Who Is This Course For?
This is the first step in our journey to explore and hopefully start to untangle the mysterious power that music has on billions and billions of people world-wide every day. It is undeniable that we derive tremendous joy, comfort, energy, and love from, and through music, and this experience and pursuit of finding beauty and symbols encourages and motivates us to examine and try to find meaning and purpose in our own lives. We attempt to achieve this through first understanding the concepts that underlie the music listening experience, basic technical music concepts, and few organizing elements of music to help you dig a little deeper into the basic musical components so you can become more perceptive listeners.
This course is intended for an undergraduate level at a college or university. It neither requires nor expects any previous musical knowledge. Musical descriptions are, therefore, written specifically for students without previous musical experience. Learning musical terms and their meaning will help you learn how to actively listen, begin to analyze, and understand what they hear. In addition, no prior knowledge of other cultures is needed. A culture’s music connects intrinsically and symbiotically to the culture from which it stems, whether that society is a community in New York City or a remote Polynesian island. An open-minded approach can enhance understanding and appreciation of music that may be unfamiliar.
Content and Features of Each Chapter
Section 1 presents an overview of the purpose of music, the performer's role, types of listeners, the structure of music, and basic music elements and terminology. After this broad introduction, Section 2 covers uniquely American music genres: Jazz, the Blues, ragtime, swing and big bands, rockabilly, bluegrass, soul, rock, and hip-hop. This panorama of the American music experience also covers deeply influential figures such as Elvis Presley and the cultural impact of British bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The course focus then shifts to the fascinating musical traditions of other regions of the world as it explores the landscape of African music, the music of Japan, and the many voices of Latin American music through engaging text, music examples, images, learning objectives, assignments, and assessments. Learning tools such as ‘Test Yourself,’ ‘Discover Music,’‘Discover Video,’ and ‘Listening Guides’ help students deepen their understanding of the material as they navigate all these rich assets and enjoy the compelling information offered.
Universals of Music - What is Music?
What is music? Although it seems obvious, closer inspection reveals that it is harder to define than one would think. For example, how does music differ from speech? Does music include birdsong or other animal songs? What is the difference between music and noise? Our cultural conditioning provides the basis for how we conceive of and define music. Our society and environment train us to discriminate between general sounds and what is ‘music to our ears.’ Therefore, a definition of music is not universal, but culturally determined. However, there are some elements that all cultures share in their musical experience.
What are these commonalities? Firstly, all cultures that we know of have music of some type, but not all have an individual name for music to separate it from other arts such as theater or dance. Secondly, all cultures sing. Almost all peoples have some type of instruments; most societies have percussion instruments of some kind, and almost all have some type of flute.
All cultures use music in different types of ceremonies, to communication with the supernatural, or seeking a heightened state of consciousness. All cultures have musical genres, which means they separate distinct types of music for different purposes. Further, in every culture dance is accompanied by at least some genre of music. Music can also designate societal groups and help define a group’s identity. Finally, all cultures have a repertory of songs, or defined musical pieces for different uses and social occasions.