Course Description

An introductory course to music theory teaching how to read sheet music and the basics of music composition.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is best suited for 4th-8th grade students. See course prerequisites for more information.

Course Prerequisites

• None!

Course Dates

This course runs for 4 weeks weekly, starting on Tuesday, July 9, and ending on Tuesday, July 30. Classes are held online from 6-7pm via Zoom.

Class Times (PST)

• Tuesday, July 9, 6-7pm
• Tuesday, July 16, 6-7pm
• Tuesday, July 23, 6-7pm
• Tuesday, July 30, 6-7pm

Syllabus

Lesson 1:

Learn the basic fundamentals of music as we explore the applications of note values, time signatures, and key signatures. This first lesson will familiarize students with how to read sheet music and scales of every key signature.

Lesson 2:

Building off of reading and understanding notes and rhythms, this lesson will explain melodies and harmonies, applying these basic concepts to develop different types of chords. Students will be able to read chords, craft their own, as well as add adjustments and inversions.

Lesson 3:

This lesson puts together conceptual skills from the previous units to explore changing tempos, style, and articulation. These topics cover how to add emotion to music and playing.

Lesson 4:

Students will learn patterns in music and apply a simple 5 finger pattern to play any scale. This lesson will also cover music history as we dive into musical periods including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary.

Lesson 5:

This final lesson will review all of the concepts we have learned this summer, applying students’ knowledge to a variety of activities, practice problems, and games.