People love music, but most people often lack a rational understanding of the elements of music when they listen to it. With this as a starting point, the course guides students to musical reflections by listening to a wide range of repertoire. " A Short History of Western Music " is a course that teaches student about the origin, context, form, and stylistic characteristics of Western music. This course will promote students to improve their systematic cognition and understanding of music and their authentic appreciation of music genre, famous musicians, and their main works. Teaching in English will revive the cultural and historical background of Western music more authentically and increase the spread and influence of various styles or genres of music in the world. The main content is to analyze the musical elements of works in different genres; to summarize and distinguish the different musical styles represented by the works. By studying works in different cultural and historical backgrounds, students will understand the life of famous composers, the function of music, and the relationship between music and people; music and society; music and literature, painting, architecture, and other related fields.