2.3
Quality3.5
Difficulty20%
Would Retake90
Reviews20%
Would Retake
90
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
10
3
24
2
27
1
21
What Students Say
“Rather rude and BORING”
GMUS205 - 2.0 rating“DO NOT TAKE HER IF YOU CAN HELP IT”
GMUS206 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
20%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.18 avg changeRatings by Course
MUS601
5.0
(1)MUSICHIST
5.0
(1)MUSICHISTORY
5.0
(1)MUS206
4.0
(1)GMUS203
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MUS342
5.0
MUSICHIST374
5.0
MUS752
5.0
MUS600
4.5
GMUS200H
4.3
Reviews (90)
Rather rude and BORING
DO NOT TAKE HER IF YOU CAN HELP IT!!!!!
MusHis: illogical presentation, hard to follow
She is boring and not a very personable person
No Comments
She's kind of rude and mean.
She's unfriendy, but easy class...assigments are annoying and pointless though
assumes everyone is a music genius
have to take a lot of notes, tests are hard, she's a horrible teacher
spiteful when she doesn't know the answer...which is often
Tests on things that seemed insignificant in class. Very dull teacher.
not very nice or helpful, very boring, tests on weird and insignificant things
not very clear, material is not useful, but easy class
She has no passion for her subject, and no one has any idea what she is teaching
No Comments
yeah...its unfortunate that she's the only one teaching this class
BORING!! I slept through multiple lectures cause she SUCKED!
Just didn't like what she taught
she's just a bad teacher. MEAN, boring, hard, and clumsy
She's pretty annoying and gets angry if no one talks in class. If you're prone to read for your classes, you'll get an A. She's pretty easy otherwise. Some busywork.
Doesn't seem to know her field very well. Attendance is required so she can read the text book to you. Very picky on details. Overall boring
The class was kind of boring, but so easy. Learn the songs and take a few notes and you should do fine. She goes over everything in class, so dont even bother reading before you get there. Not that demanding,one quiz, 2 tests, a presentation, and report
No Comments
Dr. Speare has no clue how to teach. She is unclear and never provides any structure to allow students to focus their learning and retention.
dr. speare is a very intelligent person who does not get the credit she deserves. her graduate history seminar was very beneficial and one of the best courses offered in the grad program at jmu.
structure to allow students to focus their learning and retention ... what is this supposed to be, puppy dog training?
I like her. Just study for her tests and you'll be fine.
Pretty much all the info is straight out of the book... although attendance is required even with a large lecture class. Some of the info is too in depth for people with no musical background, but just do the listening guides and study and its not too ba
what a weirdo...not a hard class, tests are easy but you still need to study- pretty boring, but def. an easy A if you want it
I hate this class
So boring. The tests are really easy if you just study and learn all of the songs. You watch a lot of movies, but when she talks it is the most uninteresting thing ever. Overall easy class. Attendance is required also.
horrible teacher don't take her. boring and hard to follow lectures. tests are very hard.you have to go to 2 concerts and write 2 papers on them and she grades them hard.
Just don't take this class... save yourself the torture. It's extremely boring esp. if you're not a music major and only taking for a gen-ed requirement. The attendance policy sucks!
There are so many easier music classes out there. The two reports suck and the attendence policy bites. Boring lectures and she teaches right out of the book. You really wouldnt even need to go to class if she didnt have that freakin attendence policy.
Shes really not as bad as everyone makes her out to be. Take good notes and your guaranteed a B, easliy. Class consists of 2 Tests, 2 Essays, 1 quiz. The class is cool b/c you listen to music and it goes by fast, just pay attention...attendence policy.
Not too bad
the class is a lot easier than art history...just if you know something about music it makes the class easier and all you really need to to do is memorize the listening guides and study your notes...i would say the class is pretty easy
If your looking for a good nap and an easy F, take this class
Really boring class and hard to follow her lectures...Avoid this class!
not a hard class but you can find MUCH better gen-ed classes. speare is an annoying, boring woman and the class is a waste of time and money.
getting better but still bad
She's a pretty good teacher...there's very little homework, and she is very helpful if you don't understand or have a special request with dealines and such. The class may be boring, but it's the content matter. She's very friendly and nice, I rec. her.
Hated her class...get out while you can. It's so boring! Feels like you're back in elementary school. I'm sure there's much better geneds to take than music - if you're really into music, get another professor!
