10148 Music at First Sight

Credits: 3 introductory credits in Music

Prerequisites: none

Authors: Ido Abravaya, Ron Weidberg, Benjamin Perl

This basic course is intended for music-lovers who lack rudimentary background in music. It is also recommended for students with keyboard skills and who are familiar with musical notation but wish to expand their musical education in the area of theory and familiarity with the repertoire.

Objectives: To equip students with keyboard skills (piano or organ) at the level of the ability to play simple tunes (students with proven keyboard skills are exempt from this activity); To familiarize students with the fundamentals of rhythm; To train students in musical notation; To transmit basic concepts in music (major, minor, intervals, etc.) and the ability to apply them; To guide students in listening to musical works from various periods and familiarize them with musical forms combining the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired; To enrich the musical experience.

Structure: Weekly 3-hour sessions are held in a piano lab (with up to 16 electric pianos for group learning) throughout the semester. The sessions include teaching keyboard skills, basic concepts and guided listening. The materials include recordings of musical examples that are an integral part of the course. Students require a keyboard (piano or organ) for home practice and one can be loaned them.

Topics: Keyboard skills, Stage I: keyboard skills, rhythm, musical notation and basic musical concepts; The organ point; Motive-phrase-form; Schubert’s lieder (multimedia courseware); Theme and variations; A look at opera – Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro.