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Course Syllabus

MUSC 1100 Fundamentals of Music

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Music
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: N/A
  • Corequisites: N/A
  • Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2024
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2028
  • End Semester: Fall 2029
  • Optimum Class Size: 15
  • Maximum Class Size: 20

Course Description

This course includes the study of the rudimentary materials of music: scales, intervals, keys, rhythms, meters, and terminology for both visual and aural perception. It is designed for non-music majors, elementary education majors, and music majors desiring further foundational understanding prior to enrolling in the music theory sequence.

Justification

This course is taught at all four-year institutions in Utah and most institutions nationally. It serves to provide future elementary school teachers with a foundation in music terminology prior to enrolling in elementary school music methods. It also serves to remediate music majors who may otherwise have difficulty with music theory I.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic components of music including basic notational procedures, scales, key signatures, rhythmic notation, and the associated terminology describing these components.
  2. Students will learn how to extract meaning from reading standard musical notation.
  3. Students will also develop a vocabulary of musical terms sufficient for basic musical literacy.

Course Content

This course will provide students with an understanding of basic fundamental music notation practices. Students will learn the notes on a keyboard and on the staff. Students will learn rhythm in both simple and compound meters. Students will learn to construct major and minor scales, as well as major and minor key signatures. They will also learn to identify both visually and aurally, melodic and harmonic intervals. Students will understand the construction of major and minor triads and will be able to correctly identify these triads both visually and aurally.