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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
MUSI D001A
Course Title (CB02)
Music Appreciation: Music in Western Cultures
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
Introduction to the discipline of music; methods of understanding music available in modern culture; listening techniques; use of fundamental concepts including form, style, musical media, and textures; acquaintance with and comparison of musical examples from various eras and cultures; roles of music in society.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course fulfills transfer requirements in general education, is UC- and CSU-transferrable and comparable to similar lower-division courses typically offered at four-year institutions, and this course belongs to the A.A. degree in Music. This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSU GE and IGETC. The course serves as in introduction to understanding music for general education and music major students.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
Yes
Foothill Course ID
MUS F001.

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC1°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC1CSU GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3AIGETC Area 3A - ArtsApproved
C-IDArea(s)StatusDetails
MUSMusicApprovedC-ID MUS 100

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

ESL D272. and ESL D273., or ESL D472. and ESL D473., or eligibility for EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Other: In-class listening to music examples

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Field observation and field trips

Assignments

  1. Weekly assigned readings from required text and assigned listening to musical examples accompanying the required text.
  2. Weekly written assignments requiring assimilation of assigned reading and listening, and description of recorded musical examples.
  3. Activities
    1. Assigned weekly listening to recordings of musical examples.
    2. Weekly assignments requiring assimilation of assigned reading and listening, and description of recorded musical examples.
    3. Describe, analyze, compare, and discuss musical examples and issues in class and/or online.
    4. Attend live concerts
  4. Writing - Written assignments based on live performances, including concert reviews and/or concert reports. A concert review is typically two to three pages in length and includes an overview and summary of the event and reflections on the student's experience. A concert report is three to six pages in length and includes an objective description of the performance, the student's subjective reaction to the music, and a summary critique of the concert.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Participation in class discussions to demonstrate ability to use terms and concepts, recognize and describe characteristics of musical examples, consider alternative points of view, distinguish among and compare examples and concepts, develop and refine thinking.
  2. Midterm test(s), and final exam consisting of objective and essay questions, some based upon listening to musical examples, evaluated for comprehension, analysis, description, and interpretation.
  3. Weekly quizzes to evaluate knowledge and comprehension of textbook readings and recorded listening assignments and assess student progress on comprehension and application of written and musical materials.
  4. Weekly written assignments based upon assigned readings in text and elsewhere and on listening to recorded musical examples to evaluate formative skills with understanding of terms, concepts, musical examples and ability to listen critically.
  5. Concert reports and/or reviews describing live performances to evaluate ability to apply listening and analyzing skills to the description of musical performances and to reflect upon response to performance.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • Audio recordings of selected musical examples from the text
Essential College Facilities:
  • Classroom with piano, high fidelity audio-video playback system (for audio cassette, record, compact disk, mp3, VHS tape, DVD), overhead projector
  • Extensive collection of audio and video recordings

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
*Kamien, Roger: "Music: An Appreciation" (8th brief ed.), New York: McGraw Hill, 2015. With accompanying set of recordings.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Boyd, Malcolm. "Oxford Composer Companions J.S. Bach". United States: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Briscoe, James, ed. "New Historical Anthology of Music by Women". Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald J. Grout, and Claude Palisca. "A History of Western Music". 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2014.
Copland, Aaron. "What to Listen for in Music". New York: Signet Classic, 2002.
Darby, William & DuBois Jack. "American Film Music: Major Composers, Techniques, Trends 1915-1990". Jefferson, N.C. McFarland, 1999.
Diamond, Harold J. "Music Analyses: An Annotated Guide to the Literature". Schirmer Books, 1991.
Duckles, Vincent, and Ida Reed. "Music Reference and Research Materials: An Annotated Bibliography". 5th ed. Schirmer Books, 1997.
Hitchcock, H. Wiley, and Stanley Sadie, eds. "The New Grove Dictionary of American Music". Macmillan, 1986.
Kernfeld, Barry, ed. "New Grove Dictionary of Jazz". 2nd ed. Macmillan, 2002.
Larkin, Colin, ed. "Encyclopedia of Popular Music". 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Malm, William P. "Music Cultures of the Pacific, the Near East, and Asia". Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1996.
Nettl, Bruno. "Excursions in World Music". 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 2004.
Porter, James, Timothy Rice, et al. "The Garland encyclopedia of World Music 10 vols". New York: Garland Publishing, 1998.
Sadie, Julie Annne, and Rhian Samuel, eds. "The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers". W. W. Norton and Company, 1995.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Employ a basic vocabulary of common music terms to describe observations of recorded and live music.
  • Recognize individual instruments and voices and the various ensembles in which they are used.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of music in human cultures and relate musical expression to other forms of artistic expression and to culture generally.
  • Distinguish features of important musical style periods, forms, composers, and practices.
  • Recognize, describe, and compare musical practices in contemporary society.
  • Recognize basic distinguishing characteristics among a representative group of musical compositions.

