EASY class but I think I learned a lot. He has fun with the class, goes off on tangents a lot and tells you exactly what will be on the test. Have a 1-2 page commentary due once a week. I think the majority of the class got A+ and A's. A few slackers may have gotten below that. Just do all the readings/commentaries and study his guides.

I am in Garcia's Brazilian Culture class right now. It is a VERY interesting class that is about more of the interesting parts of culture (fashion, food, dance, music, etc.) and not much of a focus on just simply history and dates. His tests are easy and a 1 pg. commentary is due each week. Very nice & funny guy...I would highly recommend him.

DR GARCIA IS AWESOME!!! GREAT TEACHER, GREAT GUY, I WISH I HAD STUDIED WITH HIM BEFORE!!

Find the book & buy it. The book is cheaper than printing it chapter by chapter. Contrary to my initial belief, it is a very easy class. He is entertaining and you learn a lot. He posts all notes + study guides on blackboard. Not much work involved. 3 outside performances + a short paper on each. TAKE IT W/ HIM - EASY A!!

this class is pretty easy and you will get an A if you go to class every day and take notes. his study sheets for exams tell you EXACTLY what you need to know for the exam. you will have a commentary due most weeks, but its not hard and if you do them you'll be sure to get an A. very nice, very funny guy. definately take this prof!

He is a wonderful professor. He is very enthusiastic about the subject and wants to make sure every student has fun, learns, and does well. He is very accommodating to all students. Too bad I am a business major and can't take any more classes from him! I will all professors were this wonderful.

totally awesome teacher. the class is never boring. as long as you go to class and pay even a little attention, the tests are cake, just make sure you do all the assignments, he doesnt expect much but he rocks!

Garcia is such a great professor! He tends to brag quite a bit about his Juliard Education but is proud of his Brazilian roots (this bringing a lot to the classroom). He is very helpful outside of class and is willing to help no matter what. His lectures aren't bad either-just notes in class and we also watched like 6 movies.

One professor that CARES about his students. Comes to students' events. He's like that crazy uncle that always has awesome stories about his travels and life. But above that, he has several PhDs and is probably the smartest & sweetest of all my professors. If he sees you outside class, he'll give you a big hug! His class is easy too. A's or B's :)

I give Garcia my highest praises. He is both a wonderful teacher and person. I've never taken a class taught by a more passionate guy. He has a great sense for his students, in terms of their level of interest and what they want. I'm pretty tight with Garcia--I took him for two classes, and you will want to do the same after one week with this

Professor Garcia is knowledgeable and very in touch with students; the use of YouTube videos makes the class more fun -- he also finds ways to make even the most seemingly banal songs interesting. However, he does have a propensity for bragging about his accomplishments and the people that he knows, as well as a tendency to repeat himself.

Very, very good!! He is an excellent teacher, a fantastic scholar and an awesome person. I totally admire him. If I were as accomplished as he is, I'd brag, too. As for him repeating himself once in a while, I don't know any professor who doesn't.

Dr. Garcia is a really great guy however his class gets repetitive and annoying when he talks about how amazing it is to be Brazilian and repeats the same stories over and over. His class is easy as long as you write about how great Brazil is in every way. He doesn't even care about the content just that it praises Brazil. The greatest place ever!

I thought he was a pretty good (and fairly easy) teacher, but insufferably arrogant. After a while I got really, really sick of hearing about Brazil, his mother and his musical career. A nice enough guy, but he just can't shut up about himself.

AWESOME TEACHER! For those of you who DID NOT GET IT: he also teaches at Latin American Studies, he teaches Brazilian Culture, He is one of the finest professors at MU. HIS CV IS FANTASTIC! You should be embarrassed for not getting nor acknowledging the great teacher Dr. Garcia is!!! I wish all teachers were lije him.

This was an interesting, fun, and fairly easy class, but Dr. Garcia has some pretty big ego issues. He is one of the most boastful and self-absorbed teachers I have ever met. Everything we discuss in his class he relates to some "incredible" accomplishment that he's made in his career. If you can get past his narcissism, I'd recommend the class.

Great teacher, helps students, exams aren't too bad. Go to class, study and you'll do fine! Dr. Garcia is one of the best at MU. Take his class, I recommend it.

