Master Music Theory: From Basics to Songwriting in 10 Lessons

Master Music Theory: From Basics to Composition in 10 Lessons

Unlock the language of music with our comprehensive Music Theory course. Whether you're a beginner or looking to solidify your understanding, you'll finish this course with:

1. The ability to read and write musical notation fluently
2. A deep understanding of rhythm, meter, and time signatures
3. Proficiency in identifying and constructing scales and key signatures
4. Skills to recognize and write various intervals
5. Knowledge of major and minor scales, including harmonic and melodic minors
6. The ability to compose a short musical piece applying learned concepts
7. A strong foundation for further musical studies or instrument practice

Course Experience:

Over ten engaging lessons, you'll progress from basic notation to composing your own music. Each session combines lecture, listening exercises, and hands-on practice to ensure thorough understanding and skill development.

What you'll achieve:

• Master reading and writing musical notation on the grand staff
• Understand and apply complex rhythmic concepts
• Gain proficiency in major and minor scales, including their construction and key signatures
• Develop ear training skills through interval recognition
• Create your own musical composition using learned theory concepts

Our teaching approach:

• Interactive lectures with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion
• Practical exercises to reinforce each new concept
• Progressive skill-building from basic to advanced topics
• A final composition project to showcase your new knowledge

Weekly Lesson Breakdown:

1. Introduction to Notation: Pulse, meter, notes, rests, and staff basics
2. Rhythm, Notes, and Rests: Advanced note values, time signatures, dots, and ties
3. Notation and Time Signatures: Pitch notation, clefs, and further exploration of time signatures
4. The Staff, Accidentals, and Key Signatures: Deep dive into reading the grand staff and understanding key signatures
5. Half Steps and Whole Steps: Introduction to intervals and special scales
6. Major Scales: Construction and characteristics of major scales
7. Minor Scales: Natural minor scales and their relationship to major scales
8. Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales (Part 1): Advanced minor scale concepts
9. Major and Minor Scales (Part 2): Further exploration of intervals and scale relationships
10. Final Composition: Apply all learned concepts in creating an original piece

By the end of these ten lessons, you'll have a solid grasp of music theory fundamentals and the ability to apply them creatively. You'll be well-prepared for advanced music studies, instrument practice, or composing your own music.

Ready to decode the language of music? Book your first lesson today and start your journey to musical fluency!

*Please book at least one day in advance to allow for lesson preparation.

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SYLLABUS

Lesson 1 An Introduction 
Learners will be introduced to pulse and meter, notes, and rests. They will also learn about double bar lines, lines of the bass staff, spaces of the bass staff, grand staff, writing clefs & braces, and ledger lines

Lesson 2 Rhythm, Notes, and Rests 
Learners will be introduced to eighth notes and rests, beaming of eighth notes, dots, and ties. They will learn about the relationship between notes and rests, writing notes, relative note and rest values, dotted notes, measures & time signatures, 3/4 time signature, 2/4 time signature, and note stems.

Lesson 3 Notation and Time Signatures 
In this lesson, learners will be learning about pitch notation, the treble clef, bass clef, and the grand staff. In addition, accidentals, key signatures, and enharmonic equivalents will be discussed. 

Lesson 4 The Staff, Accidentals, and Key Signatures
Learners will learn about half steps and whole steps, the chromatic scale, and the whole tone scale. 

Lesson 5 Half Steps and Whole Steps 
Learners will learn about the major scale, different scale degrees, major scales that use sharps, major scales that use flats. 

Lesson 6 Major Scales 
Learners will be introduced to the natural minor scale, the relative major/minor relationship, and the minor scale syllable names. 

Lesson 7 Minor Scales 
Learners will be introduced to the harmonic minor scale, ascending melodic minor scale, descending melodic minor scale, and minor scale key signatures

Lesson 8 Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales (Part 1)
Learners will continue to develop their skills with intervals, perfect and major intervals, and understand the difference between major and minor. 

Lesson 9 Major and Minor Scales (Part 2)
Learners will learn more about the relationship between major and minor scales, perfect and diminished intervals, augmented intervals and compound intervals. Learners will do in-class exercises on different intervals that had been learned in the lesson. 

Lesson 10 Final Composition
Learners will compose a short piece using the concepts learned in class. 

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Please be sure to book at least one day in advance to give me time to prepare!  Thank you and hope to see you soon!