teaching style, highly recommend taking it for easiest 3 credits, DSHU & DVUP.
Lars Helgert MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/02/2024	A super chill and understanding professor. Has a real passion for music and you can tell through his lectures. Lectures can go on for a little bit long, but there is a definitive love and passion that come from him, leading to a really enjoyable class.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/06/2024	Dr. Klotz is super caring and understanding, and her class is very interesting and low demand. This class genuinely helped balance out the heavy workload of my other classes, and I would definitely recommend taking her. The one downfall of this class was the group project, we decided as a class to go random with groups and that did not work very well. Definitely pick your groups if you have the choice. Otherwise, great class and exams are very reasonable and mostly multiple choice :)
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/28/2023	Dr. Klotz is a great professor who genuinely loves what she teaches and cares about her students. The workload for this class is extremely minimal, so if you're looking for an easy and low-maintenance gen-ed I would highly recommend.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/19/2023	Dr Klotz is a great professor! She keeps the class engaged with a lot of examples from current songs. She is a fair grader and the courseload is reasonable: there was one essay (in class- around 2 pages), a group project, participation, and two exams (both non-cumulative and based on lecture material). There were also two opportunities for extra credit.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/12/2023	Dr. Klotz is a great instructor! She always made sure to listen to student feedback, and was very well informed on all the topics. The workload for the course was always really manageable, and the lectures were interesting. My TA for discussion, Erica, was also knowledgeable, helpful, and super nice. Would recommend this course if you have any interest in music!
Matthew Valnes MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/05/2023	It's obvious that Professor Valnes is passionate about the content he teaches. That being said, his lectures do tend to get pretty boring. If you miss a lecture you aren't really missing anything - the daily class slides are uploaded to Canvas. The first half of the semester covered popular music in the early-mid 20th century, and I found it to be pretty boring. However, the end of the semester does get more interesting as it moves into late 20th century music genres such as Disco and Punk. Assignments are pretty easy, but his grading on formal writing assignments can be harsh. Overall pretty decent professor, but not the most interesting.
Kelsey Klotz MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/01/2023	I enjoyed this course. Kelsey is a great instructor and is very knowledgeable. The workload is very manageable and nothing that would stress you out. The lectures are very informative and Kelsey always makes sure to answer questions. I highly recommend!
Matthew Valnes MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 10/19/2023	Easy enough class but the class could not be more boring and tedious. The class pace is atrocious with the class starting in the 1950's and by the halfway point of the semester not even clearing the 1960's. Class is honestly not even worth showing up for. Professor Valnes seems like a nice person but bores throughout his lectures.
Nathaniel Harrell MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 06/15/2023	I took this class over the summer and it was super easy. It was taught exclusively out of a textbook and 60% of the class grade was completion of discussion posts. 25% was quizzes that were untimed and were directly taken out of the book. They were also open note. The rest was a final which was an untimed quiz and a short answer. It is very easy to get a 100 in this class. Nathan is a great guy, he gives thoughtful responses and really cares about you getting something out of the class.
Isador Miller MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/01/2023	Very passionate about music. Chill interesting class. Definitely take any course he offers.
Lars Helgert MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/01/2023	Very chill class as long as you are involved in lecture. Exams can be aced with a brief review 1 hr beforehand. Just have to memorize some names and genres, which is easy if you dig the very chill and interesting lectures. Only annoying thing is attendance, which is measured by a 100 word journal entry. However, you are allowed 3 exceptions.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A penis 04/11/2023	This class sucked for the sole reason that she gave her TA's full rein to make grade assignments that haven't been given a rubric and when you question this she does nothing.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 03/10/2023	Grimmer is quite literally the best person and I wish I could take all of the classes she teaches. I'm a makreting major and I took this to get Gen-Eds done and I ended up with a 98%. Such an easy class.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/02/2023	Chill gen-ed, really low time commitment. Exams are untimed, open note, really short and have a whole day to be completed. The papers are pretty standard. Overall if you love music, highly recommend this course. But if you don't, that'll probably reflect on your papers and that's what really gets graded here.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/26/2023	great gen ed to take. professor is super nice and understanding & the TAs are also nice. the class was just lectures & mandatory discussions but it wasn't even that bad. 3 online open note exams & 3 papers throughout the semester. exams are easy and paper topics are also interesting but you don't know exactly how you're being graded so it's a lot of hoping for the best. professor grimmer is great though, she's sweet, passionate, and accommodating
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Anonymous 01/05/2023	Easy gen ed, solid prof pick. Easy open-note tests but she doesn't post rubrics for papers. As a result, a lot of grading was subjective.
