2.6
Quality3.1
Difficulty12%
Would Retake110
Reviews12%
Would Retake
110
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
22
3
13
2
19
1
36
What Students Say
“He exudes negative energy”
MUSIC1520 - 2.0 rating“This course would have been great if the professor wasn't so useless”
MUSI1520 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
94%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
15201570
5.0
(1)RB
4.5
(2)MUSI1570
4.2
(9)MUSIC1520
3.7
(12)FA1520
3.3
(6)Difficulty by Course
MUSC1520THIS
5.0
FAMUSI1520
4.4
RAPBEEBOP
4.0
RHYTHMBLUES
4.0
MUSC1520
4.0
Reviews (110)
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
boring, unenthusiastic... makes an interesting topic BLAH!
Incredibly boring, no enthusiasm, he should show a lot more interest for music
TAKE THIS COURSE
Very easy class. Good lecturer, but he just provides a lot of information that you are never tested on.
No Comments
No Comments
um.. he's never there! He leaves the class to a couple of graduate students who learn the info. about 10 mins. before class! yawn.
Not much work to the class. Prof isn't there half the time and shows little passion for teaching when he is. The class is really run by Lucas, the guy who presses the play button and air drums while the song is on
Worst prof. (I use the term Prof loosly). This guy's intelligence is inversely proportional to the number of words coming out of his mouth. The more he talks, the more you say "I want my dow back..."
never did a thing in this class, great GPA booster.
u probably heard this is an easy class. well dont expect it cus at the end of the yr the marks have to be pulled down because the dean doesnt like all those high marks!!
He's never there. I know more about music than he does and I'm younger. I have my BA in Music but that seems to make him jealous. When he was talking, I had my laptop with me and did those journals during class, never at home. Doesn't play whole song.
very knowledgeable
No Comments
i thought this class would be an easy summer course....the journal assignemnt (worth 40%) is very time consuming, and the teacher did not teach 1 single class because he was NEVER there.the person who taught the class was disorganized...
Might be the best professor I have ever had... Definitely better than all my Schulich profs... I find myself telling his stories whenever I hear a classic "oldie" on the radio.
he is good
Fun course, easy, and entertaining. Clear lectures, and great music! What more can you ask for?
The most arrogant prof EVER. Take the class for the tunes, and avoiding speaking to him at all costs.
Um no. I wouldn't consider dropping out of university because all my other courses are A or above. Maybe I need to aquire skills like memorizing loads of useless facts. And forget about asking him for help; he'll cut you up. He managed to make a potentially interesting class mundane. Stay away.
Great teacher, keeps things interesting with his little side stories.I have found him to be very helpful and knowledgeable and this has been my favorite class at York so far.The complaints regarding assignments and tests are the departments doing however, so know what you're saying before you say it
Worst class ever! He is rude and boring and makes you memorize so much useless info. He ruined this class. His tests are almost impossibles because he takes off marks for spelling and punctuation - hello its s music class not english!!!!
Great class especially for those students looking to lighten up their course load. The music was great and the tests were easy if you are good at memorizing. The music was great. No complaints. I never approached the prof so I have no comment on his supposed rudeness.
Great course with one of the best professor in university! Easy marks if you study and dont take everything as a joke. Some people do bad because they expect a music course to polish their gpa's without any work. Well welcome to reality! Don't be lazy and a definite A+ will come crashing your way.
He was rude and ignorant. You have to write a ridiculous amount of music journals, including useless information. Not to mention having to memorize useless facts about 75 songs when you only get tested on ten. This was my worst class at York thus far.
Very bad professor. Will not help you at all. Treats this class like it's mandatory for life. Doesn't respond to emails!
Who the hell is this guy? you try hard on your essays and attendence and he gives you the worst mark in participation and drops your mark by one or two letter grades.
Horrible Horrible Horrible. And so bloody hard to get ahold of. Yes, he is arrogant. Yes, he takes off marks for hardly nothing. And no, this is not a bird course. God damn, I wish I had known.
