Lakewood City Schools

Lakewood City Schools

Course of Study for AP Music Theory

Revised:January 5, 2009

Scope and Sequence – The AP Music Theory course at Lakewood High School includes components consistent with the requirements needed to understand and complete the AP Music Theory Exam. Because it is essentially a college-level course, some of the grade level indicators listed in this document are original, since the grade level indicators included in the Ohio State Standards are actually prerequisites for this AP class. Aural and visual analysis of musical examples, notation of melodic and harmonic dictation, sightsinging, and composition of a four-part chorale, with figured bass and Roman numeral analysis are included in the course. The primary text used for this AP Music Theory Course is Benward & Saker’s “Music In Theory and Practice, Vol. 1, 7th ed. The chapters cover all the material required by the AP Music Theory curriculum, and include written exercises found at the end of each chapter and an accompanying workbook, with written exercises including analysis of a 4-part chorale setting in keeping with the standards of 18th Century functional harmony practices. The analysis includes Roman Numerals and figured bass, using root position chords and inversions (both triadic and seventh chords.) The workbook also includes exercises that ask the student to compose examples of material studied in each chapter, in one melodic line, 2-part counterpoint and 4-part harmony. These written exercises are given as homework and also appear on tests. The textbook comes with a CD that includes musical examples of material covered in each unit, and the recorded music is also used for aural analysis of content in each chapter. Sightsinging is an important component of the AP Music Theory Class, and will be incorporated weekly in the class, not as a part of a particular unit or chapter.

Suggested Timeframe

Week 1 – Diagnosis of students’ Theoretical skills, analysis and sightreading

Weeks 2-3 Chapter 1: Basic notation, clefs, meters, grand staff, and nomenclature

Weeks 4-8 Chapter 2: Scales (major, minor, relative keys, parallel keys, key signatures, circle of fifths)

Weeks 9-12 Chapter 3: Intervals and their inversions

Weeks 12-16 Chapter 4: Chords (major, minor, diminished, augments), triad inversions (root position, first inversion, second inversion), Roman Numeral analysis, triad position symbols, seventh chords, figured bass for triads and seventh chords.

Weeks 17-19 Chapter 5: Cadences and Nonharmonic Tones

Weeks 20-21 Chapters 6, 16, and 17: Chapter 6 is combined with later chapters 16 and 17 because all 3 deal with form and structure in music. Chapter 6 has information and written exercises on melodic organization, including phrase structure, motivic material, phrases, and periods. Written exercises at the end of the chapter and in the workbook include both visual analysis and aural analysis (with the accompanying CD of recorded examples). Formal structure covered in Chapters 16 and 17 are two-part (binary) form, three-part form, expanded ternary form, rounded binary form, theme and variation, rondo, and strophic forms. Written and aural exercises and assignments accompany these chapters. Students also analyze the overall form of a piece with visual written and aural exercises, assignments, and quizzes.

Weeks 22-23 Chapter 7: analysis of textures in music. Students analyze music to identify textures – monophonic homophonic, polyphonic and mixed textures.

Weeks 24-25 Chapter 8: Voice Leading in Two Voices – Species counterpoint with emphasis on first species counterpoint. Students will compose a bass line for a given cantus firmus melody, and a soprano line for a given bass cantus firmus, both which imply appropriate harmony given the rules for first species counterpoint.

Weeks 26-29 Chapter 9: Voice Leading in Four Voices – Information and written exercises cover root position voice leading, voice leading with chords in inversions, analysis of 4-part chorales.

Week 30 Chapter 10: Harmonic Progressions – common chord progressions, including aural recognition and notation of those chord progressions. Students create and notate their own 4-part chorale with the creation of a good melodic line, common-practice chord progressions, appropriate voice leading, and proper doubling and spacing practices

Weeks 31-32 Chapters 11, 12, 13

Chapter 11: Dominant Seventh chord

Chapter 12: Leading-tone Seventh Chords

Chapter 13: Mon-dominant Seventh chords

Week 33 Chapter 14: Modulation to closely related keys, common chord modulation, chromatic modulation, and analytical symbols for modulations

Week 34 Students will take a practice AP Music Theory test found in the “AP Music Theory Curriculum” and online at AP Central

Weeks 35-36 Introduction to 20th Century and Contemporary Music Theory and Composition, including compositional techniques particularly of Debussy, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky

Project: Students are assigned a contemporary composer about whom they must present to the class a short biography, list of representative works, and the major contribution this composer has made to music composition. The student must play music from the composer’s major repertoire, representative of his/her compositional style for the class.

Unit 1 - Notation

In this unit the students will learn the basics of music notation, including notation of pitch, clefs, accidentals, rhythm, meters, dynamic markings, and proper manuscript notation.

