2.7
Quality2.3
Difficulty39%
Would Retake84
Reviews39%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
15
3
16
2
14
1
23
What Students Say
“I love to sing, and it is my passion”
MUS143 - 3.0 rating“I took Women's Chorus & thoroughly enjoyed it”
MUS143 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.10 avg changeRatings by Course
WOMENCHOR
5.0
(1)CHOIR101
5.0
(1)MUSC243
4.0
(2)MUS141
4.0
(1)MUS243
3.8
(10)Difficulty by Course
ALLCHOIRS
5.0
MUSC101
5.0
LESSONS
4.0
MUS109
3.9
MUS120
3.5
Reviews (84)
HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO TEACH A CHOIR!
Should arrive to class on time, and make sure you know what we have done and know the assignments that you assign! Otherwise, alright.
I would like if he would remember to how to spell my name....and even remember my name in general.
Ok, when you have lessons, is the prof supposed to get his computer fixed??????
only likes sopranos. not effective at all in teaching parts. basically bad teacher
NO NEW REPITOIRE
He is a doorknob. If you want to be a singer, go to another school. Seriously.
Better than what people have said so far.
for someone who isn't a music major, i had a lot of fun in women's choir, and i knew prof. mechell always made a point of saying how well we had done---i enjoyed it:)
Wonderful instructor.
Hmm, where to start...If a bad professor is what you are looking for, you've found the right guy in Harry Mechell. He doesn't know anything about choirs, is a horrible judge of talent, and his mustache grosses me out.
cannot spot talent. if you have confidence in your voice when you start choir...it will be gone by the end of the first class...can't stand this man..
THE ONLY POSITIVE REMARKS MUST HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY MECHELL, HIS WIFE OR KID......THIS GUY IS AWFUL!
He is a very nice man, although he sucks as a choir director. So far, repetoir stinks, but he seems pretty complimentary. The choir itself is awesome! ;-)
He's a nice guy who basically just wants you to show up and participate. An easy class for those who love music and want to sing. as a director he needs to demand more discipline from the students. But it's a fun class
He's unorganized and I only go to class to see the other students. As long as your on his good side, it's not so bad.
Has favorites and won't give new people a chance unless they dedicate their lives to him. Frustrating to hear someone awsome (a freshmen) addition for a solo and then he would give it to one of his favorites who couldn't even compare
Has his favorites, kinda unorganized. Except for our first concert last year, most of the music we sang was all classical stuff.
I personally enjoyed the class. Those who say he plays favorites basically lied because he's changed.
I figured out after 1 week to not even try unless you are 1 of his favorites. Music is my life but going to his class is so frustrating. There are other girls in my class who cry after every class because he is so mean to them cause they are not 1 "h
Um Almost got kicked out of class 3 times for talking....what kind of ass kicks you out of CHOIR!!!
I don't understand all the bad comments, he's a sweet guy, and I loved the class
Has changed a lot from last year. Lightened up a lot and is more easy going. Doesn't play favorites as much anymore--holds more auditions for solos. Lets students miss choir 1 day a week to go to labs or other scheduled classes. Lots of fun people in choir and we're a strong group this year.
This prof is friendly, but can be unreasonable at times. Bad conductor, but sometimes a good show for audience. Good teacher when he doesn't micro-manage. May cause tears if you care. Don't bother auditioning for solos, because he asks his favorites before the auditions -- I was one of them.
He's ok... If you go to his class and concerts and sing, you'll get an A. I don't see him play favorites too aweful bad, but his song choices are...special to say the least.
Well he is the most unorganized prof I have ever seen, it's a good thing he has elected officials so they can do the work for him or else nothing would get done. Pretty much just go to class, sing, and try to ignore him
We all know which choir is his baby, it's no secret. He pretty doesn't give a rats butt about how we sound. He hurries through peices and concentrates very little on correctness. Coming from a college choir much, MUCH better than WSU's I can safely say he doesn't know JACK.
dude, he's a nice guy. if you JUST GO AND FOCUS ON MUSIC and don't SCREW AROUND, he's great. if you act like a high schooler, he's gonna not give a puck about you. quit bashing on him, sounds like you people have a personal problem. he's great, concert choir is a breeze.
Yes, he is a nice guy, but as a conductor my high school choir was way better. He is very unorganized and badly uses his officials..you'll understand someday if you become one (highy unrecommended). Repetoir never changes, and he never teaches us musicality, but the choir itself is a blast!
He is a very nice guy but the choirs here arent that great. My high school choir was much much better. He does play favorites with concert choir but even they dont sound that great. it is an easy A but if you want a decent choir, you wont find it here.
he is the biggest jerk i've ever met. he thinks that choir is the only thing going on in anyone's life...or should be the only thing. its a 1 credit flippin class and he makes you put like 20 hrs in for this stupid madrigal****. he needs to lighten up and take his head out of his butt
HE BLOWS ASS NEVER TAKE HIM EVEN IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
Ok, honestly, how did this man become the choral music director at a college. Easily the most incompetant man at this college. How can you learn to sing well from a man who can't sing himself? Have fun following his conducting patterns. Seriously though, don't take this class unless you have to.