Lars Helgert MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/26/2022	great teacher, however, the exams are a little tricky and he grades essays very strictly. I wasn't the most successful person and I didn't study for the exams until the night or the day before and still got a B+. Getting an A in this class is actually easy and I am lowkey disappointed.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/18/2022	The teacher doesn't post rubrics so it's a complete coin toss for how they will grade your assignments. When you ask for them--she'll just tell you that there isn't one and that you should really just follow the prompt and then when your TA gets your paper they'll shit on it for arbitrary items like "this should be two paragraphs". Although I'm happy I finished with a B, it became clear pretty early on that the TA or the professor had no intention for everybody to get an A and some people were just stuck with B-level grades regardless of time and effort spent into them.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/17/2022	Took this class to fulfill a gen ed and I'm really glad I did! It was easy, fun, and stress-free. 3 exams including the final, but they're all open-note/Internet, and you have the whole day to take them. Since exams are open-note, I really didn't have to dedicate much time outside of lecture to this class (aside from 3 essays and an "un-essay" project but they're all pretty short). Weekly discussion that has a participation grade but as long as you contribute a bit each time you'll be fine. The content was enjoyable and easy to digest, especially towards the end when we got into modern artists that I recognized (listening to Taylor Swift was the highlight of this class!) Definitely would recommend if you want a chill gen ed.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Anonymous 12/10/2022	Very sweet and understanding professor, will most likely allow you to make something up if you email her and explain. Music 205 was a pretty easy class as long as you pay attention during lectures
Lars Helgert MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/08/2022	Chill asf. No real homework other than studying.
Jessica Grimmer MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/03/2022	Dr. Grimmer is obviously very passionate about her teaching, but she does like to talk on and on which can get a little boring. The class itself itself is not my favorite. I signed up for it because I like music and performing it and also needed a history credit, but it's not nearly as entertaining as I thought it would be. That being said, I'm sure it's still better than other history classes. I just expected more. In regards to grading, the only real grades you get are on three essays, three exams, and participation in the once-a-week discussions. The grading is usually pretty fair, but if you get a bad grade on one thing, it has a big impact on your overall grade.
Matthew Valnes MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/17/2022	Professor Valnes seems like a nice guy, but his lectures were just super boring. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to taking this class, but I wasn't engaged by the material at all even though it should be fun. The class was definitely easy to do well in, so no complaints there, I just wish Professor Valnes was more passionate about the material and maybe it would be more interesting.
Meghan Creek MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/26/2021	I took it over winter break: I personally didn't find it that time consuming! The readings were really intense, but if you participate in the discussion and get all of the extra credit points, it compensates for any poor exam grades. The Written Assignments were all very doable and were actually pretty interesting. Would definitely recommend that you take this over break with her if possible!
Meghan Creek MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/23/2021	tl;dr I took this one the winter and it was ALOT of work but it was really just busy work. There was 4 exams, 4 discussions (each student posting 5+ times), 3 "papers" and a lot of reading. Overall positive experience but I definitely didn't have the last 3 weeks of my winter break. Exams: easy if you do the work and actually understand the concepts. If you dont care you'll do poorly. Discussions: this sorta forces you to learn the material because your participation has strict criteria that you need to meet in order to get credit. There is extra credit available here too which really helps. "Papers": These are really just creative writing assignments in which you write about an artist/musician you personally enjoy.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/01/2020	Professor King is a great professor, he is really passionate about music and lectures are fun and interesting (if you're a big music fan). The class is very memorize heavy and it also really depends on the TA.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/11/2018	Professor King is great! He's very knowledgeable about the history of blues and rock n' roll, and we just watched videos/listened to music clips every lecture - very entertaining! This class is a bit deceiving, grade-wise. The exams were trickier than I expected, and the 3 papers we were assigned were impossible to get As on (Briana Nave was my TA and she was super anal about everything). It's a fascinating class overall, but be careful about those papers and make Spotify playlists to help you study for the exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/11/2016	First, this professor is not that bad the reason I give this low grading is that this course is a nightmare for international students!! If you don't grow up in the states or don't have any background of American music about the 18s then this course should be your last option. This class has a paper every week and it's almost impossible for international students to get an A on it. I went to writing center three times for my first and second paper. And I only got B+ on those. As for the test, if you don't want to remember 50 songs that sound very similar in a week, then you probably don't want to choose this course.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/23/2014	Awesome lecturer. He really knows music, but keeps it simple. The first test was the only one that required you to apply simple music theory. His tests are completely based on lectures, so the book (only $30 rented) is unnecessary as long as you know someone who has it (its needed for 2/3 papers). If you do bad on a paper, you can redo the last paper. Grades are based on letters, not percentages. Tests require you to identify a song based on a section. The sections are usually indicative of the song if you listened to the song a few times and usually have the title of the song in it. It's a fun and pretty easy class, as long as you are willing to go to lectures and discussion and put in effort for tests and papers. There is no homework so the tests and papers are the only time this class has work. I would recommend it if you are willing to put study for a few hours before the tests and pay attention to lecture. Dr. Warfield is really an amazing, passionate guy.
