Learning more about music – the engaging lectures of Robert Greenberg

During intermission at the Ian Bostridge recital a couple weeks ago, I talked with Fred Mosedale, a longtime friend of mine, who enthusiastically told me about the music education courses offered by Robert Greenberg through the Teaching Company. Mosedale asked that I add information about Greenberg’s courses to Northwest Reverb, because he feels that many readers would benefit from them

Mosedale, who worked many years in the hi-tech industry, told that he never took a class in (performing, theory, or anything else). Yet he has attended many concerts over the years and has become more and more interested in music. Because he enjoys learning at home, he bought a music education series by Robert Greenberg through The Teaching Company, and found that it was incredibly helpful. For example, Greenberg’s “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” course contains lectures with lots of music excerpts from operas, symphonies, chamber music, etc.

I, too, have listened to all of the 48 CDs in “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” course and can vouch for its high quality. Greenberg is an engaging speaker who really captures your attention and laces his lectures with a little bit of humor to keep in moving ahead.

Moreover, you don’t have to purchase a course a full price, because all of the courses go on sale once or twice every year. Many of the courses cost several hundred dollars (in DVD, CD, or as a download to your computer), but when they go on sale, they typically cost less than $100. You can also take look on eBay and to see if you can find them there.

Also, if you have already purchased one or more of Greenberg’s courses and want to exchange or sell them, please let me know, and I will post your message.

Here's an additional note from Fred:
Your readers might like to know that libraries may carry the courses. The Washington County Library system has the course and a number of his other courses too. Click here for a listing of their Greenberg course. I'd guess that the Multnomah County Library might carry them too.