Music is an important daily event in our lives. We wake up to our favorite radio station in the morning. We listen to our car stereo when we drive. We drown out distractions under head phones, or annoy others with house-shaking volume from stereo speakers. We put up with the "awful" music that our younger siblings listen to, or worse yet, our parent's "lame" music.
So what exactly is music?
Music might be easy to define as "sounds that are organized in time." But music is much more than this!! Music has the power to make people feel emotions--it can make you happy, or scared, or sad. Music can have many surprising effects on people!
Have you ever heard music playing in shopping centers and stores? It's believed that having soft background music in stores will cause people to buy more! Music is played in offices to increase the amount of work that is done. Some studies suggest that music lessons can increase the IQ points of developing children. (Though the idea that "Mozart can make babies smarter" has not stood up to later scientific study.) If you could do better in school by listening to a certain type of music, would you do it??
Great musicians are able to convey thoughts and emotions to their listeners with music only. They don't need any words to express themselves, only the power of music. Music has the means to take us out of our everyday selves into a world of the spirit. Have you ever "gotten lost" in your favorite song? Have you ever been "into" a group or musician so much that they become one of the most important things in your life? The composer who writes the music, the musician who performs the music, and the listener who hears it can all share in its beauty and power.
There are many different kinds of music. Some music seems to be interesting to us for only a short time. For example, you have outgrown the songs of your childhood. Also, think about how long today's "hit" songs are actually played on the radio or shown in videos. Popular music is short-lived music. You hear a song for a few months and then it is gone (for the most part).
There is also music written for a particular purpose, such as music used in commercials, T.V. shows, and movies. This kind of music also tends to have a short "lifespan." When the commercial is replaced with a new one, or when the T.V. show is canceled, or the movie is no longer popular, the music is usually not listened to very much anymore.
But there is also music that has been heard for hundreds of years. This kind of music has withstood the test of time. We often refer to this music as "classical" music. It is music that represents the thoughts and feelings of people so well that people from generation to generation want to hear it again and again.
We will be studying and listening to many kinds of music--jazz, blues, classical, rock and roll, country, and music from other countries. It is very important for you to keep an open mind when listening to music that you are not used to hearing!
You will not be expected to like every kind of music that we study (just as everybody doesn't like the same foods or have the same favorite color), but you will be expected to appreciate the differences in the music!
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Grading for this Lesson: |
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| To get a 10: | In the first submission, assignment questions are completed, facts are correct, responses are thoughtful, presentation is clear, grammar and spelling are correct. |
| To get a 9: | In the first submission, a few assignment questions are incomplete OR a few facts are incorrect OR a few responses are careless OR there are a few grammar and spelling errors. After prompting, all corrections are made in revisions. |
| To get an 8: | In the first submission, many assignment questions are incomplete OR many facts are incorrect OR many responses are careless OR there are numerous grammar and spelling errors. After prompting, all corrections are made in revisions. |
| To get a 7: | After prompting, a few assignment questions remain incomplete OR a few facts remain incorrect OR a few responses remain careless OR a few grammar and spelling errors remain. |
| To get a 6: | This grade is reserved for administrative use. |
| To get a 5: | Plagiarism, purposeful or mistaken, which will lower your final grade for the course (so be very careful when posting your work!) OR lack of effort, disrespect, or attitude (we are here to communicate with you if you don't understand something). Lesson requirements have been met. |
| Also be aware that you will have a chance to revise your work. Since revisions result in a lower grade, remember to read the directions carefully and make sure you meet the requirements. | |
You are to answer the following questions in your own words. Please post the questions with your answers in the text box below to submit your work. Remember to use complete sentences, use proper grammar, and don’t forget to proofread and spell check your work before submitting it. This may require additional internet research, so be sure to cite your sources.
1. Why is music important to you?
2. What is an easy definition of music?
3. Why is music more than the easy definition?
4. Name three different effects music can have on people.
5. What can great composers do with music?
6. What is "short-lived" music? Give two examples.
7. Why have people listened to classical music for hundreds of years?
8. Why should you keep an open mind when listening to different music?
9. What is the "Mozart effect?" (Look it up online, give a brief description here.) Do we think this effect is real? (cite your sources!)
10. Who was Mozart? (Look it up online, again cite your sources!)
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