The Fundamentals of Music course explores harmony, melody, rhythm, and form with an introduction to music notation and ear training. Relevant musical structures are examined and discussed in the context of popular music using common industry terms.

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC—ONLINERHYTHM | MELODY | HARMONY

COURSE MATERIALS

❚❚ The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis, Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin, W. W. Norton & Company

❚❚ Software: Logic, Sibelius, Musition, Auralia

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC—ONLINEAPR1355-O

THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE MUSICAL CONCEPTS USING THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY IS INTEGRAL TO SUCCESS IN ALL CAREERS RELATED TO MUSIC.

Students will learn the fundamentals of the musical system of the Western world as it applies to the piano keyboard. Subtopics will include reading standard notation, the application of major and minor scales for melody and harmony, song form, and song charting.

COURSE OUTCOMES

To read and write basic music notation

To understand the construction of major and minor scales and their application to melody and harmony

To aurally and visually identify the intervals found within a major scale

To effectively communicate musical concepts with other industry professionals

— 2 —COURSE

OUTCOMES

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC—ONLINESKILLS DEVELOPMENT

ACADEMICS CAREER PORTFOLIOBy the end of the course, students will be able to read basic music notation on the grand staff, create and analyze chord progressions in both major and minor keys, and transpose music from one key to another.

Students will begin building their personal brands immediately through graded activities that will require them to compose origi-nal music. They will be assessed on their ability to incorporate the musical skills taught in this course as they develop their own personal styles.

Students will compose a short piece of music containing drums, bass, harmony, and melody using a digital audio workstation (DAW). Success-ful completion of this activity will build upon a knowledge base that is essential to the first project and portfolio course.

Note: Your portfolio-related course work will be indicated on this syllabus by the icon above.

music copyist

jingle writer

songwriter

performer

POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS

composer

private music instructor

producer

music teacher

arranger

— 3 —INSPIRATION

WEEK ONEStudents will be introduced to the twelve-note musical system and the piano keyboard layout, and the fundamentals of standard musical notation will be emphasized.

THEMES

❚ The Piano Keyboard ❚ Standard Music Notation ❚ Meter and Time Signatures ❚ Grand Staff

WEEK TWOStudents will learn the construction of a major scale and how intervals within the scale are used to generate melodies. Song form in commercial music and basic song charting will also be explored.

THEMES

❚ Major Scales ❚ Rhythm Notation ❚ Song Form ❚ Drum Set Notation

WEEK THREEStudents will begin to study the harmonic aspects of music, including building triads. The concept of key will be introduced, and key signatures and the circle of fifths will be explored. In addition, rhythmic notation will extend to dots and ties.

THEMES

❚ Triads ❚ Scale Degrees ❚ Key Signatures ❚ Music Notation Software

WEEK FOURStudents will learn the construction of the natural minor scale, the chords generated from it, and how these elements compare and relate to those of the major scale. Finally, the class will analyze chord progressions in both major and minor keys and will use that knowledge to transpose music from one key to another.

THEMES

❚ Harmonic Analysis ❚ Transposition ❚ The Natural Minor Scale  ❚ Minor Key Signatures

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC —ONLINEWEEKLY BREAKDOWN

TAB TEXT— 4 —

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC —ONLINEGRADE WEIGHTS

GRADE WEIGHT

Discussion (3%), Keyboard Trainer (4%), Auralia (4%), Musition (4%), Essentials Quiz (4%) 19%

Keyboard Trainer (4%), Auralia (4%), Musition (4%), Project (6%), Discussion (3%), Essentials Quiz (4%) 25%

Keyboard Trainer (4%), Auralia (4%), Musition (4%), Intro to Music Notation Software (2%), Project (6%), Essentials Quiz (4%) 24%

Keyboard Trainer (4%), Auralia (4%), Musition (4%), Project (6%), Essentials Quiz (4%) 22%

GPS 10%

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Total 100%

OUT-OF-CLASS WORK

This course requires at least 8 hours of preparation and out-of-class work. Out-of-class activities are document-ed in this syllabus and include reading assignments, outside research, project development, skills practice, and homework. Consideration has been given to cre-ating out-of-class work that will support your efforts to successfully complete this course while achieving course objectives and program learning outcomes.

