Course Name: Music Fundamentals Instructor Name: Course Number: MUS-102 Course Department: Music Course Term: Last Revised by Department: Spring 2021 Total Semester Hour(s) Credit: 3 Total Contact Hours per Semester:
Lecture: 45 Lab: Clinical: Internship/Practicum:
Catalog Description: This course is an introduction to music theory and the fundamental principles of traditional music, including melody, rhythm, harmony, basic skills and vocabulary. Emphasis is on music reading, application, notation, keytime signatures and aural training. This course is for majors and non-majors with limited background in music fundamentals or as preparation for music major theory courses.
Previous background and instruction for music majors. No prerequisites for non-majors.
Credit for Prior Learning: There are no Credit for Prior Learning opportunities for this course.
Textbook(s) Required: No standard required text. Purchase of materials for future reference as assigned by instructor
Access Code: NA
Materials Required: Instrument, Solos, books, study (etude) materials.
Suggested Materials: Metronome and tuner.
Courses Fees: None
Institutional Outcomes:
Critical Thinking: The ability to dissect a multitude of incoming information, sorting the pertinent from the irrelevant, in order to analyze, evaluate, synthesize, or apply the information to a defendable conclusion.
Effective Communication: Information, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or beliefs transferred either verbally or nonverbally through a medium in which the intended meaning is clearly and correctly understood by the recipient with the expectation of feedback.
Personal Responsibility: Initiative to consistently meet or exceed stated expectations over time.
Department Outcomes: 1. Students will analyze diverse perspective in arts and humanities. 2. Students will examine cultural similarities and differences relevant to arts and humanities. 3. Students will demonstrate their ability to create, interpret and/or perform diverse genres of the visual and performing arts. 4. Students will analyze ways that arts and humanities impact or apply to their own lives. 5. Students will demonstrate personal accountability both in and out of the classroom.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1) Learn and use a vocabulary specific to music. a) Make use of music terminology in all oral presentations and discussions. b) Apply the specific terminology in all manuscript works. 2) Understand the fundamental elements of music in specific and detailed depth. a) Identify and define sound in relationship to acoustics. b) Identify and define the four properties of sound. c) Discuss and identify the important concepts of notation. d) Provide written lesson sheets illustrating the construction of scales and modes. e) Discuss and analyze the use of tonality and key signatures. f) Understand and make use of modulation. 3) Develop technical skills in notating music manuscript. a) Practice manuscript notation for legibility. b) Illustrate understanding of musical symbols by incorporating them into manuscript writing appropriately. 4) Develop critical analysis skills. a) Understand and discuss the structural elements of music. b) Identify common part-writing errors. c) Demonstrate ability to analyze, identify, construct and interpret application of accepted principles of music theory. 5) Understand and apply the principles of harmony. a) Discuss and analyze various musical excerpts in terms of intervals, chords and transposition. b) Demonstrate knowledge, application and construction of voice leading in 2 and 4 voices. c) Demonstrate knowledge and application of harmonic progression and harmonic rhythm. d) Demonstrate knowledge, application and construction of dominant seventh, leading-tone seventh and nondominant seventh chords as well as secondary dominant and secondary leading-tone chords. 6) Understand and apply the principles of form. a) Critique various musical excerpts for use of cadences and nonharmonics. b) Analyze and discuss the various textures found throughout music history: monophony, polyphony and homophony. c) Analyze and apply knowledge of two-part (binary) and three-part (ternary) form. 7) Experience team-approach learning. a) Working in pairs to improve ear-training/sight-singing skills. b) Critique and discuss each other’s musical analysis. c) Listen to and critique each other’s original musical compositions. d) Work effectively in small groups. 8) Gain a knowledge of the development of musical style throughout history. a) Discuss the development of music theory through the Middle Age, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romanic, Modern and Contemporary Periods. b) Perform and/or listen to the various listening examples found in the textbook. 9) Experience various community-based educational and cultural offerings. a) Attend various elementary, middle and high school music classes. b) Attend a community or school-based music concert and critique. c) Participate in community/church music programs as director, performer and/or accompanist. 10) Understand the importance of listening. a) Interact with classmates in group discussion. b) Problem-solve with peers. c) Participate in group sight-singing and ear-training exercises. 11) Develop an awareness for aesthetic criteria. a) Discuss, analyze and create various melodic phrases using common methods of melodic organization. b) Compose various compositions making use of common music theory practices.
Course Objectives: Unit A: Discussion of Pitch, Duration Intensity, Timbre. Pitch Notation: Symbols include staff, grand staff, bar line, double bar; G (treble) and F (bass) clef note letter names within the grand staff. High and lowness of pitch. System for naming specific pitches: c1, c2, c3, c4, c5, c6, c7, etc. Octave accidentals (sharp, flat and natural). Harmonic/Melodic intervals 2, 3, 4. Major scales and Key signatures: C,F, G. Whole and half steps in major scale, five finger patterns, identify intervals by ear, basic sight-singing using major scale. Names of notes and rests in rhythm: whole, half, quarter, eighth. Names of parts of notes: stem, notehead, flag and beam. Time (meter) 2/4 and 4/4. Transposition at the octave.Terms: a tempo, crescendo, da capo, diminuendo, decrescendo, fermata, fine, forte. What is beat, what is rhythm. Sight sing in simple solfege.
