Course Overview AP Music Theory is rigorous course that expands upon the skills learned in the Music Theory Fundamentals course. The ultimate goal of the AP Music Theory course is to develop a student s ability to recognize, understand, and describe the materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score. Aural skills Sight-singing skills Listening exercises Performance exercises Written skills Through Written exercises Compositional skills Analytical skills Creative exercises Analytical exercises Students will demonstrate the ability to perceive, perform, and respond to musical sounds. Students will demonstrate an understanding of music as an essential aspect of history and human experience. Students will demonstrate the ability to organize musical ideas and sounds creatively. Students will demonstrate the ability to make aesthetic judgments. Course Objectives The objectives for this course have been adapted and expanded from the 2010 AP Music Theory Course Description from: Students will be able to: Read, notate and sing all major and three forms of minor scales Read, notate and sight read rhythm with standard notation practice Read, notate and sight read all simple and compound intervals Read, notate and sight read all triads and 7 th chords in all positions and inversions Use correct music terminology and vocabulary Analyze the chords of a musical composition Transpose a composition to another key Part write harmonic progressions in major and minor keys
Realize figured bass progressions Harmonize a melody using appropriate chord structure and voice leading procedures Recognize basic musical forms Create musical composition and arrange by applying basic rules of music composition Read and notate modulations Primary Textbooks Horvit, Michael, Koozin, Timothy, Nelson, Robert. Music for Ear Training. 3 rd ed. Boston, MA: Schirmer, 2009. Clendinning, Jane Piper, and Marvin, Elizabeth West. The Musician s Guide to Theory and Analysis. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Norton, 2010. Phillips, Joel, Clendinning, Jane Piper, and Marvin, Elizabeth West. The Musician s Guide to Aural Skill, Vol. I. 1 st ed. New York, NY: Norton, 2005. Benjamin, Thomas, Horvit, Michael, and Nelson, Robert. Music for Sight Singing. 5 th ed. Boston, MA: Schirmer, 2009. Secondary Textbooks Benjamin, Thomas, Horvit, Michael, and Nelson, Robert. Techniques and Materials of Music. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Schirmer, 2008. Benward, Bruce and Saker, Marilyn. Music in Theory and Practice and Workbook. 8 th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Ottman, Robert. 2004. Music for Sight-Singing. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001. Kostka, Stefan, and Payne, Dorothy. Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music, Vol.1. 5 th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Mayfield, Connie E. Theory Essentials, Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Schirmer, 2003. Other Resources www.musictheory.net http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/index.html www.apcentral.collegeboard.com www.teoria.com www.good-ear.com www.mutopia.org http://solomonsmusic.net/bwv.shtml http://www.jsbchorales.net/bwv.shtml http://www.sfemtheory.lcom http://www.dhbindianaedu/variations/scores/
The Clendinning and Marvin textbook addresses the elements of basic music theory including functional harmonic progressions and Roman numerals in an orderly and sequential manner and includes examples of music from the Common Practice Period. Part I, Building a Musical Vocabulary: Basic Elements of Pitch and Rhythm gives the students fundamental rudiments of music literacy. The text highlights important concepts and provides students with examples to try it. There are terms you should know and questions for review. The accompanying workbook, The Musicians Guide to Aural Skills, teaches dictation, sight-singing, and keyboard skills essential to course success. Other textbooks and websites will be used for supplemental and reinforcement of skills. Other advanced subjects will be addressed following the AP exam, as time permits. Teaching Strategy I believe the goal of AP Music Theory is success completing the exam. More importantly the student s success and enjoyment of mastering many new skills will provide prior knowledge experiences in other subjects. Aural skills are extremely challenging to me as well as students. I will be searching for ways assist the students in finding this less stressful. Students will practice sight-reading skills daily. Learning the music theory language is critical to success on the AP Exam. Students must understand and practice standard music theory protocol, both in analysis and in composition. Students demonstrate their understanding by composition. Giving specific individual composition assignments with a clear and concise rubric is helpful to understanding and enables students to be successful. Course Outline: The class will meet every day for 55 minutes. The outline provided below may be adjusted to accommodate the mastery of the class. Students will: Complete a warm up (bell ringer) activity-5 minutes Sight singing is practiced for approximately 10 minutes Reading assignments/lecture presenting review and new material for approximately 15 minutes Listening and ear training will be presented. Ear training will include melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic dictation practice and assessment for approximately 10 minutes Summary of lesson (walk out ticket) Class work/homework assignments, quizzes, tests will be assigned weekly Written skills will be assigned and assessed daily throughout the course. The workbook and supplementary sources will provide extensive written practice, opportunities for creative
