Download AP Music Syllabus

AP Music Theory (1 fine arts credit)
Hendrickson High School Choir room
Maria.Tolleson@ Pfisd.net
Hello and welcome to AP Music Theory! We have a lot of information to cover this year, but in the
end you will have a much greater understanding of music both as you hear it and as you see it on the
page. We want everyone to take AP exam at the end, and you will have an easier time in your college
music theory course, while others are struggling. Here’s how it will go...
Materials needed:
 A pencil, not a pen, not an erasable pen, A PENCIL,
 A binder for your materials for the class – 1” ought to do it.
Grading policy:
50% - Major grades: Written tests, sight-singing tests, projects (called “Product – Major” in Home Access)
30% - Minor grades: Quizzes, worksheet packets (called “Product – Minor” in Home Access)
20% - Daily grades: Shorter in-class activities. (called “Daily” in Home Access)
Late work will be accepted for a max grade of 70 at the next class meeting after the due date; by
the following class meeting, it will have increased to 40 points off. After two blocks have passed, it’s
too late and become a zero. Turn in your work on time.
Tutorials:
If you need help then you will need to schedule two days in advance because I have rehearsals
with the choir after school.
Class objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Identify, define, and utilize basic music symbols and terms,
 Read and write rhythms in simple/compound, duple/triple meters,
 Construct in their heads, on paper, on the keyboard, and with their voices:
o the basic scales - major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor;
o more unusual scales – modes, whole tone, pentatonic, octatonic;
o intervals - major, minor, perfect, augmented, and diminished;
o triads - major, minor, augmented, and diminished in all their inversions;
o seventh chords - major, dominant, minor, half-diminished, and diminished in all their
inversions;
 Sing a short (8-measure) melody on sight,
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Compose short pieces in 3- or 4-part texture in the common practice style from both Roman
numerals and figured bass in any major or minor key,
Analyze the phrases, melodies, cadences, harmonies, and forms of repertoire from a variety of
styles,
Listen to a piece of music and describe the texture, key, melody, cadences, and form,
Identify and describe simple modulations,
Accurately notate a rhythm, a melody, and a basic harmonic structure by ear.
Class planner:
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Week:
1.1
1.2
Notes:
In the following schedule, I refer to X.Y – where X is the marking period (“six-weeks”), and Y is the week within that marking
period. For example, week 5.4 would be the 5th marking period, the 4th week.
Sight-reading and dictation are ongoing activities!
“TH” – Tonal Harmony
You do not have to have these books. Mrs. T will be
“PoH” – The Practice of Harmony
using them, and has to have them listed here for
College Board!
“BAP” – Baron’s AP Music Theory
Objectives:
Handouts:
Introduction of syllabus, equipment, course
Syllabi, TH
objectives. Introduction of G, F, and C clef note WB packet,
names & ledger lines. Introduction of piano
fat staff
keyboard and 8ve designations. Begin circle of paper,
5ths (majors).
keyboard,
circle of
5ths, SRing
packet.
Simple vs. compound meters. Introduce
SINGING (gasp!) and major scale in solfege.
Handsigns too! Learn patterns to help
remember it. NOTE: sight-reading will make
up the first 1/3 of class for the rest of the year.
Rhythm counting from Ed Sueta book.
Introduction of whole steps and half steps.
Building major and natural minor scales using
WWHWWWH. Minor circle of 5ths. Note how
solfege handsigns indicate the halfsteps in the
scale and their tendencies to resolve. Sing
scales on solfege, numbers, and letter names.
Echo-sing short, basic patterns, and notate.
Scale degree names! Echo-sing more patterns
and notate. Do harder simple meter pages
from Ed Sueta book. Sing from SRing packet.
Review clefs and keyboard.
Homework: Resources:
TH WB p. 1 BAP p. 411
TH p. 3-6
BAP p.
15-32
TH p. 27–
44
TH WB p.
3-6 (Turn
in at end of
week)
TH p. 617
BAP p. 33
- 45
BAP p. 46
– 62
TH p. 18
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
2.1
2.2
QUIZ: circle of fifths, order of #’s and b’s, major
and minor scales, clefs, meter recognition.
Sight-sing from packet. in compound meters.
ID key signatures by sight - memorize, and get
FAST. Sight-sing from packet. Clap from Ed
Sueta. Echo, then copy down short phrases in
simple and compound meters!
