Instructor: Mr. John P. Shoener
Email: shoej@svbluedevils.org
Class Time: M–F, 1:15–1:57 PM
Location: Band Room – SVHS
Online Platform (If Remote): Google Meet via Google Classroom
Music 101 is a survey course designed to broaden students’ understanding and appreciation of music from various periods, genres, and cultures. Emphasizing classical, jazz, popular, and world music, this course fosters perceptive listening and explores music’s function in society. Instruction focuses on music’s elements, forms, applications, and historical contexts.
By the end of this course, students will:
Develop an appreciation for music across composers, styles, and periods.
Identify significant musical works by title, composer, and stylistic era.
Understand cultural and historical forces that influence musical development.
Gain familiarity with music terminology and stylistic conventions.
Recognize how music shapes and reflects societal beliefs and behaviors.
Connect musical study to broader cultural mediums (e.g., film, religion, advertising).
Kamien, Music: An Appreciation
Unit 1: Elements of Music
Ch. 1: Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color (Pages 1-9)
Ch. 2: Performing Media: Voices and Instruments (Pages 10-31)
Ch. 3: Rhythm (Pages 31-35)
Unit 2: Musical Language
Ch. 4: Music Notation (Pages 36-39)
Ch. 5: Melody (Pages 40-44)
Ch. 6: Harmony (Pages 44-48)
Unit 3: Musical Structure and Style
Ch. 7: Key (Pages 48-52)
Ch. 8: Texture (Pages 53-56)
Ch. 9: Form (Pages 57-58)
Unit 4: Performance Practice
Ch. 10: Musical Performance (Pages 61-65)
Ch. 11: Musical Style and Interpretation (Pages 65-67)
Unit 5: Jazz
Ch. 1: Jazz Styles 1900-1950 (Pages 484-486)
Ch. 2: Ragtime (Pages 487-488)
Ch. 3: Blues (Pages 488-492)
Ch. 4: New Orleans Style (Pages 492-496)
Ch. 5: Swing- (Pages 497-498)
Ch. 6: Bebop (Pages 499-501)
Ch. 7: Jazz Styles since 1950 (Pages 502-506)
Unit 6: 20th Century Music / Rock & Roll
Ch. 1: Rock Styles (Pages 529-533)
Ch. 2: Rock in American Society (Pages 534-537)
Ch. 3: The Beatles and Cultural Impact (Pages 537-541)
Unit 7: Music for Stage and Screen
Ch. 1: Musical Theater (Pages 511-512)
Ch. 2: Leonard Bernstein (Pages 513-516)
Ch. 3: Music in Film (Pages 517-523)
Additional content will be included as time permits, based on student interests and instructional pacing.
Interactive lectures with multimedia support
Guided listening and music analysis
Group discussions and individual reflection
Integration of historical and cultural context
Online Canvas-based assignments and assessments
Face-to-face and synchronous hybrid delivery
Google Classroom: Course materials, quizzes, and grades
Google Meet/Classroom: For remote instruction
Daily attendance is required.
Missing more than 4 sessions may result in administrative notification.
Participation in class discussions is mandatory.
Students registered for in-person or remote sections must follow their assigned modality unless cleared by the instructor.
Assignment Weights
Participation: 10%
Homework: 10%
Essays (2): 20%
Exams (3): 60%
Grading Scale
A = 93–100
A- = 90–92
B+ = 87–89
B = 83–86
B- = 80–82
C+ = 77–79
C = 73–76
C- = 70–72
D = 60–69
F = Below 60
Exam Structure
3 Exams: 50% multiple choice, 50% short answer
Administered via Canvas with Lockdown Browser
Makeup exams allowed only with advance notice and valid reason
Final Exam
Cumulative and administered during the final week of class
Late Work:
Penalized 10 points per day late
Not accepted after answers are posted