AP Music Theory Syllabus

Course Overview
This course is designed to provide primary instruction for students in Music Theory as well as
develop strong fundamentals of understanding of music equivalent to an entry level college music
theory course. The course will challenge students to acquire new skills through discussion and
analysis of Western Music and through personal composition.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

a. Recognize and define musical terms and vocabulary

b. Notate pitches and rhythm in accordance with standard notation practices
c. Read melodies in treble, bass and moveable C clefs
d. Interpret and notate scales in all major, minor and modal keys
e. Recognize by ear and sight all intervals within an octave
f. Understand basic rules and guidelines to musical composition
g. Analyze the chords of a musical composition by number and letter name
h. Transpose a composition from one key to another
i. Understand and recognize basic musical forms
j. Express musical ideas by composing and arranging
k. Write simple rhythmic and melodic dictation
l. Understand and be able to use solfege

Primary Texts
Kostka, Stefan, Payne, Dorothy and Almen, Byron. Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to Twentieth-Century
Music, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013

Ottman, Robert W. and Rogers, Nancy. Music for Sight Singing, 8th ed. Upper Saddle River,N.J.:

Prentice Hall.

Primary Supplemental Text

Ottman, Robert W. Elementary Harmony Theory and Practice, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.:

Prentice Hall
Course Syllabus
First Nine Weeks

Week 1-2

Fundamentals of Theory

Staff and Clef Notation

Accidentals
Simple Meter
Key Signatures / Circle of 5ths

Week 3-4

Exam #1

Review Circle of 5ths

Introduction to Major, Minor and Church modes, Whole Tone and Pentatonic Scales

Parallel and Relative Scales

Introduction to intervals

Week 5-6

Continue working on Circle of 5ths

Continue working on scales

Continue working on intervals and modifiers

Week 7-8

Exam #2

Introduction of Solfege

Recognizing intervals by listening and singing

Introduce transposition

Chapter 1 (Tonal Harmony) – Pitch, Pitch Class, Intervals

Week 9

Review Transposition and solfege

Exam #3

Chapter 2 (Tonal Harmony) Elements of Rhythm

Second Nine Weeks

Week 1-2

Chapter 3 (Tonal Harmony) Introduction to Triads

Triads, Inversion, Figured Bass

7th Chords

Chapter 1 (Music for Sight Singing) Rhythms

Exam #1

Week 3-4

Review triads and 7th chords and their inversions

Chapter 4 (Tonal Harmony) Diatonic Chords in Major and minor keys

Chapter 2 (Music for Sight Singing) Melodies in Major Keys

Exam # 2

Week 5-6

Review chords- diatonic, inversions, Major and Minor Keys

Chapter 5 (Tonal Harmony) Principles of Voice Leading

Parallel 5ths and Octaves

Contrary Motion, Oblique, Similar and Parallel Motion

Chapter 6 (Tonal Harmony) Root Position part Writing

Part Writing

Chapter 3 (Music for Sight Singing)) Melody-Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys-

Simple Meter

Exam #3
Week 7-8

Continue with Chapter 6 (Tonal Harmony)

Instrumental Ranges and Transpositions

Chapter 7 (Tonal Harmony) Harmonic Progressions and Sequence

Harmonizing a Simple Melody with Primary Chords

Harmonizing a Simple Melody with Primary and Secondary Chords
Harmonizing using proper voice leading in all 4 parts: Bass, Tenor, Alto

Chapter 4 (Music for Sight singing) Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys in Compound Meters

Week 9

Review for Semester Exam

Semester Exam

Third Nine Weeks

Week 1-2

Chapters 8 & 9 (Tonal Harmony) Triads in First and Second Inversions

Two Part Counterpoint using 1st and 2nd Inversions

Chord analyzation

Composing two part compositions

Chapter 5 (Music for Sight Singing) Minor Keys; Intervals from the Tonic Triad

Simple and Compound Meters

Exam # 1
Week 3-4

Chapters 10-11(Tonal Harmony)

Cadences, Phrases, Periods, and Sentences

Musical Forms

Motives and Phrases

Non- Chord Tones- Passing Tones, Neighboring Tones, Suspensions and Retardations

Students will Analyze Hymns and other music for Chord progressions, Cadences, non-chord tones,
motivic treatment and Musical Form.

