To Be Musical

To Be Musical (Eleanor Roosevelt College, UCSD). Don't miss this fascinating series examining exactly what it is that makes music, musical. Professors of music, literature and psychology decode the mysteries of music and its effect on our brains, our emotions and our lives. Presented by Eleanor Roosevelt College, UCSD.

Image: To Be Musical

On the Bridge: The Beginnings of Contemporary Percussion Music with Steven Schick
Renowned percussionist Steven Schick presents the origins and global development of percussion-based composition as a "physical art."

Why Music with David Borgo
Saxophonist and educator David Borgo explores why we make music, ultimately arguing that music is a universal human phenomenon but not a universal language.

Craft and Tools in Late Beethoven with Aleck Karis
Pianist Aleck Karis probes the emotional intensity of Beethoven's late music with examples of his craft and tools and then in a complete performance of the magnificent Sonata Opus 110.

How the West Rejected "Nice" Music a Century Ago with Steven Cassedy
UC San Diego Professor of Literature and pianist Steven Cassedy presents a psychoacoustic account of dissonant music and a history from the tonal Chopin to the atonal works of Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and Copland.

Utterance, Ritual, Expression: Why Singing Makes Us Human with Susan Narucki
Grammy winning soprano and UC San Diego Professor of Music Susan Narucki presents how singing drives - and is driven by - a need to communicate and understand the human experience.

Musical Illusions, Perfect Pitch and Other Curiosities with Diana Deutsch

Related Links
How Music Works
This is a four-part documentary series presented by Howard Goodall, looking at the four basic elements that make music work: melody, rhythm, harmony and bass.
The Great Composers
This is a BBC documentary series narrated by Kenneth Branagh, presenting the lives and works of some of important figures in Western music.
The Language of Music
This course is a study of the ways music creatively expresses self-understanding, cultural environment, and aesthetic values from ancient to modern times.
Introducing Music
This course covers the technique of listening to music, the elements of music, musical forms, and historical styles.
Introduction to World Music
It gives an exploration of music from various cultures and time periods and the ways in which music promotes self-understanding by reflecting recurring patterns of human behavior.