There are six hierarchically arranged modules in Shosys Academy. This means that modules are organized from most simple to most complex, just as learning levels are. Each module focuses on a different behavior that exists under the general class of musical knowledge, each module features 20 unique video lessons that feature the instructor’s voice, and each module has a dedicated textbook.

The video lessons for the entire course takes 5.5 hours to view; while lessons range from 1 to 8 minutes long. The way that this breaks down into individual module timings is:

1). Appreciation 1 hour

2). Apprehension 46 minutes

3). Application 38 minutes

4). Analysis 1 hour 2 minutes

5). Synthesis 1 hours 9 minutes

6). Evaluation 49 minutes

The teaching schedule for the entire course (or 6 modules) requires 3 lessons per week for 42 weeks. Yet, each module takes 7 weeks to be completed.

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Introductory descriptions of the modules follow:

1 Appreciation

In the music appreciation course, the student will learn about basic physical phenomena, psychological concepts and structural forms of music through the English language. The primary task is for the student to read the text thoroughly and to recall what was read, either verbatim or in their own words, in order to successfully complete tests. In this course, knowledge of musical notation is helpful, but not required; neither is knowledge of an instrument.

In the appreciation course, musical knowledge is organized into three main branches: Specifics, Ways and Universals. Relative to specifics, musicians learn about sound and other individual elements of musical information which have value in and of themselves. This includes basic terminologies and basic historical facts relative to western cultures. Relative to ways, musicians learn the processes by which specific musical products are organized. Relative to universals, musicians learn formal structures, theories and generalizations which organize classified facts and events in music into a whole body of knowledge.

Overall, all twenty lessons of the appreciation course are supposed to be arranged in a linear hierarchy; from the most simple, specific and concrete knowledge of music to the most complex, general and abstract knowledge of music.

The 20 topics of study in the Appreciation module are:

  • Introduction To The Appreciation Course

  • Hearing, The Properties Of Sound And Terminologies

  • Chronological Sequences Of Styles

  • Conventions Of Staff Notation

  • Conventions Of Italian Dynamics, Accent And Tempo Markings

  • Conventions Of Italian Navigation Markings

  • Conventions Of Tone Labeling

  • Conventions Of Labeling Intervals

  • Conventions Of Chord Labeling

  • Conventions Of Scale Labeling

  • Conventions Of Rhythm

  • Conventions Of Melody And Texture

  • Conventions Of Lettering And Formal Technique

  • Conventions Of Formal Analysis

  • Trends And Sequences In Western Music

  • Classifying Performance Media And Techniques

  • Criteria Of Consonance And Dissonance

  • Methods Of Inquiry Into Music

  • Knowledge Of Universals: Principles And Generalizations

  • Knowledge Of Universals: Theories And Structures

    2 Apprehension

In the appreciation course, natural language (i.e. English) terms and definitions relative to the study of music were learned. In the music apprehension course, more natural language terms and definitions relative to music are learned; but symbols of the artificial language of musical script, (i.e. staff notation), are introduced – along with conventions of their use in notating and copying music.

In contrast to the appreciation course, (which primarily tests recall), the apprehension course concerns testing recall, comprehension and application. In other words, musical apprehension focuses on the goals, behaviors and responses that center on remembering musical material and ideas, knowing what musical material and ideas are communicated in linguistic and audiovisual form, (i.e. music that is spoken or written about, as well as audible or notated), and being able to make use of the musical material and ideas that are contained within linguistic and audiovisual forms of music.

In order to demonstrate that music is apprehended, it is necessary for the student of music to learn musical terms and their definitions, as well as learn how to copy previously written music or notate new music. In other words, music apprehension requires that students learn how to place notes properly on the staff, and how to give linguistic instructions for performance.

The 20 topics of study in the Apprehension module are:

  • Introduction To The Apprehension Course

  • The Staff And Staff Notation

  • Leger Lines, Measures And Bar Lines

  • Repeat Signs, Repeat Measures And Repeat Endings

  • Notes, Note Heads And Note Stems

  • Note Flags And Beams

  • Rests And Augmentation Dots

  • Ties, Slurs And Phrase Marks

  • Clefs

  • The Grand Staff, Braces And Brackets

  • Accidentals And Enharmonics

  • Key Signature And Degrees

  • Meter Signature

  • Metronome Markings and Tempo

  • Dynamics

  • Tuplets

  • Embellishments

  • Articulation Symbols

  • Ottava Terms And Octave Names

  • Italian Navigation Signs

3 Application

The application course focuses on remembering and applying the general ideas, technical principles, rules of procedures, theories and generalized methods of copying or notating music to the particular and concrete situation of creating written music from scratch. Detailed tasks are required to be completed both in the public lesson setting with the instructor and in private homework. In addition to more detailed tasks, more detailed criteria for best performance on tasks are given in the application course, so that requirements are as clear as possible.

