Peter Susser

prof. susser is very nice, though can be slightly passive aggressive. it's sweet that he offers students to go on walks with him in the morning. On the flip side, his expectations for assignments aren't properly matched by the amount of practice he provides, the course material is taught along-the-way and he may throw stuff at you that comes up only through questions. lecture-wise, class can feel like a drag. That being said, his grading is pretty fair and he's an overall pleasant experience.

I had a fine time in this class with Peter. Pretty good teacher, will answer your questions. Sometimes a wee bit vague, but he is a really fair grader so that makes up for it. Made us go to mandatory office hours on Saturdays though, which was just honestly pretty mean. He lived in Paris for a summer, which was entertaining to hear about. I feel like he knows his wines and cheeses. anyways. take this class if it's offered, but that isn't really how the music department works. it was fine. so few complaints.

He is definitely an entertaining guy and an engaging lecturer. As for the class itself, I found it quite disorganized which was frustrating at times. It is clear that he is spread very thin, lecturing at multiple institutions and teaching numerous classes per semester. For this reason, he was all over the place -- he didn't have regular office hours, and often was late in posting information online that was necessary to do well. He also didn't teach us everything we needed to know to prepare for the midterm (and many people did poorly for this reason). None of his homework has a key and he doesn't go over most of it in class. The only way to check it is going to almost nonexistent office hours. I will say that he was extremely helpful on a one-on-one basis, if you're able to track him down. The best things I can say about this class is that it was lighthearted during lecture and that the homework / reading requirements are very light.

Literally such an incredible pedagogist. if you can take a class with him, DO!! he is fun, funny, and caring to work with; you WILL learn if you show up to class.

Dr. Susser, as you will read in other parts of this site, is a fantastic pedagogue. His love of teaching and learning styles is unfortunately unmatched at this university. Ear training is a tricky thing to teach but Dr. Susser gives somewhat helpful strategies and is open to hearing your ways of doing things. Most of the students in this class had taken Fundamentals with him so there was a good rapport, but I got the feeling that it wouldn't be hard to build a good relationship with him from the outset. The grading is overly tough for a 1-credit course, however, and if you don't know it, he'll know it. Very valuable skill to have for the musically-inclined!

It's a shame that Columbia doesn't appreciate Susser, because he's fantastic!! I've heard mixed things about how he teaches chromatic, but he's the best for diatonic. Right now, he's only teaching Fundamentals, which is a shame, because he's the only reason I don't hate theory and everyone should get to benefit from him. He sometimes makes the work really easy and sometimes he unnecessarily complicates it, but in the end, you find yourself amply prepared to do advanced theory and compose on your own. We need to send around a petition to get him more classes. He's always ready to meet with people outside of class and he'll check over the drafts of your compositions if you ask him. I give him an A.

Susser is the best teacher I've had in college. That's primarily because he actually TEACHES! He cares so much about his students succeeding and it shows. He explains everything beautifully and actually tells us WHY it's important to learn these things. He's so knowledgeable but, more importantly, uses his talent to create a classroom environment that is amazingly fun and worth going to every single time. Even if you aren't so musically experienced, TAKE THIS CLASS. He is truly phenomenal in every way.

I learned higher level music theory, improved my classical composition skills, and also learned quite a few interesting ways to apply different theories (including non-musical theories, which was very fun!) to music.

First of all: TERRIFIC! Definitely worth taking classes. I've had Peter Susser for two semesters and he is absolutely wonderful! Aside from the fact that his is both hilarious and brilliant, he cares about his students and his subject. One is never bored in his class, that would be impossible-- it's fun and always full of laughter. It is possible to feel overwhelmed in his class as the individual levels of people in music classes vary greatly, however he is always willing to answer questions as long as one speaks up. Don't be fooled by the lightheartedness of the class, he can be a harsh grader so it is necessary to study and pay attention.

2 "tests" and 1 final. The tests are based on the drills that you will be doing in class so there won't be any surprises, however, the skill level being tested is more advanced to prove that you have practiced out of class.