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MUSIC THEORY I: MUSICAL RUDIMENTS

 

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR AND FACULTY COORDINATOR:    

Margaret Henry  

Phone: 585-274-1962

Email: mahenry@esm.rochester.edu

Office: Room 214 in Messinger Hall

 

Office Hours:

Tuesday: 3:30-4:30 PM

Friday: 3:00-4:00 PM  or by Appointment

 

Extra Help Sessions:

Wednesday: 4:00-5:00 PM

Friday: 7:00-8:00 PM

Saturday: 1:30-3:00 PM

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Brief Overview of Course

Music Theory I is the first course in a sequence of courses for high school students and adults leading to an ECMS Diploma. In Music Theory I, students will learn the basic elements or building blocks of music – clefs, pitch alteration, rhythm and meter, scales and modes, intervals and triads – through written work, ear training and sight singing - and through this work, gain some insight as to how these elements are used to enhance their music making.

  

Course Goals

  • to help students understand the basic elements of Music  Theory and prepare them to  take the more advanced courses leading to the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory
  • to fulfill the first requirement in the sequence of courses leading to an ECMS Diploma

 

Course Activities

  • Written activities in all of the above-mentioned topics
  • Correlated aural skills in the form of singing, rhythmic performance and dictation

             

Course Material

  • Duplicated material for each lesson will be handed out in class.  Students should purchase a three-ring binder to store this material.
  • There will be a small fee of up to $25 per semester for this material, which will be added to the student’s bill.

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

Main Topics

  • PITCH NOTATION AND PITCH ALTERATION: CLEFS, ACCIEDNTALS AND ENHARMONIC TONES, WHOLE TONES AND SEMITONES 
  • RHYTHM AND METER NOTE VALUES AND SIMPLE AND COMPOUND METER               
  • SCALES AMD MODES: THE MAJOR MODE, THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS AND KEY 
  • SIGNATURES AND THE EARLY CHURCH MODE
  • THE RELATIVE AND PARALLEL MINOR MODES, THE ALTO AND TENOR CLEFS AND TONALITY AND TRANSPOSITION
  • INTERVALS AND TRIADS: INTERVALS AND THEIR INVERSION, TRIAD TYPES AND THEIR INVERSION AND INTRODUCTION TO FIGURED BASS

More Detailed Listing of Topics

 

PITCH NOTATION AND PITCH ALTERATION

    • Notation of Pitches in the Treble Clef
    • Notation of Pitches in the Bass Clef
    • The Grand Staff: Transcribing from One Clef to Another
    • Pitch Alteration I: Accidentals and Enharmonic Tones
    • Pitch Alteration II: Whole tones and Semitones and the Chromatic Scale
    • Pitch Alteration III: The Double Sharp and Double Flat
       

RHYTHM AMD METER

    • Undotted and Dotted Note values and Notation in the Staff
    • Simple Meter I: Basic Beat Values
    • Simple Meter II: Less Common Beat Values
    • Compound Meter I: Basic Beat Values
    • Compound Meter II: Less Common Beat Values
    • Composite Meter

     

SCALES AND MODES

    • The Major Mode I: Tetrachords of the Major Mode
    • The Major Mode II: The Circle of Fifths, Key Signatures and Transposition    
    • The Church Modes I: The Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian Modes
    • The Church Modes II: Transposition and Identification of the Ionian, Lydian and           Mixolydian Modes in the Literature
    • The Church Modes III: The Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian and Locrian Modes 
    • The Church Modes IV: Transposition and Identification of the Dorian, Phrygian,  Aeolian and Lydian Modes in the Literature

THE RELATIVE AND PARALLEL MINOR MODES, THE ALTO AND TENOR CLEFS AND TONALITY AND TRANSPOSTION 

    • The Relative Minor Mode I: Finding the Relative Minor
    • The Relative Minor Mode II: Finding the Relative Major
    • Forms of the Relative Minor: The Natural, Harmonic, Melodic and Partially Chromatic Minor Modes
    • The Parallel Minor Mode
    • The Alto and Tenor Clefs
    • Tonality and Transposition:  Identification of the Mode (Major or Minor) in the Literature
     

INTERVALS AND TRIADS

    • Intervals I: Perfect, Major and Minor Intervals
    • Intervals II: Melodic and Harmonic Intervals; Simple and Compound Intervals
    • Intervals III: Augmented and Diminished Intervals
    • Intervals IV: Inversion of Intervals
    • Triads I:  Major and Minor Triads
    • Triads II: Augmented and Diminished Triads
    • Triads III: Inversion of Intervals, Introduction to Figured Bass and Triads in Open and Close Structure

 

COURSE POLICIES AND WEIGHTING OF GRADES

Attendance

  • Students must attend class regularly in order to keep up with the material and achieve a good grade for the course
  • If a student cannot attend a class, he/she should let the teacher know before the class and attend the other section of the same course that week.

 

Assignments

  • After each class there will be an assignment, which will be due at the beginning of the following class. 
  • If a student does not know how to tackle an assignment, he/she should contact the teacher and get help before the following class.
  • Assignments that are more than four weeks late will NOT be graded.

 

Grades

Grades will be given at the end of each semester.  Grades are based on the following four factors:

    • Attendance
    • Class Participation
    • Weekly Assignments
    • Four Take-home Tests and Periodic In-class Quizzes

 

MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I know if I should be taking Music Theory I?

  • There are no prerequisites for this course but, in general, students should be the age of a high school freshman or older in order that they have the maturity to the amount of material in a single year. 
  • In general, middle school students take two courses (Introductory Theory A and B)  spread over two years and which together are equivalent to Music Theory I.
  • However, middle school students may qualify to take Music Theory I instead of Introductory Theory A and B by passing a Placement test, given at the beginning of the academic year.
  • Students should be able to attend class regularly.
  • Students should have time to devote one hour or two hours a week to assignments.

What academic requirements does Music Theory I fulfill?

It is the first required theory course for an ECMS Diploma but please note that students must receive the grade of B or better to be eligible for a diploma.

 

How can I pass out of Music Theory I?

Students must successfully pass a Placement Test in Music Theory I.      

Can I receive credit for Music Theory I by taking an Introductory Theory course at my high school?

  • Because we tend to cover more topics and in more detail than an Introductory high school theory course, we generally do not give credit for these courses.
  • If a student receives the grade of “4” or “5” on the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory at their high school, we would give credit for both Music Theory I and Music Theory II.

Last updated:  July 18, 2008