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From Sound to Symbol: Fundamentals of Music | 
| Authors: Micheal Houlahan, Philip Tacka
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $80.00
Buy New: $60.00
You Save: $20.00 (25%)
New (15) Used (8) from $59.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 591147
Media: Paperback
Edition: Pap/Com/Ch
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.5 x 1
ISBN: 0195327705
Dewey Decimal Number: 781.2
EAN: 9780195327700
ASIN: 0195327705
Publication Date: June 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Designed for a one-semester musical fundamentals course, From Sound to Symbol: Fundamentals of Music clearly covers all essential topics, but with a unique, "sound-to-symbol" approach that explores concepts through the sound of music before explaining how symbols are used to represent that sound. Reversing the pedagogical perspective of traditional music theory texts, the authors work from the premise that students should first intuitively comprehend musical sounds, and then link this knowledge to an understanding of musical symbols and theory. Recent research in music perception and cognition suggests that using this "perceptual orientation" is an effective means of teaching both musical thought and knowledge.
The text's most innovative feature is an early and continuous focus on active music-making, which is supported by workbook exercises. Using discovery learning and collaborative learning techniques, it teaches students how to develop their perception of sound through kinesthetic, aural, and visual methods. The authors incorporate numerous examples and activities for developing musicianship skills at progressive levels of difficulty; marginal icons direct students to exercises in music theory, sight reading melodies and rhythms, improvisation and composition, ensemble singing, and keyboard performance. By employing a repertoire that is simple and easy to sing or play, From Sound to Symbol gives students the opportunity to actively engage in the learning process and to easily internalize the concepts and elements inherent in the music. A fold-out, laminated keyboard is packaged with each text.
SUPPLEMENTS:
Audio CD
Each text is packaged with an audio CD that includes all the focus melodies in the text, recorded in both vocal and instrumental versions.
Technology CD
Each text also comes with a CD-ROM that provides tutorials for chapter review, theory exercise drills, and dictation exercises.
Instructor's Manual
Available to adopters, this manual includes lesson plans, teaching tips on learning assessment, tutorials that interface with the CD-ROM, additional aural and written dictation examples for each chapter, and suggestions for scoring tests.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
Become a better musician with this book August 15, 2008
I wish I had been able to use this book as a music major. It is interesting, thorough, and creative. It will challenge music undergrads and even those, like me, who have been out of school quite a while. Using this book as a basis for an intensive summer course, I believe that I have improved my musicianship and I am definitely convinced that FROM SOUND TO SYMBOL is the correct approach for teaching Music Theory.
A new approach to music theory July 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
From Sound to Symbol provides a unique perspective for music educators of the 21st century. Taking a `sound to symbol' approach, the authors have provided a means for taking the aural tradition of jazz, folk and pop music and merging it with the classical notation/score-driven tradition.
More than a sight-singing/ear-training manual, this text allows for experiential learning and critical thinking to guide the musical growth process. The traditional system of teaching a symbol before hearing its sound leaves the student devoid of any meaning or musicality. This new learning theory model takes a more natural form of immersing students in the language of music before learning the rules of how to speak and write.
Although I had incredible theory professors during my undergraduate studies, I have been more successful at sight-singing in three weeks (one summer term, daily) using this sound to symbol approach than I was in four years (eight semesters, daily) using a notation-driven method. I wish the same success for all those students struggling to connect with the exercises and drills contingent of the traditional system.
If a music program (elementary, high school, undergraduate and graduate alike) truly desires great musicality out of its students, they need to adopt the learning theory model presented in the text, From Sound to Symbol.
Every music school NEEDS to use this text July 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First of all, let me provide a bit of background information about myself before I get into my review. I am an experienced music educator with a BM and an MA in music education, both from noted schools. While I have a very solid musical and educational background, it wasn't until I was enrolled in a Kodaly Certification course that I realized how much I was lacking in certain areas of music fundamentals.
From Sound to Symbol is the first music fundamentals text that I have ever read and used where the student is able to experience and internalize the concept before a label (or symbol) is presented. Unfortunately, many undergraduate and graduate musicianship classes use a symbol to sound approach which leaves the majority of students in a state of disconnect from the musical concepts being studied. Nothing is ever truly internalized.
In From Sound to Symbol students first experience the new musical concept kinesthetically, aurally, and visually. Once the student is competent in those areas of understanding, it is then that the `sound' is given its `symbol'. This results in an understanding of the relationships between pitches, rhythms, etc., and gives students the tools to be better at sight singing and dictation.
It would be my wish that all schools of music adopt the approach presented in From Sound to Symbol. Houlahan and Tacka have laid out a thoughtful and deliberate sequence that is applicable to beginners and professionals alike (Chapter 1 deals with simple rhythms, and chapter 12 deals with harmonic progressions). I can honestly say that in a matter of a few weeks of study my musicianship skills have improved more than they did during my 6 semesters of music theory as an undergraduate (especially sight singing), and that is wholly due to the approach used in From Sound to Symbol.
Excellent music textbook! July 3, 2008
This textbook provides a much easier approach to theory and ear training than other music textbooks. This is a perfect textbook for undergrads. The "sound to symbol" idea helps to make sense of musical elements. I wish I had been taught this way in college!
Wow! July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a thorough, easy to read and understand text on music theory starting from sound and then moving to musical symbols. The Music CD and Technology CD are both very helpful in reinforcing the various concepts. If you are looking for a Praxis review, review before entering your basic graduate school admissions theory exams - written, sightreading, and listening, or a middle school or high school music text for use in general music, chorus or band, you should certainly take a serious look at this text.
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