Richard King MUSC205 perry125 12/04/2013	Best class I've had, and probably will have. I like music a lot, and it will help your experience if you do as well. Really interesting material, and the discussions are fun. You listen to music and discuss a little bit. Lectures are actually enjoyable. I would voluntarily go to lectures, even if I wasn't in the class. I probably will do that.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2013	One of my favorite classes here at Maryland. Dr. King is very entertaining, and is knowledgeable about the subject. The course is not an easy A. However, attending lectures and discussions is very enjoyable. I recommend creating a Spotify playlist containing each of the songs on the listening list. This is an easy way to review for the exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/14/2012	King is an amazing professor. Short 2 page paper every other week. 3 exams and no final. 45 songs that need to know by clips...know song and artist. class is not hard at all and fulfills humanities requirement
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/01/2012	A lot of people told me that MUSC205 is an easy A. Found out it's more of an easy B. The essays are graded as if the TAs are from English class. Near impossible to get an A for the essays. The exams are not hard as long as you know the book inside and out and you know every song by heart. Talking during the discussion classes is a necessity as nodding and talking once in a while does not cut it.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2012	Whoever gave that 2 star review below me... you must not be very bright. Going to grad school means nothing as there are some pretty awful grad schools out there. I'm not sure why you're complaining about rock music being on the exam when the bloody course description says it's "A historical survey of rock music." TAKE THIS CLASS. Dr. King knows what the hell he's talking about and presents all the material in an easy to understand format. The lectures are really interesting and worth going to. The papers are incredibly easy, you get to write about bands you love and as long as you make your points clear you'll get As. The exams are really only tricky if you don't do the listening... it takes like 1.5 hours to listen to all the songs that could be on an exam, that is not that long! And they're mostly good songs! And they play the hooks more often than not. I've always been a pretty big "rocker" but I definitely learned a lot from this class. One of the best I've taken at Maryland.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/02/2012	Horrible course, even worse (boring, dry, rude, sarcastic) professor! Avoid like the plague! This is NOT an easy A, granted you only have a few papers and minimal reading, BUT the exams will kill your grade because they require you to be able to recognize song titles and artists from 10 second clips, the hardest exam is the second one because you will be listening to heavy metal, rock, (ew) personally my taste is popular music, I mean come on, we're college students. But I swear the people who enjoy that music are so weird and even they did not do well on that test. It's difficult because al the music sounds the same. He has dense lectures where he will pick ONE LINE of a fact and smack it on the test and you have to know it for example "who was the lead guitarist for this band?" or "what was the name of that one producer that i mentioned in class for ONE MILLISECOND" or better yet "which artist sold the most records of this time period...of which we studied over 30 artists for an exam".... IN CONCLUSION, good luck guys when taking this course...really tho you will need it it is NOT an easy core. I am a senior and will be going to grad school next year so obviously I've done well in all my classes and this course is killing me. So, good luck! Avoid King, he is NOT helpful at all. Don't know how he is still teaching honestly. And he's boring, and doesn't care about his students. He's a moron.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A+ OtG 03/21/2012	Dr. King is very passionate about what he teaches and very good at it. The course material is lots of fun (the homework is listening to pop music) and the TAs were also very good. There are 5 papers and an album review required, but the prompts tend to be broad and creativity is encouraged. The tests are a bit tough, so make sure to keep up with the required listening and readings. I can't recommend this class or Doc King enough.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/26/2012	Incredible class, awesome professor. Everyone should take this for their HA credit! Lecture was completely unnecessary to attend because everything is posted online, but everyone still went because he presents a lot of cool material/videos and is entertaining to listen to.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/22/2011	King is great, great class and taught well. Only complaint is we didn't get through all of the material and only made it to the beginning of modern rap instead of to today's music. But he even apologized on the last day, so, yea, take him if you can.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/17/2011	His lectures are phenomenal, the material is interesting, and it isn't a tough class. Grades for our class were 3 exams (none cumulative and no final), 4 short papers (2-3 pages at most), and participation in discussion. His exams are heavily lecture-based, so I would highly recommend attending and taking good notes. If you need an HA CORE credit this is probably one of your best options.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/09/2011	This class is already filled with interesting content, Professor Warfield makes it even better. He's extremely knowledgeable, and makes lectures really interesting. The last lecture wasn't mandatory as we had already taken the last exam(there is no final), but the lecture was still full, and he got a round of applause at the end to thank him for a great semester. Your grade is based on 4 papers and 3 exams. The exams are multiple choice and short answer. As long as you go to lecture and do the listenings you'll be fine. The papers are only 2-3 papers each. In all, best class I've taken.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 02/17/2011	I only went to lecture once but I really loved the professor. My TA was a space cadet but was nice. The tests were pretty hard considering I didn't go to lecture but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Also, when my TA was unavailable at the end of the year prof Warfield graded my late assignment so I could get credit. SO NICE!
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/16/2010	Dr King is an amazing professor. Even though he posts all of his lecture outlines online, his lectures are so good, that it is hard not to go. He is extremely knowledgeable about music and can throw in a funny story every once in a while. The class itself only consists of a few papers and a few tests. So far, this has been the best class I have taken at UMD, and suggest it to everyone
