MUA 119 - Class Piano

1. Use correct hand, arm and body position.
2. Understand and use correct finger numbers.
3. Apply correct technique to five finger patterns, scales, chords, and pieces played from book as well as ear pieces and improvisations, memorized pieces and sight reading.

B. Learn to read music.

1. Identify and locate names of notes on keyboard and on staff.
2. Make use of music terminology in all oral presentations and discussions.
3. Understand and demonstrate knowledge of beat and rhythm.
4. Apply knowledge of beat, rhythm, meter, accent, dynamics, touch in performance of piano pieces studied, improvised, or imitated and played by ear.
5. Apply the specific terminology in all discussion and written work.

C. Understand the fundamental elements of music in specific and detailed depth.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of specific note values in rhythm through performance, written work, ear pieces, sight reading, and improvisation.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of pitch relationships of intervals by correct reading, identification by ear, and identification in print.
3. Discuss and identify the important concepts of notation.
4. Provide written lesson sheets illustrating the construction of scales and keys.
5. Discuss and analyze the use of tonality and key signatures.
6. Learn to play cadences and understand their structure within pieces played.
7. Learn to identify phrases.
8. Demonstrate understanding of phrases by improvising antecedent/consequent phrases

D. Develop technical skills in notating music manuscript.

1. Practice manuscript notation for legibility.
2. Illustrate understanding of musical symbols by incorporating them into manuscript writing appropriately.

E. Develop critical analysis skills.

1. Understand and discuss the structural elements of music.
2. Analyze, identify, construct and interpret application of very basic music theory as it applies to the pieces studied.

F. Understand and apply the principles of harmony.

1. Discuss and analyze various musical excerpts in terms of intervals and chords.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and application of harmonic progression and harmonic rhythm.

G. Understand and apply the principles of form.

1. Critique various musical excerpts for use of cadences and nonharmonics.
2. Critique various musical excerpts in terms of changes that make up sectional content contributing to formal structure.

H. Experience team-approach learning.

1. Working in pairs to improve sight reading skills.
2. Work effectively in small groups.

I. Gain a knowledge of the development of musical style throughout history.

1. Perform and/or listen to the various listening examples found in the textbook.

J. Understand the importance of listening.

1. Interact with classmates in group discussion.
2. Problem-solve with peers.

Course Objectives:

CHAPTER 1:

1. Unit 1. Learn basics of keyboard position, finger numbers keyboard, damper pedal. Creating at the keyboard.
2. Unit 2. Exploring the white keys. Names of white keys. Blues progression.
3. Unit 3. Exploring the black keys, sharps and flats, names of black keys, enharmonics, improvisation, composition project, perform chord roots and drones.

CHAPTER 2:

1. Unit 1: Major five finger pattern: half and whole steps.
2. Unit 2. Notes and rests, beat and meter.
3. Unit 3. Pitch reading: treble clef and bass clef, grand staff. compose, dynamic signs, tempo terms, solo repertoire, technique exercises.

CHAPTER 3:

1. Unit1. Interval reading using intervals of five-finger-pattern.
2. Unit 2: Perform in GDA and F Major five-finger pattern. Transpose.
3. Unit 3. Chord-root accompaniments. Chords, performing chord roots from staff notation and lead-sheet notation. Compose, perform solo, technique, identify intervals, contrary motion.

CHAPTER 4:

1. Unit 1: Dotted notes.
2. Unit 2: Upbeats.
3. Unit 3: Triads in root position and inversion. Arpeggios, compose parallel and contrasting phrase melodies. Cross over for register changes.

CHAPTER 5:

1. Unit 1 Minor five-finger pattern, minor melodies and triads.
2. Unit 2: Play minor melodies, compose, improvise, build layers in ensemble playing.
3. Unit 3: Minor Triads.

CHAPTER 6:

1. Unit 1: Major Scale tones, intervals, fingering.
2. Unit 2: Major Key Signatures, Circle of 5ths.
3. Unit 3: Tonic and dominant chords, dominant seventh chord.

CHAPTER 7:

1. Unit 1: Primary chords. I-IV-V-I.
2. Unit 2: 12-Bar blues progression. Perform and improvise piano blues.
3. Unit 3: Syncopation. legato pedaling.

CHAPTER 8:

1. Unit 1: Chords and Inversions, Seventh chord, I and V6/5, I and IV 6/4.
2. Unit 2: Primary chords in piano position.
3. Unit 3: Harmonizing using primary chords.

CHAPTER 9:

1. Unit 1: The Minor Scales: natural, harmonic, melodic, and key signatures in minor.
2. Unit 2: Primary chords in minor, harmonize melodies.
3. Unit 3: relative and parallel majors and minors.

CHAPTER 10:

1. Unit 1: Pentatonic scales and modes.
2. Unit 2: Blues scale.
3. Unit 3: Whole tone scale, bitonality and atonality.