Music Theory 1 Course of Study

Course of Study- Fall Semester I. Fundamentals of Music- introduction to the basic concepts of music, definitions and elements of music, the origin of music and sound, and the aesthetics of sound. a. Notation system b. Pitch c. Intervals d. Consonance vs. dissonance e. Harmony f. Tonality and key signature g. Chords h. Cadences i. Rhythm j. Dynamics k. Form II. Notation- Pitch, recognition, writing, and historical aspects a. Lines and spaces b. Clefs c. Grand staff d. Ledger lines e. History and early notation

III. Piano Concepts a. Notes on the keyboard b. History of the keyboard c. Relationship of keyboard to grand staff and clefs IV. Rhythmic notation a. Note and rest values b. Division of time c. Dotted rhythm d. Time signatures and meters e. Rhythmic markings V. Historical Aspects- Medieval period a. Musical styles b. Cultural perspective of the time period c. Composers and compositions d. Musical pieces of the time period VI. Dynamics, Phrasing, and Tempo- The aesthetics of music a. Markings and notation b. Dynamic characters c. Phrasing notation and purposes d. Use in music VII. Half and whole steps a. Flats, sharps, and natural symbols b. Enharmonic tones c. Ear training

VIII. Historical Aspects- Renaissance period a. Musical style b. Cultural perspective of the time period c. Composers and compositions d. Musical pieces of the time period IX.  Intervals a. Creation b. Recognition (aural and visual) c. Major, minor, perfect, augmented and diminished d. Harmonic and melodic use X. Major Scales a. Note relationships b. Scale construction c. Origin d. Scale recognition (aurally and visually) e. Scale degrees XI. Major Key Signatures a. Sharp keys b. Flat keys c. Major circle of fifths d. Relationships e. Historical temperaments and tuning