AP Music Theory Syllabus

Instructor: Lauren Allen laurenallen@alpinedistrict.org

Course DescriptionThis course is designed to develop musical skills that will lead to a thorough understanding of music composition and music theory. Students are prepared to take the AP Music Theory Exam when they have completed the course. The course will address both aural skills and music theory (hearing and reading/notating) in the following areas:

Pitches Intervals Key signatures and scales Chords Meter Rhythm

After establishing these foundational elements, this course will also encompass higher-level musicianship skills including the following:

Melodic and harmonic dictation Understanding of modes and other scales (including pentatonic and whole tone) Composition of a bass line for a given melody Realization of a figured bass Realization of a Roman numeral progression in traditional four-voice texture Analysis of repertoire, including melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form Sight-singing Identifying cadences Identifying modulations Application and understanding of non-harmonic tones, seventh chords, and

secondary dominants These skills and many others will be tied directly into listening to a wide variety of music, including Western tonal music, pop, Broadway, jazz, and world music. For specific examples of pieces for listening and analysis, please refer to the “Musical Examples” section. In addition to aural analysis, students will also be expected to apply their knowledge to the music through Roman Numeral analysis and compositional exercises. Compositional exercises will be rooted primarily in the Common Practice era of part writing but may include additional explorations into pop and folk music.

Attendance PolicyI support the Skyridge High School and Alpine School District attendance policies. Please refer to your student handbook for additional information about the attendance policy.

Primary Texts

Laitz, Steven G. The Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Tonal Theory, Analysis, and Listening. New York: Oxford University Press.Ottman, Robert, and Nancy Rogers. Music for Sight Singing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Additional MaterialsAdams, Ricci. Musictheory.net. Accessed June 22, 2016. www.musictheory.net"Main Page." IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 June 2016. http://imslp.org/

Musical Examples Many of the short listening examples are taken directly from the Laitz textbook, which utilizes music spanning Baroque to Romantic eras. The other selections listed are a few of the pieces students are likely to encounter in this course, pieces designed to help students apply their aural skills to music that they are already familiar with.

“All Along the Watchtower” Bob DylanRequiem in D Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart“Crazy” Willie Nelson“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” BeyoncéDie Winterreise Franz Schubert“I Got Rhythm” Ella Fitzgerald“Scarborough Fair” Simon and Garfunkle

Academic Grading ScaleA 100.00 94.00A- 93.99 90.00B+ 89.99 87.00B 86.99 84.00B- 83.99 80.00C+ 79.99 77.00C 76.99 74.00C- 73.99 70.00D+ 69.99 67.00D 66.99 64.00D- 63.99 60.00F 59.99 0.00

My homework policy is fairly straightforward. My goal is for you to learn the content and to master it, however many exposures to the material as it takes. When you turn in homework, I will circle the incorrect answers. You will have the option to then correct the answers you missed and turn it back in. I will take the higher of the two grades as your grade for that piece of homework. There will be some formative quizzes in class that will also be available for retakes. The summative assessments and the final exams will not be available for retakes.

There is no reason for you to not get a good grade in this class. If you are struggling with the material, use your resources! Work with other students in the class, use the online resources, and come talk to me. The students who pass my class are the students who turn in their homework. Not turning in their homework usually meant a poor or failing grade in my class.

Course Planner**note- the course planner is subject to flexibility at the discretion of the instructor**Unit 1: Pitch, Pitch Class, Clefs, Notation August 23: Introduction to AP Theory, Check out textbooks

Homework: Laitz Chapter 1, pg. 1-8August 25: Pitch identification, introduction to solfege

Homework: Note identification, accidentalsAugust 29: Clefs, Notation, and Rhythm

Homework: Clef transposition, Laitz Chapter 2August 31: Rhythm

Homework: Music notation exercise, error correction, and time signature identification

September 2: Notation quiz, Introduction to key signaturesHomework: Laitz Chapter 1, pg. 9-28

Unit 2: Key Signatures and Scales September 7: Major Key Signatures and Scales

Homework: Major Key Signatures and Scales Quiz, ScalesSeptember 9: Minor Key Signatures and Scales

Homework: Minor Key Signatures, Scales packet, Identification of Minor Modes, Minor Key Signature Quiz

September 13: Major and Minor Scales (aural) Homework: Three Minor Scales, Minor Scales Quiz,

