The Walden School Musicianship Course

This course is an organic approach to the study of music for students 8 - 18.

Students are encouraged to use the materials they study to create improvisatory works and original compositions. This approach enhances a student's musical skills, and also enables the student to develop a sense of creative individuality in extra-musical pursuits and in life.

The course includes a multitude of inventive keyboard, singing, listening, and analytical activities that help students develop high-level fluency with theoretical concepts and excellent aural skills. It also offers artful improvisational games that make classrooms lively and inspiring and help students discover a personal, creative voice.

The Walden School Musicianship Course has three components:
 

		Core Musicianship is an activity-based approach to the study of basic acoustics, intervals, triads, modes, harmonic language – both functional and non-functional.
		Solfège & Rhythms offers a systematic, incremental, and improvisational approach to the study of melody and rhythm.
		Computer Musicianship teaches the students to approach the computer as an instrument and guides them in listening to, learning about, improvising, and writing idiomatic electronic music.

Course Offerings

For 2006-07 Moorestown School of Music is offering Levels 1A and 1B of this course.

Course Levels

The Level 1A class discovers the Overtone series, then focuses on the perfect intervals (octave, 5, 4), rhythm solfege (1/3, 1/8, 1/16, 2 beat patterns) and tonal solfege (sight singing major keys up to 3 sharps). Improvisation and composition starts with acoustics and environmental sounds and go on to 5ths and 4ths.

The Level 1B course covers major and minor intervals (M3, m3, M6, m6, M2, m2, M7, m7), major and minor triads, an introduction to the Pentonic modal system and computer musicianship, and continue rhythm and tonal solfege. Creative work focuses on the intervals studied.

Both Level 1A and 1B involve weekly drills on keyboard, singing and writing skills and require home practice of these skills in addition to creative assignments.