Launching a New Way to Learn Music History

Published on February 16, 2017

The Royal Conservatory has launched a new online history course – the only one of its kind – to help young music students develop a deeper understanding of the repertoire they play.

As part of The Royal Conservatory’s ongoing commitment to extending the reach of music education through digital technology, we have launched a new online history course – the only one of its kind – to help young music students develop a deeper understanding of the repertoire they play.

Entitled Music History: An Introduction and Overview, this online course enables youth to learn all about the life, musical style, and contributions of 15 prominent composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern Eras.

Designed to meet a variety of learning styles, the course features interactive elements such as video and audio that enliven the study of music history. It has also been created to complement the instruction provided in lessons and to support students who do not live in close proximity to history teachers.

Features include:

• More than 150 engaging learning activities
• More than 30 interactive listening activities for required compositions
• More than 100 practice questions to test knowledge and confirm understanding
• More than 185 embedded audio examples from the Naxos Music library

The course addresses more than 175 history-related learning objectives detailed in our Theory Syllabus, 2016 Edition. After completing the course, students will be ready to write The Royal Conservatory’s Level 9 History examination. They will have a thorough knowledge and understanding of:

• 15 prominent composers including their biographical details, musical careers, and musical styles and contributions;
• The structure, genre, plot, and historical context of 15 masterworks;
• More than 100 musical terms with examples as they apply to representative compositions; and
• The historical events and musical milestones that helped shape the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras

The online history course represents the latest step in The Royal Conservatory’s digital strategy. Our strategy involves the creation of a series of digital courses, resources, and communities that meet the unique needs of students at every stage of their musical development, as well as the needs of their parents and music teachers.

This work has also led us to develop a virtual online professional development portal for our community of private music teachers and plans to bring Koerner Hall concerts into homes across around the world through live streaming.

Ultimately, we believe in the power of technology as a vehicle for keeping the appetite alive for learning and loving music.

For more information, visit http://rcmusic.com/historycourse.

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