Great teacher! I wish there were more Dr. Garcias at MU. Highly accomplished, extremely knowledgeable. Study, do your job and you will do fine. Fun Miami Plan class. You will learn a lot.

Great teacher, very helpful, crystal clear. I wish there were more teachers like him! I truly admire him.

I took one of his Dr. Garcia's classes and will take another. Recommend it. Nice guy, very good teacher.

Wonderful teacher: helpful, knowledgeable, fun. You have to work hard for this class, but it's worth it. Exams are OK, not an easy A but not too hard either. Take it.

TAKE IT! Great teacher, great class.

Dr. Garcia is AWESOME! I loved his class. Helpful, exams aren't tricky and subject is so enjoyable.

do not take mus 185... he keeps it interesting but for the exams you need to know more information than you ever should for a miami plan class.. should definitely be an upper level class. moves extremely fast through endless notes. not a good class, take 189

Great teacher! Makes the course really interesting. I didn't think I would enjoy this class as i do now. Exams are fair, and he is very helpful. I do recommend taking Dr. Garcia's classes.

Garcia rocks!! If you work, you will get an A. Excellent class. TAKE IT

Dr Garcia is a great teacher! He's also very helpful. Take it!

easy A, didnt read any of the books, lot of projects due at end of semester only downfall

Garcia is great!! Not an easy A but a manageable load. You have to study, though. If you study, come to class and do good work on your projects, you'll most likely do well, in the A range. Excellent teacher, take it.

Excellent teacher. Wish I had taken more classes with Dr. Garcia. Crystal clear and helpful. Take it.

Excellent! Take it. Great teacher, great guy.

Great guy! He has a TON of amazing stories about his life that he likes to tell frequently, but they'll entertain you. This is a guy who's had some great experiences, and he uses them in his lectures. Really opened my eyes to a variety of music. Funny and very helpful. If you respect him, he'll return it. Definitely recommend.

GREAT CLASS, I recommend it to everyone who wants a very interesting Miami Plan class. He's a great teacher and makes lectures fun. I'm learning a lot. I will take another course with Dr. Garcia. Very fair grader. I've had impossible classes, and this is not one of them.

I love this class. Not a very light load but TOTALLY manageable. Having Skype guests is so cool! I also like the projects; this is definitely an enjoyable class. TAKE IT!

Fun, exciting. I'm not a morning person but I come to class every day bc the content is so interesting. Dr. Garcia is one of the best teachers I've ever had. I made the right choice when enrolled for this class. I'm learning a lot.

OMG!! OMG!! What a COOL class!! It's awesome, you'll learn a lot. I like the Anthropological context of this class. It really opened my eyes for a lot of stuff I was not aware of.

This is a great class!! I came into it thinking it was going to be another stupid Miami plan course but I'm learning a lot! The projects are really interesting although they do take some time. He really makes you interested in opening up to other types of music

Really nice class. Content is awesome, not a single minute of boredom. I am learning much more than I did in other Miami plan classes. Really interesting!! You have to commit to the assignments and do your best. Preparing for exams won't take forever,but do study for them.

Excellent! My favorite class from the 5 I took this semester!! Fun lectures and varied content. I learned A LOT!! Dr. Garcia is very knowlegeable. The TAs were also helpful. Not the easiest class but a totally fair load.

I highly recommend taking this class; it's awesome! Dr. Garcia is the best teacher at MU! I enjoyed every single lecture and will try to take another class with him. Great guy, fun classes.

The information on Brazil music is one of a kind and something you can't see in a textbook. Dr. Garcia is energetic, music is his passion, and owns A LOT of instruments!

Dr. Garcia is a great teacher! I enjoyed this class so much I'm considering doing a Music minor. Excellent lectures, cool guests etc. Take it!!

Yes! it's definitely worth putting effort into this class. totally reasonable. I did like this course. Dr. Garcia IS a funny teacher, which is motivating. I didn't want to miss classes.

Dr. Garcia is very interesting and funny. This class was hated by some and adored by others. If you're into music history and how it relates to other genres you'll enjoy it. Not a hard class, 2 tests, and about 5 or 6 papers. Lectures were boring at times but you get through it. I'd recommend taking it.

Cool class!! Having Skype guests was exciting and very informative. Exams require that you spend some time preparing, but it's OK. Great teacher. I definitely enjoyed this class.

