Juilliard Launches Six Free Online Courses in Collaboration With edX.org

Courses Include Instruction in Music Theory Fundamentals, Orchestra Instruments and Repertoire, Piano Technique and Artistry, and Performance Psychology

NEW YORK –– The Juilliard School today announced the launch of six new music MOOCs (massive open online courses) in collaboration with edX, the leading open-source, nonprofit online learning destination. JuilliardX online courses are designed by Juilliard faculty and experts to help musicians and music lovers connect more deeply with the performing arts, from beginners to connoisseurs. The courses bring the conservatory’s respected music instruction to online learners all over the world. More information is available at JuilliardX.

All six courses are free and open for enrollment today. The courses also come with the option of upgrading to a Verified Certificate to demonstrate successful course completion. Courses contain four to six weeks of content and can be completed at the student’s own pace. More information is available on edX about the JuilliardX courses.

The following six new courses launch on Sept. 26, 2017 and are open for enrollment today:

• Discovering the Instruments of the Orchestra with Dr. L. Michael Griffel. This course helps students learn to hear and appreciate the nuances of each instrument in the orchestra, enabling them to listen more deeply to classical music. Dr. Griffel, chair of Juilliard’s Music History Department, and eight Juilliard faculty and alumni take students on a journey into the orchestra and introduces the history of its principal instruments.

• Perform at Your Best: Foundations of Performance Psychology with Dr. Noa Kageyama. Students learn performance psychology fundamentals to help them overcome anxiety and perform at their very best under pressure. Created by Dr. Kageyama, whose performance psychology classes are a favorite among Juilliard music students, the course combines applied exercises, insights gleaned from interviews with renowned performers, and research in performance psychology and motor learning.

• Piano Preludes with Dr. Michael Shinn. This course is for advanced beginner to intermediate level students who want to get back into playing piano and improve their skills. Featuring instructional lessons, downloadable scores and performances by Juilliard students, the course covers piano preludes from the Baroque, Romantic, and Impressionist eras composed by Bach, Chopin, and Debussy.

• How to Listen to Great Music for Orchestra with Dr. L. Michael Griffel. Students learn how to listen to five important orchestral works that span styles and genres and are composed by Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, R. Strauss, and Bartók. Students who sign up for the Verified Certificate gain exclusive access to full HD performances and artists interviews featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker, as well as listening guides for each of the five works.  

• Music Theory 101 with Dr. Steven Laitz. This course offers students the ultimate guide to learning the fundamentals of music theory in an engaging and straightforward approach. In six weeks, students develop the music theory knowledge they need to become better players, superior listeners, and feel more confident writing for any musical genre.

• Sharpen Your Piano Artistry with Dr. Michael Shinn. Juilliard’s online piano course helps students improve their technique and overall piano playing. Students learn to play two classical pieces with more artistry, from a curated list of 19 advanced beginner and intermediate level pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Clementi, and others. Students have access to downloadable scores, performances by Juilliard students and alumni, instructional videos, warm-up guides, and expert insights from a variety of Juilliard faculty.

On launching the new courses, Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi said: “We at Juilliard believe that the development of artists at all levels and ages is an essential part of our responsibility within a global society. We are proud to collaborate with edX to present these online courses that share the discipline, intricacy, and subtlety of music-making straight from our world-class faculty. These courses are designed with an immersive experience in mind and will allow the learner to expand their artistic horizons using Juilliard’s educational expertise.”

Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and MIT professor, remarked: “We are thrilled to welcome Juilliard to edX. With an expertise in the performing arts, Juilliard’s offerings on edX will provide the global edX learner community with the opportunity to improve their skills and gain an appreciation of the performing arts, while learning with the leading experts in the field. This partnership marks an exciting next step in furthering our joint mission to provide access to high-quality educational content to all learners, everywhere.”

The courses are part of a collaboration between Juilliard and edX, the leading nonprofit online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT that offers free courses from the world’s top universities to more than 13 million learners from around the world.

About The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, founded in 1905, is a world leader in performing arts education. Juilliard’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama, and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). Currently more than 800 artists from 44 states and 42 foreign countries are enrolled at The Juilliard School. Learn more at Juilliard.edu.

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