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Free course

Discovering music through listening

Free statement of participation on completion
Discovering music through listening

This free course, Discovering music through listening, will introduce you to the musical elements used by musicians to create a piece of music: pulse, tempo, metre, rhythm, melody, harmony, structure, texture, timbre, and dynamics. You’ll learn how to identify the different musical elements by taking a particular approach to listening to the music, known as close listening. Alongside developing your listening skills, you will learn how to explain what you hear using technical language.

You do not need to be able to read music notation, play an instrument, or have any prior musical knowledge to be able to complete this course.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • identify the different musical elements in the music you listen to
  • discuss the musical elements that you hear using technical language
  • analyse the musical effects created by composers by thinking about how they use and manipulate the musical elements.

First Published: 22/07/2020

Updated: 22/07/2020

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