Course Syllabus

MUSC 3540 Music Form and Analysis

Course Description

Music Form and Analysis is an upper division course designed to provide students with a comprehensive background in the major compositional forms of art music during the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods. The course is designed to aid students in the proper interpretation of musical lines and structures. An extensive focus will be placed on the study of musical scores and the development of aural skills in relation to these scores.

Justification

Completion of this course is required by NASM for a Bachelor of Music Degree. It combines theoretical principles of music that can be applied to standard performance practices. An understanding of these principles is necessary for all performing musicians, composers, and educators.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify musical forms through critical listening and following scores.
2. Students will be able to articulate the relationships between art and popular music forms.
3. Students will demonstrate an ability to communicate orally and in writing material learned in the class.
4. Students will demonstrate understanding of the evolution of Western musical form since 1650.
5. Students will be able to compose in multiple forms.

Course Content

Topics for knowledge and skill building will be drawn from the following: 1. Forms of Western Classical/Art Music from the Baroque through the Contemporary Periods.2. Forms in Jazz and American Popular Music.3. Development of Critical Listening Skills.4. Development of Skills in Communicating Learned Knowledge from the course.5. Composing in the various forms covered in the course.