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2010	Dr. King is an excellent professor, definitely one of the best at UMD. The class itself is pretty laid back and relaxed, and covers a surprisingly wide range of music, from doo-wop to punk to rap, so there is something for everyone. Most of your grades come from short papers (about 5 or 6 throughout the semester) and you can pretty much write about whatever you want, and as long as it is coherent and well-written, you'll get a good grade. I got to write about artists I loved for a grade and it was awesome! Tests include listening portions and multiple choice, but if you took decent notes in class they aren't too hard. He has online notes, but often includes questions from things he says in class, so make sure not to just rely on the online notes. I think I have learned more from this class than any other I have taken.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/02/2010	I took MUSC205 with Prof. King this past fall 2010, and I liked it. I am an immigrant, I've lived in America since I was 10 - I didn't know much about American "oldies." If you know your basic music history, you will succeed. I expect an A-, and I knew very little at the beginning of the semester. Papers are easy and discussions are very laid back. Take this class, even if you're a freshman.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Anonymous 11/17/2010	Awesome teacher! I absolutely loved the class! I never missed a lecture because each and every class was so entertaining. He made an already exciting topic even more fun to learn about. I also had a great TA which made discussions enjoyable too. Definitely take this class -no doubts about it.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/14/2010	Best teacher at the University of Maryland! He is highly entertaining and you always leave smiling. You must go to the lectures because you have to get the notes, but trust me this is no chore. Also the tests are not as easy as you would think. They are all multiple choice but the questions are usually pretty specific and you need to memorize music for the listening portion of the test. DO NOT try to put your desks down early even by one minute. He hates the sound of people packing up and will assign extra work because of it. Also don't fall asleep in his class! Overall amazing class and a must take at UMD!
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/03/2010	Awesome teacher! Really knows his material and easily makes the class interesting. TA does all of the grading; the class has 3 exams (none of them cumulative) and 5 papers (about 2-3 pages each) based on music but they are really not that much work. Definitely recommend this class.
Patrick Warfield MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/30/2010	Great professor for MUSC205! One of my favorite classes this semester. He keeps the class entertaining and offers a lot different and sometimes strange points of views on songs. Although he sometimes expects a bit too much out of students the course load isn't all that bad. Tests are very lecture based so as long as you go to lecture and take good notes, you should be fine.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/08/2009	Take the class during a winter or summer session when you will actually be able to get in. I took it during summer 2008. Three weeks long, only had to write 2 papers and had 2 tests (if I remember correctly). You really need to go to class to listen to the songs, or you probably won't do as well on the exams, but the songs were also available in the PAC library for listening. Take notes on what he says, don't just rely on the power points.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A pjack23 04/24/2008	Greatest class I've taken at Maryland so far. Dr. King is a very funny man, and the lectures are very enjoyable. You go over a small reading assignment during discussion, as well as take the tests, which there are 3 of not including the final. You have to keep up with the listening list though, or you will bomb the tests. If you read all the lecture notes (posted online) and go through the listening lists at least a couple days before the tests, you'll get an A. Great class
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/17/2007	This class was great... King was a great professor, kept class interesting, and he kept class fun. The music was great, and when it wasn't, King still brought life to the class. Of course, be sure to study extra hard for the exams. I'm not used to getting B's, but I did in this class due to bad performances on the multiple choice exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/04/2007	I am not a music buff... i had never heard stairway to heaven before taking this class. But it was still incredibly easy. I went just to sit and watch the crazy pictures he posted during lecture. All the notes are posted on line, and as long as you know the notes and the songs he gives you are guaranteed an A. I the studying isn't fun... but there are only 3 tests and no final!
Richard King MUSC205 terpfan29 11/03/2007	Strengths Dr. King is a great professor and history of rock has been one of my favorite classes. If you love rock/popular music this class will be a favorite of yours. Even if you don't it isn't too difficult and how can you not like learning about it? I never missed a lecture except for one I couldn't make it to and I had no problem with attending them and taking good notes because it was just that interesting. WARNING: Don't make the mistake of not going to lecture because the outlines to the notes are posted online. They are not as complete as what he says in class and also it isn't as effective. The grading is very fair. 55% is based on things such as 6 1 page papers, participation/attendance in discussion, an album review, and a group project. The other 45% is from tests each are worth 15% (there is not one on finals day). Make sure you study the notes very thoroughly because the tests can be very specific in some of it's questions. Also make sure you keep up with the listening of the songs which isn't hard if you download them and listen to them. (I took this class in the spring of 2006 and now without DC++ I don't know what people will do to get all of those songs). My TA Lindsey was very nice and knowledgeable too and wasn't too difficult of a grader. Overall I highly recommend you take this class for your HA core course. I always tell people that I loved it so much, I'd take it again if I could. This along with human sexuality with Dr. Sawyer have to be two of the most popular classes at the University and are must take classes for everyone before they graduate! Drawbacks The only drawback is that the tests could sometimes contain very specific questions and you really had to know your notes inside out.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
11/03/2024