Unit B: Symbols: repeat, ledger line, slur, tie, phrase, note names on grand staff with leger lines above and below clef, unisons between clefs, enharmonic notes, notation of half steps: diatonic and chromatic. Scales D and Bb added, tetrachord divisions, Order of Sharps and flats in key signature:Sharps FCGDAEB and Flats BEADGCF. Intervals added: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Melodic and Harmonic. Perfect 5th, Major triads CFGD and Bb in root position. Names of notes and rests Sixteenth, dotted half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, dotted half, dotted quarter. Identify major and minor triads in music and by root letter name. Principle of the dot. ¾ and 6/8 time (meter). Natural accents. Transpose at perfect 5th. Terms: accent, allegretto, allegro, andante, fortissimo, repeat, moderato, pianissimo. Ear Training of major, chromatic scales and major tetrachord. Triads in root position, major and minor. Intervals of major scale ascending only. Rhythmic dictation using half, quarter, eighth notes, whole, half, quarter, eighth. Four measures using half, dotted half, quarter, dotted quarter, and eighth notes. Circle of 5ths. Sight reading.
Unit C: Continue review of above concepts. Add major scales and key signatures A and Eb, review all others previously learned. Pattern of whole and half steps. Harmonic minor scales: Am, Em, Dm, Pattern of whole and half steps. Order of Sharps and flats in key signatures. Intervals: all perfect intervals plus major and minor 3rds. Triads in all keys introduced so far (both major and minor). Identify triads in music. Rhythm: Names of notes and rests, meter 6/8, transpose at major second up or down. Review all terms review all ear training, intervals. Be able to play cadence I-V7 (V)-I and understand roman numeral labels. Sight reading.
Unit D: Review all previously learned material: Add Major scales and key signatures E and A. Harmonic minor scales: Bm, Gm, F#m, Cm and review past scales. Pattern of whole and half steps. Order of sharps and flats. Write scales with and without staff, build triads on each scale degree. Play scales and I-IV-I-V-I cadence. Circle of Fifths. Harmonic and melodic intervals of major and minor scales (recognize in print and by ear). Major, minor and diminished triads built on scale degrees, recognized in music, recognized by ear, and played on piano. Rhythmic subdivisions in simple time using dotted sixteenth patterns and combinations of eighth and sixteenth notes. Simple signatures of 2/4, ¾, 4/4, 2/2 (conduct, recognize, write), Compound times of 6/8, 9/8. Transpose at major 3rd. Terms: presto, adagio, una corda, tre corda, rallentando, accelerando, leggiero, pesante, poco, subito. Ear training of all major, harmonic minor scales and intervals within the scales. Triads in root position major, minor, diminished. Play cadences I-IV-I-V7 (V)-I and also in minor. Sight reading.
Unit E: Major Scales and Key signatures: B, F#, C#, Db, GB, Cb and review all others. Harmonic minor scales c#, g#, d#, a#, f, bb, eb, Ab. Review all previously learned intervals, M/m/d triads—written, and by ear. Add Augmented Triads. Review all simple meters 2/2, 2/4, ¾,4/4, 4/8 and compound 6/4, 6/8,9/8, 12/8. Transpose at all intervals. Given a phrase of music, transpose it into a designated key. Given a phrase of music, transpose it up or down a designated interval. Add Terms: Cantabile, dolce, marcato, molto, largo, vivace, tenuto. Review interval and triad ear training, sight reading in all keys so far. Play and recognize I-IV-I-ii- V7-I in major and minor. Arpeggios two octaves ascending and descending.
Unit F: Review all of above and continue to recognize it in printed music and utilize in simple constructions composed by students. All 24 Major and Minor Keys: play them, write them with and without staff, circle of 5ths with major and minor keys, continue meters from previous unit be able to utilize in composition and notate in rhythmic dictation. Transpose at all intervals. New terms: assai, con moto, meno mosso, morendo, piu, troppo, giocoso. Ear Training of all intervals. Sight reading of melodic structures using intervals learned. Cadence: I- IV-I-vi-ii-V7-I, also minor keys i-iv-i-VI-ii-V7-i.
Synthesizing the Basics:
Unit One: The Fundamentals of Music Apply knowledge of music symbols to writing Analyze and apply the varying scales and keys to compositions Differentiate between the various intervals Analyze and apply the various triads and their inversions Unit Two: The Structural Elements of Music Discover the role of cadences and nonharmonic tones in music. Phrases, antecedent/consequent, compose and improvise using this knowledge. Take dictation using this knowledge. Analyze tonal center of composed pieces and demonstrate knowledge of tonal center in composition. Relate the body of knowledge accumulated to analysis of formal structure.
Evaluate use of basic chord structures and melodies:
Final project: Student will create his/her own musical composition consisting of 16 measures. Each student will provide a written example for the class. Through critical listening skills gained throughout the semester, students will evaluate each others work in the context of class discussion.
College Procedures: All college-wide procedures are located in the Iowa Central Community College Student Handbook.
Assessments: Please note that assessments are subject to change.
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Disability/Accommodation Services:
If you have a request for an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, it is Iowa Central’s policy that you contact the Academic Assistance & Accommodations Coordinator to discuss your specific needs and to provide supporting information and documentation, so we may determine appropriate accommodations. The office for accommodations is located in the Academic Resource Center, and it can be reached by calling 515-574-1045. For online information about accommodations, please go to www.iowacentral.edu/accommodations.
Bias-Free Classroom Statement:
Music Fundamentals maintains high standards of respect in regard to individual beliefs and values when selecting classroom materials including textbooks, project activities, power points, videos, presentations, and classroom discussions.
It is our belief that all people have the right to obtain an education within our department/program courses free of bias, with full respect demonstrated to all who enroll in the courses of this department/program.