1. Not helping, 2. Pointless and rediculous amount of listening journal, 3. I wonder where did our extra material fee go? We actually have to d/l those music by ourselves? Overall, this is the worest class i ever had. F this guy.
This is definately not an easy class. You have to be on the ball the entire term and work hard memorizing for tests. The key to this class is knowing a lot of people and learning how to do a ton of journals quickly. To succeed, you have to participate in class, do 75 more journals than required and know all the correct information for tests.
This class was GREAT. I leaned so much about various wonderful artists such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles. I would not recommed this class to someone who knows nothign about jazz blues **** or soul music bc there is a LOT of memorizing to do and if you are not familiar with these genres then u might wanf to reconsider taking it.
No Comments
the prof knows his stuff and i learned a lot in lectures from him. ppl are just complaining cuz they didnt put in the work to get a good grade. ppl are complaining about memorizing songs? other courses are a lot harder than this. Overall do you work and pay attention in class and u will get an A
This class is awful. The material is awesome, but the memorization is a pain. A pointless course to take!
No Comments
this class is a guaranteed A. The tests are the easiest you will ever take in your entire uni career. Ray however will give you back your test marks the week before you write your next test, and doesn't give you your major assignment back until 2.5 months AFTER the course is done. LAZY!
Excellent class. If you aren't willing to put in work, you're screwed for the class. Period. If you put in time, and listen and read up on the artists, you will find it to be an enjoyable class. Tests are are as straight forward as it gets. Just memorize it. Answers have been given before hand. What's so damn hard about memorizing songs?
Awesome class! One of the most interesting and best I have ever taken! I don't know why so many ppl are complaining, this course is too easy! Everything is given to u, if u just pay attention in class and take good notes, u can definately ace it! If your a bio major you'll get an A in this course since you'll already be a pro at memorizing.
While I enjoy the material and lectures, and will not complain about memorization or music journals, I found Ray unprofessional. While we are expected to attend regular class even after a family death, he couldn't get out of bed to give a test. For someone who spent almost 45 min lecturing on attendance, he does not practice what he preaches.
Professor Williams is AWSOME! he's very monotone, but he still makes the class interesting. his slides and lecture notes are great and he puts alot of effort into the class and into answering any questions a student might have. he is funny, easy going, and insightful about the course. i learned alot in this course and id recommend him as a Professo
good teacher.. hard tests
I felt he was very disorganized. His test material was scattered; half the stuff you wouldn't expect to be on there; I read through my notes thoroughly before testing, and there were still parts I've never seen on that test. You should do well on the journal; dont leave it last min! Participation is important too; worth 30% of the final.
This professor was not organized. Half of our assignments were lost; half of the marks were scewed; he really didn't put the effort into a class where he expects 100% effort from students. Very disappointed.
fun prof. makes the class interesting. best prof i ever had at york so far.
I cant begin to explain whats wrong with his class. be warned do not take this class. I usually never talk about this stuff but I had to comment and say that his teaching or lack there of is unlike anything I've ever been apart of.
This class is quite interesting. It's not the most difficult course in the world, but it's exciting to learn about 20th century artists and hear their music. As a professor he expects 100% effort from the students. He is apparently knowlegeable about what he is teaching and it shows in his enthusiasm when teaching the class. This is a BIRDCOURSE...
This guy is actually the worst professor I've ever had. He humiliates students in class, expects you to write a test the day a family member passes away (don't bother challenging him), and his knowledge of the facts is questionable. Thank god the content of the course is amazing, otherwise I'd have dropped this class in a second. He's terrible.
Liked the class. Dont like him. Like everyone is saying, easy A (take thorough notes and do 2 journal entries a day to be sure it'll be done on time etc). Lectures are interesting but he's a jerk and not approachable. Just dont ever go up to him...for anything.
I don't understand what everyone is talking about. This class has been the greatest class I've ever taken at York and Ray has been the best prof I've ever had! He is truly awesome. His lectures are interesting, the class is fun and easy, and he's very approachable. He brings himself down to our level and makes students feel comfortable. Cool guy!
