MUSI1111 Music Theory 1
Credit Hours: 3 semester hours
Course Description
A beginning introduction to the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and structural principles of music and notation. Ear training, sight singing, and 4-part writing receive particular emphasis.
Goals and Objectives
The goals of this course are as follows:
To encourage student experimentation with sound effects and music.
To develop or enhance some means of personal creative expression using audio software.
To develop confidence in sharing original ideas with a group.
To demonstrate the ability to design convincing audio environments with commonly available technology.
To identify, analyze, and exercise techniques found in the works of other sound designers, composers and programmers.
Students who complete this course will be able to:
Create original sonic art and sound effects in the abstract and organize them for future projects.
Build upon the programming of others and adapt programs for their own sound generation needs.
Capture or generate audio effects to meet the descriptive needs of specific media.
Identify and discuss sonic art strategies employed in the work of other designers.
Books Needed
Book: Contemporary Musicianship by Jennifer Sterling Snodgrass
Books Suggested
Book: How to Play Jazz and Improvise by Jamey Aebersold
Materials Needed
Active email account
A computer with Internet access that can properly display web pages, PDF documents, and is capable of streaming audio and video (could be accomplished in the library or a computer lab)
A quality (full spectrum, 20-20,000 Hz) pair of headphones. For sanitary reasons and the health of the ear I strongly recommend using the type of headphones that cover the outer ears, rather than the earbud type that go inside the ear opening.
Access to a piano keyboard
Music staff paper 10 lines to a page preferred. Leaves room for notes and symbols.
Materials Suggested
A metronome as a device or app
A pitch pipe, tuning fork, or other source of reference pitch
A piece of digital notation software such as MuseScore, or one of the free options from Finale, Sibelius, and now Dorico
A tablet running forScore to organize your music and exercises.