TAB TEXT— 5 —

GRADE WEIGHTS

EXTRAS TUTORIALS | EXPERT TIPS | COURSE DIRECTOR’S PICKS

WEEK 1

Musictheory.net: The Staffs, Clefs, and Ledger Lines http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/10 Note Duration http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/11 Measures and Time Signature http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/12 Steps and Accidentals http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/20

World Science Festival: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale https://youtu.be/ne6tB2KiZuk

3:04

WEEK 2

Musictheory.net: The Major Scale http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/21 Scale Degrees http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/23 Intervals http://www.musictheory.net/lessons

Tyler Perry: How to Be Successful https://youtu.be/_ZyHpDjONJ4 4:35

WEEK 3

Musictheory.net: Key Signatures http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/24 Introduction to Chords http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/40

Ira Glass on the Creative Process https://youtu.be/PbC4gqZGPSY 1:54

WEEK 4

Musictheory.net: The Minor Scales http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/22 Key Signatures http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/24 Diatonic Triads http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/43

Oleg Berg: Don’t Worry, Be Happy—Minor Key https://youtu.be/LbTxfN8d2CI 3:50

— 6 —RECOMMENDED

RESEARCH

COLLABORATION

FEEDBACK

PERSONAL BRAND

INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS

SEMESTER TRENDS

The concepts of music theo-ry are regularly employed by composers, musicians, and engineers to create music that

is aesthetically pleasing. Music and audio producers of today often contribute to, if not fully compose the musical content of a given project. Students will be using a DAW platform to demonstrate their knowledge of established musical conventions. In addition to acquiring the tools to enhance music composition, students who successfully complete this course will internalize the concepts and vo-cabulary necessary to effectively communicate with other music industry professionals.

For the first portfolio project, students will create a de-mo-quality audio recording

of an original musical composition. Along with the skills gained from Recording Principles, Sequencing Technology, and the initial Core Four classes, the Fundamentals of Mu-sic course will provide the necessary foundational elements to bring a musical idea to fruition in the form of recorded audio.

Students will engage in discus-sions on topics chosen by the Course Director that directly apply to music theory and composition.

When striving to utilize the methods of past masters, the likelihood of achieving positive results increases considerably. The goal of each assess-ment in this course is to verify that students have mastered the essential concepts of basic music theory and analysis. Students who grasp the tenets of this course will be able to apply their understanding to future projects in a way that will be appreciated by employers and clients.

The activities in this course will promote students’ discovery of their own compositional styles through the creation of original content without using preexisting loops. In completing their first portfolio project, students will showcase the voices they have found.

FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC—ONLINECONNECTIONS

— 7 —CONNECTIONS

TERMINOLOGYACCIDENTAL Any of various signs that indicate the

alteration of a note by one or two semitones, or the cancellation of a previous sign.

BEAT A regular underlying pulse perceived in music.

CHROMATIC Progressing by semitones; or in harmonic language, notes that are outside of the key.

DIATONIC Based on the standard major or minor scales without alteration.

ENHARMONIC Pitches that sound the same but are written differently in musical notation.

HARMONY A simultaneous combination of tones.

INTERVAL The amount of space between two pitches, usually expressed in quality and number.

KEY S IGNATURE A group of sharps or flats that appear at the beginning of each staff to identify the key.

ME ASURE A segment of time in music that corresponds to a specific number of beats.

ME L O DY An arrangement of single notes in succession.

ME T E R The basic recurrent rhythmical pattern of beats in music.

STAFF A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces, each representing a different musical pitch or per-cussive sound.

T IME S IG N AT URE A sign that represents the number of beats per measure and the type of note that gets one beat.

T O N IC The first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal center of music in that key.

T RIAD A chord consisting of a note plus the third and fifth note above it.

— 8 —TERMINOLOGY