Music Theory Fundamentals: A Workbook for Clarinetists in the Private Lesson Setting

Abstract

The main purpose of this workbook is to provide a supplemental teaching resource for teaching music theory to clarinet students. Teachers will be able to incorporate this material within their own pedagogical approaches and resources to enhance the experience and knowledge of their students. As a result, students will have a richer understanding of music. It is evident that most clarinet students lack an understanding of music theory fundamentals (i.e. scales, time signatures, key signatures, basic rhythms, etc.). Basic theory knowledge does not seem to be utilized in students' applied study or used in their everyday musical activities. What knowledge they do have is minimal, and the fundamentals are not retained. This can be an obstacle to their progress as performers and musicians. This workbook was created to help students bring in basic theory concepts into their weekly lessons. The following document will explain the purpose of this workbook in further detail and analyze existing music theory workbooks. It will also explain the reasons for making certain decisions in the workbook with regard to formatting, order of topics presented, how to teach certain topics, and special and unique features of the workbook.