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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
MUSID002.
Course Title (CB02)
Music Fundamentals
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This is a basic introduction to concepts and skills of music notation, rhythm, major and minor scales and keys, simple sight-reading, key signatures, melody, and triads. This course is open to all students and may be appropriate for students with low scores on the MUSI 3A diagnostic test. Music Fundamentals students with no previous musical experience may benefit from concurrent enrollment in a beginning instrumental or vocal performance class.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is transferable to all CSU and UC campuses. It is also accepted for the A.A. degree in Music at °®¶¹´«Ã½ College. This course prepares music students for the comprehensive music major courses.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(Formerly MUSI D010A.)

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
C-IDArea(s)StatusDetails
MUSMusicApprovedC-ID MUS 110

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
3.0
Maximum Credit Units
3.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours3.06.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
36.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
36.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
72.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
72.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

ESL D261. and ESL D265., or ESL D461. and ESL D465., or eligibility for EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture

Demonstration

Performance

Individual and group work

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Assignments

  1. Regular outside assignments from the text and other sources
  2. Outside practice in performance melodic and rhythmic examples including ear training.
  3. Reading assignments in the required text
  4. Writing melody, rhythm, and harmony examples

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Regular graded homework evaluated for accuracy of scales, intervals, rhythms, and musical terms.
  2. Performance of melodic, rhythmic, and harmony examples including ear training during class meetings, assessed for accuracy and improvement.
  3. Regular quizzes derived from assigned reading and class lectures demonstrating comprehension of concepts and practice.
  4. Midterm and final exam evaluated for accuracy in writing, scales, intervals, chords, rhythms, and musical terms; identification of chords and inversions.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • Music manuscript paper
  • Access to a keyboard instrument or simulation (computer application or printed piano keyboard)
Essential College Facilities:
  • Classroom with staff-lined blackboards/whiteboards, piano, sound system
  • Practice room with piano

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Duckworth, William. "A Creative Approach to Music Fundamentals", 11th Edition, Cengage Publishing Co., 2015.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Nelson, Robert. Carl J. Christiansen. "Foundations of Music". 7th ed. Cengage Publishing, 2015
Ottman, Robert W. Frank D. Mainous. "Rudiments of Music". 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 2005
Ottman, Robert W. "Music for Sight singing". 9th ed. Pearson Education, 2014

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate understanding of, and the ability to use, basic standard notation of pitch and rhythm.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the keyboard as a musical frame of reference.
  • Demonstrate the ability to write major and minor scales with and without key signatures.
  • Demonstrate the ability to name, recognize, and write melodic and harmonic intervals.
  • Demonstrate the ability to write and identify simple chords using root name and quality, position in key, and basic chord symbols.

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate understanding of basic standard notation of pitch and rhythm.

  • Write major and minor scales with and without key signatures.

Outline

  1. Demonstrate understanding of, and the ability to use, basic standard notation of pitch and rhythm.
    1. Musical staff, grand staff, and the concept and practice of systems of staves
      1. Locate pitches on the staff
      2. Treble clef
      3. Bass clef
      4. The concept of the C clefs and specific application of the concept to tenor clef and alto clef
      5. Use of ledger lines and octave above and octave below symbols
    2. Pitch notation symbols
      1. Note heads and stems and stem direction
      2. Accidentals and the various ways they are applied
      3. The concept and practice of enharmonic spellings
      4. Techniques for writing pitch notation
    3. Rhythmic notation
      1. Basic rhythmic symbols
      2. Rests
      3. Dotted rhythms
      4. Beams and flags
    4. Meter
      1. Simple and compound meters
      2. Writing time signatures
    5. Tempo
      1. Metronome indications
      2. Basic tempo terminology
    6. Rhythmic skills
      1. Performance of basic rhythmic examples including beat level, multiple beats as single values, and subdivision of beat
      2. Aural recognition of rhythms and meters
    7. Basic conducting patterns: duple, triple, and quadruple meters
  2. Demonstrate understanding of the keyboard as a musical frame of reference.
    1. Recognizing the pattern of black and white keys on musical keyboards
    2. Naming notes on the keyboard
    3. Locating Middle C on the keyboard and in the notation of various clefs
    4. Identifying half and whole steps at the keyboard.
    5. Locate and identify the eight octave designations on the keyboard.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to write major and minor scales with and without key signatures.
    1. Scale construction
      1. Diatonic scales
      2. The pattern of half and whole steps in major scales
      3. Creating major and minor scales by adding accidentals to diatonic scales
    2. Key signatures
      1. Writing key signatures: the order and patterns of flats and sharps
      2. Use of the circle of fifths
    3. Minor scales
      1. Natural, melodic, harmonic
      2. Relative and parallel scales and keys
      3. Minor key signatures
    4. Aural recognition of basic scale types
    5. Keyboard and vocal performance of basic scale types
  4. Demonstrate the ability to name, recognize, and write melodic and harmonic intervals.
    1. Naming intervals by number and quality
    2. Identifying and writing intervals within diatonic scales
    3. Melodic and harmonic intervals
    4. Identifying and writing harmonic inversion
    5. Aural recognition of basic intervals
  5. Demonstrate the ability to write and identify simple chords using root name and quality, position in key, and basic chord symbols.
    1. Building triads on major and minor scale degrees
    2. Triad types
      1. Major
      2. Minor
      3. Diminished
      4. Augmented
    3. Intervallic structure
    4. Close and open voicing
    5. Inversions of triads
    6. Dominant seventh chord
    7. Aural recognition and performance of simple chords
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