David Laing - McGill University

Professor: David Laing

Department: TBD

College: McGill University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

if you dont know music or dont like jazz do not take this course. i was tricked by the bird course fallacy and oh my god am i sorry - prof is adorable but studying is so miserable rip

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the coolest and nicest teachers at Mcgill. Super easy quizzes but a bit challenging tests as they require a lot of memorization. However if you put in a little effort you can easily ace the course. Jazz with Dave was so much fun, it's a great class to learn some basic Jazz.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Jazz with David Laing is unarguably a fun and easy time. You have no textbook because the assigned songs you must listen to essentially make up your textbook and the entire material of the course. Imagine each song is like a chapter of a textbook. That is literally all you have to master for this easy A course. Therefore attendance is pointless.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Great GPA boosting elective. The tests are MCQ and centered around listening identification and the questions themselves are very straightforward. I recommend listening through the assigned playlist for each test at least three times per week to really master it and then your test will be a breeze. The concert reports are also graded generously.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This is Art of Listening on steroids. David Laing takes over the second half and the test is based on pure listening and memorization skills. Second test: 40 songs, remember the bolded artists, what instrument they play, and title of song. Third midterm: same format but only 21 songs (because they last longer). Classic memorization-MCQ easy electiv

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

MUAR 393 is not a bird course. The teacher makes it hard on students to identify what song is which, as they all sound similar (most do not include lyrics and have similar instruments). However, if you are ready to devote dozens of hours to listening to the tracks, you could end up with an A. I would not recommend to take it in the summer.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

not a bird course and probably hardest class i've taken at mcgill. super hard to differentiate songs (almost no lyrics and all have similar instruments). take art of listening instead. 3 exams, 2 music reports + 1 liner notes. i have an elaborate background on jazz and thought this was extremely difficult and almost dropped it because of low avrg!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Avoid at all costs. The class is quite easy because there is nothing too difficult to comprehend or any tricky questions. However, this will consume your life- you will need to memorize more than 30 songs for tests (some of which are 16 minutes long) and you'll need to know all the different instruments, players and titles. Prof is adorable though.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Though very kind and talented when it comes to his knowledge of Jazz, Professor Laing could make this class more difficult than required on the basis of simply lowering the class average. Be warned, it is difficult to distinguish songs from one another and he doesn't care. He went out of his way to increase difficulty due to the high average.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The guy is a jazz genius. Not only is he a master of his craft, but he transmits that passion to his students. His lectures are very informative, yet also entertaining, and his exams are incredibly easy. If he taught any other classes, I'd take them in a heartbeat!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Easy and interesting class. The musics are kind of hard to identify but all the test and papers are fair. Recommended if you want gpa boost.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

A fantastic and interesting class that is not difficult at all if you prepare for the three tests. Professor Laing is interesting, helpful, and is just an all-around pleasant individual, not to mention he is extremely knowledgable in his field. Ask questions if you have them.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Good prof, super easy class and I definitely enjoyed the class content. Very generous graders, multiple choice tests. Almost NO readings, no textbook.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

best prof ever.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Easy assignments - write about two concert experiences + a review of an album. Tests may be tricky, since jazz standards do sound quite similar to the untrained ear. My advice is to listen for the instrument ensemble, beat, melody line and bassline rhythm. A- class average.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Super nice prof! I emailed him at midnight the night before the exam and he got back to me within 5 minutes! if you enjoy jazz and can tell the difference between songs that are primarily just instrumental then this class will be a breeze for you. I maybe went to 8 classes all semester and got an A-just make sure you cram for the tests!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Excellent class and instructor. Dave seems to genuinely care about his students and goes out of his way to be as helpful as possible. An easy A if you are willing to put in some effort. This class provided me with a new-found appreciation for jazz.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

If you're willing to put in a solid effort before the tests and complete the simple assignments, then Intro to Jazz will be the easiest class you ever take at McGill. He's a nice guy and has interesting things to say during lectures about the history of jazz, but I realized after the first test that you do not have to go in order to do well.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Brilliant Guy! Laing teaches you a lot about jazz (if you don't have a background in it). Course was extremely interesting. Easiest class at McGill by far! If you want an easy A on your transcript, take this class. Assignments and tests are easy. Don't graduate McGill without taking this class, worth spending an elective on.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MUAR393
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Let me warn you, it is not super easy course anymore. The prof is trying his best to lower the class average. He is putting really confusing solo parts on exam and random information that he said only once in the class. Even though you attned the class it will not be in your brain! I mean... if you don't like jazz, don't take it. It's painful