Arrivee, David  

I went into this class with experience in music. That being said, I loved going to his class everyday. I had a pretty easy time with it though I noticed those without experience did get lost at times. Don't be discouraged though because he's really a good guy. Questions are asked throughout every class period and are answered mutliple ways at multiple times. There were about two midterms, a couple short homework assignments, a concert report, and a fun project at the end. Grading was very straight forward and we got study guides for the tests. Such a nice person, you'll love him, take him if he's teaching the class section.

Prof Arrivee is great he really knows what he's talking about and i learned new things from him i thought i already knew. He make even the most boring theory interesting. i highly recomend take a class from him.

Arrivee is an awesome instructor. The class, even though it was music theory, is not too difficult. I have experience in music, but I would study with someone who had no clue what an eighth note was before the class, and she did very well also. He understands that not everyone has musical experience, which is nice, since the class goes at a decent pace. Take him for sure if you have had musical experience, you will have a blast. If you don't have a musical background, i still recommend you taking him. You will receive a very good grade if you at least try.

great guy and always very helpful if you go to office hours. a lot of worksheets to do but his lectures are very well done and the grading is straightforward. pretty easy class... just be sure to do the hw and dstudy for the midterm!

Arrivee is awesome! I was slightly worried about this class because I didn't have much experience with formal music, but Arrivee made it very easy to follow and understand. His lectures are super interesting and he usually plays cool songs to demonstrate what he is talking about. He is very nice, very approachable and always willing to help students who are having difficulties. He is also very flexible with turning in homework: if you realize you royal messed up on it he allows you to turn it in at 4:00 the same day with corrections. There weren't many tests just one quiz, a midterm and final. Roughly 40% of your grade is homework, which is pretty easy if you take the time to sit down and do it. Overall an awesome professor, I would definitely recommend taking him if you get the chance.

Professor Arrivee is the man! He is very clear when explaining things in clss, and also integrates actual music into the class, instead of just all theory and busy work. Homeworks are a bit tedious, but they really make you learn the material. Take his class!

I knew nothing about music before taking this class. I figured since it was an introductory class I should do fine. Well I was wrong, I struggled to keep up with him the whole time because he briefly touches on each section in the book and then you are on your own to acctually figure it out. There is one midterm and one final. If you don\'t know how to play an instrument DO NOT take this class. You will not get a very good grade.

Professor Arrivee was a good teacher. The class is geared more toward music majors, so it is kind of difficult if you don\'t know music, but if you have any background in it then you\'ll be more than good.

So nice, so helpful, great teacher.

Dr. Arrivee truly impressed me with his teaching this year! I had him first quarter and I really enjoyed his class. Office hours were great, and he was committed to his students' understanding of the material. I was completely new to music theory, and I'll admit that it was a bit difficult to keep up sometimes (you have to try really hard to understand all of that material the first time around), but he did his best to slow down for the few students in the room who were inexperienced with music. He worked humor into his lectures, though, and provided the most excellent examples by playing the piano right in front of you or singing or tapping out a beat. If you know music already then his class is a breeze, but you'll still have fun with it.

Arrivee is a great professor. This class is fun and easy, especially if you have music experience. I had some friends in the class that said it was kind of difficult since they had no musical experience, but they said that Arrivee made it a lot easier. He is really good at making sure everyone in the class understands what is going on and does his best to make it an easy class.

What else is there to say about this man? Great guy, great course. Not always a walk in the park unless you are very well-versed in music but if you put in the (not too demanding) work this course should be an A for you.

I took this class because I had absolutely no prior music knowledge and I wanted to learn more about it. I'm definitely glad I did but it was an easy class and Arrivee is a great professor. So don't feel like you need music experience because you'll do just fine with or without it.

Grade Breakdown/Workload: >40% Average of assignments and quizzes (lowest of each is dropped) -2 to 3 quizzes -expect roughly 1-2 homework assignments after each lecture -assignments and quizzes are both relatively brief -homework (depending on how quick you are can take 5-25 min) -there are also weekly readings from his own "textbook" ($10 in the bookstore. The text is very useful for completing your assignments, especially if you are new to music theory) >15% (1) Midterm -in my opinion, a very fair midterm >20% Final Exam -slightly harder than the midterm (still fair) and roughly 2x the length >10% Final Project -you have 2 options (which I won't spoil), but 1 option is more creatively based, while the other is more analytically based >15% Activity Materials -during the time you take this class you must attend 3 concerts -you pick one concert to write a 2 page concert report for -a separate "activity" requires another 2 page response -there was also a second "activity" that was in the syllabus, but we never got to it The Professor: -one of the nicest professors I've had at Cal Poly -incredibly approachable (both in the classroom and in office hours) -will take the time for students who are having troubles understanding material The Class Material: -I'll just list out the chapters in the book to give a general idea 1. Dynamics 2-3. Pitch 4. Rhythm 5.Tonality 6. Major Scales/Keys 7. Modes/Other Scales 8. Minor Scales/Keys 9. Intervals 10-12. Chords I would highly recommend taking Mu 101 with Professor Arrivée, I definitely enjoyed going to lecture each day. I know a few people in prior reviews say you shouldn't bother with this class unless you've played an instrument or have taken music theory classes before, but I would have to disagree with that. The way he organizes his class is incredibly fair to those who know nothing about music and intriguing enough for those who already know most of the material. If you're looking to take a great GE C3, then this is your class.

