Music History/Musicology

Why?:  Understanding music history, and its accompanying study of musical styles, instrumentation, and performance practice, is a vital part of understanding and being able to perform a wide array of music, from standard Western classical music to modern popular music to world folk music.

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Sample Lesson: Overview of 4th grade musical styles unit

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What?: Potential topics in music history/musicology for the six grade levels include:

              K: Composers and musical styles (Hansel und Gretel, Bought Me a Cat). What do different styles of music have in common? 

              1: Composers and musical styles(Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, etc)

              2: Composers and musical styles (The Nutcracker, etc); instrumentation (brass & percussion)

              3: Composers and musical styles (Four Seasons, Sorcerer's Apprentice, etc); musical form (rondo, program music, call and response, ostinato); general periods in music history

              4: In-depth study of musical genres and instrumentation; musical theater

              5: In-depth study of composers, both modern-day and pre-1950, and musicians; opera

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How?: The study of music history/musicology fulfills and/or supports the following Common Core standards: