Reviews for Patricia Ann Burt
Average Rating:| Anonymous Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A January 13, 2011, 2:10 pm | Patricia was seriously THe nicest professor i had in my first semester at Maryland. I was nervous going into the class because teachers make a difference in how I do in the class, and i was immediately reassured by how into the class she was and helping us learn it. I started piano when i was 7 and dropped it in my early teens, so i had pretty much forgotten everything I had learned (which wasnt that extensive anyway), but it was somewhat easier to pick up and other people who did not know keyboard had more trouble. the homeworks take a WHILE, and are very strenuous and a lot of times boring. However, they are extremely helpful, and with this subject practiciing is pretty much the only way to learn. All in all, patricia was a wonderful teacher and willing to help with any questions or slow down when we weren't "getting it", but i would be cautious if you have absolutely no clue about reading music at this point. However, I only knew simple concepts (where all the keys were, general note reading) and I did fine. |
| Jason Kim Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: C December 18, 2010, 9:04 am | Let me get this out of the way first- Patricia is a GREAT professor. Like all others have said, she's very kind and lighthearted person, and is very passionate about the subject. If you're interested in the subject, you're going to love her. ------------------------------------- But here's my story. I don't mean to ruin the consistency, but I would like to emphasize Anonymous's post made on May 20th. I probably was in the exact same situation as him/her, and this class shouldn't be considered as an easy A. First of all, I even had a basic knowledge of music- as a member who's been in band for 7 years as well as jazz for 2 years prior to college. I took this class hoping that it'd be an easy A, but boy was I wrong. This class is HEAVILY mathematical. If you're someone who's slow in math, particularly simple arithmetics, you're going to struggle through this class. I swear Calculus I was easier than this class for me! lol To be honest, I felt like I was the only one who struggled through the class- seemed like everyone else was getting As and Bs on the exams while I ended up with a 50% on the first one and 68% on the second. I guess I'll admit that I'm just one of those people who just "doesn't get it". She does always makes sure you have homework after each class! They're mostly analysis of the notes/triads/scales, and writing them multiple times through practice exercises, JUST LIKE MATH HOMEWORKS. Considering the fact that I'm incredibly slow in simple math, each homework honestly took me at least 1.5 hours to complete, sometimes even 2. All in all, I have absolutely nothing against Patricia as a professor. She's a fair and lenient grader in my opinion, and it was purely my lack of skill and effort that made me struggle through this class. I think I did much better on my Final Exam, and my other grades like homework, quizzes, class participation helped me get a C. As sad as it may sound, I'm quite satisfied with my grade. Sorry for the huge wall of text, and I hope this helped! |
| TerpGuide Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A June 8, 2010, 2:49 pm | She's awesome! The others are right though, most people who take this class have some musical background. Our class was able to move relatively quickly because of this, so I feel kind of bad for the few who are starting from scratch. I played sax from 4th grade to 8th grade and I was able to breeze through this class. Just hope your class is fun because that determines how much of a good time you will have. This is a great and easy core though. |
| fiddlerkrt Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A+ May 23, 2010, 8:23 pm | Be careful about this class. Most people who take it have some sort of background in music, so those of you who don't might want to consider MUSC130 instead. If you've never read music before, I don't think you should take it. Although Patricia teaches you everything you need to know, I can't imagine how difficult it would have been learning how to read music on top of everything else you learn in this class. That being said, I always enjoyed this class. Patricia is extremely passionate about music and teaching. If you've played music for a couple of years or so, I strongly recommend this class to learn the fundamentals of musical theory. |
| Anonymous Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: C May 20, 2010, 9:06 am | Don't let the grade data fool you. This is a hard class if you have no musical background. This class is filled with people who already play an instrument and know the material; I did not. I thought I would like this class more than an art history class or something of the like, but it was extremely difficult for me and I felt out of place and ignorant. It was hard for me. The homework took a couple hours for me to do to make sure that I did it right, because she collects it and grades it. The homework does enforce the material, but the pace of the class is quick because everyone seems to know everything. The exams are HARD. The day before the test, she taught us something that ended up being the bulk of the exam, which she rushed through. I did know the material on the exam, if I sat and thought about it for a while, but there just isn't enough time. The exam wouldn't be so hard if we had more time, but the test is so dense that you have to know all the material like *that*. Sure, she is a nice teacher, friendly. She is willing to help. I would have gotten help, but I thought I understood the material up until I took the exam. Update: I don't know what this woman wants. On the second exam, which I did significantly better on - everyone did - she said that the exam was "too easy" and would be harder next time. |
| samallen Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A- December 26, 2009, 9:56 pm | Patricia (as she asked us to call her on day 1) is great. Learned so much from her, and the class is always fun. However, don't underestimate the difficulty of this course. Its not hard, per-se, but it definitely is challenging if you don't have a musical background (i.e me). I worked hard, and I did well. However, I still learned a lot, value everything I learned, and love Patricia. Every class was engaging and fun. We listened to selections of music, had lots of opportunities for classroom participation, and she even gives you credit for participating. She really appreciates students who work hard because the majority of the class are musically-engaged students who take the class for an easy A. For me, I was always interested in music but never had the knowledge of music theory. This class is - hands down - my favorite class so far at UMD. Take it take it take it. |
| Anonymous Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A+ September 4, 2009, 12:22 pm | After only a week of taking this class with Patricia, I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorites! Excellent teacher, very engaging, and encouraging to all students. Extremely pleasant and easy to get along with..She really makes the class fun! Not only is the class fun, but its also interesting and you'll likely learn something new even if you have a music background! |
| Anonymous Course: MUSC140 Grade Expected: A December 24, 2008, 10:21 am | Patricia is one of the best and most enjoyable teachers I've had at UMD. She is very passionate about music and teaching, and it shows with every lecture. She is extremely engaging, friendly, and encourages entire class participation (she had everyone sit in a semi-circle the entire semester to form a more discussion-oriented course). The material in the course was really fun and she presented it in a very clear and upbeat manner. She was very good at taking time out of her schedule to respond to e-mails quickly and to hold office hours. Class load is very light and homework only takes a couple of hours. There was usually homework every day class met, but it was usually very straightforward and just hardened the understanding of the material. This allows good preparation for exams and class discussion. Even if you're not a music major, or don't know anything about music theory, I recommend this class. |