I do an unfortunate amount of supplementing for my written and aural theory classes. My "philosophy" about textbooks is this - they should be useful for instruction and learning. Students should be able to turn to their textbooks outside of class to learn MORE than what was given to them in class. Music theory textbooks should have lots of exercises that trigger, enhance, and synthesize kinesthetic, aural, and visual learning patterns. Well, I could go on and on . . . on this tangent . . . so I'll get to my point.
Music Theory Texbooks I like:
- Kostka & Payne - Tonal Harmony: We used this at Rice University, and it served me well as a student. It continues to serve me well as a teacher.
- Roig-Francoli - Harmony in Context: If you prefer to teach music theory from a "historical" pedagogical perspective, this is the book you should use! Contact McGraw-Hill for a review copy (sorry students, you cannot apply for a review copy).
- Benjamin, Horvit, Nelson - Music for Analysis: Most textbooks only provide 4-8 measure "snippets" of literature examples. Most students need to see more of the musical example for the concepts to make sense. (I don't like the accompanying CD for this book because individual examples don't always get their own "track".)
Aural Theory/Perception Texbooks I like:
- Krueger - Progressive Sight Singing: The title is inaccurate . . . this is much more than a sight singing book. This is a very good aural theory/perception textbook, and I will likely make it mandatory for my section of aural perception next year.
- Kazez - Rhythm Reading: Because if you don't get rhythm . . . you won't get music!
- Other books I turn to less frequently include Benward & Kolosick's Ear Training: A Technique for Listening (which is not useful for self-study) and Mayfield's Theory Essentials, vol. 1.
If anyone reading this has recommendations, please leave a comment! I'm a new textbook junkie.
music theory