Go over quizzes. Introduce intervals - quantity
and quality. Quiz/test strategies: what you
should have in your head, and be able to write
down: circle of 5ths, order of sharps/flats, be
able to draw a piano keyboard and use it…
Review interval qualities. Go over “melodic”
vs. “harmonic” intervals (easy). Major &
perfect, minor, diminished, augmented.
Decide how to ID major vs. minor in music.
Introduce other scales: pentatonic, octatonic,
and whole tone. Apply scale degree names and
solfege to major scales (“What’s the
subdominant of B major?” “What’s the re of
Ab?”)
Review simple and compound meters,
keyboard, enharmonics, major and minor
scales, intervals of all flavors, scale degree
names. Interval inversion; finding intervals
BELOW the given note. SIGHT-SINGING TEST
THIS WEEK: sing individually a major scale,
natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, and
chromatic scale.
Cardiff out. Work on HW packet.
Introduce the modes: major sounding ones vs.
minor sounding ones
TH WB p.
7-10, p. 17
TH p. 19
– 24
BAP p. 99
- 108
BAP p. 48
– 52
TH WB p.
11-16
BAP p. 48
- 52
TH p. 480
- 482
Finish modes: use the acronym, etc. Test
review
TEST DAY
Sing from packet, including some canons and
two-part things. Triads: major, minor,
diminished, and augmented, root position.
Seventh chords: M7, Mm7, m7, dim7, half-dim
7.
HW due!
TH WB p.
19 - 22
TH p. 45
– 49
BAP p.
108 - 111
Inversions: inversion hotline, what numbers are
supposed to be included but are left out.
Practice IDing chords when they’re all together
TH WB p.
23 - 29
BAP p.
110 – 116
2.3
2.4
2.5
3.1
3.2
on the same staff; in real life, they’ll be spread
across more than one staff. Practice putting
seemingly random pitches into “thirds order”
and making a chord stack to find the root and
the inversion. ID chords in a chorale.
Inversions con’t.
Figured bass: starting from the inversion, build
the chord. (Same skills, just working in a
different direction.) Get all the rules of it, and
try applying it - write what chords would fit
with some Baroque continuo.
Introduction of Roman numerals.
IDing chords and inversions even on large
scores. Sight-sing from packet. SIGHTSINGING TEST THIS WEEK: Ch. 2 & 3 of SR
packet
Aural skills!
TH p. 50
- 60
TH p. 5153
BAP p.
134- 136
TH WB p.
31 - 34
BAP p. 75 98
REVIEW.
TEST DAY.
Go over tests.
Super-basic rules for writing and analyzing a
basic melody: no NCT’s, ranges, contour, high
points.
Introduction of harmonic cadences: authentic
cadences, perfect authentic cadences, half
cadences, plagal, and deceptive cadences in
context.
Go over rules for 4-part notation on a grand
staff. Introduction of formal common-practice
part-writing: full vs. reduced scores, notating
two parts on one staff, voicing a chord (open
vs. close structure), voice crossing, spacing.
Introduction of 4-part writing from a given
bassline: writing chord stacks. Chord member
doubling. Common tones, resolutions, simple
contours
4-voice part writing continued. Instrumental
ranges and transpositions; notating for various
instruments. Parallel, oblique, and contrary
motion – only parallel motion in 5ths and 8ves
are bad. Direct (“hidden”) 8ves and 5ths also
bad, but tricky to find. Error detection in 4-part
examples.
TH WB p.
35-36
TH WB p.
31 – 34, 37 38
TH p. 77
– 80
BAP p.
222 - 223
BAP p.
147 – 161
TH p. 152
- 157
TH p. 61
– 73
BAP p.
123 - 138
177 – 193
TH p. 80
– 101
Error
detection
WS
TH p.
102 - 103
3.3
3.4
Exams
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
THANKSGIVING BREAK!!!!! :D
1. Harmonizing a melody. SIGHT-SINGING
TEST THIS WEEK.
2. QUIZ.
1. Catch up day
2. Exam review
Semester exam week.
Go over exams
Harmonic progressions: ii, vi, iii, vii, and IV
chords, and differences when in minor.
Sequences.
Non-chord tones: passing tones, neighboring
tones, suspensions, retardations, appoggiatura,
escape tone, neighbor group, anticipation,
pedal point. Embellish a basic tune: Happy
Birthday, Old Smoky, etc.
Aural skills!
Harmonize your melody according to the
roman numerals you selected!
4.6
BAP p.
199 – 213
TH p. 106
- 124
TH p. 174
– 202
BAP p.
