®
AP Music Theory Syllabus
Instructor
o Dr. Thomas E Moncrief
Thomas.moncrief@ncpublicschools.gov
Phone and Text: 704-219-6115
Office Hours (on Blackboard IM) Wednesday 8am-1pm or anytime by
appointment or text.
o My preferred method of contact is via text. Responses are very prompt via
text. You may leave a message or text on my number 24-hours a day.
Additionally, direct email is an efficient manner of communication. All
contacts are returned within 24 hours or less.
Content Rights
NCVPS policy it that all courses are compliant with applicable NCVPS
policies and/or guidelines, including, ADA/Section 504/IEP Compliance,
intellectual property, and provisions of US Copyright Law and the
Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act.)
This course has hours of music included and in compliance with the
TEACH Act, it is a violation for this music to be downloaded or
reproduced in any manner.
NCVPS Grading Policy
NCVPS submits grades and/or progress checks to schools at 2 week intervals
throughout the Year-Long Terms. Grades are weighted for each term in the
course and can be viewed through the student’s access in Blackboard at any
time.
o Grading Scale
NCVPS does not issue a letter grade for courses. Schools receive a
cumulative grade as a percent. The NCVPS policy of No-Zero applies to
the Final Cumulative Grade for each of the grading periods (60% for the
first and second grading periods and 50% for the third and fourth grading
periods and Final Exam). All individual assignments are scored 0-100%.
o Exams
Final Exams and Final Projects that are part of the course requirements are
not exempt. End-of-Course Exams are administered by the school of
record according to its schedule.
Course Description
®
AP Music Theory is intended for secondary school students who have an interest in
music and would like to further their understanding of musical harmony, form, and
structure, or gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate elements in music. The principal
study in the course is based on Baroque stylistic practice; however, music of other
stylistic periods, including the contemporary period, will also be studied.
The course will be administered via an online setting through the North Carolina Virtual
Public School. AP Music Theory is a year-long course of study, and the use of music
technology will be used principally throughout.
The General and Expanded Course Content has been based upon the Expanded Course
Specifications posted at AP Central Music Theory. The course will meet and exceed the
curriculum described in the AP Music Theory Course Description and will cover the
content found on the AP Music Theory Exam. Other topics such as MIDI, composition,
sequencing, transposition, and arranging will be included to reinforce the primary
concepts of music creation and analysis.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
a. Notate pitch and rhythm in accordance with standard notation practices.
b. Read melodies in treble, bass, and movable C clefs.
c. Write, sing, and play major scales and all three forms of minor scales.
d. Recognize by ear and by sight all intervals within an octave.
e. Use the basic rules that govern music composition.
f. Harmonize a melody with appropriate chords using good voice leading (i.e.
composition of a bass line for a given melody, with appropriate harmonic functions).
g. Analyze the chords of a musical composition by number and letter name (realization
of figured bass).
h. Transpose a composition from one key to another (realization of Roman numeral
progression).
i. Express musical ideas by composing and arranging.
j. Understand and recognize basic musical forms: ternary, binary, rondo, theme and
variation, strophic and phrase structures.
k. Write simple rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation.
l. Identify, notate and recognize simple and compound meters.
m. Identify, notate and recognize church modes.
n. Recognize and give analysis to principals of music theory throughout historical
periods of music, to include the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th
Century in both Vocal and Instrumental forms. Identify and create common-practice
tonality (functional triadic harmony in traditional four-part texture).
o. Analyze form and harmonic structure from the 20th Century (twentieth-century scales,
chordal structures, compositional procedures). Compose excerpts using 20th century
compositional techniques and 20th century counterpoint.
p. Analyze and/or realize four-part functional harmony (with vocabulary including nonharmonic tones, seventh chords and secondary dominants).
q. Analyze Repertoire for motivic treatments, rhythmic and melodic interaction (in and
between voices), and harmonic analysis with a focus on tonal function.
Course Requirements
Course URL
moodle.ncvps.org
Textbook
Required. Kostka, Stefan and Dorothy Payne. Tonal Harmony, 5th ed. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Additional Resources
Recommended.
