Unpack the language of music in this series of courses.

This course explains music theory to a very diverse audience, with varying levels of musical background; from those who haven't touched music since childhood to those who have never learnt notation before as well as those who play or sing but haven’t delved into the details of rhythm, pitch, keys, notation, harmony and musical styles.

Level 1

• Understanding and recognition of common musical symbols and signs
• Reading and writing pitches in treble and bass clef
• Reading rhythmic exercises in simple metres
• Writing and understanding all major scales and their key signatures
• Interval reading and construction in relation to scales and chords
• An introduction to Ear Training and Sight-reading using 'moveable DO'
• A historical overview of musical periods from Early Music to Romantic with an emphasis on development of notation composition and performance.
• Putting a piece of music into another key

By end of this term students will have an understanding of major key signatures and major scales time signatures and begin the process of reading notation separately as rhythm and pitches. Students will start to look at scores as they learn concepts and apply them. 

Recommended for

• Beginners
• People who may have done some theory years ago but who are rusty
• Working musicians who do not read music

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT THIS CLASS

Renata is fun and very present. She is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humour.

I was skeptical at first about the methodology of oral repetition to read music and learn major, minor seconds etc however after a term doing this, I am a convert.  There is a good balance of different concepts in each class. Watching Renata conducting the different time signatures has been very helpful.

It is great having access to the class recordings and additional material.  Important to have this available until the start of the next term for revision purposes.

Renata does a great job, explaining the theory to a very diverse audience, with varying levels of musical background and with expectations about what they want from a theory class.

Renata teaches music fundamentals in a fun and interactive way, it's impossible not to enjoy this course! The mix of music history with theory helped put context to what was being taught. I will definitely move onto Music Fundamentals 2.

An interested and dedicated instructor who communicated her enthusiasm well.

I'd like to thank Renata for an informative 8 weeks in this first session of Music Fundamentals. Since completing this first module, I've already increased my confidence in attempting to write and transpose music myself. Looking forward to part 2.

I've learned so many new things. Now I am beginning to understand concepts I had only heard of in the past.

Renata was patient and supportive - explained concepts really well and happy to revisit areas where students had problems.