Placement and Challenge Exams

MUSC 101 - Theory I

Berklee Music Theory, Book 1, by Paul Schmeling, Berklee Press

Pulse and Meter

Notes, Rests

Eighth Notes and Rests

Beaming Eighth notes

Dots and Ties

Rhythmic Notation Guidelines

Eight-Note and Eight Rest Placement

Other time Signatures

Pitch Notations

The Treble Clef

The Bass Clef

The Grand Staff

Accidentals

Key Signatures

Enharmonic Equivalents

Half Steps and Whole Steps

The Chromatic Scale

The Whole-Tone Scale

The Major Scale

Scale Degrees

Major Scales Using Sharps

Major Scales Using Flats

The Natural Minor Scale

The Relative Major/Minor Relationship

Minor Scale Syllable Names

The Harmonic Minor Scale

The Ascending Melodic Minor Scale

The Descending Melodic Minor Scale

Minor Scale Key Signatures

Interval Naming

Perfect and Major Intervals

Major vs. Minor

Perfect and Diminished Intervals

Augmented Intervals

Compound Intervals

MUSC 102 - Theory II

Berklee Music Theory, Book 2, by Paul Schmeling, Berklee Press

Major Triads, Minor Triads

Augmented Triads, Diminished Triads

Chord Symbols

Triad Inversions

Bass/Chord Theory

Voice Leading

Open-Position Voice Leading and Chorale Notation

Contrary/Parallel Motion Voice Leading

Major 7 Chords

Dominant 7 Chords

Minor 7 Chords

Minor 7b5 Chords

Diminished 7 Chords

Inversions of Seventh Chords

Voice leading Seventh Cords

Contrary and Parallel Voice Leading of Seventh Chords

Third, Fifth and Seventh over the Bass

Harmonic Accompaniment from a lead sheet

Arpeggiating Accompaniment Chords

Using the Third, Fifth and Seventh over the Root as Accompaniment chord

Melodic Motion

Writing a Chord-Tone Melody

Melodic Motion over Change of Harmony

Repeating a Melodic Phrase on Different Chords

The Melodic Sequence

Tonal Harmony, Eighth Edition, Parts Three and Four, Chapters 14-20, pages 218-356

Voice-leading considerations (seventh chords)

Secondary dominant identification

Secondary leading-tone identification

Modulation identification

Harmonic analysis (4-part, various textures) with triads/seventh chords including modulations

Larger Musical Forms

Tonal Harmony, Eighth Edition, Part Five and Six, Chapters 21-28, pages 357-554

Borrowed chord identification

Neopolitan chord identification and function

Augmented sixth chord identification and function

Altered chord identification

Chord extension identification (9, 11, 13)

Mode identification

Alternate scale identification

Pandiatonicism identification

Twelve-tone and serial row analysis and creation (including permutations)

Sight-sing simple pentatonic melodies using solfège syllables (drm sl) 

Sing and Aurally identify all intervals – ascending and descending 

Aurally identify all modes (ionian, dorian etc.) 

Aurally identify qualities of triads 

Sight-read and take dictation of rhythms using division of the beat in simple and compound meter signatures (half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth and rests) 

Take dictation of simple pentatonic, major, and/or minor melodies (scaler motion, limited skips)   

Sight-sing and take dictation of major and/or minor melodies (including raised 4th fi, and/or raised 5th si; scaler and chordal skips) using solfège syllables. 

Sight-sing complex cannons and/or part singing 

Sight-read and take dictation of rhythms using division of the beat in simple and compound meter signatures (same as A1 plus triplets) 

Take harmonic dictation, writing outer voices and Roman Numerals, of chord progressions such as: 

I V6 I IV6 I6 ii6 V6/4-5/3 I
I IV6 ii6 V6/4-4/2 I6 IV V6/4-5/3 I
I ii6 V4/2 I6 IV V6/4-5/3 vi 

• Technique
  
  • Major and harmonic minor scales beginning on any white key, 1 octave, hands together;
  • Chromatic scale beginning on any key, 2 octaves, separate hands;
  • Major and minor arpeggios beginning on all white keys, 2 octaves, hands alone;
  • Appropriate use of the damper pedal.

• Chords and Chord progressions:
  • Major/minor/diminished/augmented triads on any note, hands together in root position;
  • Primary Chord Progressions in all Major and minor keys, hands together.

• Harmonization:
  • Ability to provide a two-hand accompaniment to pieces using primary chords;
  • Ability to improvise the L.H. accompaniment in various accompaniment styles (e.g. the Waltz Bass, the Alberti Bass or the March Bass).

• Sight-reading:
  • Pieces at the level of Bartok's Mikrokosmos, Vol. I.

• Solo Repertoire:
  • Pieces at the level of Kabalevsky's “A Little Joke.”

• Technique:
  • All Major Scales, parallel motion, 2 octaves, hands together;
  • Harmonic minor scales starting on any white key, parallel motion, 2 octaves, hands together;
  • Selected contrary motion Major scales, 2 octaves, hands together;
  • All Major and minor arpeggios, 2 octaves, hands together;
  • Continued use of the damper pedal.
• Chords and Chord Progressions:
  • Inversions of all types of triad chords;
  • Various seventh-chord qualities in blocked and broken positions;
  • Secondary chord progression of I-vi-IV-ii6-I6/4-V7-I in all Major keys.
• Harmonization:
  • Ability to provide a two-hand accompaniment to pieces using the inversions of primary & secondary chords and seventh-chords;
  • Ability to improvise the L.H. accompaniment in various accompaniment styles (e.g. the Extended L.H. Accompaniment).
• Transposition:
  • Ability to transpose folk song arrangements into nearby keys.
  • Sight-reading:
  • Pieces at the level of easier pieces from Kabalevsky's “Twenty-Four Pieces for Children,” Op. 39.
• Solo Repertoire:
  • Pieces at the level of J. S. Bach's Minuet in G; Clementi's Sonatina in C; or Kabalevsky's Toccatina