AP Music Theory
Syllabus

Course Overview

There is one AP Music Theory class per day, meeting during 3rd period; 9:55 to 10:45AM five days a week.  The class is equipped with 10 computer stations; all containing Finale 2011, Auralia, Musition 4 and Korg keyboards.

Primary Texts:

Spencer, Peter The Practice of Harmony 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J. :Pearson Educational, Inc. 2012
Ottman, Robert Music for Sight Singing 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J. :Pearson Educational, Inc. 2011

Other Resourses:

Burkhart, Charles Anthology for Musical Analysis New York, NY :Holt, Rinehart, and Winston 1964
Palisca, Claude Norton Anthology of Western Music New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company 1980
Finale 2012 from Makemusic, Inc.  2005
Auralia 4.0 from Rising Software Australia Pty. 2005
Musition 4.0 from Rising Software Australia Pty. 2005
José Rodríguez Alvira’s Music Theory website:  www.Teoria.com  


Course Objectives

My goal is that at the conclusion of the AP Theory course, students will be able to:
Define basic musical terms and theoretical concepts.
Understand and construct major, minor, chromatic, whole tone, pentatonic, and modal scales.
Recognize, audiate, and sing or play scales, intervals, triads, seventh chords, rhythms, and melodies.
Sing simple conjunct and disjunct diatonic melodies at sight in major and minor modes.
Construct compositions in four part texture and in other styles of composition and arranging for various voice ranges and instruments.
Analyze harmonic structure utilizing Roman numerals and figured bass.
Identify basic form and cadences.
Recognize and understand the concept behind the overtone series.
Recognize and transpose for all instrumentation.
 
Course Planner

TPOH = The Practice of Harmony
Other = Other Resources

The following outline is based on a 36 – week school year:

Week        Content                        Chapter/Activities
1        Echo simple vocal and rhythm patterns        TPOH chapter 1
        Notation, Clefs, and Basic Pitch
2        Rhythms, Meter, Divisions, Circle of Fifths,  
                             Major Keys,                    TPOH chapter 3
        Introduction to Finale 2012
3        Major Scales, Scale degrees, and Intervals        TPOH chapter 2
4 - 5        Three Forms of Minor Scales, more Intervals    TPOH chapter 2
6 - 7        Primary Triads, Intervals Inversions,         TPOH chapter 4 - 5
Writing a melody, Cadences, Phrases, and
Music periods
8 - 9        Compound Intervals, Benchmark:  write         TPOH chapter 4 - 5
An original melody in minor using only
Primary Triads
10        Primary Triad review, Augmented and         TPOH chapter 5
Diminished Triads, Drill Key Signatures
11        Notation of Rhythm, Careers in Music        TOPH chapter 6/other
12        Introduction to Four-Part Vocal Writing        TOPH chapter 7
13 – 14        Benchmark:  Write an Original Composition        Other
        For a Community Recycling Competition
(Compositions are then sent to the animation
        Class where students create a 30 second animation
        To the composition)
15        Primary Triads in Root Position, More Voice     TOPH chapter 8
Leading
16        Primary Triads in 1st Inversion, More Voice        TOPH chapter 9
Leading
17        Primary Triads in 2nd Inversion, More Voice        TOPH chapter 10
Leading
18        Write an Original Four Part Chorale using Primary     Other
        Chords and Voice Leading Techniques Discussed
In Class
19        Secondary Triads, Seventh Chords            TOPH chapter 11
20        Harmonization of Melodies            TOPH chapter 12
21        Nonharmonic Tones                  TOPH chapter 13
22 – 23         Benchmark:  Write an Original Four-Part Chorale     Other
        Using Primary and Secondary Chords, Proper
        Cadences, and Proper use of Inversions.  Nonharmonic
        Tones will be used and labeled.
24        More Nonharmonic Tones:  Suspensions         TOPH chapter 14    
25        Review Diatonic Seventh Chords, Secondary     TOPH chapter 15 & 18
        Dominants    
26        Modulations and Modes                TOPH chapter 24 & 28/Other
27        Whole Tone, Chromatic, Octatonic, and Pentatonic     TOPH chapter 30/Other        
        Scales
28        Form and Twelve Tone Serialism            TOPH chapter 32/Other
29        Overtone Series, Transpositions and Instrument    Other
        Ranges, Writing for Instruments
30 – 31         Practice AP Exam                Other
32 - 33        Benchmark:  Write an Original Composition for    Other
        Voice and/or instruments in any musical style using
        Concepts learned throughout the year.
34        Performance of Compositions and Review for Final    Other
35        Final, Introduction to Physics of Air Stream, Wall    Other
Thickness and Clay Whistles        
36        Design, Fire, and stain Clay Whistles        Other


Approximately  30 – 40 minutes of sight singing are incorporated on a weekly basis and sight singing is tested at a minimum of once a marking period.  Approximately 30-40  minutes of rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation and aural identification of intervals, scales, and chords are incorporated on a weekly basis and tested at a minimum of twice a marking period.  Quizzes are administered at the end of each concept or unit and homework is sometimes collected to be graded.  