Standard and Benchmark / Grade Level Indicators / Clear Learning Targets / Strategies/Resources
Content Standard:Creative Expression and Communication:
Students sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music.
Benchmark A: Read, perform or compose music repertoire using a variety of tonalities while demonstrating an understanding of the language of music.
Benchmark B: Identify and recognize in a piece of music the following: clef, key signature, meter signature, tempo, dynamic markings and note values. / 1. Read, perform and/or notate a one-octave chromatic scale, ascending and descending.
2. Read, perform and/or notate music with dotted eighth and sixteenth notes and syncopation in duple, triple and compound meters.
3. Identify articulations, expressive symbols and terms.
4. Sight-read major, and minor melodies.
1. Read and notate melodies in treble, bass, tenor, alto and soprano clefs.
2. Read, write and perform diatonic melodies and write or identify all the letter names of notes on the treble staff and bass staff with proper nomenclature. / 1. I can identify and sing/play a one- octave chromatic scale.
1.I can identify music with dotted eighth and sixteenth notes.
2. I can identify music with syncopation in duple, triple and compound meters both visually and aurally.
3. I can sing or play music with dotted eighth and sixteenth notes and syncopation in duple, triple and compound meters.
1. I can identify and define musical terms that describe tempo, dynamics, expression, and articulation
1. I can sight-sing a given exercise or melody in class as an ensemble.
1. I can identify all the note names on the staff in the following clefs: soprano, treble, alto, tenor, and bass.
1. I can identify all the note names with the corresponding octave identification.
2. I can notate music on the staff using proper manuscript procedure regarding bar lines, stem placement on the staff, note grouping (eighth and sixteenth notes) and grouping notes into beats in a given meter. / The strategies and resources are continuous for all the units of the class and are as follows:
1. Music in Theory and Practice Vol. 1, 7th edition; Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2003
Authors: Bruce Benward and Marilyn Saker
Description: The text covers the important concepts of Music Theory in a logical, systematic method. It instructs analysis skills, compositional skills, aural skills, and notational skills.
The text offers a historical perspective. Each chapter includes a short section labeled “History,” which relates the topic at hand to the history of music. A brief overview of music history and its relations to European and American history is in Appendix B.
Music from the Renaissance to the contemporary period is examined both visually and aurally. A CD with recorded musical examples to accompany the assignments at the end of each chapter and the Workbook provide listening examples of all the topics studied for aural recognition and analysis. Specific compositions are studied. The text continually directs attention to the musical examples and encourages class discussion of them.
The in-class composition and performance of music is encouraged. Many of the assignments are designed to promote student interest in developing compositional skills.
2. Music for Sight-Singing, 3rd edition; Publisher: Prentice-Hall, 1986
Author: Robert Ottman
Description: This book contains sightsinging practice examples which are actual melodies instead of exercises
3. Anthology for Musical analysis, 6th edition; Publisher: Schirmer, 2003
Author: Charles Burkhart
Description: This is an anthology of major works thought music history. It contains many 4-part chorales, most by J.S. Bach, useful for analysis.
4. Basic Materials in Music Theory: A Programmed Course; Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2003
Authors: Paul Harder and Greg Steinke
Description: The basics of tonal harmony are set forth in a self-instructional format (answers given on side of page). This book is used only for additional practice of concepts.
Other resources: Worksheets, assignments, and tests generated by the teacher.

Unit 2 – Scales, Tonality, Key, Modes

In this unit the students will learn the different diatonic scales (major, minor, chromatic), solfeggio syllables, scale degree names, scale relationships (relative and parallel major and minor), Tonality, Key centers, Key Signatures, Circle of Fifths, and other scales and modes. The historical background for these concepts will also be presented.

Standard and Benchmark / Grade Level Indicators / Clear Learning Targets / Strategies/Resources
Content Standard:Creative Expression and Communication:
Students sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music.
Benchmark A: Sing and/or play, independently or in ensembles, demonstrating technical and stylistic accuracy and musical expressiveness with appropriate responses to a leader's cues and gestures
Benchmark B: Read, perform or compose music repertoire using a variety of tonalities while demonstrating an understanding of the language of music.
Content Standard: Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts
Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people.
Benchmark A: Identify music forms from various cultures and historical periods and create or perform representative repertoire with stylistic accuracy. / 1. Demonstrate sight-reading abilities.
2. Read, write and perform diatonic melodies the major and/or minor scale on the treble staff in usinga system(e.g., solfege, numbers or letters).
1. Identify and/or notate concert pitch major scales and minor scales in all forms.
2. Read and perform music literature inall major and minor keys.
3. Read and perform music literature that incorporates modal scales.
1. Recognize and classify Western music literature by historical periods. / 1. I can sight-read a given exercise or melody in class as an ensemble.
1. I can identify a melody using solfege syllables
2. I can sight-sing a melody in major or minor mode using solfege syllables.
1. I can recognize and identify all major and minor scales (natural minor, harmonic, and melodic)
2. I can notate all major and minor scales (natural minor, harmonic, and melodic).
3. I can write the pattern for all major and minor scales in whole and half steps.
1. I can identify music in all major and minor keys, both visually and aurally.
1. I can recognize and identify all the Greek modes and their patterns in whole and half steps.
2. I can visually recognize and identify the mode of a given melody.
1. I can identify and name the music eras by historical periods (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Post-Romantic and Contemporary)
2. I can trace the development of the use of different modes and scales through the periods of Western music.

