The AP Music Theory course is equal to a first-year college-level music theory course, covering the material from two separate courses: written skills and aural skills. Within the course, students will study elements of music such as rhythm, notation, sight singing, rhythmic dictation, keyboard harmony and part writing all within the historical “common practice period” (18th-19th centuries).
There are two goals for this class: 1) that students would be prepared to take the AP Music Theory exam, and 2) that students would have a lifelong ability to understand and appreciate music.
The development of aural skills is a primary objective of the AP Music Theory course. Throughout the course, students listen to musical works attentively and analytically, developing their musical memory and their ability to articulate responses to formal, stylistic, and aesthetic qualities of the works. Performance using singing, keyboard, and students’ primary performance media are also a part of the learning process. Although sight singing is the only performance skill that is directly tested by the AP Exam, training in all these areas will develop the aural skills that are tested. Fluency and quickness with basic materials are essential to success in the course.
- Course Number: 610AP
- Duration: Full Year
- Credits: 1
- Grade: 11-12
- Fees: None
Additional: Required concurrent enrollment in an ensemble or permission from instructor. The student’s ability to read and write musical notation is fundamental to such a course. It is also strongly recommended that the student will have acquired at least basic performance skills in voice or on an instrument; students eligible for free/reduced lunch should check with their counselor about AP exam fee waivers.