expression, and abbreviated examples for analysis. At the conclusion of each semester an exam will be given to help prepare for the AP exam in May. Homework Students will be assigned homework to practice what was discussed in class. Students will be encouraged to practice ear training, composition and sight singing daily. Dorchester County Maryland Public School Grading Policy: Written assignments, homework, ear training, sight singing, dictation, class discussion, projects Quizzes, tests 70% 30% Midterm and final exams 10% of Semester grade Curriculum Execution 1: The Course enables students to master the rudiments and terminology of music: notational skills, intervals, scales, keys, chords, meter, and rhythm. The course outline includes textbook Chs. 1-6: scales, keys, intervals, chords, meter, and rhythm WEEKS 1-2 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 1 (Pitch and Pitch Class) Written Skills: Introduction to pitch notation, flats and sharps, reading pitches from a score, dynamics, and terms you should know. Ear Training Skills: Pitch, half-and whole-step intervals, notating pitch, performing scales. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion in major mode, in treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: C, F and G major scales. Other Activities: Test Chapter 1
WEEKS 3-4 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 2 (Beat, Meter, and Rhythm: Simple Meters) Written Skills: Dividing Musical Time, Metric Organization, Rhythmic Notation in Simple Meters, Notation Guidelines, Implications for Performance, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Rhythmic elements, notating rhythm, performing rhythm patterns in simple meter. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion in major mode, in treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: D, A, Bb and Eb major scales. WEEKS 5-6 6: The course includes the following scales: major, minor, modal, pentatonic, and whole tone The course includes textbook Ch. 3, 4 and 30 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 3 (Pitch Collections, Scales and Major Keys) Written Skills: Chromatic and Diatonic Collections, Scales, Major Keys and Scales, Major Pentatonic Scale, Implications for Performance, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Tetrachords, Pentachords, Scales, Major Scales as Melody, Pentatonic Scales. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion in major mode, in treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: E, B, Ab, Db major and pentatonic scales. Other Activities: Test Chapter 3 WEEKS 7-8 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 4 (Minor Keys and the Diatonic Modes) Chapter 30 (Whole tone scales)
Written Skills: Parallel Keys, Relative Keys, Writing Minor Scales, Scale Degrees in Minor, Modes of the Diatonic Collection, Minor Pentatonic Scale, Twentieth- Century Modal Practice, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: The Sound of Minor, Upper Tetrachords in Minor Scales, Minor Scales, Diatonic Modes, Minor Scales as Melody. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion in minor mode, in treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: A, B minor and whole tone scales. Other Activities: Test Chapter 4 WEEK 9 Theory and Analysis: Review Written Skills: Review all written skills. Ear Training Skills: Practice exam and website practices. Sight Singing Skills: Record major and minor sight singing individually. Keyboard Skills: C and D minor scales. WEEKS 10-11 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 5 (Beat, Meter, and Rhythm: Compound Meters) Written Skills: Compound Meters Defined, Meter Signatures, Notation Should Know. Ear Training Skills: The Sound of Compound Meter, Hearing Compound Meter Beat Patterns. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion with small intervallic leaps, melodies in major and minor modes. Keyboard Skills: E and F minor scales. Other Activities: Chapter 5 test. WEEKS 12,13-14
Theory and Analysis: Chapter 6 (Pitch Intervals) Written Skills: Generic Pitch Intervals, Melodic and Harmonic Intervals, Compound Intervals, Major, Minor and Perfect Intervals, The Tritone, Spelling Diminished and Augmented Intervals, Enharmonically Equivalent Intervals, The Relative Consonance and Dissonance of Intervals, The Inversion of Intervals, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Major, Minor, and Perfect Intervals, Augmented and Diminished Intervals, Inversion of Pitch Intervals. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion with larger intervallic leaps, melodies in major and minor modes, simple meter, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Play melodies in simple meter. Other Activities: Chapter 6 test. Website study of practice tests. 