Chapter 6 (Music for Sight Singing) Intervals from the Dominant Triad

Major and minor Keys

Simple and Compound Meter

Exam # 2

Week 5-6

Chapter’s 11 – 12 (Tonal Harmony) Non Chord tones - Appoggiaturas, Escape tones, Anticipations

Continue analyzing Hymns for Cords, Non-Chord Tones and cadences

Chapter 7 (Music for Sight Singing) Alto and Tenor Clefs

Exam # 3

Week 7-8

Chapters 13, 14, 15 (Tonal Harmony)

V7, II7, VII7 chords and Secondary Diatonic Chords

Voice Leading

Inversions

Analyzing

Chapter 8 (Music for Sight Singing) Diatonic Intervals in Simple and Compound Meters

Week 9

Review previously taught material

Begin preparation for AP Exam

Exam #4
Fourth Nine Weeks

Week 1-2

Chapters17-19 (Tonal Harmony)

Secondary Functions

Modulations

Chapter 8 (Music for Sight Singing) Intervals from the Dominant 7th chord

Week 3-4

Chapter 20 (Tonal Harmony)

Musical Forms

Continue preparing for AP Exam

Begin Student Composition assignment

Chapter 10 (Music for Sight Singing)-Subdividing into 4 parts

Week 5-6

Students will continue working on their composition project

Review and prepare for AP Exam

Week 7-8

Review for AP Exam

AP Exam

Week 8-9

Final Preparations on Composition Project

Present Composition Projects to the Class

Teaching Strategies/ Student Activities
In order for students to master music theory, one must begin with fundamentals. The first weeks of
class are designed to familiarize all students with general terminology; basic chordal and scalar
structure; standard notation and clef studies; fundamental intervallic relationships; and fundamental
part-writing and harmonic progressions. This knowledge is a pertinent necessity and pre-requisite for
everything the students will learn during future lessons. After the student has mastered learning
rudimentary scalar structure, the class will begin competence in aural skills as it is a difficult skill to
master, especially for young musicians.

When the students have demonstrated a complete understanding of theoretical fundamentals, a

considerable amount of time is spent on part-writing and harmonic progressions. For example, the
student may be given an exercise in which they will be expected to demonstrate the ability to
identify key signatures, harmonic progressions, cadences, part-writing considerations, and selection
of appropriate chordal tendencies. The amount of material can seem overwhelming to the average
student, which is why so much time is spent on this material alone.

The class will have frequent guided discussions over new topics, giving each other an opportunity to
share their ideas, debate theoretical concepts and materialize their arguments or ideas on staff paper.
The students will be given examples from varied texts, musical scores, and cumulative anthologies
that correlate with the topic being discussed. From there, the students will hear the examples
through teacher demonstration on the piano or through a professional recording according to
convenience. Each example will be heard several times. The first time is fir the student to receive a
first listening and record their initial impressions, while the consecutive hearings are for in-depth
discussion and analysis.

After the basic foundation for aural skills has been made, students will begin each class period
reproducing an assigned melody using techniques learned in class. Aural skills are an important skill
that cannot be ignored as it is imperative knowledge for the test and for the life of a professional
musician.

The final student project of the year consists of each student composing their own work using the
techniques we have learned throughout the year. The work must be at least 32 measures long. The
work will be written in 4 parts and performed on the piano.

In order to prepare all students for the AP Exam in the spring semester, all students will take practice
exams beginning in February. The students will receive questions from the book and past exams to
assist in their preparation. Take home tests will be utilized at first, then in class exams will be given
to allow for accurate use of testing strategies.

Student Evaluations
Based on school policy:

Participation and Homework- 40%

Exam Grades- 60%