THE TRUE MUSICIAN

The Christian philosopher, Boethius (480-524 A.D.), in his books on music states that there are three types of musicians – the performer, the composer, and the theorist. He goes on to argue that only the theorist can be called a "true" musician since only he has knowledge of what music is, its' parts, and how it is formed. The performer on the other hand has only the knowledge of his particular instrument, while the composer has a sort of instinctual knowledge and doesn't really understand why he does what he does. Boethius also makes the argument that since soul is greater than body, the intellectual knowledge of music theory is higher than both the playing and writing of music.

"That which is devoid of reason labors in slavery, but reason rules and leads all to order."
                       De Musica 1.34.

The CLAA music courses therefore seek to develop the "complete" musician, (i.e. one who is guided by reason) through studying all three areas of music beginning with the highest form (theory) and then moving to the lower forms (performance and composition).

THE ORDER OF LEARNING

As with any subject matter, the order in which we learn is very crucial. Today's standard music course is devoid of any rational thinking or mathematics and teaches concepts out of order.  Why is it that a child who has played an instrument for 3-4 years still cannot read

read music or play on his own? It is because he has little or no knowledge of what music is and how it is put together. He is a slave since reason does not guide. To him, music looks like a bunch of little black dots on a page. We do not speak here of simply not knowing the names of notes…we speak of not being able to find and comprehend the order, structure, and mathematical proportions inherent in music. Even if your child has had previous instruction in music, they will still benefit greatly from the CLAA courses. When children learn the "why", music becomes intelligible to them. Not only will this create a sense of wonder and joy in your children, but they will also learn their instruments much faster and play better in the long run.

PROGRAM  OUTLINE

The CLAA music courses are divided into four areas:

There are three core courses - Theory, Piano, and Composition. Each level of Theory corresponds with a level of Piano and together form one year of lessons. Theory I and Piano I should be taken concurrently but if taken sequentially Theory I must be completed first and not the other way around. The same applies to all other levels of Theory and Piano. Composition may be taken after attaining a certain degree of theoretical knowledge and playing ability. (See the Music Composition page for details).  As the courses are written, placement guidelines will be posted on the course pages so that you can determine which level or which course your child should start with. I recommend everyone starting from level one. (See my reasons on the course pages).

Students begin their studies with Music Theory courses and will delve into questions such as: How were intervals discovered?  Is beauty in music subjective?  Is there rationale behind the formation of the modern scale? Does the order and structure in music have an effect on our souls? Besides the philosophical and theoretical aspects of the courses there are also on-line drills to prepare students for Music Performance and Music Composition. (See a detailed course description by clicking "Music Theory" on the right navigation bar)

Music Performance courses begin with piano. Piano is the perfect starting instrument for many reasons. Not only is it one of the easiest instruments on which to learn, it is also the most visual; most concepts in theory, composition, orchestration, etc. can be demonstrated on the piano keyboard. Also, since the piano's range and clefs encompass those of most instruments, students will find it easy to branch off into any other instrument they wish to learn. (See a detailed course description by clicking "Music Performance" on the right navigation bar) Over time CLAA will be adding Music Performance courses in most orchestral instruments, beginning voice, and as mentioned above, choir. Choral music is in a sense the culmination of the liberal arts in that it takes both language and mathematics (which are studied in the trivium and quadrivium) and brings them together for the worship of God at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Last, but not least, comes the study of Music Composition which completes the CLAA music courses. Why should a child study composition at all? Isn't it enough for them to study the theory of music, and be able to play a little? Doesn't it take a special gift for someone to become a Bach or a Mozart? While it is true that most people will never attain equality with the great composers, a person simply cannot fully understand music until having written a piece of music for themselves! This is where all the knowledge learned in Music Theory comes together into one concrete whole. Man was created in the image and likeness of God and as we read in the CLAA Bible courses, man was meant to order nature back to God. Composition is a wonderful way for ordering one's mind and soul to God. It is also a very satisfying and joyful experience to be able to make something truly ordered and beautiful and to share in some small way in the creative power of God. In this course students will use all the order, structure, and mathematical proportions learned in the Music Theory courses and bring them together into an even bigger, more glorious ordered whole. By the end of the course all students will have composed a number of pieces in different classical forms.