Here is some information about a new online traditional Catholic music course for any of those here who might be interested.  It is being taught by a traditional Catholic father of seven.

Music in the West: 

Appreciation, History, Theory & Practice 

A distance-learning course for academies, co-ops, scholae, and individuals,  from the Catholic point of view, but open to all | 5th to 12th grades | 2022-23 

Instructor Email Phone (cel)  CDR John Sharpe, USN (ret.) MusicClass@GregorianNoteBooks.

IHSPress.com (757) 332-2074 

General Information 

Background 

Music is arguably the most powerful of the arts; at its best it involves numerous others, such as drama,  architecture, print design, literature. It also implicates both mathematics and time, and mysteriously  comes in and out of being with each hearing or performance. Its special for Catholics is that, like so  many of the arts, it grew up in the bosom of the Church, shaping and shaped by her liturgy, and (at  least with respect to good music) transmits the intellectual and sentimental legacy of Greece and  Rome through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and subsequent periods. Moreover, its role in the lives of  young people has become disproportionate over the last three-quarter century. For these and other  reasons, a well-rounded cultural and moral life requires an ability to appreciate good music, which in  turn depends upon interaction with it in theory and practice – performing, singing, reading; knowing  its history, and gaining a familiarity with it so as to turn it from a stranger into a life-long friend. 

Description 

Students will be exposed to Gregorian chant – history, listening, singing, and reading its ancient (but  simple) notation. The course will likewise cover subsequent musical styles (and modern notation) of  the Renaissance, Restoration, Rococo, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary periods, up to but  exclusive of last and this centuries’ “pop” (though a critique of it will be offered in due course!). 

Course Structure 

The course has 33 weekly 1-hour sessions: Fridays 1:05 to 2:05pm from August 26, 2022, to June 2,  2023 (see calendar for days off). The sessions’ blocks – the Catholic (traditional) Liturgy, Gregorian  Chant, Music History & Appreciation, and Theory & Practice – will ensure basics are covered, e.g., how  to read modern and ancient music; theory for executing Gregorian chant and singing vocal works in  modern notation; the history of musical periods, and their key forms, styles, and compositions (with  listening to train the ear and gain appreciation for the great works). The blocks, though, are not rigid:  the spirit will be that of John Senior’s Integrated Humanities Program, applied to music, where  listening, studying, working, and performing are woven together in pursuit of a unified vision. 

The first session (Friday, August 26) will work out logistics associated with on-line attendance,  submission and grading of work; introduce teacher and students; review course materials and  schedule; and survey students’ familiarity with music theory and practice. To the extent practicable,  theory work will be assigned to groups of students based on their levels of knowledge and experience. 

For students whose participation is limited, the first quarter will “blaze” through music history and  concepts; the remaining three will expand on the first quarter’s outline, develop technical theory, and  refine singing execution. Moreover, individual sessions and quarters, while building on the preceding  ones, will offer something of independent value for those whose availability to attend class is limited.  Subsequent years of the course will cover similar fundamentals (for newcomers) but introduce varied  singing and listening repertoire, to minimize repetition, provide value for those required to take the  course several times in a row, and ensure a trajectory of progress across multiple academic years. 
Auditors are welcome (at cost) to sit in on sessions without credit, completing assignments, or  reviewing course material. For even just partial credit, students should enroll for a full quarter.

$10/session | $75/quarter | $250/academic year | email in advance to register  PayPal or Venmo (BVF-John_Sharpe) | Cost is per sign-in (1 per family or student group) 

Expectation and Goal 

Students should come to class with reading materials and assignments prepared, participate in  discussion and engage in practical activities (like singing!), behave respectfully towards teacher and  one another, and learn! The goal is for students to come away from the course having gained general  ability and confidence with reading music (ancient and modern); singing basic Gregorian and other  tunes; understanding the history of musical styles and the chief forms of the most significant works.  More importantly, students should appreciate: the nature and structure of the liturgy, its importance  to the practice of the Catholic religion (a historically significant point even for non-Catholics), and the  essential role that chant and music plays in it; that, as with all art, that there is a difference between  good and bad music; and that, respecting due (and exceptional) limitations, everyone can and should  sing (at least chant) or be otherwise involved in producing (rather than merely consuming) good music. 

Course Materials 

Relevant excerpts only will be covered of the required texts listed; out of respect for students’ time  (and the capacities of the younger ones) there is no expectation that texts will be covered in full. 

Required Texts (provided electronically) 

Sunol Text Book of Gregorian Chant () 

Judith Square Notes (workbook) (Angelus Press) 

Garonti The Spirit of the Liturgy (trans. Virgil Michel) 

Rees & Sadler Concepts of Piano Theory (levels vary) (worksheets)

Required Texts (need to purchase – see syllabus for outlets) 

Saulnier Gregorian Chant: A Guide to the History and Liturgy (Paraclete Press)  Harnsberger Essential Dictionary of Music (Alfred Pub.) 

Optional Texts (for purchase – see syllabus) 

Gerou Essential Dictionary of Music Notation (Alfred Pub.) 

Fata Music Appreciation 1 (Memoria Press) 

For further reading 

See syllabus for extensive bibliography 

Course Logistics 

The syllabus (to be provided separately) will outline the process for attending the class online via  Google Educational Workspace, detail submission and grading of course work, and provide course  materials (or information on how to obtain them). Based on the single session per week but the  substance and depth of the course, one credit is recommended. 
About the instructor 

CDR Sharpe served in the U.S. Navy for 29 years following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in  1993. He qualified a Nuclear Engineer Officer under the Departments of the Energy and Defense in  1996; earned an M.A. in History from Old Dominion University in 2010 and was advanced to PhD  candidacy in history at the University of Delaware the same year.(1) He is editor-in-chief of IHS Press  which he founded with his wife and a colleague in 2001. He has a High School diploma in classical  piano playing and has been directing Gregorian chant since 2006 and a polyphonic choir since 2015.

(1 Certain family members despair of his ever finding or make the time to finish his dissertation!)