Amazing class amazing professor, overall really fun and the workload is very manageable. Give it a 10/10 for a gen-ed and I highly recommend taking the class if you like music and are looking for a chill gen-ed/GPA boost class.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
10/10/2024

Great professor really understanding and friendly. Took this class because I already play a few instruments so the content was basically a review. However, if you're looking to take a really fun and easy gen-ed this is the class. There is no attendance in the regular lectures however, discussion is mandatory. Your grade boils down to two factors; 1. If you just review the review sheets before exams and 2. Your TA. Great class I highly recommend to anyone with any interest in music.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
02/20/2024

Very good lecturer, makes sure you understand the material and keeps it interesting. TAs are friendly and good at teaching the material. Didn't have to study at all except for an hour before the exams. Enjoyed this class and the professor's teaching style, highly recommend taking it for easiest 3 credits, DSHU & DVUP.

Lars Helgert
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/02/2024

A super chill and understanding professor. Has a real passion for music and you can tell through his lectures. Lectures can go on for a little bit long, but there is a definitive love and passion that come from him, leading to a really enjoyable class.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/06/2024

Dr. Klotz is super caring and understanding, and her class is very interesting and low demand. This class genuinely helped balance out the heavy workload of my other classes, and I would definitely recommend taking her. The one downfall of this class was the group project, we decided as a class to go random with groups and that did not work very well. Definitely pick your groups if you have the choice. Otherwise, great class and exams are very reasonable and mostly multiple choice :)

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/28/2023

Dr. Klotz is a great professor who genuinely loves what she teaches and cares about her students. The workload for this class is extremely minimal, so if you're looking for an easy and low-maintenance gen-ed I would highly recommend.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/19/2023

Dr Klotz is a great professor! She keeps the class engaged with a lot of examples from current songs. She is a fair grader and the courseload is reasonable: there was one essay (in class- around 2 pages), a group project, participation, and two exams (both non-cumulative and based on lecture material). There were also two opportunities for extra credit.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/12/2023

Dr. Klotz is a great instructor! She always made sure to listen to student feedback, and was very well informed on all the topics. The workload for the course was always really manageable, and the lectures were interesting. My TA for discussion, Erica, was also knowledgeable, helpful, and super nice. Would recommend this course if you have any interest in music!

Matthew Valnes
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/05/2023

It's obvious that Professor Valnes is passionate about the content he teaches. That being said, his lectures do tend to get pretty boring. If you miss a lecture you aren't really missing anything - the daily class slides are uploaded to Canvas. The first half of the semester covered popular music in the early-mid 20th century, and I found it to be pretty boring. However, the end of the semester does get more interesting as it moves into late 20th century music genres such as Disco and Punk. Assignments are pretty easy, but his grading on formal writing assignments can be harsh. Overall pretty decent professor, but not the most interesting.

Kelsey Klotz
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/01/2023

I enjoyed this course. Kelsey is a great instructor and is very knowledgeable. The workload is very manageable and nothing that would stress you out. The lectures are very informative and Kelsey always makes sure to answer questions. I highly recommend!

Matthew Valnes
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
10/19/2023

Easy enough class but the class could not be more boring and tedious. The class pace is atrocious with the class starting in the 1950's and by the halfway point of the semester not even clearing the 1960's. Class is honestly not even worth showing up for. Professor Valnes seems like a nice person but bores throughout his lectures.

Nathaniel Harrell
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
06/15/2023

I took this class over the summer and it was super easy. It was taught exclusively out of a textbook and 60% of the class grade was completion of discussion posts. 25% was quizzes that were untimed and were directly taken out of the book. They were also open note. The rest was a final which was an untimed quiz and a short answer. It is very easy to get a 100 in this class. Nathan is a great guy, he gives thoughtful responses and really cares about you getting something out of the class.

Isador Miller
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/01/2023

Very passionate about music. Chill interesting class. Definitely take any course he offers.

Lars Helgert
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/01/2023

Very chill class as long as you are involved in lecture. Exams can be aced with a brief review 1 hr beforehand. Just have to memorize some names and genres, which is easy if you dig the very chill and interesting lectures. Only annoying thing is attendance, which is measured by a 100 word journal entry. However, you are allowed 3 exceptions.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A
penis
04/11/2023

This class sucked for the sole reason that she gave her TA's full rein to make grade assignments that haven't been given a rubric and when you question this she does nothing.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
03/10/2023

Grimmer is quite literally the best person and I wish I could take all of the classes she teaches. I'm a makreting major and I took this to get Gen-Eds done and I ended up with a 98%. Such an easy class.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/02/2023

Chill gen-ed, really low time commitment. Exams are untimed, open note, really short and have a whole day to be completed. The papers are pretty standard. Overall if you love music, highly recommend this course. But if you don't, that'll probably reflect on your papers and that's what really gets graded here.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/26/2023

great gen ed to take. professor is super nice and understanding & the TAs are also nice. the class was just lectures & mandatory discussions but it wasn't even that bad. 3 online open note exams & 3 papers throughout the semester. exams are easy and paper topics are also interesting but you don't know exactly how you're being graded so it's a lot of hoping for the best. professor grimmer is great though, she's sweet, passionate, and accommodating

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Anonymous
01/05/2023

Easy gen ed, solid prof pick. Easy open-note tests but she doesn't post rubrics for papers. As a result, a lot of grading was subjective.

