Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

An important part of critical thinking, is critical writing. Critical writing literacy may be taught through arts education. This paper will explore how to teach critical writing skills by studying musical form; particularly, sonata-allegro form. Sonata-allegro form, or first movement form, is a large-scale musical structure developed during the Classical Period by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and continues to be used by some composers today. It is a structure that reflects the principles of the Enlightenment Period or the Age of Reason; logic, order, and reason. Sonata-allegro form mirrors the principles of good thesis writing (statement, body, and conclusion) in a musical structure (exposition, development, and recapitulation). Understanding the parts of sonata-allegro form expands student perception and cognition of good thesis writing. It provides students with another way of learning about the structure and form of a research paper or an academic essay. Sonata-allegro form may be learned through performance studies, art history, and or creative arts strategies.