Amazing prof! Really easy and interesting class especially early in the morning. One of the best profs I've had at York so far! Wish all my courses was with him + he's hilarious!! Take any course with him you will not regret it!
The journals are not as easy as he says. You can still get a C+ with extreme hard work. He tests you on dates for every song just to control the marks in the class. This is a useless way of testing a students knowledge. He is lazy and does not reply to emails. Furthermore, this is his part time job. He has a real job somewhere else (non-academic).
Biggest waste of time and money. Does not know nearly as much about Jamaican music as he appears. Very shallow analysis on social history in regards to reggae. Journals are a waste of time. Unapproachable and unimpressive. Don't waste your time.
I don't know what everyone's complaining about. He is clear in everything he says, material is easy, journal is a pain (but still not too bad). The course is interesting too. A lot of memorization, but it's easier than most other courses you'll take at York. I thought he made the class very interesting and fun. Easy A if you just work hard :)
He is an awesome prof and i really enjoy coming to class. Very interesting course
He is very clear on what he expects. There are 3 test which are all memorization. There are a lot of songs to memorize. There is also a journal which is intense if you leave it to the last minute (which everyone does)but if you really like music and are interested then you should take this class. I learned a lot. Easy A, if you put the work in.
I'll save you the hassle. Look at the FAQs on the course website before you think about going any further with the course. That should sum up everything rather nicely.
AMAZING PROF. he's very clear on what he expects. EASY A if you make good notes and start on the journals early. i enjoyed attending his class
Ray knows his stuff. He has a funny, sassy way of joking in class which is entertaining and so nice to have in an early-morning class! He's an extremely intelligent man and is definitely there to let you get the most out of your tuition.
Ray is a guy who clearly states what he wants and expects from his students in the first day of class. He is VERY strict, and he never relents on his rules. Just take good notes and go to every lecture because everything is dependent on this. Also, work hard on your journals and make sure to put the composer and any other info about the song.
Super strict. Too many songs to memorize and too much time taken to do 150-200 song journal. He is pretty fair though and although I don't think he liked me much, I still ended with an A because he recognized my efforts in the course. If you can put in work, I recommend the course. Attendance/participation is mandatory.
How does he not have more hotness votes??! Ray is so cool and groovy. He does this thing where he'll ask a seemingly innocent hypothetical question, but it'll take up half an hour because he demands we really think about the material for ourselves. Love him, love his class!
I tried in this class, I really tried, and I'm an A student. He hates his life and it projects through the way he teaches. Even when he says "wow" it sounds like he'd rather be dead. Replies to emails that are asking for help with sarcasm and no valediction to further make you feel like a fool. He's a horrible professor and a pretty sh!tty person.
He will definately come off as rude or negative but once you get confortable in his class he isn't all that bad! The journals are a bit rediculous and he doesn't prepare you enough for tests. His class is easy but definately not an easy A as an elective. If you're interested in the music genre then you will love this class
He exudes negative energy. He answers your question with a question. Beware! Approach Ray Williams with caution. He is hostile & unrelenting. He will test you on things that he did not effectively explain such as distinguishing b/w different genres. However, he did a good job on explaining the difference b/w disco & funk.
Very cool professor. He was very good at explaining each artist, genres, record labels, etc. Three tests. Reviewing in key. Final and only assignment is a journal. Big assignment but VERY easy. Be a university student. Do 3-4 journals per night when the journal is assigned and I promise you will do awesome.
The easiest A that will fall into your lap. # test, I final assignment. Honestly and easy class. He appears to be a hard ass but talking to him and not being scared of him... he is helpful and nice. Great prof, great class!
Ray Williams is a great prof. Show up to class, listen and take notes and you will be fine! He tells you on the first day what he expects and how to get a good grade. Easy A if you try at all.
This course would have been great if the professor wasn't so useless. he is not helpful at all and tries to intimidate his students instead of being approachable, which in my opinion always works better! also his exams/tests are multiple choice and include the most random of questions! i regret taking this course!
