Music theory classes... what are they?

i changed my major to music in college. and im required to take 4 music theory classes in a course of 2 years... what do they teach you in music theory class?... how to read notes?

Music theory classes... what are they?

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In theory, the mechanics of music.

Music theory classes... what are they?

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Well, different chords. Chromatic scales and other scales. And lots more... You will understand it better if u have experience with instruments.
Music Theory ranges, from all notations, to rests to everything that has to do with writing music.
Much more than that!! They teach you elemental relationships, chord relationships, harmony relationships, so much! One post can't cover it in any way (that's why it takes 4 classes). My son sat in on some when he investigated the college he want to music major at. He was so excited about all he could learn. If you love music, you should really like the theory classes.
It teaches you about writing music, keys, how different styles are written, what all the notes and accidentals mean, etc... I loved Music Theory.

Take some advice, if you don't already know how to play an instrument, you might want to consider a different major in college. Or maybe if they have a Music Composition major at that college. It is near impossible to major in music and not know how to play an instrument already. (Instrument includes vocal)
Well, theres a lot more behind music theory than just "reading notes" thats only the beginning. After you learn the basics, the notes, how to read them, key signatures, etc. you begin to learn transposition (playing music in different keys), different types of scales, and how to write music in four part harmony, and tons more. Its a super deep and complex topic that you could probably take classes forever about. Then in addition, you get to learn how to listen to a piece of music, and then write it down by ear. You also learn how to identify intervals by ear, and how to read music and then sing it, usually in the solfege method (do re mi fa so la ti do)

hope this answer helped
A ton of music theory is also in Jazz. It involves keys and key changes, along with harmonies and steps. It basically teaches you how to make GOOD music, if you were ever to write music. Think of it as taking English classes. They help you develop better vocabulary and sentence structure, which help you write better articles, papers, or books. Music theory is the same thing, except with music. There is so much more to it than just the notes, it's crazy!