Guide for Ear-Training Challenge at AMTA Piano Festival

Test A Level 1 (Intended to be appropriate for pre-reading students. As much as possible, choices will be pictures.) 1. 2. 3. Is the sound high or low? Is the melody going up, going down, or staying the same? Is the rhythm you hear the same or different from the one pictured? (using only quarters and half notes) 4. Is the melody you hear bouncy/staccato or smooth/legato? 5. Are the sounds you hear loud/forte or soft/piano? Level 2 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. Identify 2nds/steps and 3rds/skips Which melody do you hear? (Choose from 2 melodies in C maj with a pentascale range) Choose the dynamic pattern. Example: Circle the correct pattern for the melody you hear: f p mf OR p mp p Which rhythm do you hear? (Choose from 2. Will include quarter rests and dotted half notes.) Is the melody you hear legato, staccato, or both? Level 3 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. Identify major intervals, 2-5. (Interval to be played both melodically and harmonically.) Supply a sharp or flat sign (Given a staff with two identical notes, student will hear the first played natural, and the second played either sharp or flat.) Fill in the missing note. (Given a two-measure, five-finger melody, student will supply one missing note. Will be a step from the preceding note.) Choose the melody you hear. (Given two choices.) Choose the correct time signature for the melody you hear. (Choices are 3/4 and 4/4.) Choose the rhythm you hear (Choices may include half rests, quarter rests, and eighth notes.) 8. Identify a chord as major or minor Test B Level 4 1. Identify intervals: major and perfect 2-8, each example played both harmonically and melodically 2. Melodic dictation (Given a 2 measure melody, student will supply 2 missing notes in the second measure. These will be simple quarter & half note rhythms, and melody to be within a pentascale range. Key to be C or G major.) 3. Choose the melody you hear. (Articulations and dynamics may make some of the differences.) 4. Circle the chord pattern you hear. (Primary chord progressions. Given 2 choices.)

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Identify a scale as major, minor, chromatic Choose the rhythm (Will use dotted quarters and eighths, quarter rests, and half rests) Rhythmic dictation (Given a 2 measure rhythm, student will supply missing note values in the second measure. These will be quarters, half-notes, whole, and eighths.) Level 5

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Intervals Major and Perfect 2-8, plus minor and diminished Choose the melody (to include articulations and dynamics. Given 2 choices.) Melodic dictation (Given a 2 measure melody, student will supply the second measure. Quarter, half, and eighth note rhythms. May include a minor.) 4. Identify a scale as major, natural minor, or harmonic minor. 5. Write in the missing chord symbol. (Students will hear a primary chord progression and provide the missing Roman numeral.) Ex.: Write in the missing chord symbol I IV V7 _______ I 6. Choose a rhythm. (Given 2 choices to include eighth rests and minimal sixteenth notes.) Level 6 * Identify intervals, 2-8, all qualities * Melodic dictation. (Teacher indicates what key the melody will be in and tells the starting pitch, student writes the key signature and the starting pitch on the page. Two measures of melody dictated in keys up to 4 sharps or flats.) * Choose the melody you hear. (Given 2 choices, more complex melodies than previous levels.) * Identify a scale as natural minor, harmonic minor, or melodic minor. * Identify the chord inversion of major triads: root, 1st, 2nd Student will first hear a scale, and then chord will be played both blocked and broken. * Circle the chord progression you hear. (To include primary chords and VI as a deceptive cadence, 2 choices given.) * Identify triads as major, minor, augmented, or diminished * Choose the rhythm you hear (to include rhythms and rests through sixteenth notes, including dotted combinations, 2 choices given)