Kostka-Payne Online materials:
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0073401358/student_view0/
Clendinning, Jane Piper and Elizabeth West Marvin. The Musician’s Guide to Theory
and Analysis, 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011.
Kostka, Stefan and Dorothy Payne. Workbook for Tonal Harmony, 5th ed. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Roig-Francoli, Miguel. Harmony in Context. New York: MGraw-Hill, 2003.
Scoggin, Nancy. AP Music Theory. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2010.
Notation Software
Required. A version of Finale is required. A full version of Finale is fine; at a minimum,
Finale Notepad is required. Finale Notepad is available for free download at
http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/. If you are not able to download Finale software, you
will be required to have an account with NoteFlight (http://www.noteflight.com/) to complete
your work. This may require you to re-notate some assignments.
Headset and Microphone
Required. You will need a headset and mic to be able to record your voice for
assignments and for communicating in the Elluminate Live classroom. Some computers
have a mic built inside and that is fine to use also.
Printer and Scanner
Required. There are several assignments that will require you to download and print
them in order to complete them by hand.
Face-to-Face Learning
Required. To help prepare for the AP Exam, the Music Theory course requires students to
take proctored exams periodically. ELAs will be made aware of these assignments via the
syllabus and email communications.
Additionally, students are required to attend “Wimba Wednesday” sessions (Wednesday
times TBA and will be announced in the course weekly) in the Elluminate Live
classroom. Attendance in these sessions is a required part of the class, and there will be
assignments and test questions associated with these sessions. Attendance is a live
opportunity to ask questions and have visual clarification on course concepts. If live
(synchronous) attendance is impossible, viewing the archives (asynchronous attendance)
will be necessary to obtain the information. There will also be additional assignments
associated with asynchronous attendance.
Course Planning
The course lasts for 36 weeks, covering 20 modules, and follows the topics outlined in
Kostka/Payne, Tonal Harmony.
Weeks 1 and 2
Module 1: Getting Started (presented by NCVPS)
Weeks 1 and 2
Module 2: Elements of Pitch (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 1)
Written Topics:
*Keyboard and Octave Registers
*The Staff, Clefs and Notation of Pitch
*The Major Scale
*Key Signatures
*Circle of Fifths
*Scale Degree Names and Solfege Syllables
*Intervals and Inversion of Intervals
*Consonant and Dissonant
*The Church Modes
*The History of Music Notation
Aural Skills:
*Identify melodic direction, higher and lower pitches
*Pitch pattern dictation using stepwise melodies
*Pitch pattern dictation using stepwise melodies in major and minor keys,
recognizing major and minor scales aurally
Weeks 3 and 4
Module 3: Elements of Rhythm (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 2)
Written Topics:
*Duration Symbols
*Tempo Markings
*Meter and Divisions of the Beat
*Simple and Compound Time Signatures
*Irregular/Mixed Meters
Aural Skills:
*Aural Identification of Meter
*Begin recognizing P1, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7, and P8 aurally, pitch pattern
dictation using skips in the tonic triad, sight-singing
*Recognize major and minor scales, recognize major, minor, and perfect
intervals, pitch pattern dictations using stepwise melodies and melodies that
utilize skips in the tonic triad
Weeks 5 and 6
Module 4: Introduction to Triads and Seventh Chords (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 3)
Written Topics:
*Tertian Harmony (Triads)
*Building Basic Triads in Root Position
*Triad Identification
*Seventh Chord Construction
*Inversion of Chords and Inversion
*Introduction to Figured Bass Symbols
*Lead Sheet Notation and Application
*Identification of Chords in different textures
Aural Skills:
*Recognize major and minor scales, intervals (major, minor, and perfect),
*Introduction to identifying augmented and diminished intervals
*Simple rhythmic dictation
*Pitch pattern dictation
Week 7 and 8
Module 5: Diatonic Chords in Major and minor Keys (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 4)
Written Topics:
*Diatonic Triads in Major (Roman Numerals)
*Diatonic Triads in minor (Roman Numerals)
*Diatonic Seventh Chords in Major (Roman Numerals)
*Diatonic Seventh Chords in minor (Roman Numerals)
*Roman Numeral Realizations in 4 parts
*Aural Identification of Diatonic Triads and Sevenths in Major and minor Keys
Aural Skills:
*Melodic dictations involving skips in the tonic triad (major and minor),
recognizing scales and intervals, recognizing triads (major, minor, augmented and
diminished), recognizing MM and Mm 7th chords.