If you have no music background, theory 101 will probably be harder for you. However, if you really want to take it, Arrivee is the man. He doesn't give students sass or a hard time. He's very nice and willing to help whenever possible. As a music major I wish he taught more classes that were required for me.

The best there is.

Dr. Arrivee is an incredible professor and musician. I have a background in music, but Dr. Arrivee never failed to make the class interesting despite my previous knowledge of most of the topics we discussed. I can honestly say this class was the one I looked forward to the most, and overall just enjoyed the most. Grading/quizzes/exams are incredibly fair and are representative of everything we discuss in lecture. The activity portion of this class consists of attending three musical performances at Cal Poly throughout the quarter, and then writing a couple short papers. If you want a neat GE where you'll actually learn useful information, definitely take his class!

Dr. Arrivee is the man, he makes class so interesting, very fun, answers all questions with a smile, goes through questions slowly and makes sure everyone understands the musical concept. It helps to have some background knowledge on how to read music, but it definitely is not necessary. You can easily get an A in this class without knowing anything. Those who are not music majors and want to better understand how music works though will really enjoy this class because it goes over chord structures, scales, why music sounds the way it does and other interesting things. Great class!

Dr. Arrivee is by far one of the best teachers I have ever had. He is amazing at keeping class entertaining and relevant. Most days he plays the piano for the class which is really relaxing to listen to. Office hours are really helpful and Dr. Arrivee will explain a topic in many different ways until you actually understand it. He is a genuinely good person and cares about everyone, I would highly recommend his class.

Arrivee is the man and is the only reason I was able to do well in Music theory. Problem is if you've never had experience with music before this class is pretty hard. I was the only person with no music background and I had to spend 8 hours outside of class in order to earn the A while everyone else did their hw 10 min before class. Music theory is kinda like learning another language but with some math. If you have some experience in Music this class is a joke, if not its challenging.

Man, he is the best. You cannot find any reason not to take him.

Dr. Arrivee is an incredible professor and I wish he taught more music classes. He understands when students aren't getting something and he knows when to elaborate or slow down on certain tricky topics. Definitely take him for musicianship for the minor

During this entire quarter all I could think about was how this professor reminded me of that small little dog that runs through the back of scene 23 in The Incredibles by Pixar. Seriously, if you look it up you will only be able to see it...

Probably Dr. Arrivee is the best music professor I've ever seen in my entire life! I love Dr. Arrivee; he looked like a quiet and gentle man from the outside. I believed his mind was "wild" because we just played two very wild pieces in the past quarter--Rachmaninoff piano concerto No.1 in F♯ minor, and Dvorak Symphony No.8. I couldn't say more about Dr. Arrivee. When you see him, you will know everything!

im the same person as the previous one.

Dr. Arrivee is by far one of Cal Poly's finest professors.

Arrivve seems like a well educated, knowledgable professor. But, I found the class to have way to much reading, memorizing and regurgitating for what it was supposed to be. I took this class as an elective with no prior music knowledge (beauce there is no prereq) and I totally regret it. He has no organization skills when lecturing and writting on the board. This was one of the hardest classes I have taken at Poly, even the students whom had music theory thought the class was a little much. The reading is also very rediculous! Be prepared for some major time away from classes that actually have some meaning.

First day of class, we basically meditated and did some light yoga. After that, every class was about moving our fingers, wrists, arms, and bodies. This is a introductory course, so not much is to be expected. Conducting is an art form and Arrivee is great at teaching it. Very easy and doable class, but be prepared to play passages on piano and do a lot of score annotation. Our final involved conducting the orchestra! That being said, this class isn't for everyone. It can be challenging if you aren't fluid with your motions and confident with performing (conducting is performing after all). I am pretty sure we all got As in the end for our efforts. The book is expensive, but it is worth it and is used for later classes in the conducting sequence too.

Dr. D is the best conductor I have ever had in an orchestra. His conducting and cues are very clear, and he knows very well how to take care of "problems" in the orchestra. Very easy going, and can handle things without lashing out, like other conductors I've had (one of these so-called conductors threw chalk erasers at people who were rushing or dragging behind). He also goes over music and rhythm theory a little during rehearsal, which helps clarify what is going on at a certain part in a piece.