M-FT-TH1

Theory Classes

8

3-5

30

40-minutes per participating student per week

approximately 80 hours

approximately 144 hours

Admitted to ArtEZ Composition for Film and Theatre.

See Competencies Matrix.

Students develop:
- their audiation (musical imagination) through a systematic approach;
- their insight into the building blocks, structures, manifestations and theoretical models of music in various styles;
- a scientific, inquisitive attitude towards music;
In addition, students learn how to apply their knowledge and skills in practice, both actively and passively, in some cases at call.

This module is related to the modules Music History, Harmony at the Piano and Rhythm Lab. It also complements the orchestration/arranging modules.

Lessons are based on the relation between two fundamental elements:
- training the students’ audition and ready knowledge of elementary musical structures;
- the study of music theory, involving both analysis and creation.

Students are encouraged to contribute study materials related to their own musical activities, though the instructor has the final word on which topics will be discussed. The instructor aims to design an adequately balanced, comprehensive and challenging lesson curriculum. As such, a limited number of relevant aspects will be treated:

Style
Analysis of a representative selection of materials from different genres and time periods, with a focus on:
- music of the common practice period (approximately baroque to high romanticism);
- popular music from the 20th century onwards (jazz, pop, rock and related music).

Form
Common composition forms and their components, relevant to the genres that are studied (Sonata, fugue, theme, period, sentence, coda, intro, verse, chorus, etc.)

Harmony
- analysis of functional and modal harmony;
- harmonic vocabulary, from the common practice period as well as jazz and pop vocabulary (different types of cadences, modal interchange, modulations, Neapolitan chord, augmented sixth/tritone substitution, harmonies specific for genres like extended chords, quartal voicings, etc.);
- writing three, four and five part harmony, harmonising melodies;
- recognising and notating harmonic progressions by ear.

Melody
- melodic analysis. Scales, modes, arpeggios, non-chord tones like passing tones, neighbour tones suspensions and appoggiaturas, higher architecture of themes and melodies;
- singing these scales, modes, non chord tones on notenames and using them flexibly in various exercises;
- singing notated melodies;
- transcribing melodies.

Rhythm
- working with various meters 4/4, 3/4, alla breve, 12/8 etc;
- singing notated rhythms in these meters, while performing a simple accompaniment with hands/feet;
- notating the rhythm of a musical fragment.

Notation
- mastering both the reading and writing of musical notation, including style specific conventions

Sound
- discussing musical/acoustic topics such as tuning, harmonics, timbre, frequency and spectrum

Terminology
- studying musical vocabulary in various languages

Instrumentation
- study of a selection of the most common instruments used in common practice period music, jazz and pop, with regards to tone construction and physical properties, playing, notation, range and transposition.

Within this course, focus lies on the autonomous investigative process of the student.

In addition to group discussion, lectures and exercises, students are expected to do various homework assignments.

Group lessons that, depending on the composition of the group, take place entirely on-campus, entirely online or in a combination of both, i.e., that there are attendees both physically in the classroom and virtually via a screen. Online attendees communicate by seeing, talking and listening to each other and the on-campus attendees equally. The teacher has access to a whiteboard, application sharing, desktop sharing and document sharing and can hand this privilege to any other participants.
Apart from the video conference a high quality stereo audio stream is open at the same time via source connect. That way students and instructor can listen to music from any source of the group and talk about it simultaneously.

Materials chosen by the students, complemented by materials by the instructor.

n/a

A formative assessment at the end of the first semester and an oral and a written exam at the end of the second semester. Assignments throughout the year.

Students demonstrate that they have mastered the materials and skills pertaining to the topics listed under Content.

The final summative grade is calculated by averaging the grades of the assignments and exams.
Aural Skills exams AND the Harmony exam AND the General Music Theory exam must each be graded with 5.5 or higher in order to pass the course.
In addition, the Aural Skills final marks may contain one partial grade (for melody, harmony or rhythm) lower than 5.5, but not lower than 4.5.

The exam at the end of the fall semester is formative and designed by the instructor and may therefore vary from group to group. It indicates a student's progress in this module. The exam at the end of the spring semester is summative and is identical in contents and grading for all students. The oral part of the final exam is assessed by at least two instructors.
Tests conducted online are valid only if they are done without interruption. The assessor will decide whether or not the test was valid.

See the Education and Assessment Plan.