Course

Basic Theory II

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
Music
Course code
MUSC 1202
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
25
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
Winter

Overview

Course description
This course is a continuation of musical rudiments study with an introduction to harmony, form and the basics of song writing. Course content includes all components of the theory assessment for placement into MUSC 1110.
Course content

Content will include, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Scales
    • Review of major and minor scales
    • Chromatic scales
    • Modal scales
    • Pentatonic scales
    • Blues and Major Blues scales
    • Whole tone scales
    • Octatonic scales
  2. Rhythm and Meter
    • Review of simple and compound meters
    • Time signatures with less common beat units (e.g. 3/2, 6/4)
    • Irregular groupings
    • Irregular meters
    • Syncopation
  3. Harmony
    • Triad types, root position and inversions
    • Seventh chords, root position and inversions
    • Traditional nomenclature of chords
    • Figured bass inversion symbols
    • Roman numeral labels
    • Lead-sheet chord symbols
    • Chord progression
    • Cadence types
  4. Transposition  
    • by key  
    • by interval
  5. Musical Structure
    • Phrase and cadence
    • Simple binary and ternary forms
    • Song forms including 12-bar blues and 32-bar popular songs
  6. Song writing
    • Writing melodies
    • Writing harmonic progressions
    • Working with form
Learning activities

Classes will include explanation and demonstration of concepts by the instructor and practice of the concepts by the student in the form of written, verbal, individual and group activities.

Means of assessment

 

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.

The following is a sample grades breakdown:

 

Homework and small assignments (no individual grade weighted at more than 2%) 

10%

Assignments (completed independently outside of class, minimum of 2)

10%

Quizzes, Speed Drills, In-class Activities (minimum of 10)          

25%

Tests (4 tests, top 3 grades recorded @ 10% each)

30%

Final Examination

20%

Class Participation

5%

TOTAL

100%

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • communicate an expanded working knowledge of the rudiments of music;
  • demonstrate notational fluency with basic tonal and rhythmic materials;
  • analyse simple tonal music;
  • compose short musical exercises using specified materials;
  • participate constructively in the college classroom. 
Textbook materials

A required text and/or digital resource may be assigned by the instructor. 

Text example: 

Current edition of Henry, Earl, Jennifer Snodgrass, and Susan Piagentini. Fundamentals of Music: Rudiments, Musicianship and Composition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 

Digital resource example:

Student subscription to Artusi Music (www.artusimusic.com)

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for MUSC 1202
Athabasca University (AU) AU MUSI 1XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU MUS 109 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU MUSI 1XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU CA 1XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU MUSI 2XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) DOUG MUSC 1202 (3) & DOUG MUSC 1203 (3) = TWU MUSI 226 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU MUSI 225 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) No credit
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) No credit
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC MUS 101A (1.5)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) Individual Audition Required

Course Offerings

Summer 2025