his lesson uses music and art in a vocabulary study of unfamiliar words from the song "America the Beautiful," increasing students' vocabulary while also increasing their knowledge of U.S. geography. A discussion to activate students' prior knowledge about sights and scenery throughout the United States is followed by a read-aloud and introduction to the song "America the Beautiful," which is then sung in each session of the lesson. Students learn the meanings of the song's words through shared reading and the use of context clues and images. Students then use photographs, illustrations, and descriptive language to create a mural shaped like the United States. Finally, through pictures and words, students reflect on what they have learned. This lesson is appropriate and adaptable for any patriotic event or holiday, and many of the vocabulary strategies are adaptable for other texts or word lists, as well.

Textbook for music appreciation courses, written by Dr. Karen Marston, Mt San Antonio College, Walnut, CA.

This text provides readers with a comprehensive study of the theory and analysis of tonal Western art music. Author Andre Mount begins by building a strong foundation in the understanding of rhythm, meter, and pitch as well as the notational conventions associated with each. From there, he guides the reader through an exploration of polyphony—the simultaneous sounding of multiple independent melodies—and an increasingly rich array of different sonorites that grow out of this practice. The book culminates with a discussion of musical form, engaging with artistic works in their entirety by considering the interaction of harmonic and thematic elements, but also such other musical dimensions as rhythm, meter, texture, and expression.

George Arvola (1948-2016) was a guitarist and music teacher. He created his own series of guitar method books entitled Guitar Fundamentals. Volumes 2-5 of this series are based on approximately 600 pages of music manuscript by Tony Bradan (1913-1999) entitled A Learning Process for Playing the Guitar, which Tony entrusted to George. These books outline a process by which serious, dedicated students can gain:the ability to read standard notation for guitar, skill in applying efficient pick control and left hand fingering, an intimate knowledge of the guitar fretboard and flexibility in finding efficient fingerings for melodies, scales, triads, arpeggios and 3- and 4-part chords in real time, the ability to play accompaniment, the ability to play 4-part harmony, chord resolutions and voice movement, and the basics of improvisation. We are preserving this guitar method online in the hope that present and future generations of guitarists will benefit from the innovative approaches within.

George Arvola (1948-2016) was a guitarist and music teacher. He created his own series of guitar method books entitled Guitar Fundamentals. Volumes 2-5 of this series are based on approximately 600 pages of music manuscript by Tony Bradan (1913-1999) entitled A Learning Process for Playing the Guitar, which Tony entrusted to George. These books outline a process by which serious, dedicated students can gain:the ability to read standard notation for guitar, skill in applying efficient pick control and left hand fingering, an intimate knowledge of the guitar fretboard and flexibility in finding efficient fingerings for melodies, scales, triads, arpeggios and 3- and 4-part chords in real time, the ability to play accompaniment, the ability to play 4-part harmony, chord resolutions and voice movement, and the basics of improvisation. We are preserving this guitar method online in the hope that present and future generations of guitarists will benefit from the innovative approaches within.

George Arvola (1948-2016) was a guitarist and music teacher. He created his own series of guitar method books entitled Guitar Fundamentals. Volumes 2-5 of this series are based on approximately 600 pages of music manuscript by Tony Bradan (1913-1999) entitled A Learning Process for Playing the Guitar, which Tony entrusted to George. These books outline a process by which serious, dedicated students can gain:the ability to read standard notation for guitar, skill in applying efficient pick control and left hand fingering, an intimate knowledge of the guitar fretboard and flexibility in finding efficient fingerings for melodies, scales, triads, arpeggios and 3- and 4-part chords in real time, the ability to play accompaniment, the ability to play 4-part harmony, chord resolutions and voice movement, and the basics of improvisation. We are preserving this guitar method online in the hope that present and future generations of guitarists will benefit from the innovative approaches within.

Invite students to share and discuss a song of their choice with lyrics that contain a social, political or cultural message relevant to a contemporary social justice issue. Students will lead their peers through a close reading and discussion of the song’s lyrics, and create a written analysis of the song, its lyrics, and its message. To help anchor their analysis, teachers may use the Critical Literacy Text-Dependent Question Stems template in the lesson. Students can organize their writing along the eight areas, while choosing from the list of prompts in each area. (Note: Teacher discretion will be necessary for handling lyrics that use explicit language.) Use the suggested activity and strategies below to empower students to lead the lesson with their peers as the students.

