Music 1 was a P/NP course for 1 unit so a lot of conventional things don't apply here. The entire class was an 1 hour lecture before a concert, but the lecture was incredibly informative and it really impacted my experience at the concert in a positive way. It relies in no way on music theory, and the paper afterwards was a simple reflection.

Professor Katz's class was my favorite class to attend last quarter. He is so passionate about his subject and his classes are a joy to attend after my other classes beat what little stuffing I had left in my brain. The workload is very manageable too and not harsh on grading at all.

Fun class, a few readings and discussions. Sometimes he brings in guest speakers or musical groups on campus. Weekly short responses that are graded complete/incomplete, then longer ones (2 pages double spaced) that are graded. Very informative and easy course.

Very low coursework and overall enjoyable GE. Not a very clear grading scale, the only items letter graded are 3 short papers (650 words) that are graded by the TA. My TA graded generously. Lectures can be quite boring at times.

Prof. Katz is the best! His lectures (especially those on patronage) were mind-blowing. He's also the best at getting students to participate without making it awkward when nobody wants to. He makes a big effort to know his students; he knew many students' names from week 1! The workload is light, and the grading system is perfectly reasonable.

It's such a fun class and super easy too. I had a great TA and we only had 3 short papers for the entire class. 10/10

he is sooooo hot

Dr. Katz is an amazing professor. He makes the class interesting and manageable. There is no final, and the class is graded by 3 papers and weekly discussions. The TA's are all so passionate and want to help students succeed. The class is an amazing Gen Ed, and everyone should take it. They bring in performers, and student go to a concert.

Dr. Katz is honestly one of the nicest professors I've met so far. Not a music major, but his classes are engaging, entertaining, and although there are weekly writing assignments, the prompts are fairly thought-provoking. Class is enjoyable and is honestly a nice break from my other classes.

His lectures were pretty boring to me but he is very pleasant person and is clearly passionate about his teaching. There are writing assignments that you have to do every week but they're really easy and fast. The papers that make up your whole grade are two pages double spaced and don't take long at all. Can't recommend more for a GE.

Great writing credit fr. He is a nice professor and seemed very accommodating. They revamped the class in '22 so now it's much more subjective writing. I'm a soc major & band nerd so lowkey I liked hearing abt social issues connecting to music. Only a few papers due and you could pick which to write-- short too. 1 outside performance to attend.

Easy class, 3 two page papers (lightly graded) across the quarter mixed with small writing assignments that are graded based on completion. Katz is funny, accessible at office hours, and very friendly. My only critique about this class is that his slides are not very informative, so lecture attendance and attentive listening can be very important.

No midterm, no final. Grade solely based on paper assignments of three types: informal response (one or two per week, low-stake grading), forum post (weekly, low-stake), short paper (biweekly, 4 in total, letter grade, lowest dropped). Prof. Katz is a great lecturer. I went to all his lectures although attendance is not mandatory. Highly recommend!

Very easy class if you need a GE would recommend this. The lectures are a bit boring and the class is more about history than music. There is no exams only 1-2 page papers and little writing assignments throughout the course.

Great professor and person. I really enjoyed his lectures, although they can sometimes be repetitive. He says really funny jokes, but says them super monotone and no one really pays attention to hear them.

Professor Katz is a good professor, although his lectures are a little gnarly sometimes but that may just be because I don't love the material. Overall and interesting(and very low work) GE that frames music and its evolution in a new way.

Literally loved him. I only came to lectures to hear him talk, he's clearly passionate and the class is interesting. Only 1 required concert that you have to pay for (discounted student price) and you have typically 2 writing assignments a week (extremely easy and is merely graded with a check mark) and 3 papers you have to write (so easy).

Your MUS 15 grade consists of 4 short papers that are spread throughout the quarter and only 3 of them matter toward your grade. Depending on participation in section along with low-stake assignments your grade will be increased or decreased. The class is interesting and extremely manageable.

Professor Katz is a great instructor for this course. You can tell he is really passionate about this class and is very accessible for feedback. He's just a really nice guy and wants everyone in this class to do well.

I cannot express how amazing of a professor Dr. Katz is. As long as you have interest in classical music, this class will be fun and you will love it. He caters to everyone regardless of their musical background, and he is so clearly interested in what he teaches that it makes you happy!

Dr. Katz is such a sweet and passionate professor. He's definitely one of the best professors I've had in the music department - many have an elitist attitude if you're not a music major, but be absolutely does not. He truly wants to educate people and learn with us too! Mus 115 was a pretty easy class if you turned in the assignments on time :)

Everyone on here is full of it! Katz is definitely a nice guy but his lectures are so confusing with lots of strung out information. The listening quizzes aren't too bad but the midterm/final essays were nonsense. It's an interesting class if you want to learn about composers but other than that I had no idea what was going on most of the time.

Great professor, not a music major but still found his class interesting. Papers are not painful but I suggest taking notes during lecture so you'll have an easier time doing them. One of the nicest professors at UCSB. Attendance is apart of your grade. This class is an easy A.

Professor Katz is really one of UCSB's best professors! He doesn't take himself seriously and communicates information in a way that is clear and cohesive. I respect him so much and wish I could take more classes taught by him! If you have even the slightest interest in music he will most likely have you love it by the end of one of his classes!!!