Music Appreciation
What is Music Appreciation?
Music Appreciation is the study of the history and development of music as an art form. It covers a wide range of topics, from the origins of music to the different styles and genres that have emerged over time. The course also looks at the ways in which music is used in society, both in formal settings such as concerts and operas, and in informal settings such as at parties or in the home.
Music Appreciation courses provide an overview of music from a variety of genres and historical periods. Students will develop an understanding and appreciation for music through critical listening, analysis, and research. Students will gain knowledge of music history, theory, and composition. In addition, students will have the opportunity to attend live concerts and apply their knowledge to current music.
Music Appreciation Resources
Body And Soul: The Making Of American Modernism
In this book Robert Crunden puts the “jazz” back in the Jazz Age. Jazz was America's greatest contribution to the Modernist movement, yet it is much overlooked. When we hear the term “Jazz Age,” we conjure the ghosts of...
My First Classical Music Book
My First Classical Music Book is a delightfully colorful introduction to classical music, designed to fire the imagination of children aged 5-7 years. Readers are asked to think about the different places in which we might hear music. Then, each of t...
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together the histories of the twentieth century and its music, from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties; from Hitler's Germany an...
The Beauty of Kunqu Opera
About this Course This course will focus on the historical and cultural background, literary aesthetics, music, and performance of Kunqu, China’s classical opera. After viewing the lecture videos presented by scholars and renowned maestros in the fi...
The Place of Music in 21st Century Education
About this Course What do children need from education now, and in the future? How is technology best used in teaching and learning? How can innovative approaches to education be reconciled with established, traditional ones? What does student-centr...
Music as Biology: What We Like to Hear and Why
About this Course The course will explore the tone combinations that humans consider consonant or dissonant, the scales we use, and the emotions music elicits, all of which provide a rich set of data for exploring music and auditory aesthetics in a...
The World of the String Quartet
Arnold Steinhardt, first violin of the internationally acclaimed Guarneri String Quartet, invites music listeners to the world of the string quartet repertoire and ensemble. Journey with him and interpretive analysis instructor Mia Chung through the...
Listening to Music with Craig Wright
This course fosters the development of aural skills that lead to an understanding of Western music. The musical novice is introduced to the ways in which music is put together and is taught how to listen to a wide variety of musical styles, from Bach...
Introduction to Classical Music
Using a simple and enjoyable teaching style, this course introduces the novice listener to the wonders of classical music, from Bach fugues to Mozart symphonies to Puccini operas....
Music Appreciation (online)
Music is part of our everyday lives and reflects the spirit of our human condition. This course will provide students with an aesthetic and historical perspective of music, covering a variety of styles and developments from the Middle Ages through th...
Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas
Our relationship to Beethoven is a deep and paradoxical one. For many musicians, he represents a kind of holy grail: His music has an intensity, rigor, and profundity which keep us in its thrall, and it is perhaps unequalled in the interpretive, tech...