2013-14 AP Music Theory Course Syllabus Mr. Don Leonard dleonard@.spotsylvania.k12.va.us COURSE OVERVIEW PRIMARY TEXTS Horvit, Michael, Koozin, Timothy and Nelson, Robert. Music for :. 4 th Ed. California: Thompson-Schirmer, 2013. Benward, Bruce, and Saker, Marilyn. Music in Theory and Practice. Volume 1, 7 th Ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Ottman, Robert. Music for Sight-Singing, 6 th Ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2004. OTHER RESOURCES Palisca, Calude V., editor. Norton Anthology of Western Music, Vols. 1 and 2, 2 nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1988. Feldstein, Sandy. Practical Theory Complete. Van Nuys: Alfred, 1982. Ricci Adams Music Theory Website: www.musictheory.net COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to develop a student's ability to recognize, understand and describe the basic processes and materials used in music. The course covers the following topics: Read, notate, compose, sing and perform basic components of music, including major and minor scales and modes Recognize by ear and sight all intervals within an octave (ascending and descending) Recognize chord qualities by ear and understand their function within a composition Apply standard 4-part writing rules to composing and harmonization given a melody or figured bass Transposition Melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation Sight-sing simple melodies based on scales and arpeggios Music history: the relationship of the history of music to the other arts, historical perspectives of music and world events, the study of basic compositional techniques, listening to music of varied periods and cultures Students must complete Feldstein s Practical Theory Complete as a summer assignment to be handed in on the first day of school for an exam grade. COURSE PLANNER September Music notation fundamentals (Benward and Saker Ch 1) Major Keys (Benward and Saker Ch 2)
All Intervals (Benward and Saker Ch 3) Chord qualities (Benward and Saker Ch 4) Inversions of triads and 7 th chords (Benward and Saker Ch 4) Figured Bass realization and notation in written assignments, play examples on piano (Benward and Saker Ch 4) Harmonic Analysis analyze using Roman numerals and Macro analysis in short excerpts of standard repertoire (Benward and Saker Ch 4) Transposition (Benward and Saker Ch 3) Scales and Keys (Benward and Saker Ch 1) Cadences and Non-Harmonic Tones (Benward and Saker Ch 5) Major and minor chord qualities Interval identification- m2, M2, m3, M3, P4 Sight-singing scalar melodies in major (Ottman) All ascending intervals Harmonic Dictation: Chord Progressions I, IV, V Sing all minor scales Sight-singing in major, adding leaps to the 5 th (Ottman) Melodic Dictation Chord Qualities October Melodic Organization (Benward and Saker Ch 6) Texture and Textural Reduction (Benward and Saker Ch 7) Voice Leading in Two Voices (Benward and Saker Ch 8) Melodic dictation in major and minor (all scalar, with leaps to the 5 th ) Inversions Harmonic Dictation (I, IV, V in inversions) Sight singing in major and minor- leaps based on tonic arpeggio (Ottman) November Voice Leading in 4 Voices examination of rhythmic and melodic interaction between individual voices of a of a composition (Benward and Saker Ch 9) Types of 7 th Chords Harmonic Progression and Harmonic Rhythm compose bass lines given a melody, imply harmonies within a melody (Benward and Saker Ch 10) Descending intervals (m2, M2, P4) Sight singing in major and minor- leaps based on tonic arpeggio (Ottman) Harmonic Dictation (all inversions for I, IV and V chords) Melodic dictation in major and minor (all scalar, with leaps to the 5 th )
December Voice Leading with the Dominant 7 th Chord, Leading-Tone 7 th Chords, and Nondominant 7 th Chords (Benward and Saker Ch 11, 12, 13) Intervals (add descending P5) January Modulations (Benward and Saker Ch 14) Secondary Dominants (Benward and Saker Ch 15) All descending and ascending intervals Sight-singing in major and minor- outline triads (Ottman) Harmonic Dictation (add ii and vii chords) Melodic Dictation (outline tonic and dominant chords) February Two-part and Three-part form (Benward and Saker Ch 16-17) Phrase Structure and Relationships (Benward and Saker Ch 16-17) Error Detection Harmonic Dictation in minor Sight-singing (add leaps of 6 th and 7 th ) (Ottman) Melodic Dictation (outline chords) Rhythmic Dictation March Western Music History: Pick a period and present the major composers and performers, context of the music (Palisca, Norton Anthology) Introduction to 20 th Century Music (scales, chordal structure, compositional procedures, through analysis and original composition) (Palisca, Norton Anthlogoy) Harmonic Dictation in major and minor- all chords Melodic Dictation (add leaps not found in triads) Sight-singing (Ottman) April Composition projects using realization of figured bass and Roman numeral progressions Composition projects - compose a bass line for a given melody Analyze standard repertoire for phrase structure (i.e. motives, phrases, antecedent and consequent), harmonic progressions, and overall form