The music application course can be compared and contrasted with appreciation and apprehension courses. For example, in the music appreciation course, the goal was to attain basic musical knowledge and test recall. In the music apprehension course, the goal was to understand basic terms and general ideas relative to translation of natural language into musical symbols, interpretation of ideas and extrapolation beyond what was given in Lessons. In the music application course, the goals are to learn rules of procedure and generalized techniques for copying and notating music, and to apply those rules and techniques, (along with previous knowledge and comprehension), to new but practical situations. Students will have the ability to produce accurately written music from scratch. Printed staff paper will not be required.

The 20 topics of study in the Application module are:

  • Introduction To The Application Course

  • The Staff And Leger Lines

  • Measures And Bar Lines

  • Repeat Signs, Repeat Measures And Repeat Endings

  • Notes, Note Heads And Note Stems

  • Note Flags And Beams

  • Rests And Augmentation Dots

  • Ties, Slurs And Phrase Marks

  • Clefs

  • The Grand Staff, Braces And Brackets

  • Accidentals And Enharmonics

  • Key Signature

  • Meter Signature

  • Metronome Markings and Tempo

  • Dynamics

  • Tuplets

  • Embellishments

  • Articulation Symbols

  • Ottava Terms And Octave Names

  • Italian Navigation Signs

4 Analysis

The analysis course can be compared to all previous courses because it concerns the same essential behaviors. For example, in the music appreciation course, the goal was to attain and recall basic musical knowledge of terms and concepts. In the music apprehension course, the goal was to understand basic terms and general ideas relative to the translation of natural language into musical symbols, interpretation of ideas and extrapolation beyond what was given in Lessons. In the music application course, the goals were to learn rules or procedures and generalized techniques for copying and notating music, and to apply those rules and techniques, (along with previous knowledge and comprehension), to new but practical situations – like generating musical notation from scratch. The analysis course concerns all of these essential behaviors: recall, translation and application of musical terms, symbols, concepts and rules

Yet, the analysis course contrasts previous courses as it also concerns taking a given whole musical composition in the form of staff notation, and breaking it down into simple elements, relationships between elements, and compositional forms, compositional techniques and performance media. The specific musical composition to be analyzed in this course is W. A. Mozart’s work for solo pianoforte, Ah vous dirai-je, Maman (K. 265) – but any composition in any styles can be used as the basis of study. In this way, the analysis course can work hand in hand with a music history or performance course, where the psycho-physical aspects of musical activity are studied.

The 20 topics of study in the Analysis module are:

  • Introduction To The Analysis Course

  • Decompose A Whole Composition Into A Theme And Twelve Variations

  • A Hierarchy Of Formal Divisions Within The Theme And Ten Variations

  • Tree Analysis Of Theme And Nine Variations

  • Tree Analysis Of Variations VI And VII

  • Tree Analysis Of Variation XII

  • Binary And Ternary Forms

  • Harmonic Analysis Of Periods D And E In The Theme

  • Period Beginnings And Endings

  • Rhythm And Meter

  • Melodic And Harmonic Rhythm

  • Harmonic Progression And Phrase

  • Sections, Chord Successions And Voice Motion

  • Measures And Chords

  • Dominant and Seventh Chords

  • Embellishments, Articulation And Non-harmonic Tones

  • Four-Part Writing And Intervallic Spacing

  • The Inversion And Classification Of Intervals According To Piston

  • Rhythmic Notation, Time Values And Tempo

  • A Geometrical Analysis Of Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman

5 Synthesis

The method of synthesis learned in this course mainly consists of joining together given musical elements to form new wholes – those musical structures which have not been previously encountered in other courses. In this course, 20th Century conceptions of music are introduced – in contrast to the conceptions of music of the 18th and 19th Centuries as introduced in the analysis course and other previous courses.

Of all the courses so far presented, the synthesis course relies the most on the student’s creativity; though this creativity is limited to working with given elements, relationships and organizational principles.

The musical appreciation course requires the recall of given information, while the apprehension, application and analysis courses all require that the student provides test answers in their own terms, and perform tasks to demonstrate mastery. But, the musical synthesis course requires further that test answers and task performances are unique, original and novel.

In other words, in the aforementioned courses, the student must take given materials from preexisting compositions and find appropriate responses which accord with them. But in the synthesis course, students must take given materials and reduce them to basic elements, relationships and organizational principles, (requiring analysis), before producing a unique communication – a new musical structure or composition.

