Course Meeting Times

 

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1.5 - 2 hours a session. (104 sessions)  

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Course description

 

The course begins with a review of elements of pitch, elements of rhythm, and progresses to the introduction of scales, intervals, and tonality; notation of rhythm and meter, rudiments of harmony; and the concept of musical structure and form, taught from a sound to symbol approach. Sight-singing and ear training are pursued concurrently with keyboard and written theory. Musical materials to be studied will include selected multicultural folk music and art music examples. This is a performance-based class; in order to succeed in this class, students MUST sing and perform on instruments. The use of a broad range of individualized musical materials, active exploration, and personal discovery will lead the student to grasp the nature of the interactions and relationships that bring meaning to music.

Course Requirements

 

Several short compositions for solo instrument/voice or small chamber group, as assigned. Completion of one song for voice and piano. Completion of composing/producing music for a specific scene from a movie. Completion of one chamber music composition for the instrument(s) and piano or for three (or more) melodic instruments. Timely completion of assigned listening, reading, and score study; participation in discussion of the assigned works. Attendance in at least 90% of the classroom sessions is required. Performances or rehearsed readings of the student's exercises and compositions must be organized and accomplished by each student.

Topics to be covered

 

Basic Elements of Music

The Basics of Rhythm& Tempo

Introduction to Pitch

Simple, compound times

Basics of simple, compound time notation

Irregular Time signatures

Scales, Modes & Moods

Building Diatonic chords
Developing Production Skills

Rhythm, melodies, words in music

Building Motifs

Intervals and transposition

Phrasing, Cadences

Using Chromatically altered chords, Jazz chords, Polyvalence
Song Writing skills - Purcellian writing, Word painting, Writing for SATB, Contemporary Writing, Part writing

Music history- Pre-Bach Italy: The Birth of Opera, France & England Pre-Bach, Baroque Period, Classical Period, Transition into the Romantic Period, Romantic Period, Impressionist Movement, Modernism - The age of Atonality
Writing for an Ensemble

Harmony Part writing

Modulation

Instruments of an orchestra

Idiomatic writing for instruments

Symphony ( An overview)
Composing For Motion Picture

Sound and picture

Instrumental colors

Musical textures

Building motifs

Use of Atonality

Scoring to the cuts

Music as the storyteller

Underscoring The language of Film.