MUSC 224: Music Appreciation

I took this course simply because I needed to take an art class that would fulfill Goal 4, but as usual with a course that is outside of the realm of topics I usually learn about, I found the new and different kind of information it offered refreshing.  Though I have no musical experience or knowledge beyond enjoying listening to music, I found the information very accessible, and I enjoyed the lessons on history and culture that the professor gave in order to provide context for the composers we studied.  The listening portion of the exams where we had to identify pieces of music was a completely new challenge for me, and I definitely honed my ability to critically listen to a piece of music in the process of studying for the exams.

Overall, though, the largest takeaway I had from the course was the realization that music is collaborative in a very similar way to theatre.  The artist- whether the composer or the playwright- has to relinquish control of what they have created to a team of people who will interpret it as they chose.  Because of technology that allows for recording and easy disbursal of recordings, I grew up feeling like music was more like art, where the artist creates and fine tunes their piece until it is the way they want, then allows other people to see it.  This new concept was a lot of fun to come to.