Rouse Company Foundation Student Services Building

MUSA 101 Music Appreciation

Previously MUSC 101. Open to all interested students, this course provides an introduction to musical elements, forms and stylistic periods from the Middle Ages through the popular music of today. While concentrating primarily on Western Art Music and its representative composers, the course also touches on the increasing importance of different forms of popular music in the last century and its roots in various ethnic musical expression. Attention will also be given to historical events, sociological influences and encounters with non-European cultures within each historical period and their effect on musical development. This course is designed for the non-music major.

Credits

3

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

  1. Define the major elements of Western music (pitch, dynamics, timbre, composition, texture, rhythm, melody, harmony, and form).
  2. Interpret music notation at a fundamental level.
  3. Identify the following types of musical form: binary, ternary, variation, sonata, and rondo.
  4. Compare and contrast each of the major style periods of Western music history.
  5. Listen to selected musical excerpts and distinguish between style periods and relate historical events, sociological influences, and encounters with non-European cultures and their effect on musical development.
  6. Identify and organize information related to various genres of music.
  7. Generate and address ideas about the diverse human experience through time as expressed in music.
  8. Write an informed critique of a live music performance.
  9. List several major composers in each of the style periods of Western music.
  10. Identify the style period of a given jazz excerpt.
  11. Critically analyze and consider connections among works of music to other areas of the arts.
  12. Reflect upon expressions of contemporary human experience in music in relation to other time periods and contexts.

Course Objectives

  1. Define the major elements of Western music (pitch, dynamics, timbre, composition, texture, rhythm, melody, harmony, and form).

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Activity/Artifact grading
  2. Interpret music notation at a fundamental level.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.
  3. Identify the following types of musical form: binary, ternary, variation, sonata, and rondo.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Activity/Artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT1
    • CT2
    • CT3
  4. Compare and contrast each of the major style periods of Western music history.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Short answer assignment, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Activity/Artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT3
    • CT4
  5. Listen to selected musical excerpts and distinguish between style periods and relate historical events, sociological influences, and encounters with non-European cultures and their effect on musical development.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Activity/Artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT1
    • CT2
    • CT3
    • CT4
  6. Identify and organize information related to various genres of music.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Writing Assignments
    • Short answer assignment, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric
    • Activity/Artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT1
  7. Generate and address ideas about the diverse human experience through time as expressed in music.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Writing Assignments

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

    Critical Thinking

    • CT2
  8. Write an informed critique of a live music performance.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Writing Assignments
    • Essay

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Activity/artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT3
    • CT4
  9. List several major composers in each of the style periods of Western music.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.
  10. Identify the style period of a given jazz excerpt.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Quiz, or part of an exam which includes other course objectives.

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • activity/artifact grading

    Critical Thinking

    • CT1
  11. Critically analyze and consider connections among works of music to other areas of the arts.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Writing Assignments

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

    Critical Thinking

    • CT3
  12. Reflect upon expressions of contemporary human experience in music in relation to other time periods and contexts.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Writing Assignments

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

    Critical Thinking

    • CT4