Music History
The Music History Program is a complete history of the development of Western Classical music. It is divided into three levels.
The first is a survey course from the Baroque era to present day and is a requirement for the Gr. 9 RCM certificate;
The second covers the Middle Ages to the Classical era and is required for Gr. 10;
The third explores the Romantic and the Modern eras and is required for the ARCT level, therefore part of what is needed to graduate from the Royal Conservatory.
These courses are also requirements for the new RCM History and Theory: Advanced Certificate.
Often, this material is taught in a formal classroom setting with many students in each class. Here at Toronto Music Alliance, I offer these courses on a private basis. This one-to-one approach results in a thorough understanding of all the information. The students and I can delve together into the corresponding political climate and art scene that help to explain why music was written in different ways throughout different centuries and in different countries. The school has a wonderful set of resources at our disposal: texts, musical scores, and a complete set of the required CDs. We listen to music and read scores together and discover which composers influenced others and why.
No Classical musician can be fully educated without this important background information. You will soon be able to understand your theory lessons more fully and will be performing your repertoire with a much greater insight into the composer’s mind. At Toronto Music Alliance, we value and encourage this integrated approach to learning music.
The program can be adapted and tailor-made for your needs. Whether you are preparing for your RCM exams, or are working toward an application to study music at the university level, or are simply curious about how, when and where your repertoire came into being, the individualized Music History Program at Toronto Music Alliance is your key to success and to a lifelong deeper understanding and love of music.