2: The course progresses to include more sophisticated and creative tasks; writing bass line for a given melody or harmonization of a given melody in four parts WEEKS 15, 16-17 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 7 (Triads and Seventh Chords) Written Skills: Spelling Triads Above a Scale, Triad Qualities in Major and Minor Keys, Spelling Isolated Triads, Roman Numerals for Scale-Degree Triads, Inversion of Triads, Analyzing Triads, Figured Bass, Diatonic Seventh Chords in Major and Minor Keys, Roman Numerals and Figures for Seventh Chords, Spelling Isolate Seventh Chords, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Major and Minor Triads, Augmented and Diminished Triads and Seventh Chords. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies with larger intervallic leaps, melodies in major and minor modes, simple meter, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Triads and 7 th chords in root position (major keys) Other Activities: Chapter 7 test. WEEK 18
Theory and Analysis: Review. Written Skills: Review all written skills. Ear Training Skills: Practice and review dictation skills. Practice exam on website. Keyboard Skills: Triads and 7 th chords in root position and inversions, major and minor. Other Activities: Midterm exam. 3: The course progresses to include more sophisticated and creative tasks; realization of a figured. The course outline includes, Test on two part figured bass realization. WEEKS 19-20 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 8 (Intervals in Action-Two-Voice Composition) Written Skills: Counterpoint, Connecting Intervals: Note-Against Note Counterpoint, Writing Note-Against Note Counterpoint, Reduction to a Note- Against Note Framework, Melodic Embellishment in Chorale Textures, Figured Bass realization exercises, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Intervals in Action-Two Voice Composition, Hearing Contrapuntal Lines, Embellishing Triads, Chromatic Solfege Syllables and Scale- Degree Numbers. Sight Singing Skills: Melodies featuring conjunct motion with larger intervallic leaps, melodies in major and minor modes, simple meter, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Harmonizing a simple four measure melody with I, IV, and V chords. Other Activities: Chapter 8 test. Test on Figured Bass Realization. 4: The course progresses to include more sophisticated and creative tasks; realization of a Roman numeral progression
The textbook includes a wide range of music literature from standard Western tonal repertoires and emphasizes tonal relationships, harmonization from Roman numerals, etc. Theory and Analysis: Chapter 9 (Melodic and Rhythmic Embellishment in Two Voice Composition) Written Skills: Neighbor Tones, Consonant Skips, Passing Tones, Chromatic Consonant Suspensions, Chains of Suspensions, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Embellishing Seventh Chords and Suspensions. Sight Singing Skills: Longer diatonic melodies, larger intervals, major and minor, simple and compound meters, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Harmonizing a simple four measure melody with I, IV, and V chords. Other Activities: Chapter 9 test. Composing a two-phrase melody that is organized around a recognizable melodic or rhythmic motive. 5: The course progresses to include more sophisticated and creative tasks; analysis of repertoire, including analysis of motivic treatment and harmonic analysis Every unit includes written and aural analysis related to the unit topic, e.g., melody, harmony, phrase structure, motive, etc. WEEKS 23-24 7: The course covers the following concepts or procedures based in commonpractice tonality; Functional triadic harmony in traditional four-voice texture, including nonharmonic tones, seventh chords and secondary dominants The syllabus includes the topic diatonic triad functions in major and minor keys: diatonic primary and secondary chords in a major key, diatonic and chromatically altered primary and secondary chords in a minor key (based on form of scale) Theory and Analysis: Chapter 10 (Notation and Scoring)
Written Skills: Notation of melodies, Two or more Parts on a Staff, Four Part Harmony SATB, Keyboard, Popular music, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Notation and Scoring. Sight Singing Skills: Longer diatonic melodies, larger intervals, major and minor, simple and compound meters, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Chord progressions with non chord tones. Other Activities: Chapter 10 test. Website practice. WEEKS 25-26 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 11 (Voicing Chords in Multiple Parts: Instrumentation) Written Skills: How to Make Four Parts from Three Chord Members, Range, Technique, and Tessitura, Timbre and Volume, Transposing, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Voicing Chords in Multiple Parts: Instrumentation. Sight Singing Skills: Longer diatonic melodies, larger intervals, major and minor, simple and compound meters, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Chord progressions with non chord tones. Other Activities: Chapter 11 test. Website practice. WEEK 27 Theory and Analysis: Review. Written Skills: Review of all written skills Ear Training Skills: Review of all ear training skills. Sight Singing Skills: Longer diatonic melodies, larger intervals, major and minor, simple and compound meters, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Chord progressions with non chord tones. Other Activities: Exam practice.
