AP Theory Syllabus

2020-2021

Mrs. Zolnowski Lancaster High School, Room 143 Prerequisite: I [email protected] www.lancasterschools.org/mrs.zolnowski

Course Description AP Music Theory is a college-level course for highly motivated students with a serious interest in music. Students will complete coursework equivalent to that of a first year college course in music theory. Successful completion of Music Theory I is a prerequisite for enrollment in this course.

AP Music Theory is a full-year course that meets every day. Class periods will consist of lecture and written work as well as sight-singing, ear-training, and melodic and harmonic dictation practice. Students are expected to practice aural and written theory skills and concepts both in and outside of class. This course is designed to prepare students for the AP Music Theory Exam, and students are encouraged to take the exam in May.

Objectives Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: o Define and Explain Basic Terminology o Intervals and Chords, Scales and Modes, Rhythm and Meter, Melody and Harmony, , Texture, Form, Musical Performance Terms o Identify, Hear, and Notate o Rhythms, Pitches, Key Signatures, Scales, Modes, Intervals and Chords o Compose o Transpose a melody to a new key, Compose a line for an existing melody o Create a four-part realization from figured-bass symbols or Roman numerals o Analyze Music o Melodic Analysis, Harmonic Analysis ▪ Identify key centers and non-harmonic tones, cadences, and modulations o Analysis of Rhythm and Meter, Texture, and Form o Utilize Basic Aural Skills o Detect pitch and rhythmic errors, Sight sing a melody, Dictate a melody, Dictate the and bass lines of a 4-part listening example and provide harmonic analysis o Identify and describe features of listening examples representing various genres and styles of music

Course Outline 1. Note Reading and Octave Registers 2. Keys and Scales and the Circle of 5ths 3. Beat and Meter 4. Additional Elements of Music: Texture, Timbre, Dynamics, Form 5. Intervals and the Overtone Series 6. Modes and Other Scales 7. Triads and Seventh Chords in Root Position 8. Inversions of Triads and Seventh Chords 9. Diatonic Chords in Major and Minor Keys 10. Cadences 11. Non Harmonic Tones 12. Voice Leading, , and Part Writing 13. Harmonic Progression and Harmonizing a Melody 14. Secondary Dominants and Leading Tones 15. Musical Form 16. Musical Analysis

AP Theory Syllabus p.2 Expectations o Be Prepared. ▪ Bring all required materials to class. ▪ Visit the restroom or drinking fountain before class begins. ▪ Be ready to start (in your seat and quiet) on time. o Be Responsible. ▪ Come to class ready to learn, always do your best, and keep an open mind. ▪ Academic honesty is expected…always do your own work. ▪ Plagiarism/cheating will result in zero credit for the assignment. o Behave Respectfully. ▪ Show respect for your teacher and classmates at all times. ▪ Cell phones should remain off and put away unless deemed appropriate for use during a specific lesson or activity. ▪ Chromebooks should be brought to class each day. We will access Google Classroom, AP Classroom, and Flat notation software on a regular basis. ▪ All school policies will be enforced.

Materials o 3 ring binder used only for this course o Pencils with erasers o Notebook paper o Staff paper (can be printed from various sites such as https://www.blanksheetmusic.net ) o Scoggin, Nancy. Barron’s AP Music Theory, 4th ed. U.S.A.: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2020. (supplied by LHS, students will use this book for exam preparation) o Kostka, Stefan and Payne, Dorothy. Tonal Harmony, 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2009. (textbook and workbook, supplied by LHS and will remain in the classroom) o Keyboards (supplied by LHS) o Websites to practice aural and written theory concepts (see Google Classroom or my class website for a list of recommended websites) o AP Classroom through https://myap.collegeboard.org/login

Grading o Homework=40% o Maintaining an organized notebook o Homework assignments ▪ written theory worksheets ▪ aural theory practice assignments o Quizzes/Tests/Projects=60% o Written theory quizzes o Tests/Projects o Midterm and/or Final Exam o Final Project (in the weeks following the AP exam) o Students in all AP classes are held to high academic standards. This course is equivalent to a college music course; late work will not be accepted. As per the student handbook, “Students who are absent due to an excused absence will be allowed to make up missed schoolwork....It is the responsibility of the student to contact the teacher to make arrangements to make up work missed due to an excused absence. It is not the teacher’s responsibility to seek out the student.” Make-up work must be completed within a timely manner.

Exam Information o The AP Music Theory Exam is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. If you are interested in earning college credit for this course, you must take the AP Exam. Please see Mrs. Zolnowski if you have questions about taking the exam. o From the Music Theory section at www.collegeboard.com: o The AP Music Theory Exam is approximately three hours in length and covers a full-year introductory college course. It contains: AP Theory Syllabus p.3 ▪ Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes of multiple-choice questions ▪ Approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes of free-response questions ▪ A sight-singing performance that lasts approximately 8 minutes per student ▪ In the free-response section, students are asked to do two exercises each of melodic and harmonic dictation; two part-writing exercises (one from figured bass, one from Roman numerals); and a composition exercise entailing composing a bass line from a given melody. In the sight-singing component, students are asked to sing two diatonic melodies after a brief practice period. Students will receive subscore grades for the aural (listening and sight- singing) and nonaural (written) portions of this exam in addition to the overall composite grade.

Resources o Benjamin, Thomas, Michael Horvitt, and Robert Nelson. Music for Analysis, 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001. o Benward, Bruce and Saker, Marilyn. Music in Theory and Practice, 8th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2009. o Grantham, Donald and Kennan, Kent. The Technique of Orchestration, 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. o Kostka, Stefan. Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. o Krueger, Carol. Progressive Sight Singing. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. o Ottman, Robert W. and Rogers, Nancy, Music for Sight Singing, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007. o My classroom website: access numerous useful websites (some are listed below) through my page at www.lancasterschools.org/mrs.zolnowski ▪ www.musictheory.net www.pitchimprover.com ▪ www.trainer.thetamusic.com www.teoria.com ▪ www.earbeater.com www.tonesavvy.com www.tonedear.com