Class record · MUSA · MCAS

MUSA 1100

Fundamentals of Music Theory · 10 instructors on record · 87 sections

What the course score is made of

82BC evaluations87 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

—Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute

—RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of

26thMore challenging than 26% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

86BC — “Intellectually Challenging”87 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of

28thMore work than 28% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

44BC — “Workload”87 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

An introductory music theory course designed for students with a strong interest in music. As a Core course it includes speculations on how musical discourse informs our perception and understanding of the world around us. Students learn to acquire skills in music notation and transcription. The following theoretical concepts will be extensively covered: notation of pitch and rhythm, scales, intervals, chords, and harmonic progression. Students leave the course prepared for upper-level study in music theory and will begin to question broader issues concerning the meaning and use of music. Training in Keyboard Skills is required in the accompanying Lab

The board

10 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. 4 of the 10 rows carry a mark saying so.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
1	Barbara GawlickMusic	9121 records	30th	36th	929 ratings · all classes
2	Riikka Pietilainen-CaffreyAssociate Professor of the Practice, Director of Choral and Vocal Performance · Music fewer records	963 records	25th	51st	—no page
3	Michael BurgoMusic	944 records	30th	37th	924 ratings · all classes
4	Thomas LeeMusic Provisional fewer records	971 record	—	15th	—no page
5	Emily MurphyAdjunct Professor, Piano · Music	8810 records	3rd	15th	—no page
6	Benjamin ParkMusic fewer records	893 records	30th	79th	743 ratings · all classes
7	Randy McgeeAdjunct Professor, Vocal Instructor · Music	8810 records	29th	31st	702 ratings · all classes
8	Leah KoschAdjunct Instructor, Piano · Music	8317 records	39th	20th	747 ratings · all classes
9	Julia CareyMusic fewer records	754 records	25th	10th	401 rating · all classes
10	Ayako HattoriAdjunct Instructor, Piano · Music	7614 records	25th	22nd	663 ratings · all classes

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse. 1 of 10 rows are marked provisional: fewer than 3 records stand behind the number. That is thin evidence, not a bad instructor — the record count is in every row. The RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 87 records

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9031st pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

8820th pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9028th pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9130th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

8938th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9042nd pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

8615th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9148th pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9146th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9044th pctl

Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings

WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.

4428th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

8626th pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9253rd pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

87 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Barbara Gawlick	Spring 2026	01	84	72	40
Barbara Gawlick	Spring 2026	02	88	82	60
Thomas Lee	Spring 2026	03	97	87	—
Randy Mcgee	Spring 2026	04	95	88	40
Leah Kosch	Spring 2026	05	96	88	60
Leah Kosch	Spring 2026	06	87	84	—
Riikka Pietilainen-Caffrey	Spring 2026	07	97	94	40
Ayako Hattori	Spring 2026	08	74	77	40
Emily Murphy	Spring 2026	08	91	77	40
Barbara Gawlick	Fall 2025	01	93	88	40
Barbara Gawlick	Fall 2025	02	96	91	—
Randy Mcgee	Fall 2025	03	87	82	40
Leah Kosch	Fall 2025	04	80	80	40
Riikka Pietilainen-Caffrey	Fall 2025	05	98	95	40
Julia Carey	Fall 2025	06	80	74	20
Ayako Hattori	Fall 2025	07	79	78	20
Emily Murphy	Fall 2025	07	87	78	20
Barbara Gawlick	Spring 2025	01	88	83	40
Randy Mcgee	Spring 2025	02	96	86	40
Leah Kosch	Spring 2025	03	82	75	40
Julia Carey	Spring 2025	04	66	58	60
Leah Kosch	Spring 2025	05	87	85	40
Leah Kosch	Spring 2025	06	75	67	40
Ayako Hattori	Spring 2025	07	70	75	40
Emily Murphy	Spring 2025	07	86	75	40

Showing the first 25.

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.