CSLOs

  • Employ a basic vocabulary of common music terms to describe observations of recorded and live music.

  • Recognize individual instruments and voices in the various ensembles in which they are used while identifying the time period of given compositions.

Outline

  1. Employ a basic vocabulary of common music terms to describe observations of recorded and live music.
    1. Fundamentals of musical sound
      1. Pitch: frequency, intervals, scales, definite and indefinite pitch.
      2. Dynamics: terraced dynamics, dynamic levels, crescendo/diminuendo, and expressive use of dynamics.
      3. Rhythm: Duration, tempo, meter.
      4. Tone color: Describing tone color, musical uses of tone color.
    2. Basic concepts of musical organization and structure.
      1. Scales: major, minor, pentatonic, chromatic, modes.
      2. Melody: pitch and rhythm components, phrase.
      3. Harmony: chords, progressions.
      4. Key: major and minor, concept of modulation.
      5. Texture: monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic, heterophonic.
      6. Form: binary and ternary, common single and multiple movement forms.
    3. Application of music terminology through description and discussion of musical examples, both recorded and performed live.
      1. Objective descriptions of musical features.
      2. Subjective reactions, particularly as related to musical features.
  2. Recognize individual instruments and voices and the various ensembles in which they are used.
    1. Voices
      1. Defined by gender, pitch range and tone color
      2. Use in solo and ensemble performance situations
      3. Vocal practices: popular versus classical, cultural variations, amplification
    2. Instruments
      1. Methods of categorizing instrumental sound sources.
      2. Instrument families and their characteristics
      3. Use in solo and ensemble performance situations
      4. Historical development and cultural variations
    3. Comparisons of instrumental and vocal practices and resources in different historical periods and cultures.
      1. Trace evolution of instrumental and vocal practices from Middle Ages to present time.
      2. Compare instrumental and vocal practices in music from multiple cultures.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of music in human cultures and relate musical expression to other forms of artistic expression and to culture generally.
    1. Uses of music in human societies
      1. Music as entertainment
      2. Ceremonial and religious music
      3. Music as art
      4. Music as an expression of popular culture
      5. Relationships between popular and art music
    2. Representative examples and practices from major cultural traditions, including:
      1. Europe
      2. India
      3. Asia
      4. Sub-Saharan Africa
      5. Middle East
      6. Latin-America
    3. Non-literate music from representative contemporary and historical cultures.
      1. Pre-notational early music
      2. Non-notated music in popular, folk, and similar practices
    4. Distinguishing characteristics, including:
      1. Roles of music as sacred, popular, art, etc.
      2. Practice and roles of improvisation and notation
      3. Relative roles of melody, rhythm, and harmony
    5. Representative connections between musical culture and general culture in various eras, including:
      1. Religion in the Middle Ages
      2. Humanism in the Renaissance
      3. Classicism and reason
      4. Romantic music, art, and literature
      5. Electronic media, music as "art", and multicultural infusion in modern music
    6. Gender issues in European art music. Examples include:
      1. Middle Ages and Renaissance: gender segregation in sacred music
      2. Baroque era: the castrati
      3. Classical and Romantic eras: emergence of women performers, restrictions on women composers
  4. Distinguish features of important musical style periods, forms, composers, and practices.
    1. Music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance eras
      1. Historical and social context
      2. Role of music and musicians in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
      3. General characteristics of music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
      4. Sacred music: Gregorian chant, organum, motet, mass
