Yale professor Craig Wright opens MUSI 112, Listening to Music, by arguing that hearing music well is an active skill rather than background relaxation. He makes the case that learning basic elements of Western classical music, such as pitch, rhythm, melody and form, gives listeners tools to understand many kinds of music more precisely, from techno to American musical theater. Wright plays examples ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy and Strauss to contemporary techno tracks to preview themes the semester will cover. The lecture also lays out course requirements and pedagogy, runs a diagnostic quiz to gauge students' existing knowledge, and begins substantive content with discussions of pitch and rhythm. Recorded in Fall 2008 as the first session of Yale's Listening to Music course, it functions as both an orientation and an actual opening lesson in musical fundamentals.