Lars Helgert
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/26/2022

great teacher, however, the exams are a little tricky and he grades essays very strictly. I wasn't the most successful person and I didn't study for the exams until the night or the day before and still got a B+. Getting an A in this class is actually easy and I am lowkey disappointed.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/18/2022

The teacher doesn't post rubrics so it's a complete coin toss for how they will grade your assignments. When you ask for them--she'll just tell you that there isn't one and that you should really just follow the prompt and then when your TA gets your paper they'll shit on it for arbitrary items like "this should be two paragraphs". Although I'm happy I finished with a B, it became clear pretty early on that the TA or the professor had no intention for everybody to get an A and some people were just stuck with B-level grades regardless of time and effort spent into them.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/17/2022

Took this class to fulfill a gen ed and I'm really glad I did! It was easy, fun, and stress-free. 3 exams including the final, but they're all open-note/Internet, and you have the whole day to take them. Since exams are open-note, I really didn't have to dedicate much time outside of lecture to this class (aside from 3 essays and an "un-essay" project but they're all pretty short). Weekly discussion that has a participation grade but as long as you contribute a bit each time you'll be fine. The content was enjoyable and easy to digest, especially towards the end when we got into modern artists that I recognized (listening to Taylor Swift was the highlight of this class!) Definitely would recommend if you want a chill gen ed.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Anonymous
12/10/2022

Very sweet and understanding professor, will most likely allow you to make something up if you email her and explain. Music 205 was a pretty easy class as long as you pay attention during lectures

Lars Helgert
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/08/2022

Chill asf. No real homework other than studying.

Jessica Grimmer
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/03/2022

Dr. Grimmer is obviously very passionate about her teaching, but she does like to talk on and on which can get a little boring. The class itself itself is not my favorite. I signed up for it because I like music and performing it and also needed a history credit, but it's not nearly as entertaining as I thought it would be. That being said, I'm sure it's still better than other history classes. I just expected more. In regards to grading, the only real grades you get are on three essays, three exams, and participation in the once-a-week discussions. The grading is usually pretty fair, but if you get a bad grade on one thing, it has a big impact on your overall grade.

Matthew Valnes
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/17/2022

Professor Valnes seems like a nice guy, but his lectures were just super boring. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to taking this class, but I wasn't engaged by the material at all even though it should be fun. The class was definitely easy to do well in, so no complaints there, I just wish Professor Valnes was more passionate about the material and maybe it would be more interesting.

Meghan Creek
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/26/2021

I took it over winter break: I personally didn't find it that time consuming! The readings were really intense, but if you participate in the discussion and get all of the extra credit points, it compensates for any poor exam grades. The Written Assignments were all very doable and were actually pretty interesting. Would definitely recommend that you take this over break with her if possible!

Meghan Creek
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/23/2021

tl;dr I took this one the winter and it was ALOT of work but it was really just busy work. There was 4 exams, 4 discussions (each student posting 5+ times), 3 "papers" and a lot of reading. Overall positive experience but I definitely didn't have the last 3 weeks of my winter break. Exams: easy if you do the work and actually understand the concepts. If you dont care you'll do poorly. Discussions: this sorta forces you to learn the material because your participation has strict criteria that you need to meet in order to get credit. There is extra credit available here too which really helps. "Papers": These are really just creative writing assignments in which you write about an artist/musician you personally enjoy.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
09/01/2020

Professor King is a great professor, he is really passionate about music and lectures are fun and interesting (if you're a big music fan). The class is very memorize heavy and it also really depends on the TA.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
06/11/2018

Professor King is great! He's very knowledgeable about the history of blues and rock n' roll, and we just watched videos/listened to music clips every lecture - very entertaining! This class is a bit deceiving, grade-wise. The exams were trickier than I expected, and the 3 papers we were assigned were impossible to get As on (Briana Nave was my TA and she was super anal about everything). It's a fascinating class overall, but be careful about those papers and make Spotify playlists to help you study for the exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
11/11/2016

First, this professor is not that bad the reason I give this low grading is that this course is a nightmare for international students!! If you don't grow up in the states or don't have any background of American music about the 18s then this course should be your last option. This class has a paper every week and it's almost impossible for international students to get an A on it. I went to writing center three times for my first and second paper. And I only got B+ on those. As for the test, if you don't want to remember 50 songs that sound very similar in a week, then you probably don't want to choose this course.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/23/2014

Awesome lecturer. He really knows music, but keeps it simple. The first test was the only one that required you to apply simple music theory. His tests are completely based on lectures, so the book (only $30 rented) is unnecessary as long as you know someone who has it (its needed for 2/3 papers). If you do bad on a paper, you can redo the last paper. Grades are based on letters, not percentages. Tests require you to identify a song based on a section. The sections are usually indicative of the song if you listened to the song a few times and usually have the title of the song in it. It's a fun and pretty easy class, as long as you are willing to go to lectures and discussion and put in effort for tests and papers. There is no homework so the tests and papers are the only time this class has work. I would recommend it if you are willing to put study for a few hours before the tests and pay attention to lecture. Dr. Warfield is really an amazing, passionate guy.

