Music of the World

Description

Music is part of students’ everyday life. In this course, they learn how to understand the impact of music as well as how it represents the culture it was created within and reflects the spirit of the human condition. Students learn to know and understand music by being able to distinguish and identify cultures on both local and global levels. Students meet musicians and composers and learn how their music continues to influence what is listened to today. In this course, students gain a historical perspective of music, covering a variety of styles and developments from the Middle Ages through the 21st century. In their musical journey, students acquire basic understanding and knowledge of singing, listening, and playing instruments. Partnering those skills with an understanding of music composition and improvisation will make future music experiences more informed and satisfying. 

Major Topics and Concepts

Semester 1
• Basic elements of music
• Pitch and melody and their roles in a piece of music
• Notations and language used to distinguish rhythm in music
• Dynamics and its effect on music
• Form in music
• Relationships between popular and pop music
• Characteristics that define pop music
• Technological advances and their impact on pop music
• History and development of pop music
• History of music before the Middle Ages
• Role of music within ancient societies
• Styles of music present before the Middle Ages
• Musical instruments used in ancient times
• The Renaissance and music
• Effects of music on society
• Instruments that were developed during the Renaissance
• Characteristics and the forms of Renaissance music composed
• Influential Renaissance composers

Segment 2
• Transition from earlier forms of music to the Baroque period
• Development of Baroque music
• Opera and how it developed
• Composers and musicians during the Classical Era
• Changes and developments in music during the Classical Era
• Common features of music from the Classical Era
• Composers of the Classical Era
• Music of the Romantic Period
• Features and characteristics of music of the Romantic Period
• Composers and musicians from the Romantic Period
• Role of music in society within the Romantic Period
• Musical traditions that combined in jazz
• Characteristics and features of jazz music
• Musicians who developed jazz
• Improvisation within jazz music
• Development of jazz within the twentieth century