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  • Lectures

    All Metropolitan Opera Guild online courses include a variety of lecture video footage to help bring our in-person programming to our online learners.

  • Readings

    Each lesson includes readings and handouts, giving you the opportunity to think critically and engage deeply with the concepts under study.

  • Musical Examples

    Lessons include a combination of scores, audio, and scrolling bar examples to illustrate concepts and ideas discussed in the lecture and readings.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction to Score Reading

    • About this Course

    • Introduction Video (00:03:11)
  • 2

    Melody and Harmony

    • About this Chapter

    • Lecture Video: Notation, Melody, and Harmony (00:32:13)

    • Lecture Video: Scales and Key Signatures (00:20:47)

    • Handout: Melody, Harmony, and Introductory Score Reading Terminology

    • Handout: Note Name Practice Activity

    • Handout: Accidentals Practice Activity

    • Answer Key: Accidentals Practice Activity

    • Additional Reading: Note Names and Clefs

    • Additional Reading: Scales and Key Signatures
  • 3

    Rhythm

    • About this Chapter

    • Lecture Video: Rhythm - Terminology and Notation (00:18:01)

    • Lecture Video: Time Signatures (00:14:11)

    • Handout: Rhythm Terminology

    • Handout: Rhythmic Values Practice Activity

    • Answer Key: Rhythmic Value Practice Activity

    • Handout: Time Signatures Practice Activity

    • Answer Key: Time Signature Practice Activity

    • Additional Reading: Rhythmic Values and Time Signatures
  • 4

    Dynamics, Articulation, and Tempo

    • About this Chapter

    • Lecture Video: Dynamics, Articulation, and Tempo (00:32:28)

    • Handout: Dynamics, Articulation, and Tempo Terminology

    • Additional Reading: Dynamics, Articulation, and Tempo
  • 5

    Timbre and Texture

    • About this Chapter

    • Lecture Video: Timbre and Texture (00:33:38)

    • Handout: Musical Texture Terminology

    • Additional Listening: Instrument Guides by The Philharmonia Orchestra
  • 6

    Form

    • About this Chapter

    • Lecture Video: Musical Form (00:28:31)

    • Handout: Musical Form Terminology

    • Handout: Da Capo Aria Practice Activity

    • Audio Clip for Da Capo Aria Practice Activity

    • Answer Key: Da Capo Aria Practice Activity

    • Additional Reading & Listening: "The Operatic Aria" from OPERA 101

    • Additional Reading: Grove Dictionary of Music - History of the Aria
  • 7

    Additional Resources

    • Annotated Scores for Additional Practice

    • Circle of Fifths Video Lesson

Instructor(s)

Dr. Naomi Barrettara

Lecturer

Dr. Naomi Barrettara is a program development consultant and lecturer at The Metropolitan Opera Guild involved with several of the Guild’s community programs, including Opera Boot Camp, Score Reading, Continuing Education classes and Online Learning courses. She is also a co-host on The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, and in her work producing the podcast between fall 2015 and summer 2020, the podcast reached over 1.25 million listeners. In addition to her work at the Guild, Naomi is a co-founder and co-host of the podcast Opera After Dark, and works on various freelance digital media projects. Naomi holds a PhD in Musicology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York, with an additional certificate in interactive technology and pedagogy. Her main research areas include opera studies, public musicology, and classical music in the digital age.