Music Theory
MUSic Department
Why Music Theory?
Each student in music at the Fine Arts Center is required to participate in a Music Theory course along with their applied lessons. We believe that understanding the history and theory of music is important for a number of reasons:
There are a number of reasons…
• To become a better musician, which includes being a better listener. Any listener will notice more – thereby enjoying a richer listening experience – if they have some idea of what’s in the sound. A performer who is a better listener will be a better performer. A music lover can learn to love music even more with an increased appreciation of what is involved.
• To become a better performer. Performers who are well founded in music theory will read music more efficiently, hear more accurately, and remember their music more reliably. In great music there is often a correlation between important structural elements and important dramatic moments; thus, a well-grounded performer is likely to be a more effective interpreter of the music.
• Because everyone else is doing it. OK, that doesn’t sound good, but the fact is that anyone wishing to earn a college major or minor in music will have to master this same material. It is considered to be a core of information and skills that no one worthy of their diploma should be without. The ear-training skills included in our courses are often taught in college courses with name like “Essential Musicianship.”
• Because you will be a better rounded musician – and a better rounded person – if you actually know some things about the sounds you are making. Great art generally includes food for the brain as well as the emotions, and the two are inextricably linked.
Some students arrive with no knowledge of music theory, while others have had previous exposure to the material throughout their musical training. We are well equipped to accommodate students of all levels in this subject.
