McLamore, Alyson  

This class is no joke. After taking it, you'd wish you had come into MU 320 directly from COMS 101, ENGL 134, ENGL 145, and MU 103/105. All of these classes are foundational for success in 320, because Dr. McLamore has no time to reteach the material from them. Your grade comprises of homework assignments, exams, listening reports (essays), teaching presentations, and a project on research and practices. You can easily fail the class without any one of these components. Dr. McLamore is a fantastic instructor but this class should either be worth 5 units or involve a lengthier "lab" section/time in the library for independent work. Spend a block of time on this class daily. Will you learn a lot about research and become a better writer? Yes. Will you be working on homework assignments (writing/research), essays (listening skills/writing), and a research project (research) all simultaneously? Also yes.

Dr. McLamore is by far the best teacher I have had at Cal Poly. She is very clear in class and very willing to help you in her office hours, and on the phone, if office hours are not helpful. She always has fun jokes and when things are turned in on time, she passes around the infamous "bucket" (filled with candy). If you need to fulfill your C4 requirement or just want to take a fun class, take Music 324, History of Musical Theater.

Wow, this was by far the hardest quarter I have ever had, and I think this class was the only thing that kept me sane. There were 2 midterms and a final, part multiple choice, part short answer. She gives you all the reading questions, so just know the answers to two thirds of them or so and you'll do fine on that part (you can cut and paste most of the answers word for word out of the reading). Also make sure you know the terms she uses in class, and the information she gives you about each song. Its a bit of memorization, but not nearly as difficult as it could be. There is also one research paper (9 pages) which constitues 30% of your grade. Because of my otherwise hellish quarter, I started the paper at 11:00 the night before it was due, finished 5 minutes into class (yes I was late), and with some help from her in office hours, I was still able to get an A- on the paper. Overall, Alyson is one of the best teachers I have had, and especially for a subject that I really don't care about, she was really able to make the material interesting. If you can get into this class, take it by all means :)

Dr. McLamore is one of the best presenters of imformation I have ever taken a class from. However, she is a angry person and this effects her teaching. It becomes apparent that she lacks personal skills that would help her students to feel good about themselves. I often felt intimidated and felt bad for the students that asked questions that she deemed foolish. Her reactions to some students seemed inappropraite for and individual of her age and status at our university. Although the information was presented without fault, I often felt belittled by her domineering personality. Furthermore, the way that she promoted her feminist agenda often left the men feeling annoyed, which I thought was unfair to them.

A very good teacher who understood student difficulties and made every effort to help students out. Tons of memorizing for tests and a 10 pg. paper comparing two mediums of the same show though.

This class was totally fun. You get background on tons of shows and then listen to music from a huge variety of musicals. It does help to have some music background because you have to understand some technical things about music, but she explains everything even if you don't have that knowledge. But a fun class, especially if you are a musical theatre fan. Oh, and on the paper, be very aware of typos because she is s total stickler!

Take this class if you're even considering it. I never knew crap about Musical Theater and thought it was pretty lame until I took this class and now I actually appreciate it. More importantly, this class is all memorization and analyzing songs. Get ready to use flashcards and hear her nag you to make them (which I didn't and crammed the day before each test but flashcards would have been a good idea). For the two midterms (20% each) and final (30%) you must answer multiple choice questions about 10 songs she plays on the speakers such as composer, lyricist, date, song form, etc. Then you have to analyze 1 random song you don't know in terms of dynamics, tempo, form, medium, etc. Then you answer questions from her book, maybe about 15 short answer, 1-2 point questions. Her homework schedule is set up to make you gradually complete parts of your course paper throughout the quarter. There are due dates every 1-2 weeks of the quarter for the research paper you have to write about a BROADWAY performance (has to be the songs and version from Broadway, not off-broadway). The overall final product includes a research paper with historical facts, biographical facts, 2 song compare/contrast, and a proven thesis. Turn your stuff in on time because she has a point a day late item deduction (3 pts a day for the final paper). Don't start your paper too late in the quarter (6 pages long) like I did and you should be fine.

Does this professor\'s teaching style maaaaybe get a little bit annoying...?

This is not an easy GE. If you love musicals, go for it. If you're looking for another easy A, take a different class. You must do the readings she assigns, as well as memorize a lot of material from her lectures. When you write the term paper, go in to her office hours to talk about it with her! I got a lower grade on the paper because I didn't check to make sure I was on track with her opinions before I turned in my paper.

I must say professor McLamore is a great teacher. She is more than willing to help you with any problems, and answer any questions you have. She is very fair in grading, and a pleasant person. Just like everyone else says, its all true, but what they neglect to tell you is.... Music324 (topic: history of musical theater) is an insane amount of work. The class is listed as 4 units, but theres only 3 hours of lecture, she sys the last unit is activity because you have to spend a lot of time outside class working, trust me, one unit isn't an adequate reflection on the work you must do. There are reading assignments every class (2-3 chapters and a few pages in the course reader), 10-15 questions/ch, 2-4 listening examples(which make up the majority of the tests at least 60%, so pay attention to them). besides there there is a quarter long paper, and there are additional assignments for the paper due nearly every week the class and material is not hard, the main difficulty is the insane workload for a GE. in addition the tests are mainly regurgitation, and memorizing facts, she said so herself, I might add memorizing USELESS facts. The class takes too much time for a ge especially when it will never prove useful in your life EVER

Alyson is an amazing teacher. She is clear in what she expects from you on tests and papers. She doesn't try to trick you. The material is a lot to learn. I never had to read anything out of the books, except for the few classes that I missed. She provides everything in the lecture. Make flash cards (at least for the songs you need to remember). I did the paper in 4 hours and I would have gotten an A except for her almost anal attention to grammatical and spelling errors. Overall a wonderful teacher.