WEEKS 28-29 8: The course covers the following concepts or procedures based in commonpractice tonality; Modulation to closely related keys Students harmonize short melodies that modulate to closely related keys. Theory and Analysis: Chapter 12 (The Basic Phrase Model: Tonic and Dominant Voice Leading) Written Skills: Establishing the sense of tonic and dominant, dominant seventh chord, resolutions of V and V6, Doubling Guidelines, modulation to closely related keys. Ear Training Skills: Hearing V-I and V7-I. Sight Singing Skills: Longer diatonic melodies, larger intervals, major and minor, simple and compound meters, treble and bass clefs. Keyboard Skills: Chord progressions with non chord tones. Other Activities: Chapter 12 test. WEEKS 30-31 11: Musical skills are developed through the following types of musical exercises: listening,(discrete intervals, scales, etc.; dictations; excerpts from literature) 12: Musical skills are developed through the following types of musical exercises: sight-singing All unties include listening, written, creative and sight singing components related to the unit topic. Theory and Analysis: Chapters 13-14 (Embellishing Tones, Choral Harmonization and Figured Bass). Written Skills: Embellishing tones, suspension types, Writing the Bass-Soprano Counterpoint, Special treatment of Perfect Intervals, Completing the Inner Voices, Voice leading summary, Figured Bass, Guidelines for Realization, Checking your work, Terms You Should Know. Ear Training Skills: Embellishing tones, Figured Bass, Creating Phrases at the Keyboard.
Sight Singing Skills: Melodies with chromatic alterations. Keyboard Skills: Chord progressions featuring the V7, ii7 and vii7 chords. Other Activities: Chapters 13-14 tests. Harmonization packet (from previous AP exams) is distributed. WEEKS 32-33 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 15 (Expanding the Basic Phrase: Leading Tone, Cadential 6/4) Written Skills: Doubling in the vii6, Resolving vii6, The Root of the Matter, The vii7, Leading Tone Chords in Two Eras, Resolving vii7, Their Inversions, Writing Cadential 6/4 chords, The neighboring, Passing and Arpeggiating 6/4. Ear Training Skills: Expanding the Basic Phrase: Leading Tone, Cadential 6/4. Sight Singing Skills: Sight singing melodies from previous AP exams. Keyboard Skills: Chordal progressions featuring secondary dominant chords. Other Activities: Chapter 15 test. Take the released 1998 Exam. WEEKS 34-35 Theory and Analysis: Chapter 17 (The Interaction of Melody and Harmony: More on Cadence, Phrase, and Melody) Written Skills: The Deceptive Cadence, The Plagal Cadence, The Phrygian Cadence. Ear Training Skills: Melodic dictation featuring common chord modulations. Reviews interval, triad, 7 th, chord identification, melodic and harmonic dictation. Sight Singing Skills: Sight singing melodies from previous AP exams. Other Activities: Practice on released AP exams.
15: The course includes, but is not limited to, study of a wide variety of vocal and instrumental music from the standard Western tonal repertoires. In this course, the standard Western tonal repertoire is addressed in Chapters 1-17, 30 of the course anthology, which we cover throughout the year. WEEK 36 Final exam.