The MyMusicTheory Grade 5 Music Theory Video Course

Several years ago, I made my very first music theory tutorial on Youtube. I video’d myself using my rubbishy laptop camera and microphone, sitting in my living room while my 2 cats went a little bit bonkers in the background. Despite the fact that cats are the no.1 thing that most people want to see on Youtube, my first video didn’t go viral, and looking back on it nearly ten years later it is clear why! But although my first attempts were a bit primitive, I was hooked on the idea of being able to teach via video, and set about learning how to improve.

The MyMusicTheory Youtube channel now has around 1500 subscribers and it’s growing every day. Last year I began making short (1-2 hour), paid-entry video courses, and, at last, I can now present to you my complete Grade 5 Music Theory Course, which contains nearly 5 hours of video, plus several hundred pages of PDFs (as well as quizzes, tests, exercises and so on).

Here’s an introductory video for the new Grade 5 Theory Course:

I currently have over 5,000 online students taking video courses, from as far afield as Singapore, Nigeria, Mexico, Canada and the Phillippines, while the UK remains the largest group, and ages range from 9 years old (!) to many who are retired and have taken up music in their newly-found freetime.

I get a lot of questions from students, and not all of them are about music theory. In fact the most-often-asked question I get is “which software do you use?”, which always makes me smile!

I have two go-to bits of music notation software: for much of the graphics I use in lessons, I use an antique software called Music Publisher. My father purchased my copy for me in 2006, and it is the most indispensable piece of software I have! (I’m afraid to upgrade to Windows 10 in case it stops working!) What I love about it, is that it doesn’t tidy anything up for you, or do anything at all automatically – as a teacher, this is incredibly useful! For composing and making graphics of scores however, I use Musescore which I highly recommend – it’s completely free, simple to use, and extremely efficient at getting the job done. 

So, what makes video such a good way to learn music theory?

• Learn at your own pace, whenever you want, for as long as you want, wherever you want
• Watch the theory become “practice” as it’s demonstrated in front of you
• Listen! Theory books with dry texts and images cannot bring music to life in the way video can, by letting you hear what you see
• Watch your teacher undertake the exam-style questions, while explaining the exact process
• Rewind and review as many times as you like  – your video-based teacher will not get upset at repeating the same thing!
• Watch on your PC or mobile device at your convenience (theory lessons on the loo perfectly acceptable)
• Get help whenever you need it – I’m on call 7 days a week for music theory emergencies, and work Mon-Fri for non life-threatening issues.

Two Options

If you’re keen to have a go, choose the most appropriate course for your needs:

1. Grade 5 Music Theory Course with Assessment (£80) The complete course, including marking of tests (pre-course test and mock test) and 14  special assignments (one for each topic e.g. notation, time, key signatures, intervals, composition etc.)
   Ideal for: children who need motivating or anybody who wants reassurance that they are on track
2. Grade 5 Music Theory Course – Self Study Version (£35). Same as the above course, but without assessment from the teacher. All answers are provided.
3. Free Sample Grade 5 Music Theory Course  (£0.00) Five sample lessons from the complete course, to give you an idea of what the videos look like and how the system works.
   Ideal for: anyone who has never taken a video-based course before, or who would like a taster before making a financial commitment.

• All courses are “bilingual” with UK and USA musical terms (e.g. “crotchet” = “quarter note”)

Got a question? Add a comment below!