Go to class, sign, and go to concerts, get an A. He does have favorites, but I think he's a nice guy.
If you are planning on joining a choir to learn... I would not join this one. He is a nice guy, however VERY disorganized. He has students work for him, AKA officials. I only stay for the friends I have made. Choir is a blast with all the people!
how can he call himself a college music teacher when instead of teaching people how to READ music, he teaches them by ear to get them to learn the melodies. Is not very flexable with choir, expects that you put it first. The madrigal banquet gets very disorganized and takes up too much time for a 1 credit course. he does play favorites!
Nice guy if you do what he asks. Stay focused during class and he is fine. Can be time consuming with Madrigal Banquet and concerts, but is fun with lots of different kinds of people. He tries to help people enjoy it - easy A.
He is scatter-brained and unprepared. If you care at all about being serious about music, DO NOT take this class. He is never on time and never expects much.
He expects you to know theory, be able to sight read, and have the "right voice", if you are unable to do at least ONE of these things he dislikes you. He is all about the "performance", he doesn't work portrayal of emotion in song. Women's chorus is a waste of time...I did harder repituar in high school.
ugh.... I LOVE to sing...but this man makes me want to quit music all together! I though college would be different in the form of favorites..Yeah...NO he has his little kiss butt pupils that he gives EVERYTHING to...auditions=worthless if you aren't one.
okay repertoire, not repituar....IDIOT!
Class is fun. He isn't as bad as people say he is. Yes some songs might be easy but there are a lot of people who cant sing them. People complain about singing the songs in HS, but in reality, they probably sucked in HS and probably still now. The students are the ones who don't care, and because of that he has to gear the class to help them.
I think Dr. Mechell is an amazing professor! He expects you to be in class, and just like anyother class you have to be there to learn the material.He helped my strenghten my range, and he has and awesome personality. He has a great sence of humor too. Take this class if you need to fill a gen req.ITS EASY.only one concert...not demanding!
easy "A"
Women's Choir: No he's not the best director out there, but he's a good guy. There are 4 concerts (unlike the person who said 1). The Messiah Sing in, a choral festival at St. Johns (for Women's only), a fall concert, and spring concert. All of which are mandatory (unless you have a good excuse).
He's an awesome director and professor! A HUGE step up from high school choir directors!
Class was good; particularly enjoyed the combined program with St. Mary's this year. If you go to class and put in decent some effort you will get an A.
not very good
Despite what others may say, he is a FANTASTIC professor. He will help out any student as long as the student is respectful, for those who slack off and don't care the class will be harder for you. Wants those who care to be successful! Definitely recommend taking his class!
i dont know why people dont like him... I think Dr. Mechell is a great choir teacher! he does expect you to be in class every day unless you have a valid excuse. but that and attending the concerts are the only things he asks you to do.
I love Dr. Mechell! He always has a smile on his face, and likes to crack jokes. Which makes the choir experience even better. Always go to class though! He doesn't tolerate skippers. He's a great choir teacher!
He is an okay choral teacher; if your in choir.He cares less about womens and spends all his energy in Concert. Music theory is another story if you can't dedicate time dont take intro to music theory.
Dr. Mechell is a really good choir teacher. He devotes most of his time to concert choir. When the concerts roll around he expects you to put in a lot of time outside of class to learn the notes. He is super funny and makes singing fun, but also expects a lot out of you and expects you to attend ALL classes.
He was a great professor. I don't understand where all the complaints come from because if you show up, put some effort into the classes, and participate you'll get an A. Admittedly he does put a lot more time towards Concert but that is the audition choir.
Good Teacher very passionate about music, but CANCELS class A LOT!
This class was not what I expected it to be & it's rather disappointing. My first college choirs were so much better than this one. It also reminds me why I'm not a music major anymore. He's an ok teacher I guess, but he doesn't seem to care about his students or anything. I feel like he doesn't want to get to know anyone and that just sucks.
I took women's chorus and he was not helpful what so ever! This was my first choir class so I didn't know what I was doing, nor how to read music. When I asked for more help he told me to look at the email with the markings we had to put on our music and that would help. It however did not help me, and neither did he.
If you're not pretty much worshiping this teacher, he won't help you, talk to you, or even know you exist. This is the worst choir class I've ever taken. There's no dedication or hard work, the students are rude, in cliques, I feel like it's high school again. Not a good choir at all. If you plan on pursuing music, go to another school.
Very disapointted. I love to sing, and it is my passion. I am there every single class, but always walk out feeling unfufilled. From my experience, he is not inspriational at all. It seems that he is more so there because it's his job, not his passion. I do not plan on taking his classes again.
If you need help he his more than willing to help you. Make sure that you mark your music when he emails them to you, and attendance is mandatory but if there is something you need to go to he will let you just give him a heads-up. My only complaint about him is that he doesn't answer emails quickly. But a very laid back teacher.
I took Women's Chorus & thoroughly enjoyed it. I was only going to take it once to get one of my Fine Arts credits done, but I really liked it, so I'm taking it again! He is very passionate about the music. Very kind & funny. Definitely make marks in the music when he sends out the PDF music. Be prepared to spend $$ on concert attire and a folder.
