Music Theory 2010 - 2011 Brief Description of Course The AP Music Theory course is designed to provide the student with an adequate instruction in the rudiments and terminology of music including, but not limited to: notational skills, intervals, scales, keys, chords, meter and rhythm. The course will start with basic concepts such as notation and progress quickly to more sophisticated topics such as harmonization of a melody, scale analysis, understanding tonality and triadic harmony, phrase construction and structure and forms. In addition to notated music, students will also develop skills in listening critically to various intervals and scales and practice dictation of various melodies as well as sight-singing such melodies. Additionally, through this course a wide variety of Western tonal music will be explored. Unit Information Unit Name or Timeframe: 1st Nine Weeks Week 1-2 Music Theory: Elements of Pitch Sight Singing: Simple Meters; The Beat and Division into Two Parts Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Elements of Pitch -The Keyboard -Notation on the Staff -Major and Minor Scales -Major and Minor Key Signatures -Scale Degree Names -Intervals (Perfect, Major, Minor, Augmented and Diminished) -Inversion of Intervals -Consonant and Dissonant Harmonic Intervals Sight Singing: Simple Meters; The beat and its division into two parts -Quarter note as a beat unit, beat note values -Dotted and tied notes -Note values other than quarter notes as beat value Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 1st Nine Weeks Week 3-4 Music Theory: Elements of Rhythm Sight Singing: Stepwise Melodies, Major Keys & Simple Meter 1 Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Elements of Rhythm -Rhythm -Durational Symbols -Beat and Tempo -Meter -Division of the Beat -Simple Time Signatures -Compound Time Signatures -Time Signatures Summarized Sight Singing: Stepwise Melodies, Major Keys & Simple Meter -Major keys, treble clef, the quarter note as a beat unit. Simple Key Signatures -Bass Clef -Various Meters -Duets -Structured Improvisation Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 1st Nine Weeks Week 5-6 Music Theory: Introduction to Triads and 7th Chords Sight Singing: Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys/Simple Meter Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Introduction to Triads and 7th Chords -Triads -7th Chords -Inversions of Chord -Inversion Symbols and Figured Bass -Lead-Sheet Symbols -Recognizing Chords in Various Textures Sight Singing: Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys/Simple Meter -Major Keys, Treble Clef, Intervals (3rd, 4th, 5th, and Octave from the tonic triad) -Bass Clef -Interval of the 6th, minor 6th, 3 up to 1, major sixth, 5 up to 3, and descending -Half note and eighth notes as beat units -Duets -Key signatures with 5+ sharps or flats -Structured Improvisation Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 1st Nine Weeks Week 7-8 2 Music Theory: Diatonic Chords in Major and Minor Keys Sight Singing: Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys & Compound Meter Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Diatonic Chords in Major and Minor Keys -Minor Scale -Diatonic Triads in Major/Minor -Diatonic 7th Chords in Major/Minor -Modal,Pentatonic and Whole-Tone Scales Sight Singing: Intervals from the Tonic Triad, Major Keys & Compound Meter -Rhythmic Reading: the dotted quarter note as the beat unit -Sight Singing in Major keys, treble clef and Bass Clef -Dotted half and eighth notes as beat units Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 1st Nine Weeks Week 9 Music Theory: Review and 9 Weeks Exam Sight Singing: Review and 9 Weeks Exam Content and/or Skills Taught: Time will be spent reviewing Chapters 1-4 in the Tonal Harmony book as well as concepts of Sight Singing from Chapters 1-4 of the Sight Singing text. Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Students will be given a written exam covering the first nine weeks of instruction. Another component of aural and oral skills will assess the sight singing skills taught in the first semester. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 1 Music Theory: Principles of Voice Leading Sight Singing: Intervals from Tonic Triad, Minor Keys/Simple and Compound Meters Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Principles of Voice Leading -The Melodic Line -Notation Chords -Voicing a Single Triad -Parallel Motion Sight Singing: Intervals from Tonic Triad, Minor Keys/Simple and Compound -Simple and Compound meters -Duets Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. 3 Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 2 Music Theory: Root Position Part Writing Sight Singing: Intervals from Tonic Triad, Minor Keys/Simple and Compound Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Root Position Part Writing -Part Writing with Repeated Roots -Part Writing with roots apart by a 4th, 3rd & 2nd -Instrumental Ranges and Transpositions Sight Singing: Intervals from Tonic Triad, Minor Keys/Simple and Compound -Simple and Compound meters -Duets Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 3 Music Theory: Harmonic Progression and Sequence Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant Triad, Major and Minor/Simple and Compound Meters Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Harmonic Progression and Sequence -Sequences and the Circle of 5ths -I and V chords -II Chords -VI Chords -III Chords -VII Chords -IV Chords -Common Exceptions and Difference in the Minor mode -Progressions involving 7th Chords -Harmonic Sequences and Harmonizing a Simple Melody Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant Triad, Major and Minor/Simple and Compound Meters -Intervals of the third from the V triad in major and minor keys -Intervals of the fourth and fifth from the V triad in major and minor keys -Interval of the sixth from the V triad -Compound Meters Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 4 Music Theory: Triads in First Inversion 4 Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant Triad, Major and Minor/Simple and Compound Meters Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Triads in First Inversion -Bass Arpeggiation -Uses of 1st inversion triads -Parallel Sixth Chords -Inversions in Lead Sheets -Part Writing 1st Inversion Triads -Soprano-Bass Counterpoint Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant Triad, Major and Minor/Simple and Compound Meters -Intervals of the third from the V triad in major and minor keys -Intervals of the fourth and fifth from the V triad in major and minor keys -Interval of the sixth from the V triad -Compound Meters Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 5 Music Theory: Triads in Second Inversion Sight Singing: Further Use of Diatonic Intervals/Simple and Compound Meters Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Triads in Second Inversion -Bass Arpeggiation and the Melodic Bass -The Cadential 6-4 -The Passing 6-4 -The Pedal 6-4 -Part Writing for 2nd Inversion Triads Sight Singing: Further Use of Diatonic Intervals/Simple and Compound Meters -Single-line melodies -Bass lines -Duets -Structured Improvisation Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 6 Music Theory: Cadences, Phrases & Periods Sight Singing: Further Use of Diatonic Intervals/Simple and Compound Meters 5 Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Cadences, Phrases & Periods -Musical Form -Cadences and Harmonic Rhythm -Motives and Phrases -Mozart "An die Freude" -Periods -The Sentence Sight Singing: Further Use of Diatonic Intervals/Simple and Compound Meters -Single-line melodies -Bass lines -Duets -Structured Improvisation Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood. Unit Name or Timeframe: 2nd Nine Weeks Week 7 Music Theory: Nonchord Tones 1 Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant 7th Chord/Other Diatonic Intervals of the 7th/Simple and Compound Meters Content and/or Skills Taught: Music Theory: Nonchord Tones 1 -Classification of Nonchord tones -Passing tones -Neighboring tones -Suspensions and Retardations -Embellishing a simple texture -Figured bass and lead-sheet symbols Sight Singing: Intervals from Dominant 7th Chord/Other Diatonic Intervals of the 7th/Simple and Compound Meters -Complete dominant 7th chord -Interval of the minor 7th, 5 up to 4 or reverse -Interval of the tritone -Other uses of diatonic intervals of the seventh -Structured improvisation Major Assignments and/or Assessments: Daily assessments through student workbook will allow for the student and teacher to ensure that progress is being made and concepts are being fully understood.