Music Appreciation Course: How Music Works
Music. Learn, enjoy, appreciate.
COVID-19 update: arrangement of our courses
We are now delivering courses online and in-person. Please check the delivery format of each class before enrolling.
Please note that course materials (excluding prescribed texts) are shared electronically within 48 hours of course commencement. Printing is not available.
Why are some piano keys white and some black? What does ‘A major’ actually mean? What is harmony, and how does it work? How do you read music? The answers to these questions hold the key to a deeper and more rewarding understanding of music.
Designed for absolute beginners and taught in a practical and down-to-earth way, this course explores and demystifies the inner workings of music.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- list some of the elements of music
- describe some of the features of the elements of music
- describe some specific examples of the elements of music.
Content
Introduction: Listening to music
- The elements of music
- Terms we use to talk about music
How pitch works
- A little about the physics of sound
- Black notes and white notes
- Sharps and flats
How melody works
- Perfect pitch and relative pitch
- What makes a good melody?
- Scales and Keys: what ‘major’ really means
How rhythm works
- Tempo and pulse
- What is a time signature?
- Bars and barlines
- Swing and straight, simple and compound
- What does syncopation mean?
How harmony works
- Consonance and dissonance
- What are chords?
- Chord progressions
- Minor scales and keys
- Relative majors and minors
- Modulation: Changing key
- The Cycle of Fifths
How form works
- Structure in music
- The effect of form on the listener
- Through-composed, binary, ternary
- Theme and variations, Rondo form, Sonata form
How texture works
- What is texture in music
- Using layers for contrast and effect
- Monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic textures
- How texture is used in music
- Texture throughout history
How instruments work
- Why instruments sound different
- Instrument families
- Strings
- Woodwind
- Brass
- Percussion
Performing music
- What it takes to be a musician
- Interpretation of music
- What conductors do
Orchestration and arrangement
- How instruments work in combination
- Changing musical styles
- Some great arrangements
How music notation works
- How pitch and rhythm are notated
- Score reading and analysis
- Following music notation
Intended audience
Designed for fans of classical music, beginners and experienced listeners alike.
Prerequisites
None
Delivery style
This course is richly illustrated with musical examples, illustrations and video clips. Susan Deas uses the piano to demonstrate musical concepts to the everyday listener. Questions are encouraged, and there will be room for discussion throughout the course.
Materials
Handouts are provided electronically.
Features
- Expert trainers
- Central locations
- Course materials – yours to keep
- CCE Statement of Completion
What others say.
Course is well structured and provides a good overview of the essential elements to Western music. The use of many and varied musical examples is a good support to the theory.
The presenter of this course is an excellent teacher – enthusiastic and obviously has a wealth of knowledge that is imparted in a considered way. For myself, with zero musical knowledge it was always accessible, any questions welcomed and I now understand so much more. Lots of examples were played and the AV set up was great. I look forward to the next course.
An excellent presenter. I also found the structure of the course was very good and appreciated the week between each session to absorb the information.
Related content. Further your learning.
What others say.
- The presenter of this course is an excellent teacher - enthusiastic and obviously has a wealth of knowledge that is imparted in a considered way. For myself, with zero musical knowledge it was always accessible, any questions welcomed and I now understand so much more. Lots of examples were played and the AV set up was great. I look forward to the next course.
- An excellent presenter. I also found the structure of the course was very good and appreciated the week between each session to absorb the information.
- Course is well structured and provides a good overview of the essential elements to Western music. The use of many and varied musical examples is a good support to the theory.
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