MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
MUSIC
THEORY I CURRICULUM
SUBMITTED
BY: DAVID THOMAS MAY
AUGUST
2002
COURSE
STATEMENT
The
goal of this course is to prepare students to participate in a functional and
literate manner in relation to Music Academics and Music Theory practices. It
will help facilitate students in being able to read, write and communicate
within the musical language. Through these efforts students will also develop
skills that will reinforce their knowledge and critical thinking skills in
other academic areas.
Students
will build music vocabulary and reading skills, learn basic ear and voice
training skills, and piano/keyboard skills. They will build on and improve
their melodic and rhythmic sight-reading skills, while improving their music
manuscript writing skills. Students will also utilize computers and software
applications that will apply to many of the above mentioned skills.
COURSE
PROFICIENCIES (ATTITUDES)
Ø
Students should recognize the effects and impact
that music reading and performance can have on their lives.
Ø
Students should be able to demonstrate a fluent
and conversational use of the musical vocabulary and language
Ø
Students should acknowledge the importance of
mastering these elements of Basic Music Theory and their importance within the
music world at the present time.
Ø
Students should acknowledge the importance of
Basic Music Theory as it relates to their future musical experiences.
Ø
Students should possess and develop the basic
blocks necessary for functional communication and presentation within musical
performances.
Ø
Students should be able to utilize a variety of
skills and technologies to read, write, create, orchestrate, record, and perform
a variety of styles of music.
COURSE
PROFICIENCIES (SKILLS)
Ø
To develop functional ability to write /
transcribe music in manuscript or tablature forms.
Ø
To develop functional ear training capabilities
for melodic and harmonic transcription and identification.
Ø
To develop functional rhythmic dictation
identification capabilities for transcription.
Ø
To develop an understanding of Rhythmic function
and the rules governing meter, tempo, and rhythm.
Ø
To develop an understanding of Melodic function
and the rules governing chromatic, stepwise, scalewise,
skip, and jump movement in melody.
Ø
To develop an understanding of Basic Harmonic
structure and the rules which set up harmonic form.
Ø
To develop understanding of major, minor, and
chromatic scales, key signatures, and modes.
Ø
To develop an understanding of musical styles
and developments from the earliest historical documentations to the present
day.
Ø
To develop functional ability to discuss musical
forms from various musical eras.
Ø
To develop a functional knowledge of musical
vocabulary for conversational discussion of music.
Ø
To develop functional technology skills to
study, compose, analyze, record, and reproduce music in digital and analog
formats.
N.J. CORE
CURRICULUM CONTENT STANDARDS FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
1.1 All Students will acquire knowledge and
skills that increase aesthetic awareness in dance, music, theater, and visual
arts.
All
students will refine perceptual, intellectual, physical, and technical skills
through creating dance, music, theater, and/or visual arts.
All
students will utilize arts elements and arts media to produce artistic products
and performances.
All
students will demonstrate a knowledge of the process
of critique.
All
students will identify the various historical, social and cultural influences
and traditions which have generated artistic accomplishments throughout the
ages and which continue to shape contemporary arts.
All
students will develop design skills for planning the form and function of
space, structures, objects, sound, and events.
CROSS-CONTENT
WORKPLACE READINESS STANDARDS
Standard
1: All students will develop career
planning and workplace readiness skills.
Standard
2: All students will use technology,
information and other tools.
Standard
3: All students will use critical
thinking, decision making, and problem-solving skills.
Standard
4: All students will demonstrate
self-management skills.
Standard
5: All students will apply safety
principals.
COURSE CONTENT
Music
Fundamentals
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Identify all components of a single and a grand
staff.
Ø
Properly define the 4 components of sound:
Ø
duration, intensity, pitch and timbre
Ø
Properly identify clefs and their significance.
Ø
Properly read and identify time signatures, note
values and rhythms.
Ø
Visually & Aurally
identify pitches on, below and above the staff.
Key Signatures,
Scales, Modes
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Define and recognize all Major Key Signatures
and their Relative Minors.
Ø
Construct the following Scales in any key:
Ø
Major, Melodic/Harmonic/Natural Minor, Chromatic
& Modes.
Ø
Play scales on their principal instrument and on
piano.
Ø
Sing, play and identify all intervals of the
octave.
Ø
Properly Construct and utilize the Circle of Fifths.
Melody
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Construct a melody within a given Key Signature
and Time Signature.
Ø
Properly identify and define how a melodic line
moves, ie. Ascending, Descending, Stepwise, Skips,
Jumps.
Ø
Properly define a melody and what mode it is
written in.
Ø
Properly identify specific characteristics such
as binary, strophic, or atonal.
Harmony
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Harmonize simple melodies they are familiar with
or which are newly composed by the student.
Ø
Identify the modality of triads built off of
each major scale tone.
Ø
Identify an interval with it’s
precise definition within the key.
Ø
Properly construct
major-minor-diminished-augmented and suspension Triads and use their correct
abbreviations.
Ø
Properly construct Major, Dominant and Minor
Seventh Chords
Ø
Properly read, write and analyze in the
classical 4 part writing style.
Music History
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Identify the major musical eras in recorded
history.
Ø
Properly place the major contributors of
composition into their respective eras throughout history.
Ø
Aurally identify various foundational musical
works from Ceremonial Tribal, Ritual Sacred, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th
Century, Cultural, New Age, Swing, Jazz, Rock and Pop.
Ø
Properly discuss impacts of historical events on
musical compositions.
Ø
Identify specific song and musical forms within
the various eras.
Music
Appreciation
Students
will be able to:
Ø
Identify timbres and qualities associated with a
variety of musical selections.
Ø
Properly use the appropriate vocabulary to
discuss performance issues.
Ø
Properly use and develop appropriate critique
skills for music evaluations.
EVALUATION
TECHNIQUES
Several
different evaluative tools will be used to measure student progress and
achievement. These items will help accumulate information and data that may
assist in identifying adjustments that might be considered for the curriculum.
All students need to be evaluated for their command of the course content, and
skills. Student progress, and the effectiveness of the
Curriculum will be evaluated using the following elements:
Ø
Participation and cooperation in the classroom.
Ø
Classroom attendance and promptness.
Ø
Following Directions for classwork
and activities.
Ø
Independent thinking and work habits.
Ø
Effective Communication Skills.
Ø
Completes Assignments on time and as instructed.
Ø
Individual musical performance activities.
Ø
Utilization of skills on compound levels
throughout the course.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Classroom
Text
Music
Theory for Everyone - Frank Leanza &
Leonard Gallo
Supplemental
Resources
Backgrounds
in Music Theory - Maurice C. Whitney
Schirmer
Books Division of MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.
Master
Theory Books I & II
- Charles S. Peters &
Paul Yoder
Neil A Kkjos Music
Company – SanDiego Ca.
Sight
and Sound - Arpad Darazs & Stephen Jay
Boosey & Hawkes,
Inc.
The
Concise