Dr. Mechell is awesome! He is very passionate about his craft and he wants his students to experience that same passion. I am not a music major/minor and I still felt like that.
Definitely not the best choir director out there. Frustrated me a lot with the way he directed us and didn't take time to make sure we knew the music. Needless to say, women's chorus is not a good group of singers due to his lack of care for us.
This has been my first year in choir. I have been in band and orchestra in middle school, I wanted to learn how to use my voice as an instrument. I did not know a lot about how to read let alone sing sheet music. Dr. Mechelle has been very helpful with learning sheet music. He has also always been caring and has helped me come along as a performer!
Music 109 was supposed to be an easy class. It WAS NOT. The only grades in the class are a midterm and a final. He mislead the entire class saying what would be on exams, then put completely different information on the only two grades. I got a 56% on my midterm and that was the highest score of anyone I talked to. I passed, but avoid at all cost.
A lot harder than I expected, especially for a 100-level class. The only grades are the midterm and the final. The midterm was difficult because we didn't know what to expect/how he writes exams. If you read the book and stay caught up on listening to the music you should do fine.
There is a lecture everyday and he focuses on the book a lot. There are 2 regular 10 point tests, one midterm worth 30 points and the Final is worth 50 points. Oh and what he says is on the test isn't. Prepare to study. The worst part is his grading criteria . Anything below 74% is an F. If your taking this for an easy A... NOT GONNA HAPPEN
the whole class is out of 100 point... Only tests and one assignment. dont do take it!!! Take a course though one of the other minn state schools!
Only grades are 2 "regular" exams and then a midterm, a final, and one short paper. Grading is difficult, below a 75% is an F. As long as the reading is done and understood and you know the music the class is pretty easy. If you don't know the music for exam day then you might as well just not show up since it is almost half of the questions.
He is a really the sweetest man you will ever meet. You need to make sure to read the textbook and come to class. He does listenings on every exam , and if you don't know the song, you will fail the test. It is a really easy class if you actually do the work to put into it.
Final is majority of the grade with a lot of homework that isn't worth as much as it should be for the amount of time that it takes. Each chapter is at least 4 hours between the readings and watching all the extra videos that you have to answer questions with. A lot of work for a 3 week course and being only a 100 level. Recommend with caution..
Very fun to have for choir, and respected.
Fun professor and really easy class if you participate.
This man is so passive aggressive. He doesn't teach anything in class, he just plays songs and expects you to know every detail about it. Save yourself and DO NOT take MUS109.
AVIOD THIS CLASS! He talks the entire time and you just sit there and listen. For the first couple of tests, he gave a list of music and questions that he will quiz you on for the test but he did not do that for the last test so it was very difficult to know what to study. He says that some things won't be on the tests and then puts it on there.
Dr. Mechell is a really kind soul and is overall a great professor to have in a choir setting. his ways of teaching repertoire is maybe not the most effective, but if you put in extra work youll be fine. TONS of music.
Quite boring, although it does seem he cares about everyone.
He is so incredibly passive aggressive and rude for no reason. He expects you to know every answer even though it is a 100 level class. He doesn't teach anything, and calls randomly on students in the zoom room, degrading them if they don't know the answer or get it wrong. Do NOT take this class if you can avoid it
Class grading curve makes it so you need a 75% or above to PASS. Assignments are 100+ questions for 10 points. Unwilling to work with students who are struggling. Wont offer direct help when you ask for it, he will tell u to find another student in the class. Avoid this class and this teacher at all costs.
Dr. Mechell is an impossibly difficult professor. He is disrespectful towards students and passive-aggressive. He is very unwilling to help students and gives little to no understanding. The worksheets for this class are always 150-350 questions long, but only worth 5 points in the gradebook. My advice is to avoid this class.
This class was extremely boring, but it was also easy, and the professor was a very sweet guy. Its a good class to take if youre just looking for credit.
Dr. Mechell was an intriguing professor. He tries his best to engage & connect with his students. With that, this class may be a little tough if you don't have a little musical theater background & unfortunately, he does assign an overwhelming amount of busy work. Overall, it was a pretty easy class, just a lot of homework & required participation.
Extremely passive aggressive, and the entire class is out of only 100 points. So many questions on assignments(100-350)that are only worth 5 pts. He expects you to know everything about a piece of music just from listening, knowing that most people taking the MUS109 class have no prior knowledge about music and degrades students for wrong answers
This class is so boring and he barely teaches. He will call on students to answer impossible questions and make them feel bad for not knowing the answer. Exams are ~150 questions and assignments are 150-350 questions and worth about 6 points total. Expectations are INSANE for being a 100 level class. Attendance is also mandatory. DO NOT TAKE!!!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
79%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.10 avg changeRatings by Course
WOMENCHOR
5.0
(1)CHOIR101
5.0
(1)MUSC243
4.0
(2)MUS141
4.0
(1)MUS243
3.8
(10)Difficulty by Course
ALLCHOIRS
5.0
MUSC101
5.0
LESSONS
4.0
MUS109
3.9
MUS120
3.5