Music History Independent Study Program
Materials and Course of Study
MATERIALS:
The following materials are required for this course.
PURCHASED BY YOU FROM LOCAL MUSIC STORE OR ONLINE (links posted on website):
 Explorations – Lopinski, Ringhofer and Zarins
 RCM Official Exam Booklet – 2013 Edition
SHIPPED TO YOU WHEN THE REGISTRATION PAYMENT IS RECEIVED (included with your fee):
 Gold Medal History I Student Pack which contains:
Definition Flashcards, Works Flashcards, Self-Checking Quizzes
POSTED ON THE WEBSITE:
 Course Calendar which includes a schedule and reference information for:
Learning Assignments, Quizzes, Written Assignments, Practice Exams
THE COURSE COMPONENTS:
LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS: These are the weekly reading (from the Explorations textbook) and/or online
listening assignments that are listed on the Course Calendar. Students are responsible for learning and
memorizing the material.
QUIZZES: These are the quizzes in the Gold Medal Student Pack. Student should take the quizzes after learning
the required material to check their knowledge. The quizzes are self-checking with the answers provided at
the back of the book.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The weekly essay question will be emailed to the student on Wednesday morning and
the completed question is to be emailed back to the teacher by midnight of the same day. These questions
should be done without referring to notes or the textbook as they are of most benefit when they function as a
weekly test.
PRACTICE EXAMS: These are the exams from RCM Official Exam Booklet which are to be completed, scanned and
emailed to the teacher for marking by the deadlines indicated on the course calendar.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
PART ONE: Weeks 1-10 for Intensive Course and Weeks 1 - 20 for Standard Course
During this section of the course, new reading and/or listening material is introduced each week which must be
learned and committed to memory.
PART TWO: Weeks 11-14 for Intensive Course and Weeks 20 - 24 for Standard Course
During this section of the course, a practice exam must be completed each week, scanned and emailed to the
teacher by Wednesday midnight
RECOMMENDED DAILY STUDY PLAN
Monday – READ, LISTEN, LEARN
1. Complete the new reading and/or listening assignment
Note: YouTube videos for the Required Listening are posted on our website.
The YouTube videos are not always high quality performances but they provide a satisfactory overview of
the required listening and the visual element is often beneficial in understanding the music. For better
quality recordings we recommend a subscription to the W.W.Norton online listening lab. The subscription
fee is only $15.00 and the site also provides many other online learning tools such as listening guides and
quizzes.
2. Study and memorize new material. Here are some ways you can do this.
a. Rewrite the Explorations notes in your own words
b. Cover the information, recite it in your own words and then check it.
c. Make a list of important words which can act as cues to bring up the memorized material.
d. Use mnemonics, silly sentences, abbreviations etc.
e. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
3. For each new lesson, sort out the pertaining flashcards and use them to drill definitions and works
Tuesday – CHECK AND REVIEW
1. Take the listed quiz/quizzes to check your knowledge.
2. Drill definitions and work with flashcards
3. Drill material using online quizzes and flashcards. Suggested links posted on the website’s Course
Materials page.
4. Review the Monday material
Wednesday – WRITE AN ESSAY ANSWER for the question that is emailed to you.
Thursday and Friday – REVIEW TO DATE
1. Review materials from previous weeks
2. Drill definitions and work with flashcards
This is a suggested weekly study schedule and can be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the student’s other
activities/commitments with the exception of the Wednesday essay question. For example students who may be
busy on a Monday or Tuesday could “work ahead” on the weekend so they would still be prepared for the
Wednesday essay question.