No Comments
i hated both this class and her as a teacher. it was the worst gen-ed i have taken... get out if you can... she needs to realize it is only a gen-ed and that is the main reason most people are in there
Not a bad class. Boring at times. Doesn't take attendence but there are pop quizes every week! Go by the study guide for each exam and you'll do fine.
She doesn't understand that this is a gened. She thinks that this music class should be your life. The tests are pretty hard, don't let her fool you by the first test, which is way easier then the rest. It is also super boring with lots of pop quizzes!
She writes everything on the board that will be on the tests and she gives extra credit. Pretty easy, and very clear. Means well. I got an A
Horrible teacher, forgets that it is gened so she teaches like it is a 400 level music class... No attendance but a pop quiz once a week. Do not take her.
i think it's the class in general that sucks. it's not hard, but it's boring and she's a little weird.
The class really isn't that hard, but she gives really hard tests and a lot of pop quizzes on the readings, so you have to work really hard to even get a B. She's nice as long as you show up and pay attention, but don't expect any sympathy from her if you get sick and miss a quiz or something
at first it looks like an easy class. the reading is always quick and easy. but the tests seem to come out of no where! pop quiz once a week...tough to stay awake when its music, watching movies a lot of the time, in a dark room....
So boring...tests were really hard
This woman is awful. Two question pop quizzes that are impossible. Midterm was way too tricky. One of those people who takes the class WAY to seriously and makes it way harder than it needs to be.
boring class! lots of terms that are impossible to understand & that youve never heard b4! reading is quick & easy. pop quizzes once a wk that are you like 2 questions T/F. i normally got like one right. lots of movies that most ppl fall asleep during! im sure there are better geneds for music
This woman is a terrible teacher! Awful, awful. When she teaches, she's basically reading to you. She has no personality. She should have been a librarian. Her tests are impossible. She has no compassion and doesn't care whether you actually learn anything or not. Avoid taking her at all cost
not sure what everyone is talking about her being hard. make sure you know what she writes on the board. she is pretty dull and boring, but it's easy.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS. Tests are absolutely impossible, quizzes are hard even if you do the reading, takes attendance every class. The lectures put me to sleep every day. The subject matter is dull and really strange. Take Music in General culture instead, I wish I did
This class was seriously a waste of my time. This lady just talks the topics to death that music doesn't seem fun. Tests are mainly on listening guides. Lectures are soooo~ boring unless she shows a video. My advice: take another teacher.
This class is rediculous. She teaches the class like it is the only class you are taking and it is the summer time and you have only 6 weeks to complete all the course work. She uses blackboard and doesn't even post her in class lectures on BB. She needs to go back to school to learn how to teach.
tests are insane... tons of material and only about 30 questions, yous tudy forever and its over in 20 minutes.. and then youre stuck in class with another of her relaly boring lectures. take another teacher.
i'm a music minor, and i'm not a big fan of this class -- i just don't like world music that much. dr. speare is not a bad prof, but the material isn't that interesting. not too difficult, but rather boring.
you know the NPR ladies on SNL? yea. that's her. watching paint dry would be more fascinatingthan listening to her. all she does is talk and write random vocab words on the board. so it's hard to know what's on the tests (which are hard).
Most boring lady ever. Exams are hard. Have to memorize so much B.S. quizes every week. No attendance policy. Don't take her
Terrible prof. Boring class, worthless assignments. Hard exams, lots of memorization and random questions. Avoid
No Comments
I HATE THIS CLASS!I recieved straight As and a C in this class.For each test I studied over 4 hours and never got higher than a C.I wrote an amazing paper for a concert report to boost my grade,but it was returned with an 80% and no marks on it.Boring,she reads straight from the book all class then pulls impossible test questions out of her *ss.
She's a nice woman. Her lectures are a little scrambled...if there were a better flow to them or logical order, they would be easier to follow. I think she gets better every year.
Not too bad, although I would not reccomend you take this class if you have a choice. If you do, study from the LECTURES, not the book. That is the most common mistake people make in her class. You actually have to go to class to do well on her tests although it may not seem like it at the start of the year.
This teacher is awful. You never receive the tests back only get your grades online so you never know what you actually got or the ?'s you got wrong. Very boring subject and all she does is read from the book. Her test questions are so specific that even when you study you can't know everything that she wants you to know and she doesnt round grades
Her lectures and confusing, little structure. Tests are too specific and tricky. The class average for our final was a failing grade. This is a 2 credit class, but you'll have to spend more time on it than any other class if you want to compensate for this horrible teacher. Something needs to be done about her.