Really liked this class. Dr. Garcia made this course very exciting; he's an excellent teacher. My schedule doesn't allow me to take another course with him next semester but if I could, I would. Lots of information but all very interesting.

I can only say one thing: AWESOME! Cool stuff, fun teacher.

I absolutely loved this class and would take more of his classes if I could.

very good course, great teacher. study, do your job and you'll be fine.

This class is not hard; I really enjoyed it. The material is also very interesting. Pay attention, take notes and study for exams. Do not procrastinate with the assignments and you'll be fine.

Really entertaining guy to listen to, he has a lot of stories and first-hand experience. The music is nice. But, mandatory attendance for such an easy class in a giant lecture hall is *awful.*

The class isn't hard. The worst thing about the class are the 5 papers that you have to write during the class which were time consuming but they we not difficult. He is very self absorbed and will talk about himself A LOT! Other than that the class is pretty easy.

I have taken 3 classes with Dr. Garcia. He is excellent. If you study and do your job, you'll do extremely well. Really interesting courses.

Great teacher! I will take another class with him if I can. Course content is also very interesting. Very good Miami plan course; doesn't matter if you're not a Music major.

Cool. Very cool. Great Miami plan class. Garcia is a very good teacher. Assignments are fun.

Not a very hard class. You have to study and do the work, but not dififcult to get a B or an A. Also, Dr. Garcia is hilarious.

Very good. I liked this course a lot. Papers are OK, exams aren't bad at all. You must study and complete all assignments, but it's not difficult to get a good grade. I wish all Miami Plan classes were like this.

Great teacher. Loved the course. Cool stuff. Take it. Most MU Plan courses are boring but THIS IS FUN!

Professor Garcia is one of the most entertaining professors there is. He takes attendance EVERY day, no more than 3 misses. The material is detailed but he's repetitive. Papers are okay, few. Small quizzes from powerpoints. Book seldom used, but listenings VERY important. MyMusicKit is irrelevant. Exam study guides are detailed and thorough.

excellent prof! course is fun. one of my favorite classes. attendance is crucial. exams require studying but are not brutal. his study guides are very helpful.

My favorite class this semester! Highly recommend it.

Prof Garcia was awesome and made the class interesting. However, his TAs were a buzzkill. They graded papers strictly and took worthless points off for using contractions and words such as "very" and. If Garcia actually graded our projects we all prob would have gotten an A. I would recommend this course, but you cannot blow it off.

Yes, Prof. Garcia is cool; he teaches in a very engaging way. I loved this class. Not an easy A but it's not difficult to get an A or B+ either; you have to earn your A. Great course .

Take this class. It is easy and somewhat interesting. Prof. Gar. is cool.

Professor Garcia is pretty interesting. He knows what he is talking about and is very passionate about what he teaches. He can be a little self-obsessed and sassy sometimes, but once you get passed that he's pretty cool. Be prepared to hear a lot about Brazil

OMG, Dr. Garcia is so entertaining!! He is strict with attendance, though, so don't miss more than 3 classes. But you wouldn't want to miss his classes anyway. Excellent course.

Garcia is the man. Best prof at MU. Take his class. Any of them.

Cool entertaining hilarious. Very good prof. Take this course. Heard his Rock''n Roll class is also excellent.

Cool entertaining hilarious. Very good prof. Take this course. Heard his Rock''n Roll class is also excellent.

Really nice guy, funny and engages with students. He likes to add in a funny random slide into his powerpoints. Alot of busywork and projects, tests can be kind of hard

Dr. Garcia is AMAZING. I had basically zero interest at first in the class and that completely turned around. If you show up to class and do your work, it's pretty hard to get under a B. TestsQuizzes are straight forward and not bad, assignments are pretty easy if you follow the rubric. He brings in awesome guests and it's just a fun class.

Dr. Garcia is my favorite professor I've had at Miami. I spent hours just talking to him and learned so much. He is extremely accessible, and always willing to talk to his students, whether about a certain subject matter or personal matters. As long as you go to class, you'll pass. He's a great professor and I'd recommend any one of his courses.

Excellent. Best prof at MU. Take this class; you won't regret it.

