The following comments are adapted from the grant proposal for this project.
One of the main pedagogical purposes of any first-year college music theory class is to get students to use their ears in an analytical way. Since music exists as sounds-in-time (as opposed to words-on-a-page), the study of music is necessarily different from other non-time-based curricula. Unfortunately, most of the materials which music teachers traditionally have to work with are text-based, a situation which often results in students concentrating on the text rather than the sounds being described by the text. It is one thing to read about an orchestra, or a chord progression, or a rhythmic pattern; it is an entirely different experience to listen to examples of these same topics. With the development of multimedia technology, we now have the potential to systematically change the instructional methodology from text-based to sound-based. The Theory Companion will feature the following uses of this technology: (1) MIDI realizations of notated musical examples from the texts; (2) additional audio examples (with questions and answers) to reinforce concepts introduced in the texts; and (3) extended excerpts and complete works, demonstrating contextual uses of basic concepts. With the audio materials literally right at their fingertips, students will take a more active role in the learning process, developing effective self-study techniques while improving their aural perception skills. As an added bonus, instructors will no longer have to spend time preparing and duplicating tapes to be put on reserve and/or played in class. The Theory Companion will contain all necessary examples, prepared and ready for lecture use, resulting in a more efficient use of instructor time (both in and out of class).
As important as these aural examples are, they are only one part of the Companion. The Companion will also contain files of all materials normally photocopied and handed out to students: course syllabi, assignments, etc. Students will be able to print out whatever files they need, or transfer them to their own digital storage media (disks, laptops, e-mail accounts, etc). This will not only relieve instructors and/or secretaries of the drudgery involved with preparing such handouts, and save money on duplicating costs, but will also offer students a fail-safe way to replace lost copies, verify test dates, review course information, and check their class notes against the reference files.
Self-study aids are the third component of the Companion: (1) QuickTime movies of mini-lectures by Furman music faculty (and possibly upper division Theory majors) on a variety of relevant topics, and (2) CAI software for individual drill and practice. In addition to supplementing regular class instruction, and being available for convenient review, the mini-lectures will foster a sense of community within the Music Department by providing students the opportunity to "virtually" meet and learn from a variety of instructors. With regard to software, we have found that while some "off the shelf" programs are helpful, there is often a difference in terminology or pedagogical style with the way we wish to teach; developing course-specific software is the solution to this problem.
The final component of the Companion will be links to websites offering
additional resources such as discussion groups dedicated to class topics.
Since these sites will be updated constantly, they will serve as a good
complement to the more static elements of the Companion.