COURSE OVERVIEW

Students will build a strong foundation of knowledge focused on basic musical elements and the development and growth of classical music, and will acquire a greater appreciation of music. Additionally, students will examine music in the world around them and discover how they experience music. They’ll be introduced to the basic elements and sounds of music and instruments, learn the names and backgrounds of several famous musical composers, and learn how and where classical music began, how it developed over the centuries, and the ways in which music and culture affect each other. Lastly, students will examine the ways modern music has been influenced by classical music.

  • Discovering Music: Students will learn the basics of listening to, responding to, and participating in music, including completing independent projects that utilize engaged listening skills; students will also understand music from other cultures.
  • Music Fundamentals: Students will understand the fundamentals of music, including key concepts such as rhythm, melody, harmony, form, expression, and the types and categories of musical instruments.
  • Beginnings of Music: Students will examine early music history, spanning from medieval times to the Baroque era, and complete focused research and writing projects on the topic.
  • Developing Music: Students will explore a variety of classical and romantic music, continuing to participate in independent engaged listening projects to continue advancement of key skills.
  • Modern Music: Students will focus on music of the twentieth-century, including popular, Broadway, and film music, culminating in project requiring students to attend and critique a classical concert in their community.
  • Course Review and Exam: Students will complete a full review of key course concepts, and demonstrate their mastery through a final examination.

Please note that this course provides students with lessons in engaged listening. These special lessons allow students to listen and respond to music. A template for how to listen and respond is provided.

Additional Resources

 Below is a list of suggested resources which can be used in conjunction with these assignments.

Music Appreciation
Unit Assignment Title Supply List
All All Projects, Reports, Essays in Course

Supplies needed to complete most projects, reports, and essays throughout this course:

  • Internet or other research material
  • Paper, pencils, or other writing material
  • Printer
1 Project: Music Response
  • Access to at least 20 minutes of recorded or live classical music
1 Project: Find Your Musical Heritage
  • Access to listening samples of traditional ethnic music
1 Lesson: Engaged Listening
  • Access to at least 10 minutes of a listening sample of traditional ethnic music
2 Project: Choose Your Instrument
  • Access to a listening sample of a favorite song
2 Lesson: Engaged Listening
  • Internet access to a musical piece, “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” by Benjamin Britten
2 Project: Creative Instrumentation
  • Access to two or three pictures of student’s choice of musical instrument
  • Access to two listening samples of student’s choice of musical instrument
3 Lesson 5: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
3 Project: Renaissance Moods
  • Access to internet or other reference material
3 Lesson 15: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
3 Project: Patron of the Arts
  • Access to internet or other reference material
  • Access to listening samples of music created by student’s choice of composer
4 Lesson 5: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
4 Project: Composer Under Suspicion
  • Access to internet or other reference
  • Access to listening samples of music created by student’s choice of classical music composer
4 Lesson 14: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
  • Access to listening samples of music created by student’s choice of Romantic music composer
4 Project: Art
  • Access to photographs of the following two paintings: “The Hay Wain” by John Constable and “The Battle of Trafalgar” by J.M.W. Turner
5 Lesson 5: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
  • Access to listening samples (at least 10 minutes long) of music created by student’s choice of 20th-century music composer
5 Lesson 13: Engaged Listening
  • Access to internet or other reference material
  • Access to listening samples (at least 10 minutes long) of music created by student’s choice of 20th-century American music composer
5 Project: Concert Experience
  • Option 1: Attend a local classical music concert.
  • Option 2: If no live concerts are available, an audio-visual recording of a classical music concert may be substituted.
 
© 2011 Glynlyon, Inc.

Using Noteflight

Some of the assignments in Music Appreciation make use of Noteflight, a Web-based music notation program designed to allow users to create, listen to, and share music scores. Below is a practice exercise designed to help you become familiar with how Noteflight works. You can come back to this practice area anytime if you need a “safe” (ungraded) area to get familiar with the program.

Learning to write music in Noteflight

In this practice exercise, you will take time to learn how to write a short music segment using Noteflight. To accomplish this, you will move back and forth between Noteflight, the Noteflight Orientation Guide, and this Music Appreciation exercise. Your goals for this practice session are the following:

  1. Get comfortable with using Noteflight.
  2. Write a short music segment in Noteflight. Your finished production should look like this:

Click here to open the Noteflight practice exercise.

Click here to open the Noteflight Orientation Guide.

 
© 2011 Glynlyon, Inc.
Charity Christian Academy