Study Guide description contextual studies
The text below gives an impression of Contextual Studies, a course that I taught for years since 2011.
The subject comprises the following knowledge domains:
- history (general history, cultural history and history of Western music)
- music analysis (focused on form, structure and texture of music)
- aspects of harmony and counterpoint (the way in which Western music deals with the vertical and linear dimension of music)
As the name indicates, this subject is about making connections.
During all lessons you will hear music that will be studied from various perspectives, such as historical, theoretical and analytical. Content will be actively dealt with, for example by listening, singing, playing, recognizing, comparing, putting things into words and carrying out assignments.
The most important objective in year 1 is to build a historical and theoretical framework and a glossary of terms connected to (Western) music. What is important here is learning how to recognize and learning how to work with musical concepts. Concepts may vary from relatively simple phenomena (such as chords, intervals, keys) to more complex phenomena (such as fugue, sonata, sequence, cadence) to even overarching concepts of systems (such as tonality, musical style, polyphony, modality).
In year 2 and 3 we will be working in a similar way. The reference framework and the glossary of terms you worked on will be extended and there will be further in-depth learning concerning the three knowledge domains. The questions we will work on will shift from "what"-questions to "how"- and "why"-questions. The complexity and the size of the subjects will increase as well.
Aspects of research are also dealt with in lessons where we work on themes, 3 to 4 in a year, and during the work on a personal contextual essay on a self chosen topic, that is part of the final assessment of each year.
Possible examples of themes for lessons: Fin de Siècle, The Romantic in music and other arts; retoric, music and performing practice; analysis of 20th century music, ...
Contextual studies pays a lot of attention to developing a researching attitude. We do this by working on how to set up research, formulating research questions, making mind-maps, using literature, scientific and academic sources, such as data banks, works of reference, journals etc. Examples are J-STOR, Oxford Music Online, Oxford Art Online, etc. Aspects of research are treated as well in subjects and themes which are dealt with in class, and during the work on a personal contextual essay (in year 1, 2 and 3) about a subject of the student’s own choosing.