From Evanescence sampling Mozart to Jurassic 5 sampling the Oscar Peterson Quartet (and Janet Jackson sampling both Erik Satie & Herbie Hancock), the songs featured here can help connect performance literature to styles of music that students may already be more familiar with.
Here is a list of songs that serve as good examples of theory concepts related to melody & harmony, broken down into four major categories and several subcategories within: intervals, modulations, modes, and cadences. Enjoy!
Do your students (band, chorus, orchestra, guitar, modern band, private piano, music theory, etc.) need help counting? There's so much popular music out there that can expose them to rhythmic concepts that are often difficult to explain, listed here with three main features: cross-rhythms, changing meter, and compound and/or asymmetrical meter.
Music theory & music history through popular music? I mean, sure, why not?
Song samples that are useful for such a purpose are listed below.
Jazz & Classical Samples— Songs featuring Jazz Samples, Classical Samples
Harmonic & Melodic Concepts— Interval Studies, Modulation, Modes, Cadences
Rhythm & Meter Concepts— Cross-Rhythm, Changing Meter, Asymmetrical and/or Compound Meters
For each song listed & linked, there's an entry talking about the song & artist's cultural significance, an analysis of the teachable content in the song, and commentary on the school appropriateness of the song.
Songs listed range in release date from the 1950s to 2020 and cover a wide swath of sub-genres that I consider under the umbrella of Western popular music. Most artists listed here hail from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia.
Do you love music, but have no clue whatsoever what a major third is? I’ve included a glossary to explain certain music theory terms mentioned here.