Review for exam Harmonic Dictation fill in the bass and soprano and chord types Melodic Dictation (Add chromaticism) Sight-singing with chromatic steps (Ottman) May Review for exam Review for exam STUDENT EVALUATION STUDENT ASSESSMENT I attempt to formally assess my students almost every class on both written and aural theory. We have a quiz after covering every chapter in the Benward and Saker Theory book (and sometimes multiple quizzes per chapter depending on how many new concepts are covered), and an ear training or sight-singing quiz at least once every two weeks. I give a total of 4 exams throughout the year: the fundamentals of music and notation (Benward and Saker Ch 1-4), harmonic and melodic analysis (Benward and Saker Ch 5-7), 4-part writing (Benward and Saker 9-15), and cumulative exam of the entire text. Each test contains an ear training section testing rhythmic, harmonic and melodic dictation, along with intervals and chord qualities. All of my tests are short answer or long response- we don t use multiple-choice questions until a few weeks before the exam. I informally assess my students by doing lots of work on the board, both for written and aural theory. We always sing out loud for all aspects of aural theory, even for listening examples. When we test sight-singing I pull students aside individually. Grading for or each quarter (9 weeks) is derived from the following: Chapter Quizzes, Sight-Singing Quizzes, Quizzes 50% Written and Aural Tests 25% Homework assignments collected every class 15% Projects (Compositions, Chorale Harmonizations, History) 10% TEACHING STRATEGIES We are on block schedule and only meet every other day for 90 minutes, or 5 times every two weeks. Because of this I can cover written and aural theory every class, although I have to rotate through various ear training and sight-singing exercises every class (i.e. melodic and harmonic dictation, intervals, etc).
I begin each class checking written homework (analyzing music, drilling concepts, and composing short examples). I expect students to practice ear training skills on their own time even though I can t formally check their progress except through quizzes and tests. We review all written assignments on the board, spot-checking the most difficult questions from the homework. Building on the concepts from the homework, I introduce the new day s lesson. Sometimes we read from the Benward and Saker text out loud, but more often I have the student take notes while I detail concepts on the board and play excerpts on the piano. We then do a few examples from the homework assigned for the next class. I constantly tie in aural skills to the written theory, and encourage my students to sight-sing the melodies and harmonies we write on the board before I play the example on the piano. For the last 30-45 minutes of class we work on ear training. I will warm-up their ears by playing simple motives on the piano and have them sing back to me on scale degree numbers, singing scales and modes, arpeggiating chord progressions, clapping and counting rhythms, and exercises that promote their fundamental development. We will then transition to sight-singing major and minor exercises in various keys and time signatures from the Ottman text. I do lots of melodic and harmonic dictation and error detection from the text, but will first practice intervals, chord qualities and rhythmic dictation. Excerpts at the beginning of the year are just 1 or 2 measures, and I try to have them up to 8 measures by the exam. As we approach the exam, students complete the released free response questions on the College Board webpage for homework. In class, we take the full and released exams, reviewing and discussing answers after every section. Students use the webpage www.musictheory.net for ear training practice at home and after school. After the AP Exam in May, we will work on various projects ranging from research and writing projects to arranging and compositions. More information will be provided about these projects as we get into the Spring semester. **Students who do not take the AP Exam, will be required to take a final regardless of their exemption status. This includes seniors.