McMahan, Andrew  

He is spectacular at trying to teach intro level music theory in a very simple way. Despite him being the director of bands, he knows and understand that not everybody has a background in music. While, MU 101 is a fairly easy class, Dr. McMahan makes it simpler. He has an incredible passion for music, and he definitely shows it when teaching the class.

McMahan is a great at teaching music theory. I came into the class with little knowledge of music theory and came out knowing so much about music theory. This class was a GE but I was genuinely really interested in this class. Plus, McMahan does a cool thing where he relates current music that is playing on the radio to topics in the class. The midterm and final in this class are super easy, if you did the homeworks. I aced both of them with perfect scores on the midterm and almost perfect on the final. You have to attend 3 concerts which can be a pain if you have busy schedule. The final paper about the concerts is pretty easy too as all you have to do is write about the concerts and what you heard. Overall, I would take McMahan again any day.

This class is a lot easier if you already know how to read at least treble or bass clef. It's all about reading and analyzing music. Even if you don't know music, you can survive this class, but he rushes the first weeks of class because a lot of people decide to take Music Theory because they already have a background in music. A lot of freshmen who were blocked into the class were bombarded with information that they couldn't comprehend. McMahan offers plenty of sources of help, such as a music lab, but those who are embarrassed to ask questions are less likely to use these sources. He teaches straight from the workbooks. Buy the workbooks or you'll have to photocopy the workpages. You have to see 3 proctored concerts and write an essay about them. He says most students wait until the end of the quarter to see them because they're lazy: that's not true. Everyone waits until the end of the quarter because no one knows what to listen for when the class hasn't been taught yet. McMahan knows what he teaches and there are no stupid questions to ask in his class, so don't be afraid if you need a C3 and are interested in music theory.

McMahan came off as incredibly condescending in my opinion. I was not a fan.

If you have no experience with music, this class moves quick so be prepared for that. He does explain things fairly clearly, but some concepts are a little confusing at first. Also, if students ask him questions, he doesn't always answer what they were asking. He is really quirky and fun though, and likes to play current music to have examples of what he's teaching. There is some memorization involved, and if you have no musical experience, again, it definitely go fast.

I played in the Wind Ensemble for 3 years under Dr. McMahan. He's not a flashy conductor, in the sense that he might not be super impressive in an honor band setting. But in a year-long situation, he's the best band director I've ever had. He's really good at choosing pieces that fit the band and play to its strengths. He is very efficient in rehearsal and doesn't waste time. He keeps the time commitments low, but he therefore expects that students meet those commitments. If someone misses a dress rehearsal for example, he gets visibly upset, but he never loses his temper and I don't think I've ever heard him speak negatively about one of his students.

Fuck this guy. Id like to stick my tounge up his ass.