Attendance and participation mandatory. This is NOT a bird course. I worked very, very hard to get an A. Don't take any of the music courses at York. They're not easy like people say.
I enjoyed this class its really interesting u basically learn about peoples lives. the tests are difficult but managable i havent gotten less than an A. just memorize. the journals took a long time but theres not alot of work involved in this course. i dont know why people say its hard. hes also super funny
This was a great class! My favourite so far. Ray is a great prof, very funny. If you like music (reggae), take the course it will be interesting and fun. This isn't an esay A class, the test is a lot of memorizing, and the journal was time consuming. Just work hard and don't wait till last minute, also be as detailed as possible with the journals.
I would definitely recommend this class to anyone with an interest in Reggae music and culture. I loved this class! Williams is a clear professor that can provide any type of assistance if needed. Lectures are important to attend, as well as completing the required music journal.
I would definitely recommend this class to anyone with an interest in Reggae music and culture. Williams is a clear professor that can provide any type of assistance if needed. Lectures are important to attend, as well as completing the required music journal.
Such a knowledgable prof. Material is really engaging and I usually hate music courses at york. It's def an EASY A!! GO TO CLASS AND DO THE PARTICIPATION ASSIGNMENTS. Start the song journal from day 1, best advice I could give anyone going into this class. Do 8 entries 4x a week ur good to go.
Mr. Williams was an excellent professor . He is very knowledgeable and he delivered well . I got and A and A+ on both is courses. If you love music this is the course to take
Lectures are really interesting, he gives the history of all the artists. the tests you have to memorize at least 100 songs and their artists,record label and year. disappointed with my mark for the 150 journals and asked to have it remarked but i never heard from them again. but he doesnt mark the journals. loved him as a prof
Really good prof, the course requirements are clear but tough. I did really well with the journal, but he doesn't mark them, and poorly with the tests where the expect you to memorize song details. Funny and interactive prof though, worth taking.
Terrible proff. I found him to be a very arrogant person. He's definitely not approachable, and for me, he sucked out the fun of learning about Jamaican music.
This was my favourite class this year. However, it's tough. The journal assignment was both fun and infuriating. Not a bird course if that's what you're looking for. Williams is great, I loved his lectures, and I loved the material. You should only take this class if you legitimately love music history. Otherwise you will have a really hard time.
Originally I had written a negative review about professor Williams as I found him to be very arrogant. But by the end of the course my attitude had changed. Professor Williams is a good professor. Go to class and put effort in the journal assignment and you will do well guaranteed!
Very good prof and gives amazing and very organized lectures. However this is NOT a bird course. Don't make the same mistake I did and procrastinate on the song journals it's not a hard assignment but it is a lot of time. You need GOOD notes if you want to succeed on tests as well. Like any other course work hard and you will be fine.
One of the only classes i've taken where the material is taught well. He can come off as head strong, but is reasonable for it. Like every other rating, don't procrastinate on your journal assignment! Being that it's worth 30% of your grade, start early. Other than that great prof, I really enjoyed taking his course.
He tells you the first day of class on how to get an A. If you don't get an A in this class it simply means you are a lazy student. Thats it, thats all. Don't know what anyone else is saying on hear.. he gives amazing lectures and is hilarious. If you want more information on the course outline, google - black music studies. 10/10 prof!
Amazing prof know his stuff. not a bird course music journal is difficult. However the class itself achieved it's purpose and I feel a much deeper knowledge and appreciation music. If you listen to what he says guaranteed A only downside is he doesn't post his slides/lectures make sure you take good note
This prof is very disorganized. He initially made the test a 40 minute test with two attempts, and then when I finished the test, he makes the test 1 hour and 30 minutes and four attempts. He did not mention anything about extending the time and when the test will close.
Horrible professor. Very disorganized gave some students only 40 minutes on the exam with 1 attempt gave others 1.5 hours with 4 attempts. Says he marks participation easy and even with submitting at least 3 pgs of writing I did not even receive a 70 on it. He makes students work unnecessarily hard and does not even give them the marks they deserve
From the first class, its so blatantly obvious that he couldn't care less about his students. He never responds to emails, he doesn't allow questions during lectures, and to top it all off, he organized the course very poorly. The first test was supposed to be 1.5 hours long, but we were only given 40 minutes.