September 15: Minor Scales Spelling Quiz, Dictation Quiz, Key Signatures Spelling QuizHomework: Parallel and Relative Key Signatures, Key Signature Grid, Minor Scales Quiz

Unit 3: Intervals September 19: Introduction to Intervals (Major and Perfect)

Homework: Laitz Chapter 3, Perfect and Major Intervals Worksheet, 50 perfect intervals (musictheory.net)

September 21: Minor IntervalsHomework: AP 3rds Assignment, Minor Intervals Spelling, 50 Major and minor intervals (musictheory.net)

September 23: Dictation Quiz Homework: Major, minor, and perfect intervals I-VI

September 27: Chromatic IntervalsHomework: Chromatic Intervals IV-VI

September 29: Perfect Intervals Spelling Quiz, Major Intervals Spelling QuizHomework: Laitz Chapter 5, pg. 116-119, complete exercise 5.6 (pg. 120-121)

Unit 4: Triads

October 3: Major and Minor TriadsHomework: Major Triads I-III, Minor Triads I-III

October 5: Diminished and Augmented TriadsHomework: Diminished Triads I-III, Augmented Triads I-III

October 7: Dictation Quiz, Major and Minor Spelling QuizHomework: Triad Assignments I-III, Triads Quiz, Laitz Chapter 5, pg. 122-132

Unit 5: Roman Numeral Analysis, Cadences, Non-Harmonic Tones October 11: Introduction to Roman Numeral Analysis and Figured Bass

Homework: Triads and Major Scales I-IV, read Laitz Chapter 13, 50 Major/Minor triads on musictheory.net

October 13: Cadences and Non-Harmonic TonesHomework: Hallelujah Chorus Analysis, Cadence Worksheet, 50 Diminished/Augmented triads on musictheory.net

October 17: Aural Review for Term FinalHomework: Non-Harmonic Tones Worksheet 2, Cadence Quiz Worksheet

October 19: Theory Review for Term FinalHomework: Roman Numeral Analysis Quiz, Non-Harmonic Tones

October 26: Term finalHomework: Laitz Chapter 8

Unit 6: Voice Leading October 28: Dictation Quiz, Rules of Voice Leading

Homework: Voice Leading Worksheet #1November 1: Rules of Voice Leading, Correct Voice Leading Worksheet #1

Homework: Voice Leading Worksheet #2, Voice Leading Worksheet #3November 3: Voice Leading Quiz #1

Homework: Voice Leading Worksheet #4, Roman Numeral Analysis/Figured Bass Realization 2 November 7: Voice Leading Quiz #2

Homework: AP Music Analysis Worksheet November 9: Voice Leading Quiz #3

Homework: Day 29 Music Analysis Worksheet, Laitz Chapter 6 November 11: Dictation Quiz [SC15], Introduction to V7

Homework: Laitz Chapter 9, Spelling 7th Chords November 15: Aural Identification of Seventh Chords

Homework: Day 32 Dominant 7 Chords November 17: Day 33 V7 Chords, Resolution of V7

Homework: Resolution of V7 ChordsNovember 21: Resolution of V7 (day 34)

Homework: N.A.November 28: Resolution of V7 Quiz

Homework: V7 Resolution #2 November 30: Introduction of Modes (includes church modes, pentatonic, and whole tone scales)

Homework: Church Modes and ScalesDecember 2: Dictation Quiz

Homework: Modal Christmas Carol, Day 37 Modes and Scales, Laitz Chapter 20

December 6: Periods (parallel, contrasting, double, phrase grouping) Homework: Period Identification

December 8: Creation and Analysis of Periods Homework: Period Harmonization, Reharmonization of “Silent Night”

December 12: Musical Texture Homework: Aural labeling of musical textures

December 14: Voice Leading QuizHomework: Roman Analysis of “Angels We Have Heard on High”

December 16: Dictation Quiz Homework: Folk Song Harmonization

December 20: ReviewHomework: Final Semester Review

December 22: Solfege CarolsHomework: N.A.

