Albright MHS– AP Music Theory Syllabus

AP Music Theory Course Syllabus

Mr. Albright, instructor

Congratulations! You have been recommended into this course by one of our music teachers.
This course is designed to round off your musical experience and understanding at Melbourne
High School. As you will see, this course has a lot of material to cover, and each next unit
requires thorough understanding of each previous unit. The only way to keep the established
pace is through each person’s commitment to the nightly homework and willing attitudes to work
each and every day on the theoretical and aural skills demanded by the course. I look forward to
seeing you grow as musicians in what can be the most fun you have ever had working so hard…

Grading
30% Homework (study groups encouraged- I’ll know if you plagiarize… trust me)
70% Quizzes and Tests

Class Routine

Daily
0 minutes: turn in previous night’s homework
10-20 minutes: Aural/Sight Singing Skills
40-50 minutes: Academic Pinpoint

Weekly
Formal or informal quiz every week

Quarterly
Bi-quarterly tests/exams

Resources

Students’ Primary Text:

Spencer, Peter. The Practice of Harmony, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Other resources:

Berkowitz, Sol, Gabriel Fontrier, and Leo Kraft. A New Approach to Sight Singing, Third Edition
New York: Norton & Company, 1986.
Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis, 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2003.
Kostka, Stefan, and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Seaton, Douglass. Ideas and Styles in the Western Musical Tradition,
Straus, Joseph N. Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.

Course Outline Follows

 Albright MHS– AP Music Theory Syllabus
1st Quarter
Week Academic Pinpoints
• Notating Pitch: Staff, Clefs and
Registers
• Scales
1 o Scale Degree Names
o Mode Names
• Key Signatures
o Order of flats and sharps
o Proper placement on staff by
clef
2 o Deriving key signature from
given tonic
o Deriving tonic from given key
signature
• Notating Rhythm
o Rhythmic Hierarchy
o Dotted Rhythms
3 o Meter: simple, compound
• Scales: minor
• Review Pitch, Key and Rhythm
4 • Review scale identification, meter recognition and simple quadruple rhythmic dictation
• Interim Test
• Intervals
o Diatonic intervals ascending
and descending from tonic in
the major scale
o Intervallic augmentation and
5 diminution
o Inverted interval relationships
o Spelling Chords
o Triad Qualities
o Primary Triads
6 o Seventh Chord Qualities
o Figured Bass for triads and
seventh chords in root
position
o Voicing Chords on Grand Staff
o Triads and seventh chords in
inversions
o Figured bass inversions
7 o Doubling rules for triads
o Chordal Analysis
o Roman numerals
o Diatonic chord qualities for
major and minor
8 o Realizing chord qualities
based on roman numerals
o Cadences: authentic, half,
plagal and deceptive
Review weeks 5-8
9 First Quarter Test
Aural Perception and
Sight-Reading Skills
• Discriminate whole steps and half-steps
aurally
• Major scale: guided discovery of relative
pitch tendencies by scale degree
• Sing solfege syllables using Curwen hand-
signs
• Perceive modes in relation to major/minor
• Identify modes by ascending scales aurally
• Sing major and minor scales with solfege
and hand-signs.
• Rhythmic dictation: simple quadruple –
whole, half and quarter and eighth note and
rests
• Identifying meter aurally
• Melodic Dictation and Sight-singing: Quarter
note values– stepwise motion
• Identify Intervals Aurally:
o Ascending from tonic in the major
scale
o Descending from tonic in the
major scale
o Tag songs
• Melodic Dictation and Sight-singing: Quarter
note and half notes, stepwise motion –
harmonic minor mode included
• Rhythmic dictation: simple – whole, half and
quarter and eighth note and rests
o Interval recognition without tonal reference
o Chord recognition: closed position-
diminished, minor, major and augmented
o Rhythmic dictation: compound meter
o Melodic Dictation and sight-singing: Quarter
note and half notes, stepwise motion skips
and leaps on tonic triad, all minors included
o Interval recognition in extreme registers
o Chord recognition: closed position including
inversions – diminished, minor, major and
augmented.
o Rhythmic dictation: simple meter including
dotted rhythms
o Melodic Dictation and Sight-singing: Eighth,
quarter dotted-quarter and half notes
o Chord recognition: open position with
inversions
o Cadence recognition: authentic, half, plagal
and deceptive.
o Rhythmic Dictation: Sixteenth & eighth note
patterns
o Melodic Dictation and sight-singing:
Quarter, half and whole values – leaps on
primary triads

