Faculty

MUSI-1306 Music Appreciation

Joyce Wu

Credit Spring 2026

Section(s)

MUSI-1306-004 (17984)
LEC MW 10:30am - 11:50am RRC RRC2 2322.00

Course Requirements

Prompt attendance, constructive communication with the professor, and diligent study are key to success in this course. Musical elements rarely make sense until they are heard within a piece of music. Students are strongly encouraged to listen closely to the music examples while studying through the course materials. The music examples are provided with the digital textbook.

Students grades will be based on their performance in class, listening exams, chapter quizzes, and composer reports. All grades will be posted on the class Blackboard for students to review.

Readings

Required Textbook:

This course uses The Enjoyment of Music by Forney, Dell’Antonio, and Machlis, 14th edition. The cost of the textbook (digital copy) is already included in your tuition when you sign up for this course. You do not need to purchase the book again. Please check with ACC Bookstore if you prefer using a hard copy of the book.

Listening Guides:

Each chapter contains at least one Listening Guides in the textbook. These are essential portion of the course materials. Students are expected to listen to the Listening Guides as part of their studies.

Course Subjects

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Music Appreciation is a basic course designed to enhance your enjoyment and understanding of music. Historical and cultural perspective, as well as building of analytical and listening skills, will be stressed. No musical background is required or expected, although students with such a background may find certain material in the course to be less challenging. The bulk of the course is focused on so-called “Western Art Music” which begins with the basic elements and vocabulary of music, then explore music through different musical eras (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary)

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Course objectives:

Understand the relationship between the music, arts, literature and society in history
Develop an appreciation for the range and diversity of humankind’s wisdom, values, ideas, beliefs, and reasoning.

Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to be able to

Identify the musical instruments and their unique quality of sound.
Recognize the basic elements of music composition
Identify musical characteristics associated with important composers and stylistic periods
Name prominent composers and outline their contributions and selected masterpieces
Obtain necessary effective listening techniques to become active listeners

Evaluate musical pieces with proper musical terminologies