Professor McLamore is a very cool teacher. She really knows her stuff and knows how to teach her material very well. I took the History of Film Music version of this class and it was very fun. It was great to learn about why certain music is present and what functions the music serves. However, this class is a lot of work for a GE, there is a ton of reading and vocabulary that you need to know for the midterms and final. Along with that there are two papers which are 10+ pages. This class was fun to take but it was way too much work.

As a lover of musical theater, I went into this class thinking it would be great especially after reading her polyratings... I am a very hard working student, but I have never felt like a professor was so anal about her grading ever in my life. If you even slightly struggle with grammar, I do not advice this class for you. She picks out every single mistake and will penalize accordingly. Her material in class is presented "clearly" as she says everything, however, she is slightly scattered and will pull the most random details such as who is a composers brother. If you take this class, be prepared to do a lot of "busy work" by answering reading questions from her book for every class and answering them exactly to the text in class. She has three tests- 2 midterms 1 final. Literally EVERYTHING is important... don't skip anything on your notes because even if it is barely mentioned as in a OH i forgot this it will be on the test. 1 paper- "research paper" personally, one of the weirdest formatted papers I have ever written. Just be prepared to change your writing style completely as the paper asks you to blend together topics that seem to not go well together. Also if you plan on missing class ever... do not take this class.. she will not let you live it down... Even leaving 5 minutes early is not appropriate with this professor so make sure that you are fully committed.

Dr. McLamore is passionate and knowledgeable about musical theater. The class seems to have two major goals--to teach the history of musical theater and to teach basic music appreciation concepts. The latter was dull for a musician. However, most every class was interesting and dynamic, with answers to homework questions, a short lecture, and recordings of shows. The completion of her required and suggested assignments correlates well with good grades.

Background for my evaluation: I've had 7 years of experience with music. I was in choir and band, but had no experience with musical theater. Dr. Mclamore is a passionate teacher. She is a walking archive of all possible theater. With that being said, sometimes she nerds out about theater too much. She'll often give 100s of things about a musical, but when the test comes around, you're only tested on 5 of those things. On top of that, there's an average of 15 musicals you have to know, so you get 1500 of things to study from. There is reading that you will have to do. I have no experience with upper division GEs, but if theyre all like this, expect to devote a decent amount of your time preparing for this class. the first sample quiz she gives is extremely helpful to breaking down what you need to study for.

All these evaluations are pretty on point. One thing I found annoying about the class is that you have to listen to the 16-20 music examples before each test. Especially during finals week when I want to listen to my own music over listening to this music while doing homework or studying. It's just a little annoying. Other than that, this class is a decent amount of work. I don't like how we have to know the answers to 65-80 questions that are only worth 30% of our grade on the test (its pretty hard, total 3 tests), and then have the rest of the test dependent on how well you know each musical example. It's a weird class. Just get it right on the first test. She gives a sample test the second week that's exactly like all her tests, so she's not a tricky person. She'll let you know every thing she wants and EXACTLY how to get the max points on assignments. She just has a lot of tiny requirements that it gets frustrating to keep track of all of them (like grammar). She gives out candy to people who answer questions in class. "PASS THE BUCKET!" LOLOLOL TLDR great knowledgeable teacher, lots of little things to keep track of, a good amount of work for a GE (2-3 hours a week)

This class is pretty much Jeopardy but the only category is musical theater and there's 500 questions.

I took this course with no idea of what I was getting myself into and with no musical background whatsoever, but McLamore was an awesome teacher for those in my shoes. women in music was a learning experience and i reccomend it to anyone looking for a cool GE.

Dr. McLamore is an excellent teacher. She has won a Cal Poly Distinguished teacher award and it shows in her care for students. I am an ordinary guy who took Women in Music and it was actually pretty cool. Mclamore has a full syllabus and there can be a lot of work but it is pretty easy to do well in the class. There is a pretty lengthy paper(8 pages) and three tests but visiting her office hours really helps. There is a lot of in class listening so it helps time fly. If your looking for a GE and want a cool teacher, don't be scared to take Women In Music.

This is a great class with a great teacher. She is always there to assist students in any way she can. She has the live performances and gives really interesting lectures. It is 2 midterms, 1 final, and 1 research paper. I would definitely recommend this class to fullfill a GE.

I usually don't take the time to write a report for a professor, but after taking her Women In Music class (MU 328), I had to. Professor McLamore is an extremely condescending, unforgiving, and obsessively anal professor. She will appear fair and helpful on the surface, but if you disobey any of her 200 specific directions, she will undoubtedly find a way to discredit and diminish your work. You have to memorize music terms, composers, eras, biographies, and intricate details. You have to listen to a tremendous load of music examples and every single component of each song. If you consider those adequate requirements for a class, feel free to take it, but if not, go take another C4. Also, it is pretty clear she has a bias towards Music Majors.

There has never been and there never will be a teacher so willing to help, care, and cultivate a student's education like Alyson. She is truly exceptional - and will remain my most admired teacher and role model for teaching. I have become a teacher thanks to her. She was my teacher all five years at Cal Poly. You have to work in all her classes, and it is very very hard, but the rewards are astronomical once you've mastered the routine of doing the work. She is clear in what you have to study - if she says it is on the final exam, it is. There is no guessing work with her. What you see is what you get.

She had a great lecture that was fun to attend but not much else would make me want to take her agian. 17 page syllabus - 2 hour classes with no breaks - A 10 page term paper with graded aspects of it being due the 2nd week - tons of memorizing musical pieces for the listening portion of tests - 2 tests and a final - and she has this bucket that gets passed to anyone who contributes in class, therefore exiling anyone who isn't informed or is maybe shy. Of all the music professors, she is by far the toughest.

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Good teacher but pays to much attention to details for example spellings on tests...ect