James Gutierrez is a Music professor at Northeastern University rated 2.68/5 on Rate My Professors by 44 students, with 2.4/5 RMP difficulty and 34% who would take them again (RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated October 2026).
James Gutierrez professor reviews and ratings: 2.68/5 from 44 RMP ratings at Northeastern (34% would take again). RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Most reviews about this professor are accurate. He can be passive-aggressive, unreliable with instructions, and often contradicts himself. The class has a lot of busy work, with in-person midterms and finals. It focuses more on art and interpretation than actual music theory. I would not recommend it unless your major requires it.MUSC1001 2026-10-05 16:31:02 +0000 UTC
Took this class online to fulfill NU path. Weighted graded system and there are weekly quizzes and assignments that are tedious but easy, and 3 big projects. Read and follow the project rubrics and you will get an A, and skim modules for the quizzes, but it's mostly common sense. The class is easy if you put in some effort. TAs were fair graders.MUSC1001 2026-08-10 02:47:57 +0000 UTC
Online, asynchronous course had no interaction with Prof Gutierrez (TAs graded everything). Very easy, but a lot of the content is glaringly obvious and common sense. Course only took a couple hours each week, except for the 3 projects which were more time consuming. Lots of discussion posts. Overall, not a bad NUpath course but also kinda boring.MUSC1001 2026-06-26 22:12:03 +0000 UTC
You basically go to class for the attendance code and the TAs are very harsh graders but the midterm and final are online. The projects take up a lot of your grade but he offers a lot of extra credit and if you reach out to him via email about your grade he will try to help you. He is very responsive over email.MUSC1001 2026-05-07 15:18:21 +0000 UTC
I wouldn't recommend unless required for your major. There is no one who loves to hear the sound of his own voice more than him, and he made me want to drop out every class. All of the grading was done by TAs who took weeks to grade, were extremely unfair and unthorough, and gave unhelpful comments.MUSC1001 2026-05-01 19:57:04 +0000 UTC
Don't take if you're a STEM major. You'll learn nothing and still have to complete tons of busy work. Attendance is the only reason to go to class.MUSC1001 2026-04-22 00:11:54 +0000 UTC
Like others have said, if you don't have to take him... don't. The course is very easy, but he complicates it, and the assignments and everything are graded by the TAs (So it's the luck of the draw for how your grade turns out). Furthermore, the ONLY reason to go to lecture, is if he MAYBE gives an attendance code, which he baits us half the time.MUSC1001 2026-04-17 02:33:43 +0000 UTC
Your parents pay $10,000 for an attendance code.MUSC1001 2026-03-30 16:56:08 +0000 UTC
Would take again only if I need more material for my experimental noise album. Holy pretentious yapperoni and cheese.MUSC1001 2026-03-25 02:00:49 +0000 UTC
This professor will use great opportunities to push his christian values on you. Held us captive via the attendance code until we got a prayer service bestowed on us by the Fellowship club.MUSC1001 2026-03-23 17:11:40 +0000 UTC
Gutierrez is the most pretentious professors I've ever had. Majority of students take 1001 as a requirement, but Gutierrez expects everyone to be passionate about music. He uses a condescending tone and acts as though he is smarter than everyone else. The workload is heavy considering the course level. It's not super hard but very time consuming.MUSC1001 2026-03-09 01:56:05 +0000 UTC
This class required me to do more homework than all of my other classes combined. The TAs take weeks to get back and a few more weeks to grade assignments. But an A- or above is very attainable, even if you put in the bare minimum effort. Find a better NU-path class. Take this only if you have to.MUSC1001 2026-02-19 19:03:53 +0000 UTC
There is very little work for this class, and the professor is very engaging. I wish the class were smaller, but the content is interesting.MUSC1001 2026-01-14 15:40:33 +0000 UTC
85% of the class takes this course to fulfill a NU-path, and I genuinely had more homework and projects for this class than my STEM requirements. Attendance is MANDATORY even though it is a massive lecture hall, and don't even get me started about the TAs.MUSC1001 2025-12-11 18:01:19 +0000 UTC
I genuinely cannot stand this professor with all of my being. You know those people who become professors just to hear themselves talk? That's him. He thinks he's the next coming of christ and that he's the smartest person to ever exist. PAINFULMUSC1001 2025-12-11 17:59:37 +0000 UTC
James Gutierrez is rated 2.68/5 on Rate My Professors from 44 ratings. 34% of RMP reviewers said they would take them again.
James Gutierrez's classes have a difficulty rating of 2.4/5 on Rate My Professors.
James Gutierrez has taught MUSC1001, MUSC1000, INAM3200, MUSC2320, MUSC2105, MUSC1113, MUSC1119, MUSI3401 at Northeastern.
James Gutierrez has received: CAMD High Impact Teaching Award, College of Arts, Media and Design (2023).
Data updated October 2026.