MUSIC LESSONS II Chords and Harmony
MUSIC LESSONS II is the most comprehensive Chords and Harmony software available. It's recommended for intermediate to advanced musicians, ages 12 and up.
Pedagogically Sound
MUSIC LESSONS II develops all four areas of music perception essential to the study of music:
- Visual Recognition
- Written Notation
- Keyboard Skills (Piano and Guitar)
- Ear Training
Six Areas of Study
- Chord Elements
- Triads
- Triads Ear Training
- Seventh Chords
- Seventh Chords Ear Training
- Roman Numeral Chord Identification
Three Study Activities
The three study activities, Naming, Writing, and Playing, develop three of the four essential areas of music perception: Visual Recognition, Written Notation, and Keyboard Skills. The fourth area, Ear Training, is covered in the two Ear Training drills, which can also be practiced in the Naming, Writing and Playing activities. Being able to switch between the three study activities in every drill keeps you motived and interested, while reinforcing the musical concepts being learned.
You'll Learn To
- NAME chords you see in all keys, clefs, qualities, inversions, and open or closed voicings;
- WRITE chords on the music staff in all keys, clefs, qualities, and inversions, using the program's drawing tools;
- PLAY chords in all keys, clefs, qualities, and inversions on the program's two instruments (piano and guitar) or from an attached MIDI synthesizer;
- HEAR and identify chords in all keys, clefs, qualities, and inversions in the ear training drills.
Features
Multiple Levels of Difficulty
Each area of study has three to four subdrills, and each subdrill has multiple settings. The easier settings work well in the middle school, while the advanced settings are suitable for college study.
Custom Dirlls
Custom drills are easily created to target specific areas of study. For example, you could create a drill to work on the ii - V - I chords in the keys of C, F, and G.
Five Clefs
You can work in treble clef, bass clef, alto clef, tenor clef, grand staff, or any combination of these. In treble clef they can work with three or four part chords in open or closed voicings.
Piano and Guitar Instruments
In the Playing activity drills, you answer questions by playing the on-screen Piano or Guitar instruments, or an attached MIDI keyboard.
Drawing Tools
In the Writing activity drills, you answer questions using the program's built in music notation tools.
Ear Training
Ear training is a challenging area for most students. With MUSIC LESSONS II, you can create custom ear training drills with a learning curve that fits your needs.
Roman Numeral Identification
These drills help prepare for Advanced Placement Music Theory exams.
Interactivity
You get immediate feedback with on screen scores, and you can work at your own pace. If you don't know the answer, the program will show you. If you don't understand the answer, the built in Help screens clearly and completely explain every musical term and concept used in the program.
Open Ended Design
Because MUSIC LESSONS II is open ended, you can work on the drills in any order. The software is easily integrated with any existing curriculum.
Flexability
MUSIC LESSONS II works with a wide range of learning styles and preferences. Nearly every aspect of the program's interface is under your control.
Hundreds of Drills
The program provides hundreds of possible chord and harmony exercises formed by combinations of the six areas of study, the three study activities, the multiple levels of difficulty, the five clef choices, and the piano and guitar instruments.
Progress Reports
Progress Reports provide a detailed record of student scores on every level of every drill. It's easy to view or print the current assignment, any assignment from the past, or the cumulative listing of scores for all drills done in the past and up to the present. The cumulative score listing provides an end of term assessment for each student. Progress Reports can be printed and saved for an unlimited number of students.
Built In Music Theory Reference
A comprehensive Music Theory Reference explaining all concepts related to the drills is built into the program and is always available on screen.
Printed User Guide and Reference Manual
These two manuals thoroughly explain every aspect of the program's use.
System Requirements
Windows
- Win 95, 98, NT4, Win 2000
- Sound Blaster and MIDI compatible
- Sound Option: Sound card or optional MIDI synthesizer
Macintosh
- Mac 68K or PowerMac
- MacOS 7.1.1 or newer, MacOS 8 or MacOS 9
- MIDI optional
- Sound Option: Computer speaker: sampled sounds or QuickTime sounds
