AP Music Theory
Syllabus, 2017-2018
A musician is not just someone who performs music. A musician also listens to, understands, and creates music. The study of music theory can enhance performance, inform listening, deepen understanding, and provide the tools for effective composition.
AP Music Theory is a college level course designed “to develop a student's ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score.” These goals are achieved through the development of aural, analytical, and compositional skills using listening and written exercises. The course also includes creative tasks such as the harmonization of a melody by selecting appropriate chords, composing a musical bass line to provide two-voice counterpoint, or the realization of figured-bass notation. Literature studied includes music from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. Where applicable, examples for study will also include popular music and world music examples. The course should prepare students to take the AP Music Theory test in May.
The AP Music Theory test will be given Monday, May 14, 2018 at 8:00 a.m.
Required Materials
- Binder with paper for keeping track of notes, homework, etc.
- Staff paper
- Pencil or pen
- School-provided laptop computer
- Required textbook(s): Music in Theory and Practice, Volume 1, 8th ed., by Bruce Benward & Marilyn Saker
Academic Grades
Grades should measure student progress, understanding, and achievement.
Grades are weighted by category:
Assignments (50%)
Students should expect homework daily, though some days they may not have a specific assignment. The time that students will need to complete homework will vary. Homework involves written exercises, listening activities, and sight-singing practice. Assignments should help students develop the skills and understanding required for mastery of the content.
Tests/Quizzes (50%)
Tests and quizzes will be administered frequently in order to provide feedback and to monitor progress. Tests includewritten exercises (e.g., key signature identification, writing a melody including non-harmonic tones), listening exercises(e.g., melodic and harmonic dictation, aural identification of musical elements), and sight-singing.
Remediation
Remediation is available by appointment or during consultation time on Mondays.
Academic Grading Scale
93-100% = A / 86-89% = B+ / 76-79% = C+ / 66-69% = D+ / 59% or below = F90-94% = A- / 83-85% = B / 73-75% = C / 63-65% = D
80-82% = B- / 70-72% = C- / 60-62% = D-
Some work may be graded by other students in class or by student aides. Students are welcome to use their student ID number on assignments, quizzes, and tests instead of their name.
Citizenship Grades
Participation/Behavior
Students who follow classroom rules will receive full points for citizenship at the end of the term. Students will lose points for breaking classroom rules and school policies (cell phones in class, for example). The following behaviors will affect students’ participation and citizenship grades:
Moving seats without permission
Leaving the classroom without permission
Disrespectful behavior
Use of electronic devices
Not following directions
Disrupting the class
Violations of other school policies or classroom expectations
Attendance
According to the Wasatch High School attendance policy, students with more than three (3) absences within a term will receive a “UA” citizenship grade. Students must make up attendance deficiencies at attendance school. Please see the high school website for the full policy.
Syllabus
Term 1
Week 1
Chapter 1: The Fundamentals of Music Overview of music theory; the elements of sound; introduction to solfege; note and rest durations; treble clef, bass clef, alto clef, and tenor clef; dots and ties; meter; rhythm practice
Week 2
Aural identification of meter (simple, compound, asymmetric); notational conventions; rhythm practice; note review; notation error detection; simple rhythmic dictation
Week 3
Chapter 2: Scales, Tonality, Key, Modes Sight-singing and melodic dictation of stepwise melodies in major keys; major scales; key signatures; scale degrees; minor scales; pentatonic scale; whole tone scale; modes
Week 4
Parallel and relative keys; modes and non-diatonic scales; minor key practice; aural identification of major and minor keys; introduction to intervals
Week 5
Chapter 3: Intervals and Transposition Interval practice; aural identification of scale degrees; aural identification of m2, M2, m3, M3; sight-singing melodies with 3rds; transposition
Cumulative test: note identification; note and rest durations; meter; key signatures and scales; scale degrees; melodic dictation; sight-singing
Week 6
Chapter 4: Chords Chords; triad qualities (M, m, dim, aug); diatonic triads; aural identification of chord quality; sight-singing of triadic melodies; triad inversions