Each student is required to complete a benchmark each marking period.  Each benchmark is a form of composition using the topics and procedures being studied and developed at that point in class.  
Examples:  
Melody with piano accompaniment using strong chord progressions and correct cadences
Chorale using root, first, and second inversion triads, labeling function of the second inversion triads and labeling type of cadences used.
Composition using two transposing instruments
Original Composition for four or more voices and/or instruments


Students are expected to participate actively in classroom discussions and group sight singing each week.  In addition to completing homework assignments, they are required to keep a comprehensive theory notebook containing all handouts as well as homework, quizzes, and exams that are returned.  Students often go to the board to work problems and demonstrate concepts.  Students also work independently at computer stations practicing ear training with Auralia.

Teaching Strategies/Student Activities

When I teach most concepts in class, I incorporate both visual and aural stimuli to help students with recognition and audiation.   Students also participate in singing intervals, scales, chords, and four-part voicings.   The text book (The Practice of Harmony) provides excellent examples for aural stimuli (played on the piano) and I also take examples from literature the students are performing in their ensembles as well as Bach Chorales.  

Demonstration of Intervals:
Intervals are introduced in pairs.  I begin with 2nds and 3rds.  Students begin by counting half steps.  They then relate the bottom note to a major or minor key.  We then aurally identify intervals by singing the interval above and below the given note.  When this is mastered, I play intervals on the piano and students must identify what interval was played. This is done for all intervals of all qualities.  

Chorale using Primary Triads
After studying the rules and procedures of writing four-part texture using only primary triads, the class works together writing short phrases in four-part texture at the board.  As we complete examples, I play them on the piano and the class singings the examples.  Students are assigned homework to master the technique.  As a final assignment on the unit, students are asked to write a chorale incorporating all procedures discussed in class including proper phrasing, cadences, and Roman numeral realization.  This assignment must be completed on Finale 2006, which gives the students constant aural feedback.

Aural Recognition of Scales
Scales are introduced initially using half/whole step relationships.  Key signatures are then used when appropriate.  Students practice writing scales.  During the same time period, students are asked to sing the different types of scales as a group.  When that is mastered and students are comfortable with group singing of scales, I then have the class “volley” the singing of the scales. For example:  I sing “do” and the class  sings “re”, then I sing “mi” and the class sings “fa” and  so on; singing both ascending and descending scales.  When the class has mastered this, I then have the students pass the scale amongst themselves (first student sings “do”, next student sings “re” and so on).  

Melodic Dictation
Melodic dictation is given several times a week and is based on what topic is being studied. When we are discussing specific intervals, the intervals are incorporated into the melodic dictation.  When we are studying modes, simple modal dictation is given.   As we study four-part writing, a chorale is played and students are asked to write the soprano line or bass line.  All melodic dictation examples are played at least four times and students are asked to first sing the examples on a neutral syllable such as “la”, then they are asked to sing the example using solfege.  Answers are written on the board and used for further discussion in the unit being discussed.  

Student Evaluation

Student evaluation is based on points earned through benchmarks, homework assignments, quizzes, class participation, and computer assignments (compositions).  Grades are assigned by adding points earned and dividing this number by total points possible.  The number is converted to a percent and a grade is assigned following my school district grading policy:

Excellent
Above Average
Average
Passing
Failing

Work missed due to absence must be made up as soon as possible.  Any work not made up within two weeks is automatically entered as a zero.

Students are assessed in many ways:  
Tradition written quizzes
Sight singing quizzes
Dictation quizzes
Listening quizzes (listen to selection: what is the form, what has been performed incorrectly, where did it modulate, etc…)
Aural stimuli quizzes (name quality if chord, name interval, name harmonic                                              progression…)
Homework
Composition (full composition and compositional techniques using short phrases)
Final exam