Student Article Review: Liveabout's Beginner's Guide to Music History

My student M is back with another review:

Student Review of A Beginner’s Guide to Music History

The website is called A Beginner’s Guide to Music History, written by Espie Estrella. She is a lyricist, songwriter, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

The article included a paragraph of The origin of history and music and the different music time periods. I liked how simple it was to read and how easy it was to understand, even though there were a couple of advanced terms.

I also liked how they didn't use 3-4 paragraphs to explain the time periods. There wasn't anything I specifically did not like, just some improvements I think should be made, like adding a bit more information.

It was pretty easy to navigate and find what you wanted because the article is pretty short and it was arranged where the older periods are at the top and modern ones at the bottom. Another website I came across also used time periods, and they were in the same order. I would rate it a 5/5 for how easy it was to read, but a 4.5/5 overall.

Teacher’s First Impressions of A Beginner’s Guide to Music History

The article does give a good general overview of music history. There are just a couple of points that stuck out, that I should address.

Regarding the Baroque era, that is actually my first time reading that translation for “barocco". In music history class, we were taught that it meant “rough pearl.” Also, the modern double bass did not exist in the Baroque Period. Its predecessors, the violione and viol da gamba did.

It would have been beneficial for music students for hotlinks to be added for some of the terms, such as “cantus firmus”, “Ondes-Martnot” “monophonic” and “serialism”.

Incorporating Music Theory into a Student Request

One of my students has been on my case for weeks, if not months for sheet music from the Bionicle Heroes video game. He even researched information about composer Ian Livingstone to include in my year-end studio recital. I could not find any sheet music in my travels, so I decided to contact the video game composer and inquire. Ian informed me that he didn't have sheet music for Bionicle Heroes. However, he did send me sheet music for No Adrenaline, a piece he dedicated to his son who has the genetic condition CAH - Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

My intermediate and advanced students jumped on the opportunity to play it. However, my "Bionicles" student is only in Grade 1 piano. I was thinking of making a Big Notes arrangement but something stopped me.

This particular student is has rhythm and detail issues. His theory book? Doesn't always make it to lessons.

On a lark, I decided to get my student to write out his own arrangement. He's starting to get that key and time signatures are important and that if he transcribes notes on a different line, it completely changes the sound:

I emailed this photo to Ian Livingstone. My student was shocked. Ian thought the music theory project idea was "fantastic".

Free Websites to Help With Music Theory or Music Rudiments

A guide to some useful websites available online to help musicians, students and teachers with music theory assignments, exam or college preparation.

Musical theory knowledge gives musicians a deeper understanding of the music they are playing. In his article for the Easy Music Theory website entitled "Why You NEED Music Theory", Gary Ewer, B. Mus. says that music theory allows "you to communicate your musical ideas, and to explore music in ways you have never experienced before."

Once music students reach the intermediate level of their musical studies, music theory is a co-requisite to their music examinations. Recognized music conservatory such as the Royal Conservatory of Music/National Conservatory of Music of America, Conservatory Canada, London College of Music or the Canadian National Conservatory of Music offer theory examinations from Preliminary Rudiments to Advanced Harmony and Analysis. Recognizing the importance of music theory, many of the beginner method books currently on the market incorporate music theory at an early stage of a student's musical development.

The following is a compilation of some websites available on the Internet to help with music theory:

Music Theory Tutorials, Trainers and Music History Websites

Two websites that offer numerous tutorials, trainers and information are Ricci Adams' Musictheory.net and Music Notes' Music Theory.

Software engineer Ricci Adams developed and launched Ricci Adams' Musictheory.net in 2000. The site offers flash presentations under "Lessons", covering various areas of Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Music Rudiments as well as Beginning Music Harmony. Lessons are broken down in the following sections: Staff and Clefs, Note Values, Dots, Ties, Time Signatures, Accidentals, Scales, Key Signatures, Intervals, Diminished Chords, Augmented Chords, major/minor chords, Half Diminished Chords, Seventh Chords and the Circle of Fifths. The covers material in Preliminary Rudiments up to Advanced Music Harmony. It also includes Trainers and manuscript paper. The note reading trainers are good for beginner students.

Music Theory is site offers tutorials on preliminary to advanced rudiments: Note Reading, Pitch, Values, Meter, Intervals & Scales, Key Signatures, Figured Bass, Chords and Symbols and Expression marks. The glossary is helpful to both music students and teachers alike. This site goes one step further than Ricci Adams by including information on musical styles, history, professions, instruments and games.

For visual learners, The Music Theory Minute is extremely useful. It offers free one-minute video tutorials on music theory. This site is ideal for visual learners. It covers the basic core principles as well advanced theory tutorials on Secondary Dominants, Cadences, Suspensions and modulations. Students can even email Dr. Jack a theory question and he will reply.

Free and Subscription Music Theory Resources Online

There are several music websites that offer free and subcription services to music teachers and students. Emusictheory and Teoria are two such sites.

Emusictheory offers 10 theory concepts that students can explore online for free under "Free Resources", including: Note Names, C-Clef Note Names, Piano Keys, Guitar Frets, Violin Fingering, Viola Fingering, Double Bass Fingering, Intervals, Chords and Scales. The creators are working on Key Signatures, chord functions, support for bass and treble clef, just to name a few. Under the "drills" section, students can study key signatures, intervals, scales, chords, chord functions.

Teachers can purchase an account that allows them to register students in Emusictheory, as well as assign, mark and track online theory assignments.

On the web since 1997, Teoria is the 2006 MERLOT Classical Award in music. It offers tutorials on: Reading Music, Intervals, Scales, Chords, Harmonic Functions and Musical Forms. Where this shines is in the interactive exercise section where students can do drills in all areas of music theory, from beginner to advanced, and from classical music theory to jazz music theory. There is also a musical reference section and articles on analysis and theory, analysis by composer, and instruments.

Students and teachers can become a member (there is a cost for teachers) and teachers can assign, mark and track assignments. Purchasing a membership makes all tutorials available.

This list is just a sampling of music theory websites. The websites listed contain a wealth of information to aid in understanding music theory, from preliminary rudiments up to advanced theory subjects such as counterpoint, harmony, history and analysis. These sites are of great benefit to music students studying for a theory examination, applying to a post-secondary music program or recreational music students. They also benefit music teachers by providing supplemental material to use for assignments and music theory lessons.

Originally published on Suite101.com on April 14, 2010. All rights reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.

Setting up the Studio Computer Lab

Technology and music is a huge area for growth as far as music teaching goes. I recently transformed my old office laptop into a music computer lab.

I downloaded various cool (and free) apps from Ubuntu's software center, including:

• Audacity

• Linthesia

• Score Reading Trainer

• GNU Denemo

• GNU Solfege

• Hydrogen Drum Machine

• Linux Multimedia Studio

• Virtual Midi Piano Keyboard

• Musescore

Generally, I zoomed in on apps that help students with note reading practice, ear training and rhythm work. The music notation software and audio recording software is to give them something fun to create.

One student was tickled pink that he earned three Maestro Bucks for creating a funky drum loop (and tutored his sister on how to use the program).

Great Link about Articulation & Music Terms

I stumbled upon this link in my search for a refresher on tremolos. I particularly like the chart about all the different accents. That will come in handy when I start reviewing accents with my students.

Now I better get back to practicing. I'm "parachuting" in as a choir accompanist for a short-term project so I need to speed-learn the pieces for tomorrow's rehearsal. And yes, I just got the music today. Isn't that how it always goes?

The jazz lessons are paying off. My style of chunking the information has changed with my year in jazz.

(c) 2009 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.