MUSIC DEPARTMENT

BURLINGTON CITY HIGH SCHOOL

MUSIC THEORY II CURRICULUM

SUBMITTED BY: DAVID THOMAS MAY

AUGUST 2002

 

 

COURSE STATEMENT

 

The goal of this course is to prepare students to function in a higher level of  fluency, and to demonstrate a greater level of literatal understanding of Music Academics and Advanced Music Theory practices. It will advance students in the skills of reading, writing and communicating within the musical language. Students will also develop skills that will advance and develop their knowledge and critical thinking skills in other academic areas.

 

Students will build and advanced music vocabulary and continue their development of music reading skills, advanced 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 advanced computer hardware and software applications that will further develop 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 an advanced and fluent use of the musical vocabulary and language

Ø      Students should acknowledge the importance of mastering these elements of Advanced Music Theory and their importance within the music world at the present time.

Ø      Students should acknowledge the importance of Advanced Music Theory as it relates to their future musical experiences.

Ø      Students should possess and develop the skills necessary for fluent communication and presentation within musical performances.

Ø      Students should be able to utilize a variety of advanced skills and technologies to read, write, create, orchestrate, record, and perform a variety of styles of music.

 

 

COURSE PROFICIENCIES (SKILLS)

 

Ø      To develop fluent ability to write / transcribe music in manuscript or tablature forms.

Ø      To develop advanced ear training capabilities for melodic and harmonic transcription and identification.

Ø      To develop advanced rhythmic dictation identification capabilities for transcription.

Ø      To enhance the students’ understanding of Rhythmic function and the rules governing meter, tempo, and rhythm.

Ø      To enhance the students’ understanding of Melodic function and the rules governing chromatic, stepwise, scalewise, skip, and jump movement in melody.

Ø      To continue the development of Harmonic structure and the rules which set up harmonic form.

Ø      To further the understanding of major, minor, and chromatic scales, key signatures, and modes.

Ø      To continue development of musical styles and developments from the earliest historical documentations to the present day.

Ø      To develop fluent ability to discuss musical forms from various musical eras.

Ø      To develop a fluent knowledge and use of musical vocabulary for conversational discussion of music.

Ø      To develop advanced 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      Skillfully use all components of a single and a grand staff.

Ø      Properly demonstrate use of the 4 components of sound:

Ø      duration, intensity, pitch and timbre

Ø      Properly use clefs in a variety of settings and projects.

Ø      Properly utilize time signatures, note values and rhythms.

Ø      Visually & Aurally utilize pitches on, below and above the staff.

 

Key Signatures, Scales, Modes

Students will be able to:

Ø      Utilize all Major Key Signatures and their Relative Minors.

Ø      Utilize the following Scale Models in any key:

Ø      Major, Melodic/Harmonic/Natural Minor, Chromatic & Modes.

Ø      Continue to play scales on their principal instrument and on piano.

Ø      Sing, play and identify all intervals of the octave.

Ø      Construct and utilize the Circle of Fifths.

 

Melody

Students will be able to:

Ø      Compose melodies 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 utilize specific characteristics such as binary, strophic, or atonal.

 

Harmony

Students will be able to:

Ø      Harmonize melodies they are familiar with or which are newly composed by the student.

Ø      Use the modality of triads built off of each major scale tone.

Ø      Use intervals with their proper definition within the key.

Ø      Properly use major-minor-diminished-augmented and suspension Triads and use their correct abbreviations.

Ø      Properly use 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      Discuss the musical eras and their contributions to or from recorded history.

Ø      Aurally identify musical works from Ceremonial Tribal, Ritual Sacred, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, Cultural, New Age, Swing, Jazz, Rock and Pop.

Ø      Identify specific compositional 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

Crystal Publishers, New Jersey

 

Supplemental Resources

Backgrounds in Music Theory  -  Maurice C. Whitney

Schirmer Books Division of MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.

866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022

 

Harmony – 4th Ed.  - Walter Piston  -  Revised & expanded by Mark Devoto

W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., New York

 

Harmony Book for Beginners  -  Preston Ware Orem

Theodore Presser Company – Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

 

Master Theory Books III & IV  -  Charles S. Peters & Paul Yoder

Neil A Kkjos Music Company – SanDiego Ca.

 

Sight and Sound  A Visual Aid to Melody & Harmony

-  Arpad Darazs & Stephen Jay

Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. Oceanside, New York

 

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music – Percy A. Scholes

Oxford University Press  -  London, England