Music In History & Cultures: Music Interpretations

　

During the course, Music In History & Cultures: Music Interpretations, a college level course, group activities and creative projects are assinged to broaden and strengthen the students understandings of different types of music, different cultures of music, the historical elements of the music and its components, and students will be able to identify and interpret different genres of music from around the world in connections with the composers and time periods which they originated. The students will learn to recognize pitch and tonality of music and match different musical methods to the parts of the world they come from. From understanding musical regions, then they will be able to identify the significance of the music from the time and culture it fits into. The students will expand their knowledge of the originations of music, and gain cultural and historical foundations of the music and its many elements. In additions to all of the above, students will gain appreciation and comprehensions of the culture, the time periods, and composers they learn about, and once the mastery of recognizing different musical styles is comfortably met, the students will be able to form their own theories of music and original compositions branching from strategies of what they learned about the musical structures. From what moved them musically, and they will be able to back their music theory and composition with essays explaining where their influence came from culturally and what time period affected them and background of composers that have influenced them mostly.

After several weeks of working together as a class, with listening to musical pieces as a group, thoroughly discussing elements of the time periods, the cultures, and the composers, then the assessments that will define the grades for the course will begin. The course grade will be given from five different assessments, each worth up to 4 points each, making a total of 20 points possible. The first and second assessments will be the auditory exams, wherein, together the students will be played short samples of the musical pieces we have covered through the course, these will of course be at random and be a total of five different musical scores, the students will identify the time period, composer, and culture associated with the pieces. The next auditory exam, a sample of a musical scores will be played, and the students will be expected to recognize the style of the piece and the styles connection to culture and time period and how it was significant. These two assessments will be given auditory, and will require brief written explanations from the students for up to four pieces of music.

The next three assessments will all be included as components of the final written essays, but then each student will also give a verbal and musical presentation of their own original composition, explaining verbally the connections to the lessons and the components of the essay that back their choice for creating an original composition. First part of the essay will include research of the several dominant elements of music associated with a particular time period or culture and describe the correlation and relation of the parts of music to other elements in that time or culture. They will analyze and defend their connections with historical facts and comparisons they find through research. The next part of the essay written, will revolve about the time period or culture, and composers that impacted the student most, or moved them most, and the students must presents several accurate facts explaining why certain elements inspired them. From here, once the original composition of music is created by the students, the last part of the essay, the student explains the piece they will perform as their original composition, describing in their essays, details of the time periods, the cultures, and the composers that were found to be the most inspirational, to them, and with clarifications, and precisions to help define and explain the dimensions of their own created musical structures, and where the creations have stemmed from. After the essays are handed in, the final musically composition will be played to the class, using newly imprinted knowledge the students will follow their musical composition with a short speech regarding the elements of the essay, such as why the choose a certain style, and what time period and culture would it come from, and which ones inspired them the most to create original composition.

The essay requirements are 10-12 pages, and required three alternative sources. The essays will be due the Monday, two weeks before courses are finished, before the auditory tests and oral presentations begin. The auditory test will begin the following Wednesday and will go through Friday. Each sample played, the students will have ten minutes to complete their responses. The final week of classes, the oral presentations will be given, and there will be a list by which students may decide what order they want to perform in, and the oral presentation must be at least ten minutes long, and original composition must be at least five minutes long, making the presentation a total of at least 15 minutes. These are the only thing due throughout the course, so use your time to research wisely and practice composing pieces, so you can stay ahead of the game.

The rubric below is the breakdown of the point system, and grades range 20-18 points A, 17-16 points B, and 15-14 points C.

Music In History & Cultures : Music Interpretations Teacher Name: Megan Smith Student Name: ________________________________________

　

CATEGORY

Identifies music as being associated with a time or culture or composer

Analyzes how music fits time/culture

Recognizes different musical styles

Facts - Time Period/Culture/ Composers

Original Compositions

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

References:

Kubiszyn, Tom & Borich, Gary (2010). Educational Testing & Measurement: Classroom Application and Practice (9^th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ. (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2010).

Website: http://rubistar.4teachers.org