# New Coursera music course



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Coursera is offering Yale's "Introduction to Classical Music" beginning Jan. 12. This as a free course lastng eight weeks. I have audited three or four of these and have found them generally meatier than they sound.

https://www.coursera.org/course/introclassicalmusic


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

There is a series of course-lectures called 'Listening to Music with Craig Wright' on Yale's YouTube channel. I've watched one, I wouldn't recommend them.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I took this class. He's a really nice guy. But attendance was graded. I have no comment on that, except that the grade I got in this course as a result of attendance being graded is one of the few grades in college that I can say I truly earned.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Coursera courses are not graded. You can take quizzes and do exercises if you like and get sort of a credit if you're so moved. I've simple audited the courses I've taken.

There are occasional small quizzes (testicles?) scattered throughout to make sure you're paying attention.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Coursera courses are not graded. You can take quizzes and do exercises if you like and get sort of a credit if you're so moved. I've simple audited the courses I've taken.
> 
> There are occasional small quizzes (testicles?) scattered throughout to make sure you're paying attention.


Science studied at Yale, for credit and for his degree(s)... ergo, that course, graded. 
The online course is a public service, not for credit -- like auditing a class.

Yale's music department is deep-end and known to be rigorous and challenging -- but if a glance at the introductory clip is any indication of how the rest goes, my hunch is this online course is really simplified for the everyman, and not near what would be offered at that college for credit.

Coming from 'the place I am in,' I found these course listing parts:

Week 8

23. Don't be Afraid: It's only Modernism!

24. Classical Music for Everyone: Postmodernism

pretty funny 

But I looked at the introductory vid, and wonder if, in America, there will ever be such a presentation _for those lay-listener adults who want to learn about music_, but sans the nebbish-like Mister Rogers kinda guy style approach. That only exacerbates the notion of "socially intimidated" lay folk terrified of a little arts education... and I think that is hooey.

Sigh.


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2014)

The sentence "Don't be Afraid: It's only Modernism" is only possible if one assumes that your audience assumes that modernism is scary. I wonder if there's a way of introducing that person to certain kinds of music from a certain era without validating the assumption. Well, no. I don't really wonder. Of course there is. You just present, without referring to the assumption. Easy.

As for the second one Petr mentions, aside from its lameness in the whole area of humorosity, I also wonder if the makers of Coursera will ever be able to break out of the very simplistic and not even close to accurate collapsing of the century into those two choices. This one I truly hope they can.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

some guy said:


> The sentence "Don't be Afraid: It's only Modernism" is only possible if one assumes that your audience assumes that modernism is scary. I wonder if there's a way of introducing that person to certain kinds of music from a certain era without validating the assumption. Well, no. I don't really wonder. Of course there is. You just present, without referring to the assumption. Easy.
> 
> As for the second one Petr mentions, aside from its lameness in the whole area of humorosity, I also wonder if the makers of Coursera will ever be able to break out of the very simplistic and not even close to accurate collapsing of the century into those two choices. This one I truly hope they can.


I suppose there will always be someone who argues these courses "are better than nothing," while since they do take this cautionary and condescending approach, I would argue that "nothing" can sometimes be better!

(It also bugs me no end there is some brief and sweeping intro, then -- at least per the syllabus -- the course immediately jumps to the music of that great but over-revered Thuringian master of 18th century north-European counterpoint. Wonder if, for example, Guillaume de Machaut or Monteverdi even get a mention....


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Of course it just could be a joke. 

After all, no one is actually afraid of modernism. Some people just don't like it, though they might be afraid to admit that. It's not like many students (of any college) are going to arrive in this class unaware of anything about modernism. (Edit: Also, at least in a Yale context, almost no one is going to reject modern or postmodern music. Even if they don't actually like it, at least they know what sort of thing they're supposed to say.) 

However deep challenging Yale's music department may be in other respects, this class would definitely not count toward credit for a major in any sort of music degree. It's the music equivalent of rocks for jocks or physics for poets.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

science said:


> Of course it just could be a joke.
> 
> After all, no one is actually afraid of modernism. Some people just don't like it, though they might be afraid to admit that. It's not like many students (of any college) are going to arrive in this class unaware of anything about modernism. (Edit: Also, at least in a Yale context, almost no one is going to reject modern or postmodern music. Even if they don't actually like it, at least they know what sort of thing they're supposed to say.)
> 
> However deep challenging Yale's music department may be in other respects, this class would definitely not count toward credit for a major in any sort of music degree. It's the music equivalent of rocks for jocks or physics for poets.


Yesbut... Ziggy would say that in every joke is more than a little grain of the truth....


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

PetrB said:


> Yesbut... Ziggy would say that in every joke is more than a little grain of the truth....


It's a joke at the expense of people who don't like modernist art. The truth in the jest is that people who don't like such art are often spoken of in all seriousness as being afraid of it. If anything, the joke is meant to signal that the music is in fact "only" music. The only objection to the joke I can imagine would be that such humor undermines the special status that one might want modernist music to have.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

science said:


> It's a joke at the expense of people who don't like modernist art. The truth in the jest is that people who don't like such art are often spoken of in all seriousness as being afraid of it.


Ah, I see... jokes at the expense of the very people you are trying to reach -- just the right approach to reach and teach that crowd


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

PetrB said:


> Ah, I see... jokes at the expense of the very people you are trying to reach -- just the right approach to reach and teach that crowd


Well, again, it's a pretty elite setting. Not many people enter, let alone leave, Yale "afraid" of modernist art. So it's probably not meant as a joke at his audience's expense.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

science said:


> Well, again, it's a pretty elite setting. Not many people enter, let alone leave, Yale "afraid" of modernist art. So it's probably not meant as a joke at his audience's expense.


Not wanting to continue with this, but, a freely available everyman course via the internet is hardly elite, Yale tag and trappings or not.


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## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

If you are looking for a really interesting and well presented course then I'd recommend the Teaching Company "How to Listen to and Understand Great Music" It's 36 hours of lectures in audio book format which sounds daunting but is actually very absorbing - even addictive!
Professor Robert Greenberg http://www.robertgreenbergmusic.com/ presents them and they have taught me so much.

The course is expensive to buy, but if you are not already an Amazon Audible user then you can subscribe via your local Amazon site and get the first month for free. The course is on their list and so you can get this course for free by signing up to the free trial.
Once your month is up you can then cancel - or continue. in the UK this is £7.99 a month and there are others in the series available. I'm listening to his series on the Beethoven piano sonatas at the moment and there's a brilliant course on Bach and the High Baroque.

Bob Greenberg is a very talented teacher and passionate about his subject. Even if you are already quite educated about music you can find something new in these courses. He litters his lectures with little stories and quotes about the various composers he analyses.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

PetrB said:


> Not wanting to continue with this, but, a freely available everyman course via the internet is hardly elite, Yale tag and trappings or not.


Still, even there the selection effect will be strong.


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## pirastro (Feb 2, 2015)

Hi,
I've been taking the coursra composition course for a few weeks. Enjoying it very much. I wondered if you have had any problem seeing the attachments / assignments? They haven't replied. Could it be because i'm using a tablet?
Thanks,
Pirastro.


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## Proms Fanatic (Nov 23, 2014)

I like the Yale lectures online, particularly as I was a bit of a n00b beforehand.

However the Great Courses 'How to Listen and Understand Great Music' by D
Robert Greenberg is outstanding and I'd highly recommend listening to it somehow, especially if you're just dipping your toes in the vast ocean of 'classical' music.


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