229 - 230
BAP p. 241
- 251
4-voice writing for chords in second inversion:
cadential six-four, passing six-four, pedal sixfour.
QUIZ!
Motives, phrases, and periods.
Write at least a 16 measure melody and include
roman numerals in a period form.
4.5
BAP p.
199 – 219
Aural skills: error detection, common melodic
patterns in major and minor, IDing chords in
inversion, strategies for melodic dictation.
SIGHT-SINGING TEST THIS WEEK.
Utilizing 7th chords: V7, ii7, vii7 and all their
inversions in major and minor keys
TEST!
TMEA – Cardiff out. Aural practice in class
with sub: CD will be played, go through the
exercises!
TMEA – Cardiff out. Aural practice in class
with sub: CD will be played, go through the
exercises!
TH p. 140
- 149
TH WB p.
77 - 84
Laptops,
Finale
PrintMusic
Laptops,
Finale
PrintMusic
BAP p. 163
- 175
BAP p. 241
- 247
TH WB
p. 77 - 84
5.1
Key relationships, modulation, tonicization.
5.2
Key relationships, modulation, tonicization
con’t.
Secondary functions.
BAP p.
253 – 266
TH p. 299
- 326
BAP p.
269 – 279
TH p. 255
- 298
Secondary functions con’t.
5.3
Aural practice!
5.4
Aural practice!
QUIZ
Forms: binary, ternary, rounded binary, sonata,
rondo, theme and variations, strophic, throughcomposed
Texture: monophonic, homophonic,
polyphonic, heterophonic, homorhythmic,
counterpoint. Compose (or arrange) a piece of
at least 16 measures that illustrates at least one
secondary function, two 7th chords, and an
acceptable common-practice harmonic
structure in a period form for any combination
of at least 4 pitched instruments or voices.
(Grand staff piano counts for 2 instruments.)
:D
5.5
5.6
5.7
6.1
SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aural skills: harmonic progressions, non-chord
tones, textures and timbres, cadences, harmonic
dictation, melodic dictation.
Exam strategies: harmonic composition,
multiple choice Part B, multiple choice Part A,
harmonizing a melody, sight-singing
TEST! – Take practice AP test. SIGHTSINGING TEST THIS WEEK.
Test continued – will take 2 days to administer.
Go over practice AP tests.
Go over practice AP tests.
TERMS – go over list of terms – ID and define
the ones you are least familiar with.
Catch-up days
BAP p. 291
- 300
TH p. 335
– 352
BAP p.
377 - 380
BAP p.
381 - 389
:D
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
Exams
Catch-up days
Catch-up days
Catch-up days
Catch-up days
Review days
Review days
Review days
Review days
Review days
AP EXAM THIS MONDAY! (May 9) (AM, up
against AP Bio – take make-up AP Bio if
needed, but take AP Music Theory on this day!)
Music history crash course: medieval
Music history crash course: renaissance
Music history crash course: baroque
Music history crash course: classical
Music history crash course: romantic
Music history crash course: 20th century
Music history crash course: world music
Semester exam week.
Resources:
Auralia 4. Victoria, Australia: Rising Software, Australia Pty Ltd. www.risingsoftware.com
Benjamin, Thomas, Michael Horvit, and Robert Nelson. Music for Analysis - Examples from the Common
Practice Period and the Twentieth Century. 6th edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press,
2007.
Burkhart, Charles and William Rothstein. Anthology for Musical Analysis. 7th edition. Boston, MA:
Schirmer, Cengage Learning, 2012.
Finale PrintMusic 2011. Eden Prairie, MN: Make Music Inc. www.makemusic.com
Forney, Kristine, ed. with Roger Hickman. The Norton Scores, Volume 1: Gregorian Chant to Beethoven.
11th edition. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011.
Kostka, Stefan and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to 20th Century Music. 3rd
edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
McGill, Stan and H. Morris Stevens, Jr. 90 Days to Sight-Reading Success. Houston, TX: AMC
Publications, 2003
Musition 4. Victoria, Australia: Rising Software, Australia Pty Ltd. www.risingsoftware.com
Ottman, Robert W. and Nancy Rogers. Music for Sight Singing. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2007.
Scoggin, Nancy. Barron’s AP Music Theory. Hauppage, NY: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 2010.
Spencer, Peter. The Practice of Harmony. 5th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall,
2004.
Sueta, Ed. Rhythm Spectrum for Effective Rhythmic Development. Dallas, TX: Macie Publishing
Company, 1987.
www.musictheory.net
www.teoria.com