Richard King
MUSC205

perry125
12/04/2013

Best class I've had, and probably will have. I like music a lot, and it will help your experience if you do as well. Really interesting material, and the discussions are fun. You listen to music and discuss a little bit. Lectures are actually enjoyable. I would voluntarily go to lectures, even if I wasn't in the class. I probably will do that.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2013

One of my favorite classes here at Maryland. Dr. King is very entertaining, and is knowledgeable about the subject. The course is not an easy A. However, attending lectures and discussions is very enjoyable. I recommend creating a Spotify playlist containing each of the songs on the listening list. This is an easy way to review for the exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/14/2012

King is an amazing professor. Short 2 page paper every other week. 3 exams and no final. 45 songs that need to know by clips...know song and artist. class is not hard at all and fulfills humanities requirement

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/01/2012

A lot of people told me that MUSC205 is an easy A. Found out it's more of an easy B. The essays are graded as if the TAs are from English class. Near impossible to get an A for the essays. The exams are not hard as long as you know the book inside and out and you know every song by heart. Talking during the discussion classes is a necessity as nodding and talking once in a while does not cut it.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/16/2012

Whoever gave that 2 star review below me... you must not be very bright. Going to grad school means nothing as there are some pretty awful grad schools out there. I'm not sure why you're complaining about rock music being on the exam when the bloody course description says it's "A historical survey of rock music." TAKE THIS CLASS. Dr. King knows what the hell he's talking about and presents all the material in an easy to understand format. The lectures are really interesting and worth going to. The papers are incredibly easy, you get to write about bands you love and as long as you make your points clear you'll get As. The exams are really only tricky if you don't do the listening... it takes like 1.5 hours to listen to all the songs that could be on an exam, that is not that long! And they're mostly good songs! And they play the hooks more often than not. I've always been a pretty big "rocker" but I definitely learned a lot from this class. One of the best I've taken at Maryland.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/02/2012

Horrible course, even worse (boring, dry, rude, sarcastic) professor! Avoid like the plague! This is NOT an easy A, granted you only have a few papers and minimal reading, BUT the exams will kill your grade because they require you to be able to recognize song titles and artists from 10 second clips, the hardest exam is the second one because you will be listening to heavy metal, rock, (ew) personally my taste is popular music, I mean come on, we're college students. But I swear the people who enjoy that music are so weird and even they did not do well on that test. It's difficult because al the music sounds the same. He has dense lectures where he will pick ONE LINE of a fact and smack it on the test and you have to know it for example "who was the lead guitarist for this band?" or "what was the name of that one producer that i mentioned in class for ONE MILLISECOND" or better yet "which artist sold the most records of this time period...of which we studied over 30 artists for an exam".... IN CONCLUSION, good luck guys when taking this course...really tho you will need it it is NOT an easy core. I am a senior and will be going to grad school next year so obviously I've done well in all my classes and this course is killing me. So, good luck! Avoid King, he is NOT helpful at all. Don't know how he is still teaching honestly. And he's boring, and doesn't care about his students. He's a moron.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
OtG
03/21/2012

Dr. King is very passionate about what he teaches and very good at it. The course material is lots of fun (the homework is listening to pop music) and the TAs were also very good. There are 5 papers and an album review required, but the prompts tend to be broad and creativity is encouraged. The tests are a bit tough, so make sure to keep up with the required listening and readings. I can't recommend this class or Doc King enough.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/26/2012

Incredible class, awesome professor. Everyone should take this for their HA credit! Lecture was completely unnecessary to attend because everything is posted online, but everyone still went because he presents a lot of cool material/videos and is entertaining to listen to.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/22/2011

King is great, great class and taught well. Only complaint is we didn't get through all of the material and only made it to the beginning of modern rap instead of to today's music. But he even apologized on the last day, so, yea, take him if you can.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/17/2011

His lectures are phenomenal, the material is interesting, and it isn't a tough class. Grades for our class were 3 exams (none cumulative and no final), 4 short papers (2-3 pages at most), and participation in discussion. His exams are heavily lecture-based, so I would highly recommend attending and taking good notes. If you need an HA CORE credit this is probably one of your best options.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/09/2011

This class is already filled with interesting content, Professor Warfield makes it even better. He's extremely knowledgeable, and makes lectures really interesting. The last lecture wasn't mandatory as we had already taken the last exam(there is no final), but the lecture was still full, and he got a round of applause at the end to thank him for a great semester. Your grade is based on 4 papers and 3 exams. The exams are multiple choice and short answer. As long as you go to lecture and do the listenings you'll be fine. The papers are only 2-3 papers each. In all, best class I've taken.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
02/17/2011

I only went to lecture once but I really loved the professor. My TA was a space cadet but was nice. The tests were pretty hard considering I didn't go to lecture but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Also, when my TA was unavailable at the end of the year prof Warfield graded my late assignment so I could get credit. SO NICE!