January 4: Aural Review for Semester FinalJanuary 6: Theory Review for Semester FinalJanuary 10: Semester finalLeading Tone Sevenths January 12: Leading Tone Sevenths, Half and Fully Diminished Seventh Chords

Homework: Laitz Chapter 11, Leading Tone Seventh Chords #1January 17: Aural Identification of Seventh Chords (half and fully diminished)

Homework: Leading Tone Sevenths #2, 50 seventh chord identification on musictheory.net

January 19: Voice leading of diminished sevenths Homework: diminished sevenths voice leading, Leading Tone Sevenths #4, 50 seventh chord identifications on musictheory.net (MM7, Mm7)

Modulations January 23: Introduction to Modulations

Homework: Laitz Chapter 25 January 25: Closely Related Keys

Homework: Day 49 Modulations/Closely Related Keys January 27: Dictation Quiz

Homework: Modulations 2 January 31: Modulations in the Literature

Homework: Modulations 3February 2: Modulations QuizFebruary 6: Review

Homework: Laitz Chapter 24Secondary Dominants February 8: Secondary Dominants

Homework: Secondary Dominants (Day 52) February 10: Dictation Quiz

Homework: Secondary Dominants & Leading tone Chords February 14: Secondary Dominant Voice Leading/Figured Bass

Homework: Secondary Dominants/Leading Tones Voice Leading February 16: Embellishment of Secondary Dominants

Homework: day 55 Secondary Dominants and Leading Tones Voice Leading #3 February 21: Analysis Strategies

Homework: Hymn analysis including secondary dominants February 23: Aural Skills Review Day

Homework: Secondary Dominants PacketFebruary 27: Applying Knowledge to the Literature: Modulations

Homework: Die Winterreise “Gute Nacht” March 1: Applying Knowledge to the Literature: Aural SkillsMarch 3: Dictation Quiz

Homework: Laitz Chapter 16March 8: Motives and Motivic Transformation

Homework: Transcribe and transform (augmentation, inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion, diminution, fragmentation, etc.) the opening motive of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” IV

March 10: Aural Review for Term FinalMarch 14: Theory Review for Term FinalMarch 16: Term finalMarch 20: Forms (12 Bar Blues, Binary, 32-bar song form, Strophic)

Homework: Aural Identification of forms March 22: World Music DayMarch 24: Dictation Quiz March 28: Review of Key Signatures/Scales/ModesMarch 30: Review of Intervals(Spring Break)April 10: Review of TriadsApril 12: Review of Seventh ChordsApril 14: Dictation Quiz April 18: Review of Leading Tone SeventhsApril 20: Review of TonicizationsApril 24: Review of ModulationsApril 26: Review of Secondary DominantsApril 28: Dictation Quiz May 2- Test ReviewMay 4- Test ReviewMay 8- AP Music Theory ExamMay 10- Final Exam: Aural SkillsMay 12- Final Exam: Music TheoryMay 16- Final composition projectsMay 18- Final composition projectsMay 22- Final composition projectsMay 24- Final composition projectsMay 26- Final Composition Projects Due

Final Project Information

For many of my kids, composition allows them to connect on a deeper level with the material given. Throughout the year, they have had smaller compositional assignments (choosing new chords to harmonize familiar songs, composing a bass line for a given melody, writing chord progressions that are functionally coherent and end with an appropriate cadence, etc.) and in-class compositional assignments. For their final project, the students will collaborate with the AP Language class and set poems (provided by the AP Language students) to a 16-measure hymn of their own composition. They are expected to write four 4-measure chord progressions that end with appropriate cadences, realize their chord progressions in four voices following proper voice leading procedures. They are encouraged to embellish their composition with the non-harmonic tones explored in class. On the final day of class, we will sing through the hymns as a class. The best way for the students to connect to the concepts of proper voice leading is through application, which this assignment aims to do. It also leaves the students feeling empowered with the ability to apply of a year’s worth of theory information to creating music of their own.

In-Class WorkMy class meets every other day for 75 minutes. My goal is to approach each concept from all angles. Every unit includes written and aural analysis related to the unit topic. [When I introduce triads, for example, we’ll approach them in class visually (recognizing them on the page), kinesthetically (constructing triads on the page), vocally (being able to sing/sight-sing different triads), and aurally (being able to identify sonorities of triads, both arpeggiated and block chords).The class format reflects the depth of knowledge sought after in each topic. An average class period will follow this format:10 minutes: Aural review of previous topic, sight-singing drills, etc.30 minutes: Theory

Introducing new concept (if applicable) Review of current topic Theory Drills

o Analysis of chord progressions o Realizing figured bass exercises o Practicing voice leading

20 minutes: Aural drills Sight-singing drills Partner sight-singing evaluations Dictation practice Triads and Sevenths drills Interval drills Excerpts from the literature

15 minutes: Additional review, answering questions, giving students the chance to get started on homework.