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MUSIC THEORY II: AP AURAL SKILLS

 

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR AND FACULTY COORDINATOR:    

Margaret Henry  

Phone: 585-274-1962

Email: mahenry@esm.rochester.edu

Office: Room 214 in Messinger Hall

 

Office Hours:

Tuesday: 3:30-4:30 PM

Friday: 3:00-4:00 PM  or by Appointment

 

Extra Help Sessions:

Wednesday: 4:00-5:00 PM

Friday: 7:00-8:00 PM

Saturday: 1:30-3:00 PM

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Brief Overview of Course

Music Theory II is the second course in a sequence of courses for high school students and adults leading to an ECMS Diploma and the first course in a sequence of four courses leading to the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory. In Music Theory II, students will focus on the basic musicianship skills pertaining to the theoretical concepts studied in Music Theory I, including sight singing to solfege, rhythmic performance and conducting, recognition of intervals and triads and rhythmic, melodic and two-part dictation.  These skills will be developed connecting to the basic elements or building blocks of music studied in Music Theory In order to help them hear and understand their own music making at a deeper level.

  

Course Goals

  • to help students develop the basic musicianship skills necessary to hear and enhance their own  music making

  • to fulfill the first aural skills course  leading to the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory

  • to fulfill the second requirement in the sequence of courses leading to an ECMS Diploma

 

Course Activities

  •  Sight Singing to Solfege, using moveable “do” and a “la”- based minor
    1.  Moveable do is a system in which the syllable “do” moves to the tonic note of each successive major key in the circle of fifths.
    2. La-based minor uses the syllable “la” for each minor mode because the minor mode is found on the 6th scale degree of the relative major.  This allows for the same syllables to be used for any major and its relative minor key
    3. Rhythmic Performance and Dictation in simple and compound meter
  • Recognition of Intervals and Triad
  • Melodic and Two-part Dictation in all major and relative minor keys

     

Course Material

  • Duplicated material for each lesson will be handed out in class.  Students should purchase a three-ring binder to store this material .

  • There will be a small fee of up to $25 per semester for this material, which will be added to the student’s bill.

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

PART I

  • SIGHT SINGING AND MELODIC DICTATION: Key of C Major, incorporating stepwise motion and skips of a third
  • RHYTHMIC PERFORMANCE AND DICTATION:  Simple Meter     RECOGNITION OF INTERVLALS:  Intervals of the M2, m2, M3 and m3.
  • TRIAD RECOGNITION: Major and Minor Intervals in root position

 

PART II 

  • SIGHT SINGING AND MELODIC DICTATION: Keys of G, F, D, Bb, A and Eb Majors, incorporating Skips of a 4th and Leaps of a 5th; Solfege Syllables for Chromatic Inflections
  • RHYTHMIC PERFORMANCE AND DICTATION:  Simple Meter  (Introduction to the Rest); Introduction to Compound Meter               
  •  RECOGNITION OF INTERVLALS:  Addition of the Intervals of the P4, P5 and P8
  • TRIAD RECOGNITION: Major and Minor Four-Note Chords (Identification of Soprano and Bass Factors
  • INTRODUCTION TO TWO-PART DICTATION

PART III 

  • SIGHT SINGING AND MELODIC DICTATION:  Keys of  a, e, d, b, g, f# and c Minor, incorporating  Leaps of a 6th and 7th; Solfege Syllables for Chromatic Inflections
  • RHYTHMIC PERFORMANCE AND DICTATION:  Simple Meter  (Less Common Beat Values and Introduction to the Tie); Compound Meter (Introduction to the Rest)   
  • RECOGNITION OF INTERVLALS:  Addition of the Intervals of the M6, m6, M7 and m7
  • TRIAD RECOGNITION: Addition of the Augmented and Diminished Triads; Inversions of Major Triads and Figured Bass
  • TWO-PART DICTATION: Recognition of Cadence Structures

 

PART IV

  • SIGHT SINGING AND MELODIC DICTATION:  Keys of E and Ab Major and c# and f Minor
  • RHYTHMIC PERFORMANCE AND DICTATION:  Simple Meter  (Introduction to the Triplet); Compound Meter (Less Common Beat Values and Introduction to the Tie)               
  • RECOGNITION OF INTERVLALS:  Addition of the Interval of the Tritone (A4th or d5th)
  • TRIAD RECOGNITION: Inversions of the Minor Triads
  • INTRODUCTION TO HARMONIC DICTATION: Analysis of Triads in the Major Mode

 

COURSE POLICIES AND WEIGHTING OF GRADES

Attendance

  • Students must attend class regularly in order to keep up with the material and achieve a good grade for the course.
  • If a student cannot attend a class, he/she should let the teacher know before the class and attend the other section of the same course that week.

Grades

Grades will be given at the end of each semester.  Grades are based on the following four factors:

  1. Attendance
  2. Class Participation
  3. Weekly Preparation of Assigned Sight Singing Exercises
  4. Four DictationTests and Four Individual Sight Singing Tests

 

MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I know if I should be taking Music Theory II?

  • Students must have successfully completed Music Theory I or Introductory Theory A and B.

  • Students should be able to attend class regularly, especially in this course, because msicianship skills are learned primarily in class and are difficult to make up at home.

  • Students should have time to devote one hours a week to sight singing assignments.

What academic requirements does Music Theory II fulfill?

  • It is the second required theory course for an ECMS Diploma but please note that students must receive the grade of B or better to be eligible for a diploma.                                                        
  • It is a last required theory course for the  Diploma in an Instrument or Voice.
  • It is the first of four required courses qualifying a student to take the Advanced Placement Examination in Music Theory.
 

 

How can I pass out of Music Theory I?

Students must successfully pass a Placement Test in Music Theory II.      

   

Can I receive credit for Music Theory II by taking an Introductory Theory course at my high school?

If a student receives the grade of “4” or “5” on the Advanced Placement Examination in  Music Theory at their high school, we would give credit for both Music Theory I and Music Theory II.

If I am a voice major or sing in a choir, would this be an appropriate  course for me to take to improve my sight singing skills?

Yes, absolutely.  However, this course relies heavily on a thorough knowledge of the basic elements of theory – clefs, simple and compound meter, major and relative minor modes, including the circle of fifths and key signatures, intervals and triads. Therefore, to take this course, all students must have successfully completed either Music Theory I or Introductory Theory A+B or passed the Placement Test for Music Theory I.

 

Last updated:  July 21, 2008