Unit Objectives

By the end of this unit, students will be able to: 

• Identify and diagram two-part, three-part, and four-part (SRDC) phrase structures in popular music, diagram period and sentence structures, and compose examples of various structures in popular music given a starting motive.

• Explain how phrase structure in popular music differs from other repertoire types, highlighting unique characteristics.

• Differentiate between AABA, Strophic, and Verse-Chorus forms, cite examples for each, and aurally identify and diagram the phrase structure and form of a song in AABA and strophic form.

• Define terms related to strophic and AABA forms, such as strophe, refrain, auxiliary section, bridge, lyric-invariant, and lyric-variant, and compose a chord progression for a simple song in AABA and strophic form.