Week 7
Seventh chords and inversions (major, minor, major-minor, half diminished, fully diminished); introduction to harmonic analysis with Roman and Arabic numerals
Week 8
Aural identification of I and V chords and inversions; seventh chord qualities; chord symbols in popular music; introduction to figured bass
Week 9
Chapter 5: Cadences and Nonharmonic Tones Cadences; introduction to nonharmonic tones; musical structures
TERM 2
Week 1
Chapter 6: Melodic Organization More nonharmonic tones; aural identification of cadences; phrase structure; aural identification of motives, phrases, and periods; aural identification of 4ths and 5ths; composition of simple melodies
Week 2
Dictation practice including intervals of up to a P5; harmonic dictation practice with I, IV and V chords; analysis of phrase structures in literature
Test on harmonic analysis; nonharmonic tones; dictation; sight-singing
Week 3
Chapter 7: Texture and Textural Reduction Texture; harmonic rhythm; textural reduction; aural identification of textures; harmonic dictation practice
Week 4
Chapter 8: Species Counterpoint Introduction to species counterpoint; composition in species counterpoint; melodic dictation practice; aural identification of m6, M6
Week 5
Continuation of counterpoint; composition tasks; sight-singing of student melodies; aural identification of m7, M7
Week 6
Continuation of counterpoint; introduction to voice leading with root position chords; harmonic dictation including I, ii, IV, V, vi
Test on species counterpoint (composition task)
Week 7
Chapter 9: Voice Leading in Four-Part Chorale Writing Voice leading with root position triads; voice leading with inversions; harmonizing a given melody in four parts; error detection
Week 8
Chapter 10: Harmonic Progression and Harmonic Rhythm Functional harmonic progression; harmonic dictation with diatonic triads; harmonic rhythm
Week 9
Part writing practice; writing a melody for a given bass line; harmonic dictation
Test on voice leading; harmonic dictation
TERM 3
Week 1
Four-part figured bass realization; four-part realization of a Roman numeral progression
Week 2
Chapter 11: The Dominant Seventh Chord Dominant seventh chords; part writing and analysis including seventh chords; harmonic dictation practice
Week 3
Chapter 12: The Leading-Tone Seventh Chords Leading tone seventh chords; figured bass practice including seventh chords; part writing with seventh chords
Week 4
Chapter 14: Secondary Dominants and Leading-Tone Chords Secondary dominant and leading tone chords; written and aural analysis of secondary dominant chords
Week 5
Chapter 15: Modulation Modulation to closely related keys; review of musical structures; composition tasks including modulation
Week 6
Review and seventh chords; secondary dominants; modulation
Cumulative test
Week 7
Chapter 16: Two-Part (Binary) Form & Chapter 17: Three-Part (Ternary) Form Form in music: binary and ternary forms; theme and variation; strophic form; aural identification of binary and ternary forms; motivic treatment
Binary form composition
Week 8
Part writing review and practice; harmonic dictation practice; sight-singing practice using AP test questions
Week 9
Practice AP test
TERM 4
Week 1
Review and practice using sample test questions
Week 2
Review and practice using sample test questions
Week 3
Practice AP test
Week 7
AP TEST!
Begin free compositions
Week 8
Work on compositions
Week 9
Performance of student compositions
Student Resources
Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Music in Theory and Practice: Volume 1, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.
Benward, Bruce, and Marilyn Saker. Workbook to Accompany Music in Theory and Practice: Volume 1, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.
Benward, Bruce, and J. Timothy Kolosick. Ear Training: a Technique for Listening, 7th ed. revised. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Schmid, Will (editor). Something New to Sing About. Mission Hills, CA: Glencoe, 1989.
Teacher Resources
Folkerts, Patti. A systematic analysis of choral sightreading materials adopted for use in Texas middle schools from 1988-1999 and a suggested original program of study. Doctoral dissertation: University of Houston, 1998.
Bauguess, David. The Jenson Sight-Singing Course. Jenson Publications, 1984.
Kostka, Stefan, and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony, 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.
Ottman, Robert W. Elementary Harmony: Theory and Practice, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998.
Adams, Ricci.
DeBenedetti, Gilbert.
The Kodàly Center for Music Education at Holy Names University: The American Folksong Collection.