Through printed text and audio recordings, Music offers students a solid foundation in the history of Western (i.e., European and American) music, from medieval times to the present, along with an introduction to music from other cultures. It discusses music theory and instrumentation, and enables students to identify and evaluate different kinds of music by actively listening to a wide range: orchestral and vocal concert, film, popular, folk, ethnic, medieval, Renaissance, baroque, classical, opera, romantic, etc.
Course Description
The course includes an illustrated, 367-page text, Music Listening Today (2nd Edition), with two enhanced CD-ROMs offering representative samples of music. (Required: CD player to hear audio portion only, or computer with Windows® CD-ROM player to also use interactive multimedia portions.) Included, too, is a study guide with seven lessons, reading assignments, self-checks, and seven multiple-choice exams.
Also included: Answer Key Supplement, with solutions to the Practice Exercise problems in the study units.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
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Describe the basic principles of music theory, including melody, harmony, dynamics,
and timbre
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Discuss the main types of orchestral and popular instruments
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Describe such instruments as the harpsichord, mbira, koto, tamboura, and sitar
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Explain the distinction between art music and folk music
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Describe different forms of musical composition
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Define the major periods of Western musical history
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Identify influential composers—e.g., Beethoven, Bizet, Copland, Ellington, Gershwin,
Handel, Mozart, Stravinsky, and Williams—during various periods of musical history
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Identify representative modern musical compositions and the movements associated
with their creation
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Define such terms as polyphony, a cappella, chromatic scale, pitch, and virtuoso
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Discuss the history of music in the United States
Course Outline
Lesson 1: The Nature of Music
Introduction: How to Listen to Music; Uses of Music; Art Music; Star Wars Theme; Music Appreciation; Rhythm; Melody and Harmony; Dynamics, Timbre, and Organization; Types of Musical Instruments; Voice; Thomson’s Alleluia; Composers
Lesson 2: Music Around the World
Introduction to Folk and Ethnic Music; How They Differ; Listening Tips; European Folk Music; American Folk Music; Native American Music; African American Music; Latin American Music; African Music; Middle Eastern Music; Music of Asia: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Balinese
Lesson 3: Western Music Before 1750
Introduction to Music from Ancient Times to Circa 1750; Ancient Greek and Roman Times; Middle Ages; Gothic Period; Gregorian Chants; The Mass and Its Music; Secular Music and Dance; Polyphony; Gothic Motet in France; Music in the Rest of Europe; Music of the Renaissance; Baroque Music and Instruments
Lesson 4: Classical Music
Introduction to Classical Period Music (circa 1750 to 1820); Features to Listen for; Sonata Form; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Concertos; Franz Joseph Haydn; Classical Opera; Development of Opera; Chamber Music; Ludwig van Beethoven
Lesson 5: Romantic Music
Introduction to Romantic Period; Characteristics of Romanticism; Its “Split Personality”; Early Romantic Music; Art Song; Franz Schubert; Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn; Robert and Clara Wieck Schumann; Female Composers; Romantic Piano Music; Frederic Chopin; Niccolo Paganini; Franz Liszt; Program Music; Ballet Music; Piotr Tchaikovsky; Romantic Opera; Giuseppe Verdi; Richard Wagner’s Music Dramas; Late Romantic Music; Johannes Brahms; Nationalism; Impressionism; Post-Romanticism; Claude Debussy; Maurice Ravel; Sergei Rachmaninoff; Jean Sibelius; Gustav Mahler
Lesson 6: Twentieth Century Music
Introduction; Diversity; What Was New; Mainstream Music; Bela Bartok; Other Mainstream Composers; Primitivism; Igor Stravinsky; Neoclassical Period; Sergie Prokofiev; Tone Rows; Serialism; New Sounds and Techniques; Music Today
Lesson 7: Music in the United States
Introduction; Music in Colonial America; Patriotic Songs; Art Music to 1920; Stephen Foster; Patrick Gilmore and His 1,000-Man Orchestra; Early Twentieth Century Music; John Philip Sousa; Charles Ives; Art Music Since 1920; Nationalism; Aaron Copland; Popular Music and Jazz to 1950; Tin Pan Alley; Ragtime; Scott Joplin; Blues; Bessie Smith; Jazz: Dixieland, Boogie-Woogie, and Swing; Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington; Popular Music Since 1950; Rhythm and Blues; Soul; Rap/Hip-Hop; Country Music; Rock; Beatles; Rolling Stones; Fusion; Latin American; Modern Jazz; Music for Stage and Film; Leonard Bernstein; American Opera; George Gershwin; John Williams
How it Works After registering for the Music course, all of your learning materials will be shipped directly to you. If you like, you can also go to our website and download some of your study materials to get a head start. Your learning materials will guide you through the course content, explaining concepts and operations through a series of lessons. After each lesson, you’ll take an exam which you can submit by phone or our website. As you pass each lesson, you’ll proceed to the next topic until you complete the course.
There are seven exams that need to be passed to complete your course in Music and you’ll have up to 15 weeks to complete the course.
Support
If you should ever need help with your studies, you can e-mail or call our instructors who will gladly help you with any questions that you might have.
Study Time
Since there is no set class schedule, you study when and where it’s convenient for you. You can complete your course as quickly as you’d like.
Completion
When you have successfully completed your course, you will receive a letter of completion along with an official transcript listing your completed course(s) and grades. You can apply your course towards our Diploma Program or a diploma from your local High School (be sure to check with your school authorities regarding mandatory attendance policies and whether they agree that the Penn Foster High School Program is acceptable toward the completion of your high school education).
Accreditation
Penn Foster High School is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools; has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), Washington D.C., and is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.
Whether you’re looking for accelerated studies or credit recovery, regionally and nationally accredited Penn Foster High School provides the courses you need to complete your High School Diploma.