The musical structures and compositions which are to be produced in this course are also to be expressed in the form of staff notation. In this module, staff notation is seen as a proposal for a set of musical operations that are to be carried out in the processes of reading and performing music. The expected outcome is a public expression of music that affects an audience. In each case, the musical composition produced is required to comply with specifications given in the test and task situation. These specifications inherently provide criteria for the evaluation of the musical composition.

As given or produced musical compositions are to be expressed in the form of staff notation, they are also required to be further reduced to abstract mathematical elements, relationships and organizational principles, and classified or explained mathematically. Musical compositions are to be ultimately analyzed into a number of rhythmic elements x which are mapped to a number of harmonic elements y; hence they are seen as a unique selection out of a set of y^x possibilities. This form of analysis entails the relative frequency of harmonic elements, which is not an explicit part of musical composition as commonly studied; and it prepares the student for the evaluation of music as a statistical form of communication or information.

The 20 topics of study in the Synthesis module are:

  • Introduction To The Synthesis Course

  • Harmonic Classes And Equivalences

  • Ranking Pitch And Interval Classes With Integers

  • Shaping Harmony And Rhythm In Analysis And Synthesis

  • Counting Intervals Or Durations

  • Chromatic Colors And Persichetti’s Interval Categorization

  • Alternative Chord Construction And Relative Scales

  • Modes Of The Major And Melodic Minor Scales

  • Alternative Scales And Relative Chords

  • Harmonic Direction

  • Melodic Harmonization

  • Common-Tone Chord Connections

  • Tonality And Cycles Of Chords

  • Modulation

  • Reversing Harmonies And Mirror Writing

  • Reversing Scales Or Modes And Bimodality

  • Complementary Sonorities And Polytonality

  • Atonal And Serial Music

  • Asymmetric Phrase Construction And Odd Theme Construction

  • Meter Changes And Flexible Bar Lines

6 Evaluation

In the evaluation course, one is basically concerned with judging the value of music as a form of communication. Instead of making qualitative judgments based on opinions, (as is done in traditional music theory), we will learn to make quantitative judgments about entropy – in terms of the degree to which a composer is free to choose musical symbols, (or its negative, the composer’s redundancy or limitation to rules), based on the evidence in a given composition. According to an alternative interpretation of entropy, the student will learn to make quantitative judgments about entropy in terms of the degree to which an audience is uncertain of what a composer will choose from a set of possibilities.

In this course, the student will learn how musical evaluation can involve the use of a rubric. Said rubric will include the use of entropy (i.e. freedom of choice in compositional selection, or audience uncertainty), relative entropy (i.e. comparison of entropy to the maximum possible) and redundancy (i.e. limitation to rules) as external criteria, as well as, the use of multiple levels of performance for each criterion, and a calculation of entropy (i.e. choice or uncertainty) for assigning a score to each given composition. The given criteria, (i.e. entropy, relative entropy and redundancy), are considered to be external because the composition is a means to an end – providing useful information within a communication, or resolving an audience’s uncertainty with a communication. This illustrates that in the evaluation course, given compositions are evaluated as types of communication; not only as works of art that are relative to aesthetic values.

In the six courses offered, the evaluation course is the last. This suggests that the evaluation course draws on behaviors from each of the other courses. However, in the evaluation course, values (e.g. the perceived importance of free composition in communication), and criteria are introduced.

Evaluation should be seen as a way to gain new knowledge about music, as it is concerned with giving the information (or entropy) inherent in music a numerical value. The concept of information will provide a basis for new ways to appreciate, apprehend and apply music. It will also provide a basis for new ways to analyze and synthesize music.

The 20 topics of study in the Evaluation module are:

  • Introduction The Evaluation Course

  • Music As A Form Of Communication

  • Information And Freedom Of Choice In Communication Theory

  • Uncertainty In Probability Theory

  • Entropy

  • Relative Entropy

  • Redundancy

  • The Statistical Nature Of The Composer

  • Macro-states And Micro-states

  • Statistical Averages

  • Mappings

  • Appreciation Revisited: Recall Through Encryption

  • Appreciation Revisited: Channel Capacity

  • Apprehension Revisited: Translation

  • Apprehension Revisited: Interpretation

  • Application Revisited: Fixed-Length Coding

  • Application Revisited: Variable-Length Coding

  • Analysis Revisited: Seven Levels Of Hierarchy

  • Synthesis Revisited: Finite State Machines

  • Evaluation With A Rubric