Reading these articles was also sifting through a lot of opinion. I'd say that most everything I read emphasizes that the major theme of a music appreciation class should be listening and increasing their involvement with the music. Also, it's important to consider what skills/thoughts that the teacher wants the students to leave the class with. Different authors think certain topics/ activities are a waste of time, for instance, playing different instruments, composing music, discussing composer biographies. I simply can't agree with these ideas as I think if I knew nothing about art and took an art appreciation class and we got to paint, sculpt, etc for even a few minutes, I'd remember it and love it. Why take out the hands on part? And further, I want to appreciate all the different tasks that are possible in game music: audio integration, programming, workflow, synergy with the music industry, etc. Listening can (and will) be a part of these discussions.
I've already considered that I want to devote at least 10 minutes of each class to listening to and discussing musical examples: a guided listening activity. Some classes this could last even longer, perhaps at time being the majority of the class, even 40 minutes of a 50 minute class. In general, examples will progress from the beginnings of game audio to present day. This'll make a logical sense not only to the chronologically minded, but also because game music grows in complexity as we approach modern day.
I think GarageBand makes it so easy to compose music that I don't think of the composition project as a waste. In fact, unlike considering a traditional classically based course, where knowledge of how to play an instrument or standard notation is required, the simplicity of creating one's own music these days with computer aid should be a perk for a general music class. I see this as a way to get students even more interested by involving them in the creative process.
Many of these texts suggest discussing "what is music" at the first class meeting. I've already decided that I want to play a couple of game music bookends-- some of the earliest game sounds and some contemporary ones to get a discussion started about the journey we'll be exploring in class. Since the earliest games audio is mostly limited to a few sound effects with perhaps just a short melodic phrase played, I think my discussion will be: what's the difference between a sound effect and game music? I remember reading about this very issue somewhere earlier, but I can't now remember where... I do recall that there needs to be a distinction between sampled sound effects and musical sound effects. Where's the line between musical sound effects and game music? I'm not sure I know myself, so that'll be interesting to explore!
What do I want students to take away from the class? At this point, just under a month from the start of the class, I'm solidifying my mind around these goals:
-A deeper understanding of music (in this case, game music, but the knowledge is transferable)
-The ability to create music with a computer serving some role (from a recorder to using pre-recorded loops to construct the piece)
-A clearer sense of hearing game audio, understanding its evolution, what's involved in creating it, and the people who create it
In case you're interested, here are some of the most helpful articles I read today about teaching music appreciation:
A Pedagogy of the Pedagogy of Music Appreciation, Edward Hafer
Music Appreciation, Robert K Beckwith
The Teaching of Music Appreciation, Hans Tischler
The Appreciation of Music, Jeanine Bamberger
The Teaching of Music Appreciation, James Bakst
Fundamentals of Music Appreciation, James Conely
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