Shanon Zusman

MUSIC101 · MUSIC100 · MUSIC108 · MUSIC105 · 14 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 60/100
RMP rating: 3.3/5
Take again: 50%
Difficulty: 3.1

The decision

if you already know some music or are willing to work hard, but beginners seeking an easy GE should be cautious.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerMusic background helpsDifficult for beginnersOpen-note testsLimited online flexibilityPassionate lectures

Students with music background often find the class manageable or easy.
Beginners often struggle because concepts, lectures, or course.
and open-note tests, while online reviews more often mention flexibility and technology issues.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

60/100

An A is possible with notes, , and music background, but beginners may need significant effort.

Online evidence is weaker and more mixed, while and but repeated beginner difficulty warnings.

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

The course feels easy for students with prior music knowledge but challenging for true beginners.

Online comments stress self-learning for beginners, while to too difficult for a GE.

Is attendance flexible?

Depends

55/100

Recommendation depends heavily on prior music experience and tolerance for .

, while online reviews are more cautious because of flexibility and technology concerns.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

Open-note tests and help, but .

Format shift

In-person reviews provide stronger evidence of open-note tests and , while and test-heavy concerns.

Workload

Moderate

56/100

, but students without music background may spend extra time learning concepts on their own.

Format shift

Online workload feels heavier for beginners, while , tests, and one paper or report.

Teaching experience

Average

62/100

He is often described as passionate and friendly, but several students say his explanations or online flexibility are not strong enough for beginners.

Format shift

, while online teaching has more complaints about technology, response timing, and .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

76/100

Reviews focus heavily on tests, finals, and a few papers or reports, with .

Format shift

Online reviews explicitly mention tests and few graded items, while , and one concert report.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

9 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

and engagement but still warn that beginners may find the course harder than expected.

Main concern

Students without music background may need extra effort to keep up.

What students said

“His tests and final are difficult but are open note, so if .”
MUSIC105

“Complete beginners to reading music had a harder time with this class.”
MUSIC100

“Very easy class, makes understanding basic music theory incredibly easy.”
MUSIC101

Remote format

Online

4 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews say the class is manageable for students with music background, but less flexible and harder for beginners.

Main concern

Online students may struggle with limited flexibility, technology, and .

What students said

“it's only because I already have a background in music.”
MUSIC100

“lack of flexibility from the professor (in ) and inadequate knowledge of technology in this class will cause your grade to slip.”
MUSIC100

“the if you don't already have a background in music, but it's manageable.”
MUSIC100

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam style is fairly student-friendly where open-note tests are confirmed, but .

Open-Note TestsOpen-Note FinalTest HeavyExtra Credit

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

74/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and an open-note final in some sections, making exam conditions more student-friendly despite difficulty.

Open-Note TestsOpen-Note FinalDifficult Tests

“His tests and final are difficult but are open note, so if .”
MUSIC105

“Even the !”
MUSIC108

Online

Online reviews mention tests and lack of flexibility, but do not clearly prove open-book, webcam, Lockdown Browser, or proctoring rules.

Test HeavyPolicy Not Clearly Proven

“lack of flexibility from the professor (in ) and inadequate knowledge of technology in this class will cause your grade to slip.”
MUSIC100

“Graded by few things”
MUSIC100

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“I would not recommend this for those that do not have fair knowledge of music unless they are willing to work hard for it.”
Voice snapshots generated from 13 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and teaching style. Credibility rating: Medium.

🎯 Teaching Quality

62/100

“The lectures are engaging and Dr. Zusman's passion for the material is evident.”

📈 Easy A Potential

60/100

“If I didn't know what I was doing already, then I would've definitely had to do a lot of learning on my own.”

📝

74/100

“His tests and final are difficult but are open note, so if .”

Theme 1

🎼 About Music Background

it's only because I already have a background in music.
Complete beginners to reading music had a harder time with this class.
I had no musical experience before this class so the class was very hard for me

Theme 2

📝 About Tests and Grades

Even the !
he gives hella SO helpful.

Theme 3

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

The teacher's love for music gave me good inspiration.
Very easy class, makes understanding basic music theory incredibly easy.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

66/100

Evidence confidence

Thirteen reviews give useful detail but , and mixed course contexts reduce certainty.

Inside 13 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 54

4 out of 53

3 out of 53

2 out of 53

1 out of 50

Course coverage

MUSIC1008 reviews

MUSIC1053 reviews

MUSIC1011 review

MUSIC1081 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

7 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 2

B range

B 2

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1

Shanon Zusman

x x if you already know some music or are willing to work hard, but beginners seeking an easy GE should be cautious.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Standard

Recommended

Depends

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

📈 Easy A Potential

📝 x x

🎼 About Music Background

📝 About Tests and Grades

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you already know some music or are willing to work hard, but beginners seeking an easy GE should be cautious.

📝