Does this Music History course exist?

[my2boysteacher]

I would love to find an intro level course for my 6th and 7th graders. The ideal course would be either online or a DVD, and give them a general overview of different types of music over the years and some of the famous composers/artists. Nothing too heavy, but fun!

I do not have time to teach this, so something they can do independently is a must.

Any suggestions?

[MomatHWTK]

:lurk5:

[TarynB]

My DS11 is working through this online program by Connect the Thoughts. He chose this himself & he really likes it. He is definitely not a musically inclined kid, but he appreciates learning the history aspect and this program is fun for him.

 

http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper--arts--music-theory.php?course=21340

 

It is listed under Music Theory but is really a music history course. Requires access to YouTube or another source for listening to the pieces covered though, which some families may not like.

 

ETA: It says directed towards students grade 6/age 11 to adult, and that seems correct to me so far. Designed to be done independently.

[my2boysteacher]

My DS11 is working through this online program by Connect the Thoughts. He chose this himself & he really likes it. He is definitely not a musically inclined kid, but he appreciates learning the history aspect and this program is fun for him.

 

http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper--arts--music-theory.php?course=21340

 

It is listed under Music Theory but is really a music history course. Requires access to YouTube or another source for listening to the pieces covered though, which some families may not like.

That looks very interesting. How long does it take him each week? Could you give me an example of what a week looks like using this curriculum?

Thanks for your help!

[TarynB]

That looks very interesting. How long does it take him each week? Could you give me an example of what a week looks like using this curriculum?

Thanks for your help!

The lessons vary in length, but DS normally spends no more than 30 minutes on each lesson, which includes reading the course text and the actual music listening. 

 

The course is a PDF text download and it really is just a basic spine that organizes a systematic progression through the history of music, from ancient times to rock & pop music. It isn't incredibly detailed but it serves our purposes for a wide exposure and appreciation. 

 

You can see some sample pages if you click on the cover page image on the right side of the linked webpage.

 

As I mentioned before, the course relies heavily on the internet (online searches, YouTube, etc.) for resources.  Sometimes specific links are included in the course text but typically it just tells the student to listen to X, so we just do an online search for excerpts for that particular instrument/song/composer.  

 

Every lesson includes a few questions designed to get the student to think more deeply about the topic. We go through the questions verbally after DS has finished the lesson, and I haven't required any written output so far.  It would work fine either way, however you need to use it, written or verbal. The text also includes a few tests if you want to use them. 

 

So far, we've had coverage of some instruments (search for X to view pictures and hear what it sounds like), basic music terminology (harmony, a capella, melody), as well as coverage of the different eras and styles of music, and well-known major composers.  A recent lesson that DS did, for example, provided a one page biography of Beethoven. The lesson then instructed him to listen to Beethoven's 5th Symphony, and asked a couple of questions about it (how does the composer use harmony to create a dramatic effect on the audience's emotions?). Next, it instructed him to listen to The Moonlight Sonata and then asked another question (what did you visualize in your mind or what emotion did you feel as you listened to the piano music?). Finally, the last part of the lesson was to watch a section of Fantasia, based on a Beethoven symphony. So some of the questions are more concrete and some of them are much more subjective, i.e., what do you think of X or how did you feel about X?

 

The website says the course would take 180 to 220 hours to complete the 92 lessons, so 2 hours per lesson, but I haven't found that we spend nearly that much time on it so far.  It would definitely take longer if I required DS to write out the answers to the questions, rather than just covering them verbally, but that's probably what the publisher's time estimates are based on.

 

For the price - I think I paid less than $20 on a Curr-Click sale - this course is working out well for us. HTH.

[Mom0012]

Beautiful Feet has a program called History of Classical Music.  I bought it this summer for my dd, and it looks great, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. http://bfbooks.com/Literature-Packs/History-Of-Classical-Music-Packs  No dvd, but lots of music cds that tell the history of each composer and then share some of their music.

[my2boysteacher]

The lessons vary in length, but DS normally spends no more than 30 minutes on each lesson, which includes reading the course text and the actual music listening.

 

The course is a PDF text download and it really is just a basic spine that organizes a systematic progression through the history of music, from ancient times to rock & pop music. It isn't incredibly detailed but it serves our purposes for a wide exposure and appreciation.

 

You can see some sample pages if you click on the cover page image on the right side of the linked webpage.

 

As I mentioned before, the course relies heavily on the internet (online searches, YouTube, etc.) for resources. Sometimes specific links are included in the course text but typically it just tells the student to listen to X, so we just do an online search for excerpts for that particular instrument/song/composer.

 

Every lesson includes a few questions designed to get the student to think more deeply about the topic. We go through the questions verbally after DS has finished the lesson, and I haven't required any written output so far. It would work fine either way, however you need to use it, written or verbal. The text also includes a few tests if you want to use them.

 

So far, we've had coverage of some instruments (search for X to view pictures and hear what it sounds like), basic music terminology (harmony, a capella, melody), as well as coverage of the different eras and styles of music, and well-known major composers. A recent lesson that DS did, for example, provided a one page biography of Beethoven. The lesson then instructed him to listen to Beethoven's 5th Symphony, and asked a couple of questions about it (how does the composer use harmony to create a dramatic effect on the audience's emotions?). Next, it instructed him to listen to The Moonlight Sonata and then asked another question (what did you visualize in your mind or what emotion did you feel as you listened to the piano music?). Finally, the last part of the lesson was to watch a section of Fantasia, based on a Beethoven symphony. So some of the questions are more concrete and some of them are much more subjective, i.e., what do you think of X or how did you feel about X?

 

The website says the course would take 180 to 220 hours to complete the 92 lessons, so 2 hours per lesson, but I haven't found that we spend nearly that much time on it so far. It would definitely take longer if I required DS to write out the answers to the questions, rather than just covering them verbally, but that's probably what the publisher's time estimates are based on.

 

For the price - I think I paid less than $20 on a Curr-Click sale - this course is working out well for us. HTH.

Thanks so much for the detailed review!

[Shifra]

Alfred just published this summer Alfred's Great Music & Musicians: An Overview of Music History which should be good for sixth and seventh grades. It  is in full color and comes with a CD. I would go with this one if you want it to be self teaching.

 

Meet the Great Composers by June Montgomery and Maurice Hison is a two volume course that also includes a CD. It is made for schools and is reproducible. 

 

There is also Accent on Composers which is also reproducible.

 

There is also a very pricey five volume set of books called An Illustrated History of Music for Young People by Gilles Comeau and Rosemary Covert that includes the following volumes (no CD included): Middle Ages and Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary.

 

 

[mathnerd]

I would second the recommendation of Meet the Great Composers. It is not an online course. I read the book to my child and we listen to the CD together and we really like it. Your children might be able to do it on their own.