Essentials in Music Theory

Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory software, for Educator and Student is based on the best-selling 3-volume book series, which was released by Alfred in 1998. This program, which runs on Macintosh and Windows, starts from the very beginning of musical theory, namely the introduction of the staff, notes and pitches, and progresses through scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, inversions, chord progressions, harmonization, and basic musical form. Ear training is a major component of the series with aural training conducted in Lessons, Exercises and special Ear Training sections.

The pedagogical approach, which appeals to students from late elementary through college, is based on the careful introduction of musical concepts which are immediately reinforced with randomized exercises. Each Lesson includes spoken dialogue to help in the pronunciation of musical terms and assist slower learners, and the lesson can be replayed if necessary. Students can also replay the Exercises when finished, until they are comfortable with the concept before moving on to the next lesson.

The 3-volume course includes 6 units per volume and 4 to 5 lessons per unit.

There is also an Ear Training section which reinforces aurally all the musical concepts introduced in the unit. The ear training examples are played by a variety of acoustic instruments (piano, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin and cello) so that students can develop their listening skills through a variety of musical timbres. In addition, aural reinforcement takes place in lessons and exercises to further develop the student's ear training abilities. A Review section completes each unit and the student's score is recorded in the program for personal view, or view by the teacher. The order of possible answers is also randomized in the Review section so that students do not memorize them if they take it over. Each Review is scored in five sections so that problem areas can be isolated for further study.

There is also a Glossary and Index of Musical Terms and Symbols which can be accessed at any time during the program. Students can click on any letter of the alphabet to find the term they want defined. The answer includes a written definition of the concept, an listing of what volume and unit the term is first introduced, a visual reference, a spoken pronunciation and a musical example of the term. Students can easily return to the exact unit and lesson from where they left off.

Educator Version Special Features

The Educator Version keeps track of up to 200 students per Volume. Basic record keeping capabilities such as name, address, ID #, e-mail address, password are included. In addition, the teacher can see what unit reviews were taken, as well as the number of times and the last date they were taken. They can get further information by clicking on a particular unit to see the overall average for all units taken, the average for that unit, as well as a score for each of the five sections of the unit.

One of the most exciting features of the Educator Version is the ability to create Customized Tests for printing and photocopying. Teachers can select specific volumes, units questions and exercises and develop unique tests for each class for which they are teaching theory. Additional features of the Educator Version include the ability to export and import student records. Students who buy the Student Version can take tests at home and e-mail their scores to the teacher for importing into the Educator Version. The most recent score will be kept in the program. The Student Version includes all elements of the Educator Version, with the exception of the Custom Test Generator and the ability to keep track of more than one student at a time.