      5. Secular music for voices and instruments
        1. Vocal: Italian and English madrigals
        2. Instrumental: Dances, etc.
      6. From monophony to polyphony and the beginnings of homophony
    2. Music of the Baroque Era
      1. Historical and social context
      2. Music and musicians in Baroque society
      3. General characteristics of Baroque music
      4. Development of opera
      5. Representative forms of the Baroque era: Opera, concerto, fugue, cantata, suite, and oratorio
    3. Music of the Classical Era
      1. Historical and social context
      2. Music and musicians in Classical society
      3. Characteristics of the Classical style
      4. Representative forms of Classical music
        1. Single-movement: sonata-allegro, theme and variations, minuet and trio, rondo, scherzo.
        2. Multiple-movement: symphony, string quartet, concerto, sonata.
        3. Opera: continuing evolution, and new forms and practices.
    4. Music of the Romantic Era
      1. Historical and social context
      2. Romantic literature and art
      3. General characteristics of Romantic music
      4. Forms of the Romantic era
        1. Development and expansion of Classical forms.
        2. Opera: continuing evolution and new forms and practices.
        3. New instrumental forms: Tone poem, program symphony, concert overture, lieder, solo instrumental music.
  5. Recognize, describe, and compare musical practices in contemporary society.
    1. Twentieth-century society
      1. Historical and political background
      2. Art and literature as related to music
      3. Technology
    2. Styles and trends in twentieth-century art music
      1. The rejection of tonality
      2. Impressionism
      3. Atonality, the 12-tone System, and Serialism
      4. Neoclassicism
      5. Experimentalism
      6. Chance music
      7. Electronic music
      8. Music in film
      9. Minimalism
      10. Influence of popular music on art music
    3. Development of American musical identity in the twentieth-century
      1. American music and its relationship to European music before 1900
      2. Composers establishing distinctly American musical identities in the twentieth century.
      3. Multicultural sources and features of twentieth and twenty-first century American music
    4. Cross-cultural influences in twentieth-century music
      1. Impressionism and the music of Asia
      2. Primitivism
      3. Influences of Jazz styles
      4. Minimalism and the music of India and Africa
      5. Evolving concepts of "popular" and "classical" music.
    5. The impact of technology on music-making and musical experience
      1. Synthesis and recording
      2. Popular styles: amplification, electronic instruments, and sampling.
      3. Performance versus playback
      4. Post-literate musical composition
      5. The business of music: music as a commodity
  6. Recognize basic distinguishing characteristics among a representative group of musical compositions.
    1. Representative composers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Hildegard of Bingen, Guillaume de Machaut. Josquin Desprez, Palestrina, the Gabrielis, Thomas Morley, Thomas Weelkes.
    2. Representative composers of the Baroque era: Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, Isabella Leonarda, Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Johann Sebastian Bach, G. F. Handel, Barbara Strozzi, Antonio Vivaldi.
    3. Representative composers of the Classical era: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Chevalier de St. Georges, Maria Paradis, Marianna von Martines.
    4. Representative composers of the Romantic era: Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Giacomo Puccini, Richard Wagner, Modeste Mussorgsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, Fanny Hensel, Gustav Mahler.
    5. Representative composers of the modern era: Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Bela Bartok, Charles Ives, Louise Armstrong, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Joan Tower, Nadia Boulanger, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Chavez, John Adams, William Grant Still, Scott Joplin, Tan Dun, Chinery Ung, Laurie Anderson, John Corigliano, Bessie Smith, Ravi Shankar.
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