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/16/2010

Dr King is an amazing professor. Even though he posts all of his lecture outlines online, his lectures are so good, that it is hard not to go. He is extremely knowledgeable about music and can throw in a funny story every once in a while. The class itself only consists of a few papers and a few tests. So far, this has been the best class I have taken at UMD, and suggest it to everyone

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/15/2010

Dr. King is an excellent professor, definitely one of the best at UMD. The class itself is pretty laid back and relaxed, and covers a surprisingly wide range of music, from doo-wop to punk to rap, so there is something for everyone. Most of your grades come from short papers (about 5 or 6 throughout the semester) and you can pretty much write about whatever you want, and as long as it is coherent and well-written, you'll get a good grade. I got to write about artists I loved for a grade and it was awesome! Tests include listening portions and multiple choice, but if you took decent notes in class they aren't too hard. He has online notes, but often includes questions from things he says in class, so make sure not to just rely on the online notes. I think I have learned more from this class than any other I have taken.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/02/2010

I took MUSC205 with Prof. King this past fall 2010, and I liked it. I am an immigrant, I've lived in America since I was 10 - I didn't know much about American "oldies." If you know your basic music history, you will succeed. I expect an A-, and I knew very little at the beginning of the semester. Papers are easy and discussions are very laid back. Take this class, even if you're a freshman.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Anonymous
11/17/2010

Awesome teacher! I absolutely loved the class! I never missed a lecture because each and every class was so entertaining. He made an already exciting topic even more fun to learn about. I also had a great TA which made discussions enjoyable too. Definitely take this class -no doubts about it.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/14/2010

Best teacher at the University of Maryland! He is highly entertaining and you always leave smiling. You must go to the lectures because you have to get the notes, but trust me this is no chore. Also the tests are not as easy as you would think. They are all multiple choice but the questions are usually pretty specific and you need to memorize music for the listening portion of the test. DO NOT try to put your desks down early even by one minute. He hates the sound of people packing up and will assign extra work because of it. Also don't fall asleep in his class! Overall amazing class and a must take at UMD!

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/03/2010

Awesome teacher! Really knows his material and easily makes the class interesting. TA does all of the grading; the class has 3 exams (none of them cumulative) and 5 papers (about 2-3 pages each) based on music but they are really not that much work. Definitely recommend this class.

Patrick Warfield
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/30/2010

Great professor for MUSC205! One of my favorite classes this semester. He keeps the class entertaining and offers a lot different and sometimes strange points of views on songs. Although he sometimes expects a bit too much out of students the course load isn't all that bad. Tests are very lecture based so as long as you go to lecture and take good notes, you should be fine.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
11/08/2009

Take the class during a winter or summer session when you will actually be able to get in. I took it during summer 2008. Three weeks long, only had to write 2 papers and had 2 tests (if I remember correctly). You really need to go to class to listen to the songs, or you probably won't do as well on the exams, but the songs were also available in the PAC library for listening. Take notes on what he says, don't just rely on the power points.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
pjack23
04/24/2008

Greatest class I've taken at Maryland so far. Dr. King is a very funny man, and the lectures are very enjoyable. You go over a small reading assignment during discussion, as well as take the tests, which there are 3 of not including the final. You have to keep up with the listening list though, or you will bomb the tests. If you read all the lecture notes (posted online) and go through the listening lists at least a couple days before the tests, you'll get an A. Great class

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/17/2007

This class was great... King was a great professor, kept class interesting, and he kept class fun. The music was great, and when it wasn't, King still brought life to the class. Of course, be sure to study extra hard for the exams. I'm not used to getting B's, but I did in this class due to bad performances on the multiple choice exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/04/2007

I am not a music buff... i had never heard stairway to heaven before taking this class. But it was still incredibly easy. I went just to sit and watch the crazy pictures he posted during lecture. All the notes are posted on line, and as long as you know the notes and the songs he gives you are guaranteed an A. I the studying isn't fun... but there are only 3 tests and no final!

Richard King
MUSC205

terpfan29
11/03/2007

Strengths Dr. King is a great professor and history of rock has been one of my favorite classes. If you love rock/popular music this class will be a favorite of yours. Even if you don't it isn't too difficult and how can you not like learning about it? I never missed a lecture except for one I couldn't make it to and I had no problem with attending them and taking good notes because it was just that interesting. WARNING: Don't make the mistake of not going to lecture because the outlines to the notes are posted online. They are not as complete as what he says in class and also it isn't as effective. The grading is very fair. 55% is based on things such as 6 1 page papers, participation/attendance in discussion, an album review, and a group project. The other 45% is from tests each are worth 15% (there is not one on finals day). Make sure you study the notes very thoroughly because the tests can be very specific in some of it's questions. Also make sure you keep up with the listening of the songs which isn't hard if you download them and listen to them. (I took this class in the spring of 2006 and now without DC++ I don't know what people will do to get all of those songs). My TA Lindsey was very nice and knowledgeable too and wasn't too difficult of a grader. Overall I highly recommend you take this class for your HA core course. I always tell people that I loved it so much, I'd take it again if I could. This along with human sexuality with Dr. Sawyer have to be two of the most popular classes at the University and are must take classes for everyone before they graduate! Drawbacks The only drawback is that the tests could sometimes contain very specific questions and you really had to know your notes inside out.

Reviews for MUSC205