Introduction

Welcome to Music 111 online, an introduction to the artists, genres, and historical events that have made popular music what it is today. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to discuss the elements of music as well as the larger musical influences present in most modern popular music. You will also be able to identify and define key figures in, and genres of, popular music dating from the mid-nineteenth century to present day. Ideally, you will also gain an appreciation for artists and genres you are less familiar with, and will become a more thoughtful consumer of popular music.

In our first module, we will look at the broader definition of “popular music,” and will familiarize ourselves with the terminology needed to discuss popular music in a clear way. This terminology list will be added to throughout the course, but the basic terms introduced in module one will be the ones you return to frequently when writing blog posts, reviews, and other assignments throughout the course (please read the syllabus thoroughly for detailed information on assignments and due dates).

Once you have read the syllabus and completed the textbook readings for the week, be sure to take some time to investigate the MUS 111 WordPress site. This is where required multi-media will be posted (music discussed in the text, learning materials, and other extra materials), where additional Learning Materials will be found (taking the place of an in-person lecture), where you will find Challenge Questions for blog posts, where your blog posts will appear, and where bonus material for your interest will be posted.

Upon your completion of the work for the week, be sure to return to your Blackboard Course Tools (accessed via Paws) to complete the weekly quiz prior to the deadline (for more information, please see the syllabus).

Have fun! And welcome to The History of Popular Music.

Learning Objectives

When you have finished this module, you should be able to do the following:

1. Understand the expectations outlined in the syllabus for the course.
2. Plan how you will complete your assignments.
3. Identify how Popular Music will be defined for this course.
4. Competently use the terminology introduced in the module to describe a  piece of popular music.
5. Explain Verse/Chorus and Blues forms.
6. Learn how to blog, if you haven’t before.

Module Instructions

1. Read your syllabus thoroughly and take note of all weekly and monthly due dates.
2. Read Campbell pages xiv-xvi, and unit 1 (p.2-15).
3. As you read your textbook, visit the Module 1: Music page to listen to the musical example.
4. Visit the Module 1 Tutorial Videos on Sound and Harmony, located in the Tutorials link in your Blackboard Course Tools.
5. Read the Module 1: Learning Material.
6. Visit your blog and set it up to your preferences. Submit your URL via Blackboard so that your blog may be syndicated to our blog roll.
7. Optional: a response to one of the Module 1 Challenge Questions if you plan to blog as part of your course assignments (see syllabus for details).
8. Join the blog discussions that interest you.
9. Once you have completed your module work for the week, please go into your Blackboard Course Tools and complete the weekly quiz prior to the quiz deadline.

Key Terms and Concepts

• (What is) Popular Music
• The Elements of Music

 

Continue with Module 1: Learning Material