Foundations of Music Theory

This unit introduces core elements of Western music theory including notation, rhythm, meter, scales, intervals, triads, and basic historical context to support listening and performance. Students will develop reading and aural skills for staff, clefs, note values, time signatures, tempo, and tone color, preparing them for applied harmony, counterpoint, and composition in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze standard musical notation by identifying staff positions, treble and bass clefs, note names, and corresponding note values including dotted notes and rests in written examples and audio tracks.
• Apply rhythmic concepts to perform and notate measures in simple and common time signatures, including pickup notes, syncopation, dotted rests, and stress patterns with metronome-guided accuracy.
• Demonstrate understanding of pitch organization by constructing major scales, locating key signatures using the circle of fifths, identifying harmonic and melodic intervals, and forming basic triads on written and keyboard examples.
• Evaluate musical elements such as tempo, tone color, harmonic function, and stylistic examples (e.g., Pythagorean ideas, Gregorian chant, and blues) to explain the role of music theory and to transition into advanced harmony and composition topics.