AP Music TheoryCourse Overview: AP Music Theory is a rigorous course for students who wish todevelop their musical skills in composition and theory. Students whoplan to pursue a career in music performance, composition or musiceducation will benefit greatly from the skills learned in this course.The course is not limited to these students, however, and any studentwho wishes to better understand the language of music for their ownpersonal enrichment will find the course very beneficial. AP MusicTheory is, therefore, open to all students without pre-requisiterequirements though a basic background in reading music throughparticipation in piano, orchestra, choir or band is recommended.Course Description: Introduction to diatonic harmony including the elements of pitch andrhythm, major and minor scales, major and minor key signatures,functional harmony of all diatonic chords in major and minor keys,voice leading and root position part writing, diatonic harmonicprogression including inverted triads, cadences, phrases, periods,non-chord tones, and diatonic seventh chords. Development of auralskills including diatonic sight-singing, dictation, computer assistedinstruction in major and minor keys and in simple meters.Course Objectives: Students will be able to –*define basic musical terms and theoretical concepts*understand and construct major, minor, chromatic, whole toneand modal scales*demonstrate the ability to construct and analyze major, minor,augmented and diminished intervals and triads*recognize, audiate, and sing or play scales, intervals, triads,rhythms and melodies*sing simple conjunct and disjunct diatonic melodies on sight*construct compositions in four-part texture*analyze harmonic structure utilizing Roman numerals and figuredbass*identify basic form and cadencesPrimary Texts: Ottman, Robert. Music for Sight Singing, 7th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice Hall, 2004.Kostka, Stefan and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony, 6th ed. New York:McGraw-Hill, 2003.Other resources: Ricci Adams’ Music Theory Web site: www.musictheory.netUsama Minegishi & Hidetomo Katsura’s Phobia Bundle:www.majorthird.comTeoria.com music theory and ear training website and software.Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory SoftwareCourse PlannerWeek 1-3

Introduction to the elements of music writingReview of basic pitch and rhythmic notation including the staff, clefs, ledger lines, grandstaff, half steps and whole steps, intervals, chromatic alterations, enharmonic equivalents,accidentals, beat, tempo, meter and measure, time signatures, simple and compoundmeters, syncopation, dots, ties, rests, dynamic and articulation markingsText: Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory Vol. 1Aural SkillsIntroduction to solfege, melodic dictation of 3-5 note patterns, simple rhythmic dictationwithout restsText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 1Week 4-6Written SkillsNotation, key signatures, time signatures, scales and modesText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 1 & 2Aural SkillsScale line melodies, intervals from the tonic triad in major keysText: Music for Sight Singing Chapters 2 & 3***Six-Weeks Exam***Review Tonal Harmony Chapters 1-2 and Music for Sight Singing Chapters 1-3. Alsoreview all notes, discussions and exercises on dictation from weeks 1-3.Week 7-8Written SkillsIntervals including inversions, continue to drill scales and key signaturesText: review Tonal Harmony Chapters 1 & 2Aural SkillsIntervals from the tonic triad in major keysText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 4Week 9-10Written SkillsTriads and seventh chordsText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 3&4Aural SkillsMinor keys-intervals from the tonic triadText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 5Introduce ear training exercises from Practica Musica and daily class participation onexercises from Chord Phobia bundleWeek 11-12Written SkillsTriad and chord identification, introduction to part writing and harmonic progression

Text: Tonal Harmony Chapters 5-6Aural SkillsIntervals from the dominant triad in major and minor keysText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 6***Six-Weeks Exam***Review Tonal Harmony Chapters 1-6 and Music for Sight Singing Chapters 4-6Week 13Written SkillsReview triads, chord identification, part writing and harmonic progressionText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 5-6Aural SkillsReview intervals from the dominant triad in major and minor keysText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 6Week 14-16Written SkillsWriting short progressions with given soprano or bass using primary triads in rootposition and good melody writingText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 6-7Aural SkillsMore extensive use of diatonic intervalsText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 8Continue on ear training exercises from Practica Musica and daily class participation onexercises from Chord Phobia bundleWeek 17-18Written SkillsExtended progressions adding some first inversion triads.Text: Tonal Harmony Chapter 8Aural SkillsIntervals from the dominant seventh chordText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 9Continue ear training exercises from Practica Musica and daily class participation onexercises from Chord Phobia bundle***Six-Weeks Exam***Review Tonal Harmony Chapters 5-8 and Music for Sight Singing Chapters 6-9Week 19-20Written SkillsIntroduce second inversion triadsText: Tonal Harmony Chapter 9Aural SkillsRhythmic dictation practiceText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 10

Continue class participation on exercises from Chord Phobia bundleWeek 21-23Written SkillsIntroduce V7 and inversionsText: Tonal Harmony Chapter 13Aural SkillsMelody: Intervals from the tonic and dominant triadsText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 11Week 24Written SkillsReview chapters 9, 10, & 13Text: Tonal Harmony Chapters 9, 10, & 13Aural SkillsFurther use of diatonic intervalsText: Music for Sight Singing Chapter 12***Six-Weeks Exam***Review Tonal Harmony Chapters 9, 10, & 13 and Music for Sight Singing Chapters 10-12.Week 25-26Written SkillsIntroduce secondary triads and their inversionsText: Tonal Harmony Chapter 7Aural SkillsEight measure phrases from choral literatureStudents compose 8 measure phrases for future useWeek 27Written SkillsIntroduce non-chord tonesText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 11-12Aural SkillsEight measure phrases from choral literature and teacher composed 8 measure phrasesWeek 28-29Written SkillsReview all triads and non-chord tones in given melodies, given bass lines with figuredbass, fragments of soprano and bass mixed, drill part-writing skillsText: review Tonal Harmony Chapters 7-13Aural SkillsEight measure phrases from choral literature and teacher composed 8 measure phrasesWeek 30Written SkillsAdministration of the first AP practice exam***Six-Weeks Exam***

Completion and review of the AP practice exam’s results will count as the six weeksexam gradeWeek 31-32Written SkillsIntroduce secondary functions and phrase structureModulation to closely related keysText: Tonal Harmony Chapters 16 & 19Aural SkillsBegin individual student recordings of sight singing exercises for evaluationWeek 33Written SkillsSmall forms-binary, ternary, rounded binary, theme and variationsText: Tonal Harmony Chapter 20Administration of second AP practice examWeek 34Written SkillsIntroduction to twentieth-century scales, chordal structures, and compositionalproceduresText: Tonal Harmony Chapter 28Student Compositions: Students will compose an original 32 measure piece for aninstrumentation determined by the members of the class and what instrument/voice theyperform on.