Welcome to MUSI 1306, Music Appreciation. I think you’ve made a smart choice to spend some weeks studying some of the greatest music ever written. Consider for a moment how quickly a hit pop song passes from fashionable to forgotten. Those of us that have been out of high school or college more years than we care to remember have certainly had the experience of hearing a favorite anthem of our youth and thinking, “Oh yeah, that song! I’d forgotten that one.” Think about that: the song was totally loved, then completely forgotten within a matter of just a few years. Then consider that many of the composers that we will study have been dead for over two hundred years, and yet their music has never been forgotten and never stopped being performed and loved. That, quite simply, is amazing.

This course is an exposition of the philosophy, principles, and materials of music from the Baroque Period to contemporary period with illustrative examples from the Baroque Period, Classical Period, Romantic Period, Contemporary Classical Music and Popular Music. The course is designed to give the student an appreciation of music by exposing them to many musical styles, composers, historical trends, as well as increasing their aural, verbal and writing skills in describing music.

This course is an interactive discussion of music through the ages and how we as a people from various walks of life can appreciate it.

This course is designed to teach not only historical facts about music but also to encourage deeper listening to music from a variety of sources. The course is a guided journey of listening, reading, and discussion (oral and written) of music, with corresponding recommended listening and assignments for deeper understanding. An emphasis of this design is to place music within the framework of how music is experienced instead of in a chronological sequence. To that end, the modules include a unit on the music of the Civil Rights movement, with optional material on music for social justice in contemporary America, and the musical contributions of musicians from Alabama. Instructors are encouraged to modify the materials to serve the needs of the students or audience they are serving.

This text covers basic elements and vocabulary of music; appreciation and understanding of diverse styles of music past and present; developing listening skills. Includes opportunities for experiencing music (recorded and/or live).
I. Music Fundamentals
II. History of Western Music before 1600
III. History of Western Music after 1600
IV. Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries
V. Listening to Genres
VI. Music of Louisiana, the Americas, and the World

This website guidance document provides an overview of Carnegie Hall's Musical Explorers Digital program. The site connects students in grades K–2 to rich and diverse musical communities as they build fundamental music skills through listening, singing, and moving to songs from all over the world. 

Children are inherently musical. They respond to music and learn through music. Music expresses children’s identity and heritage, teaches them to belong to a culture, and develops their cognitive well-being and inner self worth. As professional instructors, childcare workers, or students looking forward to a career working with children, we should continuously search for ways to tap into children’s natural reservoir of enthusiasm for singing, moving and experimenting with instruments. But how, you might ask? What music is appropriate for the children I’m working with? How can music help inspire a well-rounded child? How do I reach and teach children musically? Most importantly perhaps, how can I incorporate music into a curriculum that marginalizes the arts?This book explores a holistic, artistic, and integrated approach to understanding the developmental connections between music and children. This book guides professionals to work through music, harnessing the processes that underlie music learning, and outlining developmentally appropriate methods to understand the role of music in children’s lives through play, games, creativity, and movement. Additionally, the book explores ways of applying music-making to benefit the whole child, i.e., socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and linguistically.

Music is a mobile art. When people move to faraway places, whether by choice or by force, they bring their music along. Music creates a meaningful point of contact for individuals and for groups; it can encourage curiosity and foster understanding; and it can preserve a sense of identity and comfort in an unfamiliar or hostile environment. As music crosses cultural, linguistic, and political boundaries, it continually changes. While human mobility and mediation have always shaped music-making, our current era of digital connectedness introduces new creative opportunities and inspiration even as it extends concerns about issues such as copyright infringement and cultural appropriation.

This collection of OER was curated as part of an OER Background Research mini-grant to locate and evaluate resources for a college-level music appreciation course.

Welcome to Resonances: Engaging Music in Its Cultural Context! Although this book is intended primarily for use in the college music appreciation classroom, it was designed with consideration for independent learners, advanced high school students, and experienced musicians. That is to say, it includes enough detail that expert guidance is not required and is written using broadly-accessible language. At the same time, it addresses advanced topics and positions music as a serious object of study.

Understanding Music: Past and Present is an open Music Appreciation textbook co-authored by music faculty across Georgia. The text covers the fundamentals of music and the physics of sound, an exploration of music from the Middle Ages to the present day, and a final chapter on popular music in the United States.