What Is Music Theory?

Music theory is the study of "past practices" and the exploration of "future possibilities" in a sonic environment. It is important to remember that "theory" always follows "practice." A music theory is established by examining the way music of the past was created in an attempt to find patterns that can be used by contemporary musicians when creating, performing, and/or evaluating music. This process involves learning to recognize numerous patterns in a variety of musical contexts. Often, this type of study begins with the definition of musical terms and the practice of familiarizing ourselves with contemporary musical notation.

We begin our musical journey with an exploration of different “spaces” that we use to discuss or communicate musical ideas. Musicians use these different ways of examining music to help them recognize patterns that they might not have noticed in a different context.

What You Will Explore This Week

Establishing a common definition for music theory
The three standard musical spaces that musicians and theorists use to create, perform, and/or discuss music
The difference between the concept of pitch and the concept of pitch class
American Standard Pitch Notation (ASPN)
Chromatic accidentals in music notation
Musical elements related to S.H.M.R.G. Component: Sound

This Week's Activities

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*Check due dates early in the week:*
Activity	Description	Due
Class Meeting	Meet your instructor and classmates live once a week, via Zoom. Be sure to complete the class meeting survey to share your availability.	Meeting times will be shared via Announcements
Discussion	Interact with your classmates online in each week's discussion activity.	Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Practice	Practice what you are learning with activities that are not graded.	On your own schedule
Assignment	Get creative in the weekly assignment.	Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Navigate to any of these items by selecting "Modules" from the course navigation menu.

About the Class Meeting

Live class meetings bring us together to ask questions, share takeaways, and discuss aspects of this week's module. Your attendance at this live class meeting is strongly encouraged, but we understand that life is busy and you may have other commitments. All sessions will be recorded and posted online for those who were not able to attend.