This course takes students into the world of a music as a listener and a writer. Students will explore how to listen to music, how to write about what they are hearing, and how to analyze and appreciate different styles of music.
Students will be given the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of music from four stylistic areas: World Music, Jazz, Classical, and Popular Music. They will listen to many examples each week, to compare and contrast the different styles they hear. Critique will take place in formal essays, and in class discussions with the support of peers.
Resources will include interviews with various musical artists, reviews by music critics, and advice from famous composers on the “technique” of listening to music. These resources will help students to develop a common vocabulary to use when discussing and comparing each piece of music.
This course will help students understand the nature of music through listening. It is not required that students read music in order to participate in this course. Literate musicians will find it enjoyable to take the time to sit back and listen actively to a wide variety of musicians. Garage band enthusiasts and students that are looking to explore new styles will find a great opportunity to explore some new musical territory.
Please refer these requirements to your school's technology staff prior to registering for the course. Schools must install and allow student access to the resources listed here, in order for a student to participate in the course.
Please see software manufacturers' websites for further information and system requirements.
In addition to VHS Learning system requirements:
Hardware used: internal/external speakers or headphones
Specific URLs accessed: multiple addresses at domain “npr.org”
Please Note: Although every effort has been made to make course resources accessible to all students, some resources in this course, such as audio files or images of visual art pieces, may present accessibility challenges.