This prof is very disorganized.
Talks to students very inappropriately & unprofessionally. Very inconsiderate that students are doing all of their learning online. Does not provide clear criteria, answer students questions or emails and is plain out rude.
Does not accommodate for online learning. He does not post lecture recordings or keep his lecture slides up.
He's very disorganized and rude to his students. Doesn't even respond to emails or post any material on the website.
Claims to be a bird course, but when you write three pages of a participation assignment, and you get below 70, while explaining everything you are supposed to. This prof is just bad.
This prof is really rude and doesn't even care about his students. Marks assignments with no marking scheme and still get a low mark.
Doesn't even listen to students. This prof can't even take criticism over the marking scheme, but doesn't have a marking scheme to begin with. Don't ever take any course with this "prof"
What a joke of a course and a joke of a professor. This guy says at the beginning of the semester that the journal must he handwritten and be a physical copy. Come december, he mentions that it will now be an online submission and that we have to type it. He also mentioned there is only 1 person marking assignments. That is not enough. Dont take.
Anyone who gave this guy a 5/5 is lying through their teeth. This guy doesn't listen to students, doesn't take criticism, and doesn't give feedback on anything. We are told "how to get an A" but he gives no marking criteria for any of the assignments. Every single assignment is literally a coinflip because you don't know how they are marking it.
Very disrespectful prof. He told us on the first day of class that he will NEVER move a due date, even if your mother, father, or any family member had died. When asked how to do better in the class, he told a student to simply "do better" because they "clearly weren't doing enough". Very hard marker, and does not care about anyone's livelihood.
Don't go for the grade. Gives little advice to succeed and is slow to respond. I have a feeling the course has not been updated in a loong time. Will change deadlines by a day without notice. Non-negotiable deadlines. Learning disability? Not real. Is this gen ed your top priority? No? Don't do it then. At least he's funny sometimes.
There is a reason why he's rated so low, he will say that this is the easiest class on the first day. DON'T BE FOOLED. The journal takes forever to write and is very tedious, it's not a bird course. You cant contact the TAs to ask for help. You gotta answer your own questions or talk to your fellow peers if you are confused or need help.
I came here just to see if my feelings about this professor were correct, he is seriously bad. He does not reply to emails, he does not allow you to reach out to TAs, he does not give feedback, and just comes across with a very obnoxious attitude. I seriously regret taking this class. If you have such high expectations, don't mislead your students.
This is not worth the 6 credits and is not a mark boost at all. It's just weekly assignments that are not given any feedback when graded, and the 30% journal is so boring and repetitive since you need 150 songs MINIMUM. If you want to keep your sanity, avoid at all costs
awful music course, way too much work and prof is just straight up rude.
Does not answer emails, no feedback on work, marking is terrible on participation assignments (Weekly), lied when he said this is an easy course for a grade.
This prof SUCKS. DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. HE is terrible. Don't read any other reviews, listen to me. This is a terrible course structure taught by a terrible professor. He is terrible in grading with his TA's, timelines, communication, fellow classmates would continue to struggle with understanding how to succeed in this course. It's awful. DONT
Very unprofessional, is not compassionate. Only responds to emails at the end of the course.
Not professional at all. Uses his personal email. Does not give email addresses of his TA's. Avoids conversing with students until the end of the course when he gives our grades that are not reflecting work submitted. This course should not be online when participation and attendance is worth 30 percent.
Never go his class,its a online course but u got a way too much works to done it. and he never respond ur email. Trust me.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
94%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
15201570
5.0
(1)RB
4.5
(2)MUSI1570
4.2
(9)MUSIC1520
3.7
(12)FA1520
3.3
(6)Difficulty by Course
MUSC1520THIS
5.0
FAMUSI1520
4.4
RAPBEEBOP
4.0
RHYTHMBLUES
4.0
MUSC1520
4.0