This document provides an overview of a Music 101 course that will cover the development of Western music from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. It will survey both European and American composers and genres like classical music, film music, jazz, and world music. Students will study the major periods of Western music history and great composers, developing skills in listening to and analyzing the elements of music. Coursework will include keeping a listening log, using an online resource called MyMusicLab, and completing assignments on Blackboard.

1. Welcome To
Music 101
Introduction to Music
Burlington County College
Section 800 – Spring, 2016
Monday/Wednesday 2:00 – 3:20
Jeffrey Lesser, Instructor

2. What is this course
about?
Development of music in western
civilization from its beginnings in Europe
Time Frame: Middle Ages up through the
21st
century in America and around the
world.

3. Topics in this course
 Classical Music
 Film Music
 The American Musical Theatre
 Jazz
 World Music
 American Popular Music (ca. 1960-80)

4. More About this
course
 We will study the periods of Western Musical History
and listen to examples of music from each period.
 Music of both European and American composers
will be surveyed, along with some music of non-
Western traditions.
 We will study the great composers from each period
of music, with some of the important works they
composed.
 By the time the course is complete, you will know the
periods of musical history in Western culture and will
be able to identify musical examples from each
period.

5. listening
 We will listen for the elements of music,
including rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics,
timbre, texture, form and genre.
 You will keep a listening log in a notebook of the
musical samples that you listen to.
 You will notate the composer, the complete
name of the work, the time period and the genre.
You can also make any notes about the the
music in your listening log.

6. listening
We will listen to different kinds of music.
Some of the music may be appealing to
you, or even enjoyable. Some of the
music we listen to may not immediately
be very appealing.
You should try to listen to all of the
musical samples in the course with an
open mind and try to learn and absorb
what you can from the experience.

7. listening
Most of the music that we experience in
everyday life in commercial and popular
formats has durations of 3 minutes or
less.
In this course, you will develop skills of
attention and focus that will enable you to
experience and appreciate musical works
of considerably longer duration.

8. Keep in mind
You will learn factual information such as
periods of musical history, and names
and dates of great composers
Some of what you will learn in this class
is subjective, based on (informed)
opinion.
Hopefully, you should find this course to
be an interesting, enjoyable experience,
as well as an educational one.

9. Or in musical terms
Here is “The History of Music” as
performed by String Fever.
How many tunes do you recognize?
Can you name the composer?
Do you know the work’s title?
Please watch as I log in to MYMUSICLAB,
our class online resource!

10. Class syllabus
I will utilize Blackboard as an
instruction, activity and
assessment resource for this
course. Please watch as I
login to Blackboard and
navigate to the syllabus!

11. BREAK!
Stand and stretch!

12. Introduction: the
elements of music
 Melody: A single line of notes heard in
succession as a coherent unit.
 Rhythm: The ordering of music through time.
 Harmony: The sound created by multiple voices
playing or singing together.
 Texture: The number and relationship of musical
lines or voices.

13. Introduction: the
elements of music
 Timbre: The character of a sound.
 Dynamics: The degree of volume (soft to loud).
 Form: The structure of the music.
 Word-Music Relationships: How the meaning of
the lyrics or general text affects the music.

14. Before next class
 Set up your Pearson Account and try the
MyMusicLab readiness activities. The quiz does
not count!
 Read pages 1-8
 Review the Elements Tutorials for Melody,
Harmony, and Rhythm
 Find the Study Guide in the Elements Folder on
Blackboard

15. Have a great week!