Foundations of Music

Course Duration: Full Year

Category: Electives, Electives, Elementary, Middle School

Assessment: Lesson Practice, Unit Exams, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam

Language: English

Course Overview

The Foundations of Music course develops a foundation for students of what music is, the different instruments in the various families of musical instruments, musical periods, select composers, and musical genres and styles. Course topics include:

What is Music?
Music Basics
String Family
Percussion Family
Brass Family
Woodwind Family
The Human Voice
Music Ensembles
Musical Periods of Western Music
Musical Styles and Genres
Fundamentals of Music Sound

Scope and Sequence

Unit 1: What is Music?In the first unit of Foundations of Music, students are asked to consider what music really is. They then begin to delve into the concepts of high or low, loud or soft, slow or fast, what a chord is, and melody & harmony. Additionally, this unit includes a special focus on the composer Frédéric Chopin.Unit 2: Music BasicsIn the Music Basics unit, student learn about the musical alphabet, the musical staff, staff note names, basic musical notation, and the piano. This unit also includes a special focus on the composer Claude Debussy.Unit 3: The String FamilyThe String Family unit delves into the concepts of instrument families, beginning with a focus on the members of the string family, including the violin, the viola, the cello, the string bass, and the guitar. Additionally, this unit includes a special focus on the composer Antonio Vivaldi.Unit 4: The Percussion FamilyThe Percussion Family unit focuses on the members of the percussion family including the snare drum, the xylophone, the cymbals, the tambourine, and the tympani. This unit also includes a special focus on the composer John Phillip Sousa.Unit 5: The Brass FamilyThe Brass Family unit focuses on the trumpet, the french horn, the trombone, the tuba, the euphonium, and the composer Gustav Mahler.Unit 6: The Woodwind FamilyThe Woodwind Family unit introduces students to the piccolo, the flute, the oboe, the bassoon, the clarinet, and the saxophone. A special focus on the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is also included.Unit 7: The Human VoiceIn this unit students learn about the human voice as an instrument. The concepts of soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass are introduced. A special focus on the composer George Frideric Handel is included.Unit 8: Musical EnsemblesIn the Musical Ensembles unit, students are introduced to the concept of a musical ensemble and learn about a string orchestra, a marching band, a cappella, a jazz band, a night at the symphony, and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven.Unit 9: Musical Periods of Western MusicThrough the course of the Musical Periods of Western Music unit, students learn about the renaissance, baroque period, the composer Johann Sebastian Bach, the classical period, the composer Joseph Haydn, and the romantic period. Additionally, this unit includes a special focus on the composer Hector Berlioz, the 20th Century period of music, and the composer George Gershwin.Unit 10: Musical Genres & StylesThis Musical Genres & Styles unit introduces American Music, including blues, big band jazz, rock and roll, country, pop, and the composer Robert Schumann.Unit 11: Fundamentals of Musical SoundIn the final unit, students focus on the Fundamentals of Musical Sound, beginning with the sound & tradition of world music. A focus is placed on the music and culture of China, India, Australia, Ireland, Japan, and Russia. This unit also includes a special focus on the composer Aaron Copland.