: Publication

Concerts Decoded: Listening Like You Mean It is a succinct and practical guide devoted to preparing concert-goers for active listening. Vocal and instrumental musical styles, performance practices, and brief histories are explained, in the hopes of helping you understand music you might encounter at an actual concert.  

 Specific topics include:

• Elements of Music
• Families of Sound
• European Vocal Music
• Jazz Styles
• American Vocal Music
• Instrumental Music Forms

Each chapter includes a list of basic musical terms, and tips for identifying music by style in a concert setting. As a pocket-sized companion, this book can easily be transported to the concert for quick reference before, during, and after the show. Whether you are interested in understanding what to listen for as part of an individual undertaking, or are seeking a companion to a music appreciation course, Concerts Decoded: Listening Like You Mean It provides useful and concise material at your fingertips.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter 1: Elements of Music

    Melody

    Rhythm

    Harmony

    Form

Chapter 2: Families of Sound

    The Woodwinds

    The Brass

    The Strings

    The Percussion

    The Human Voice

Chapter 3: European Vocal Music Prior to 1900AD

    Renaissance Music: 1450-1600

    Baroque Music: 1600-1750

    Classical Music: 1750-1825

    Romantic Music: 1825-1900

Chapter 4: Jazz

    The Development of Gospel Music

    Blues

    The Creation of the Jazz Band and Swing Music

    Bebop

    Cool Jazz

    Beyond Cool

Chapter 5: American Vocal Music

    Migrant Origins of Community Choral Music

    Community Singing Societies: 1850-1930

    Mid-20^th Century

    1980 – Present

Chapter 6: Instrumental Music Forms and the Development of the Symphony Orchestra

    Renaissance Music: 1450-1600

    Baroque Music: 1600-1750

    Classical Music: 1750-1825

    Romantic Music: 1825-1900

    20^th Century Music

Epilogue: Coda

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Biographies

2nd edition now available!

Nicole Harreld works in the Issaquah School District as a music specialist and teaches MUSIC185 at the University of Washington. She has led workshops on teaching large classes (200+ students), classroom management, and syllabus preparation. Occasionally, she can be found on neighboring campuses giving guest lectures onvarious music-listening related topics, and guest conducting various ensembles. Nicole earned her bachelor’s degree in music, emphasis in trumpet performance, from San Jose State University before moving to Seattle, Washington to earn a master of music degree in brass performance. In her free time, Nicole loves to walk her dog in the park and perform with her husband, a freelance trombonist. She is grateful for the opportunity to publish this book and share her passion for music with a whole new set of music listeners.

Amanda G. Huntleigh currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she serves as the Assistant Director of Choral Activities at Smith College.  There, she co-directs choirs, teaches studio voice, and implements her comprehensive musicianship curriculum for aural skills classes.  She is currently completing her doctorate in choral conducting at the University of Washington.  Her dissertation addresses the communicative power of conducting gesture using elements of Laban movement theory.  Amanda compares conducting novices with Laban-trained conductors using quantitative analysis, to ascertain which gestures are most important for people with varying levels of training.  To support her research, she undertook a comprehensive investigation of digital media and conducting instructional textbooks to compare conducting philosophies, while developing general categories to describe extant conducting pedagogies.  In addition to conducting gesture, Amanda is also interested in early American music culture and repertoire.  In an effort to publicize pre-Depression Era women’s music, she founded the Gilded Quire in 2012.  Earlier in her career, she taught choral and general music in Illinois, Virginia, and Delaware.  Amanda holds a master’s degree in conducting from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Wartburg College.