Garcia is a great prof. His lectures are amazing. I really liked this class and will take any other of his classes if I can.

Hands down BEST prof at MU. Learned so much!! Engaging, fun, Garcia is very entertaining as well.

Dr. Garcia's classes are truly amazing! He is also there for his students. Not to mention he is hilarious! I'd take again.

My favorite class at MU. Dr. Garcia is a great prof. Very helpful.

Dr. Garcia is one of the most helpful profs I've had at MU. Also excellent classroom teaching. Lectures are never boring and course content is very interesting.

very long and often uninteresting lectures, focuses on himself and his past experiences often, very nice and respectable and wants his students to succeed, must attend outside events for large portions of your grade, exams are decent if you pay attention and study the material, funny, its clear that he loves what he does, passionate about music

Garcia is hilarious. Great course! Mandatory attendance but classes are very interesting and a lot of fun!

His lectures are pretty cool, but be ready to learn a whole lot about Brazil. He loves talking about himself but he's a really nice guy and happy to help. The two exams aren't too bad with his study guide. The papers were graded fairly and just requires some thought. Did well on all the papers and quizzes, decent on the exams and somehow no A?

Garcia's class was enjoyable for being a lecture. He talks a lot about himself, but most of those stories are interesting. He talks quite a bit about Brazil, which for a global music class isn't too far off topic. The lectures themselves are fun. The exams are a piece of cake. You'll write a few papers, not bad. Would recommend for Miami Plan.

I have taken two classes with Dr. Garcia. As long as you don't skip class, you'll pass. He is a great prof, fair grader and I highly recommend any of his courses.

Best class I took at MU. All lectures were interesting and I'd take it again just for fun! Garcia is the best!

Hands down the best prof at MU. Very inspiring.

Excellent! Garcia is an awesome professor! You won't be disappointed. He is very clear, helpful and has a great sense of humor.

Very nice guy! Engaging, gives good feedback and is respected by students. I really liked this class.

Dr. Garcia is an excellent professor. His lectures are fantastic, really inspiring. I recommend his class.

I learned a lot. Dr. Garcia is great! His lectures are always interesting; this was one of the best classes I took at MU.

Dr. Garcia cares about his students. A great lecturer as others have said here. Very few professors are crystal clear as he is. Take it!

Cares about students, cool lectures and accessible outside class. My favorite class!

I had Thomas Garcia for The History of Rock n' Roll. I was very excited to take this class, and it lived up to all my expectations. Garcia is a very understanding teacher and has endless stories about his musical days. He is funny and keeps the class interesting. Great class for anyone looking interested in music and looking for an easy grade.

Dr. Garcia is one of the most amazing profs at Miami. He is personable, relatable, helpful and so so funny. He really loves what he does and pours himself into the course. He also tells many stories of his rock and roll days which were always so fun to hear. Make a good impression and talk to him on a personal level, he really appreciates it!

LOVED THIS CLASS!!!!! Took it online for j term and this guy is amazing. Lectures and information are really interesting. Garcia is a great professor, clearly loves what he's doing. Super easy to contact, always responds on time. Take this class!!!!!!

Im very happy I took this class with Dr. Garcia. Best professor I ever had at MU.

Dr. Garcia was a genuinely awesome guy. When I had class with him he was had to attend to personal business but he was so professional about the whole thing. Everyone in our class had nothing but respect for Dr. Garcia. Just go to lecture (which are entertaining and fun) and take notes and the rest will figure itself out.

I would take this class over and over again if I could. Professor Garcia is the best prof I've ever had. He has so much personal experience that he gives to the lectures that make it all the more enjoyable. You can tell he's really passionate about his job and about music and it's actually very cool. I genuinely enjoyed going to his class.

This is my 2nd class with him and he is amazing. Even if you are not a music major, I would suggest taking any one of his classes. His class is not especially hard, but if you show up and take notes, you will get a good grade in the class. One of the best teachers at Miami!

Dr. Garcia is the best professor I have ever taken a class with. He really cares and is passionate about music, which makes the material that much easier to learn. I'm not a music major and had no problems with the class as result. I have really enjoyed my time taking this class and I highly recommend it.

This class was so fun and he was a great teacher. His lectures were informational and interesting and you learn a lot through listening to the music samples. A lot of the assignments were discussion posts where you interacted with other people in the class. It was such an easy A, but I loved the class. Take this class if you have the opportunity!