2nd Quarter
Week Academic Pinpoints
o Counterpoint: opposing, parallel and
oblique motions
o Primary triads in 4-part voice leading:
Voice range restrictions, Harmonic
10 and melodic voice crossings, and
strategies to handle root movement of
seconds without parallel 5ths or 8ths
o Primary and secondary diatonic 4-part
voice leading in inversions.
o Different uses of the 6/4 chord:
cadential, passing and auxiliary
11 o Modifying the V and viio chords in
minor modes
o Proper dominant seventh chord and
diminished 7th chord resolutions
o Doubling guideline for seventh chords
with root to root resolutions
12 o Diatonic 4-part voice leading including
inversions
13 o Review weeks 10-12
o Non-chord tones: neighbor, changing,
passing - appoggiatura and escape –
anticipation
14 o Strategies for optimal usage of non-
chord tones
o Strategies for identifying non-chord
tones in context
• Non-chord tones: pedal tone,
suspension and ritardation
15
o Secondary dominants and secondary
diminished seventh chords- spelling
secondary dominants and proper
16 resolution in context of given key
signatures
o Figured bass: alterations of pitch
• Secondary dominants and diminished
seventh chords: identifying in score
and its use in progression
17
18 • Review weeks 1-17: preparation for semester exam
Albright MHS– AP Music Theory Syllabus
Aural Perception and
Sight-Reading Skills
o Chord recognition: open position with
inversions
o Cadence recognition: authentic, half, plagal
and deceptive.
o Rhythmic Dictation: focus on beat-level triplet
o Melodic Dictation and sight-singing: Quarter,
half and whole values – leaps on primary
triads
o Chord recognition: open position with
inversions
o Cadence recognition: authentic, half, plagal
and deceptive.
o Rhythmic Dictation: Focus on multi-beat level
triplets
o Melodic Dictation and sight-singing: Quarter,
eighth, half and whole values – leaps on
primary triads
o Chord recognition: open position with
inversions
o Cadence recognition: authentic, half, plagal
and deceptive.
o Rhythmic Dictation: meter not supplied
o Melodic Dictation and sight-singing: Quarter,
eighth, half and whole values – leaps on
primary triads
o Rhythmic Dictation: mixed meter
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
triads in root position, notating soprano voice
melody
o Rhythmic Dictation: any meter, all values
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
• Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
triads in all positions, notating bass voice
harmony
o Rhythmic Dictation: any meter, all values
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap,
stepwise motion to and from “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
triads in all positions, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Rhythmic Dictation: any meter, all values
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap,
stepwise motion to and from “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
triads in all positions, notating soprano and
bass voice

3rd Quarter
Week Academic Pinpoints
Specialty Chords
• Augmented 6th chords: Italian, German
and French: spelling chords in
reference to given key signature
19 • Figured bass for augmented 6th chords
• Proper usage of augmented 6th chords
• Comparison of augmented sixth
chords to modern harmonic language
• Augmented 6th chords in progressions
• Neapolitan chord: spelling and usage
20
Harmonic Progression
• Circle of fifth progressions
21 • Strategies for choosing harmonic
progression for given melodies
Modulation: Common chord modulations
• Defending the pivot chord choice
22 • Most common modulations: closely
related keys
Modulation: Abrupt and Enharmonic
• Differences from common chord
modulation
• Identifying in score and musical
23 reasons for their use.
Phrase Structure
• Strategies finding cadences marking
phrase structures
• Identifying motive, sequence, phrase,
period and double period
24 Small Forms
• Binary, rounded binary and ternary
Large Forms
• Sonata-Allegro: strategies for
identifying sections
• Rondo
25 • Theme labeling conventions
Melody writing and Counterpoint
• Elements of melody: contour,
character, phrases and
rhythmic/harmonic implication of
26 cadences.
• Factors in choosing harmony and
realizing a bass line for a given
melody: metric stress, cadential
patterns and harmonic progression
27 Review Weeks 19-26
Albright MHS– AP Music Theory Syllabus
Aural Perception and
Sight-Reading Skills
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
and leaps including “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads in root positions,
notating soprano and bass voice
o Aurally differentiating Augmented 6th chords
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
and leaps including “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including inversions,
notating soprano and bass voice
o Aurally differentiating Augmented 6th chords
from context of examples in music
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
and leaps including “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance, notating soprano and bass voice
o Sight-singing: all values, any diatonic leap
and leaps including “fi” and “te.”
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance, notating soprano and bass voice
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible if approached or resolved by
stepwise motion
• Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible if approached or resolved by
stepwise motion
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Identify phrases using appropriate
terminology
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Aurally identify elements of sonata-allegro
form from Clementi piano works
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Silently compose consequence phrases for
given antecedent fragments.

4th Quarter
Week Academic Pinpoints
Chord Symbols
• Standards and variants
• Extended harmonies: 9th, 11th and 13th
28
Piano Writing Styles
• Chordal styles and variations for right
and left hands
29 • Accompaniment patterns with
harmony and counter-melodies
Compositional Styles: Renaissance and Baroque
• Study Examples in class
• Strategies to defend classification of
unknown period works based on
30 instrumentation, compositional
techniques and form.
Compositional Styles: Classical and Romantic
• Study Examples in class
o Strategies to defend classification of
unknown period works based on
31 instrumentation, compositional
techniques and form.
Compositional Styles: Post-Romantic and 20th
Century-Sub Styles
• Study Examples in class
• Strategies to defend classification of
32 unknown period works based on
instrumentation, compositional
techniques and form.
33 Review and Practice Exams
Albright MHS– AP Music Theory Syllabus
Aural Perception and
Sight-Reading Skills
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Aurally identify style period by compositional
techniques employed
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Aurally identify style period by compositional
techniques employed
o Sight-singing: all values, any chromatic
values possible
o Harmonic Dictation: recognition of primary
and secondary triads including secondary
dominance and augmented 6th chords in
cadential patterns, notating soprano and
bass voice
o Aurally identify style period by compositional
techniques employed

34 Review and Practice Exams

35 Compositional Project: short form work using a consistent period compositional style

36 Compositional Project and Presentation of Projects