RUN AWAY!She is so boring. Lectures follow the book and she adds usless info. Constantly makes us watch reallly dull movies. Just run away! Test are super trick and she asks random questions that have nothing to do with music.
NOT THAT HARD. She teaches exactly from the book pretty much EXCEPT for some words that she writes on the board. All you have to do is study what she writes on the board, carefully read the book and an A is definitely possible. You show up to class, cram the day before a test and you are good to go. Definitely very very dull and boring though.
Does not like her job or people in general, stay away from this class if at all possible - not just this professor from what i hear
HORRIBLE TEACHER. SHE DOES NOT KNOW THE MATERIAL. SHE READS OFF A PIECE OF PAPER TO GIVE LECTURES. SHE EXPECTS YOU TO KNOW EVERYTHING AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE TEST ARE NOT EVEN IN HER LECTURES. THERE'S NO HOPE FOR THE MUSIC MAJORS CUZ THERE ARE NO OTHER SECTIONS AVAILABLE. WE ARE JUST STUCK WITH HER! SOMEONE SAVE US ALL AND MAY GOD SAVE US!
No Comments
She really ins't that bad. All you have to do is GO TO CLASS! Most of the year, less than half of the class was there. Because of this (not her teaching skills), a lot of the class failed. It is really that simple. All you have to do is go to class and study! Actually listening to the music listenings before the night of the exam helps too...
Hardest Teacher I ever had. She was somewhat helpful outside of class, but exams were very, very hard. This teacher new that some of there students did everything and beyond to pass the class but still failed. The lectures were boring. Please avoid this professor at all costs.
absolutely one of the worst professors i've had. appeared to have a near-nervous breakdown every class. explained one of bach's compositions as a pattern of B, A, and C chord progressions... where's the H chord, Mary?
So BORING! Expects you to know everything, and memorize music. Its a GEN-ED, calm down lady. She wanted everyone to be music majors. She puts you to sleep. Listening parts of test are impossible. I really don't recommand her.
avoid her. she expects you to know a lot when you come into class. she is really boring and her lectures are worse. you can easily get a good grade if you listen to the music and memorize the songs, but it is still obnoxious.
I took the graduate level course which was totally on Hector Berlioz. The weekly assignments to outline large reading assignments to turn in were very time consuming and worthless. Lectures consisted of "going over our notes" each week. No variety. This course made my semester a disaster. Take any other grad history course-not the Berlioz class.
No comment.
I took the Research Methods Graduate Course. She can give you great suggestions about how to improve your papers, and I feel I learned a lot out of this class. But she wasn't accessible outside of class.
Research Methods is what it is: pretty boring. However, I left this class with a wealth of knowledge and experience utilizing the music library and other resources in addition to advanced scholarly writing. The assignments are tedious and she is quite particular as to how assignments are to be done/turned in. Not terrible, just kind of dry.
She made lots of assumption without carefully analyzing things. Lots of things she said didn't make sense either.
Professor Speare is extremely knowledgable about music, but she expects you to know a lot about music. It would be helpful if you're some kind of music major or minor.
Interacting with Dr. Spear is unfortunately unavoidable in the music department, but limit your interactions as much as you can. As a professor, her lectures are long, hard to understand, and boring. She is difficult to work with and not accommodating if you need help.
STAY AWAY!!!! This is by far the hardest gen-ed I have taken while at JMU. You basically need to be a music major or minor to pass this class. If you don't know music, you're pretty much out of luck. So much information covered before every test. Goes above and beyond to make this class more difficult than it needs to be. TAKE ANYONE ELSE!!!!!!!!!!
She's alright. Genuinely a nice person however her class wasn't engaging... it was super lecture heavy and quite hard. I'D AVOID HER CLASS. She's really passionate and I respect that but she could definitely do more to spice up the class.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
20%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.18 avg changeRatings by Course
MUS601
5.0
(1)MUSICHIST
5.0
(1)MUSICHISTORY
5.0
(1)MUS206
4.0
(1)GMUS203
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MUS342
5.0
MUSICHIST374
5.0
MUS752
5.0
MUS600
4.5
GMUS200H
4.3