Dr. Garcia was great overall. His expectations from day one are clear. 3 exams, 2 3pg papers reflecting on a live musical event of your choice, and 5 quizzes. We lucked out and only had 2. Material comes from His lecture/slides and ebook, or uploaded readings. Slides are posted after the lectures. Study guides before the exams, focus on these.

Garcia is a great professor. His class wasn't the most interesting to me, but he was very passionate about what he was teaching and everything was explained very well in his lectures. Attendance is mandatory, which kind of sucks because all of the info is available online. Make sure you read the text, he pulls questions out of it for his exams.

Excelente prof. I recommend ANY of the courses Dr. Garcia teaches. Lectures are amazing. And he is a great communicator. Best professor Ive ever had.

Just take it. You wont regret it. Best class at MU. Dr. Garcia is awesome!

He was one of the best professors I ever had. He laid out what he wanted, he was very honest and expected people to still try their best even though most take the history and rock and roll as an elective. The material was very interesting and it has inspired me to look more into this music. The exams are still somewhat challenging but he is fair.

Dr. Garcia was amazing! He made power points super engaging and teaching style was laid back. This class is an easy A for the Miami plan. The class required little to no studying for an A. As long as you pay attention in class, take notes and do the required reports, you should do very well. The textbook wasnt used much so dont bother getting it.

Dr. Garcia is the best! I totally recommend ANY of his classes. If you take notes, pay attention to the lectures and study for exams, youll get and A. Excellent professor. Truly inspiring.

I agree that Dr. Garcias lectures are the most inspirational and informative. Non-Music majors have no problem taking his classes. He is also very respected by students. Im very happy I took that course with him.

You wont find that many great professors at MU or anywhere else. You dont feel time pass in his classes. Always fun. Exams arent bad but require studying. Not 100% easy A but not difficult at all to get B+ up. My favorite class.

Best class Ive ever taken. Dr Garcia is hilarious and a great prof. Definitely recommend this class. Not exactly an easy A but not hard to get a B+

I enjoyed this class from beginning to end. Really great course. Garcia is the best.

Took this class online, so there wasn't much interaction with the professor. He did post presentations with voice-over, and he did a nice job explaining it. It's a fun, easy, low-stakes class for your creative arts credit.

Exam multiple choice are very surface level and a carbon copy of the practice quizzes on ActiveLearning. He posts the essay prompt in the study guide. Youll have to read the sourced passages to do well on that. Dont miss any discussion posts or assignments because they actually have some weight and he doesnt give extra credit.

Took this class as a Gen Ed and it was a super easy class for that purpose! It was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the content. Mr. Garcia is really passionate about what he teaches and does a great job of explaining the content of the class.

Took this online. Basically took me two hours a unit, there are 12 units. The work is not hard, put forth an effort and you shall be rewarded. He gives good feedback. The exams are not hard, no protorio, most exam questions are on the ActiveLearning site. Gives out study guide that has answers as well. Would definitely recommend taking this prof.

Hands down best professor at MU.

BEST PROF EVER!!!!

Great professor! I highly recommend MUS 225, the assignments are easy and its an interesting class. The exams have some specific questions on them but overall great course and easy A.

Professor Garcia is the best prof I have had so far at Miami. This class is definitely not an easy A, but if you actually pay attention in class and do the practice quizzes he posts you will do well on the tests. He is understanding if you need extensions and goes out of his way to answer questions. I genuinely looked forward to coming to class.

If you are looking for an easy Miami Plan credit to boost your GPA DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. The exams account for 40% of the grade and if you are taking classes that actually matter for your major DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. To get a high enough score on the exams to get an A in the class would require way too much memorization. Take something else!

Dr. Garcia is awesome. Had him for MUS 186 in spring 2023, and he's just as energetic online as he is in person. I will say, if you're gonna take this class online, you've gotta learn discipline and pace yourself well, or you'll find yourself struggling on exam days. Grading system is a little weird, the exams pretty much define you. Love him tho!!

Professor Garcia is passionate about music, but the class can be a lot of work if you're not a music major. Attendance is mandatory, and exams require heavy memorization. unstuck study was a game-changer for study prep.