MUSC C101 - Music Appreciation

The official course description is: “A study of varying classical music styles and genres from the High Baroque to Modern periods.  Assigned listening will augment and enhance the participants’ active listening skills”. In a nutshell, we will be studying music from the classical musical tradition (not Jazz, AC/DC, or Taylor Swift). In the beginning of the course, we will get to know a lot of deceased Caucasian dudes from Europe. Fear not! – together, we will find relevance, excitement and beauty is this music. As we approach music from the 1900’s, classical music begins to diversify and we’ll meet female composers, as well as composers from Mexico, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Course Format:

This class is 100% online, delivered through the Canvas learning management system. If you have not yet taken an online course or might need assistance with your college email, etc., please visit: https://www.cerrocoso.edu/cconline/getting-help.html

Units of Study:

1. Introduction to musical terms, instruments of the orchestra and pre-Baroque music (week 1)

2. Music from the Baroque period, ca. 1650-1750 (weeks 2-4)

3. Music from the Classical period, ca. 1750-1825 (weeks 5-8)

4. Music from the Romantic period, ca. 1825-1900 (weeks 9-12)

5. Music from the Modern period, ca. 1900-present (weeks 12-16)

Course Workload:

• Approximately 1.5 hours of lecture videos to watch per week

• A weekly discussion assignment, due Thursdays, and responses due Sundays

• A weekly reading assignment with follow-up questions, due Sundays

• Unit quizzes about every 4th week

• A mid-term in week 8 and a final in week 16

• Past students have reported they spend 3-5 hours on this course per week

Course Requirements:

This is a zero textbook cost course, meaning no book purchases are required!

As far as technology, to navigate this course and to complete essential assignments, you will need the following:

• reliable computer (PC or Apple will do)

• up-to-date browser: Mozilla Firefox and/or Google Chrome are recommended for full Canvas functionality.

• word processor: Google Docs is recommended and provided with your college Google account

• PDF reader: Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to download.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to

• Define the basic elements of music using correct music terminology.

• Identify musical elements within a composition.

• Aurally identify significant composers and specific musical characteristics within each style period.

• Discuss music within a historical context citing specific composers, eras, and style traits.

Active Participation and Attendance Policies

Regular, active participation is expected of all students enrolled in the college. A student shall be dropped by the instructor for lack of active participation prior to the census (20%) date and any time up to the 60% date when the student is not actively participating.

Academic Honesty Policy

For this course, the policy is: “All course submissions must either be the student’s own, original work, or must clearly acknowledge quotes from the textbook”. For definitions on plagiarism, cheating and use of AI, please see: https://www.cerrocoso.edu/campus-life/student-conduct/academic-integrity.html

Optional: if you'd like to get a jump-start on the week 1 assignments:

• Watch a performance of Benjamin Britten's piece "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra"

• While watching, make a list in a document of each instrument in the following instrument families:

  • Woodwind

  • Brass

  • String

  • Percussion

• For help on making the list, click on "more" under the video for details on instruments and timings

• When I open the course on Canvas, you can submit your document

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