Unit 3 – Intervals and Their Inversions

The students will identify and name basic intervals with their numbers, identify and name perfect, major and minor, augmented and diminished intervals, recognize enharmonic intervals and understand the inversions of all the intervals. At the end of the chapter, the history of tuning systems, based on intervallic relationships will also be discussed.

Standard and Benchmark / Grade Level Indicators / Clear Learning Targets / Strategies/Resources
Content Standard: Analyzing and Responding: Students listen toa varied repertoire of music and respond by analyzing and describing music using correct terminology. Students evaluate the creating and performing of music by using appropriate criteria.
Benchmark A: Analyze and evaluate music selections based upon established criteria.
Content Standard:Creative Expression and Communication:
Students sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music.
Benchmark A: Improvise or composea short melody that includes key signature and meter signature with proper notation in treble or bass clef.
Benchmark B: Sing and/or play, independently or in ensembles, demonstrating technical and stylistic accuracy and musical expressiveness with appropriate responses to a leader's cues and gestures
Content Standard: Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts
Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people.
Benchmark A: Identify music forms from various cultures and historical periods and create or perform representative repertoire with stylistic accuracy. / .
1. Identify all possible intervals in the Western scale, including perfect, major, minor, augmented and diminished intervals.
1. Identify whole steps, half steps and intervals in all major and all minor scales
1. Demonstrate sight-reading abilities.
1. Explain how technology has influenced the development of music over time. (and specifically how this technology influenced our tuning systems in the Baroque Period) / 1. I can identify all intervals visually – perfect, major, minor, augmented and diminished.
2. I can notate all intervals – perfect, major, minor, augmented and diminished.
3. I can identify and explain enharmonic intervals (intervals that sound the same, but are notated as different intervals).
4. I can identify and explain the inversion of intervals (i.e. M3 to m6, m2 to M7)
5. I can identify the basic intervals aurally (unison, m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, Tritone, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7, P8)
1. I can identify all the intervals in the scale steps of major and minor scales.
1. I can sight-read a given exercise or melody in class as an ensemble.
1. I can explain the development of tuning systems though musical periods (Pythagorean, Just Intonation, Unequal Temperaments, & Equal Temperament)
2. I can compare and contrast the tuning systems listed above.

Unit 4 – Chords, including chord qualities, chord inversions, and their Roman numeral analysis with figured bass

The students will identify, analyze and notate the following chord concepts: major, minor, diminished, augmented, triad inversions (root position, first inversion, second inversion), Roman Numeral analysis, triad position symbols, seventh chords, and figured bass for both triads and seventh chords.

Standard and Benchmark / Grade Level Indicators / Clear Learning Targets / Strategies/Resources
Content Standard: Analyzing and Responding - Students listen toa varied repertoire of music and respond by analyzing and describing music using correct terminology. Students evaluate the creating and performing of music by using appropriate criteria.
Benchmark A: Analyze and evaluate music selections based upon established criteria
Content Standard:Creative Expression and Communication:
Students sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music.
Benchmark B: Sing and/or play, independently or in ensembles, demonstrating technical and stylistic accuracy and musical expressiveness with appropriate responses to a leader's cues and gestures
Content Standard: Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts
Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people.
Benchmark A. Identify music forms from various cultures and historical periods and create or perform representative repertoire with stylistic accuracy / 1. Demonstrate extensive
knowledge of the technical
vocabulary of music.
2. Identify and notate triad chords, including major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads
3. Identify and notate triads in inversions
4. Identify and notate seventh chords and their inversions
5. Identify and write the appropriate figured bass symbols for all the chords listed in Nos. 2, 3, and 4 above.
6. Identify the Roman numeral analysis for any given triad or seventh chord
1. Demonstrate sight-reading abilities.
1. Identify and trace the development of music forms across historical periods (specifically, the development of harmony as it relates to the development of chords discussed in this unit). / 1. I can use musical terms to describe written and aural musical examples.
1. I can define “triad.”
2. I can analyze a triad to determine its chord quality – Major, minor, augmented, or diminished.
3. I can notate Major, minor, augmented and diminished triads
1. I can identify a triad in first or second inversion.
1. I can identify and notate a seventh chord in first, second, or third inversion.
1. I can identify and apply the figured bass symbol appropriate for chords in inversions, and apply accidental symbols to the figured bass as needed.
1. I can analyze a chord in its given key and apply the correct Roman numeral and figured bass notation.
1. I can sight-read a given exercise or melody in class as an ensemble.
1. I can explain the development of harmony as it relates to chords though musical history periods, from simple earlier harmonies, to complex harmonies during the Romantic era, through the collapse of traditional harmonic concepts in the Contemporary Period.

Unit 5 – Cadences and Nonharmonic Tones