Week 9 and 10
Module 6: Principles of Voice Leading (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 5)
Written Topics:
*Principles of Melody
*Voicing a single triad (Open and Close structure)
*Types of Motion between Chords
*Parallelism Rules (Parallel 5ths and Parallel Octaves)
*Figured Bass Realizations
Aural Skills:
*Melodic dictations involving skips in the tonic triad (major and minor),
recognizing scales and intervals, recognizing triads (major, minor, augmented and
diminished), recognizing MM, Mm, mm, half and fully-diminished 7th chords.
*Introduction to sight-singing.
Weeks 11 and 12
Module 7: The Harmonic Progression and the Sequence (Tonal Harmony, Chapters 6 and
7)
Written Topics:
*Root Position Part Writing (with repeated roots, 4th/5th apart, 3rd/6th apart, and
2nd/7th apart).
*Instrumental Range and Transposition
*Circle of Fifths Harmonic Progression
*Common Progressions (I-IV-vii°-iii-vi-ii-V-I) and Exceptions
*Progressions in minor
Aural Skills:
*Melodic dictations involving skips in the tonic triad (major and minor),
recognizing scales and intervals, recognizing triads (major, minor, augmented and
diminished), recognizing MM, Mm, mm, half and fully diminished 7th chords,
recognizing chord progressions using I, IV, and V.
*Sight-singing pitch patterns using I, IV, and V.
Weeks 13, 14, and 15
Module 8: Part Writing for Inverted Chords- Part A (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 8)
Written Topics:
*Triads in First Inversion
*Soprano/Bass Counterpoint
*Bass Arpeggiation and the Melodic Bass
Aural Skills:
*Melodic dictations involving skips in the tonic triad (major and minor),
recognizing scales and intervals, recognizing triads (major, minor, augmented and
diminished), recognizing MM, Mm, mm, half and fully diminished 7th chords,
recognizing chord progressions using I, ii, IV, vii° and V.
*Sight-singing practice
Weeks 16 and 17
Module 9: Part Writing for Inverted Chords- Part B (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 9)
Written Topics:
*Six-Four Chord uses (Cadential, Passing, Pedal)
Aural Skills:
*Aural Identification of Inverted Chords
*Melodic dictations involving skips in the tonic triad (major and minor),
recognizing scales and intervals, recognizing triads (major, minor, augmented and
diminished), recognizing MM, Mm, mm, half and fully diminished 7th chords,
recognizing chord progressions using I, ii, IV, vii° and V.
*Sight-singing practice
Week 18
Mid-Term Exam
Weeks 19 and 20
Module 10: Cadences, Phrases, Periods, Binary and Ternary Forms (Tonal Harmony,
Chapter 10 and 20)
Written Topics:
*Cadences (PAC, IAC, HC, PC, DC)
*Motives and Phrases
*Types of Phrases (Repeated, Parallel, Contrasting)
*Antecedent and Consequent Phrases and Cadence Structures (Tom)
*Types of Periods (Repeated Period, Double Period, Parallel Period, Contrasting
Period, Phrase Group)
*Simple Forms (Binary, Rounded Binary, Ternary, Continuous and Sectional)
*The 12-Bar Blues
Aural Skills:
*Melodic dictation using melodies involving skips in the topic and dominant 7th
chords.
*Sight-singing including the dominant 7th chord.
Weeks 21 and 22
Module 11: Non-chord tones- Part A (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 11 and 12)
Written Topics:
*What is a non-chord tone?
*The Passing Tone
*The Neighboring Tone
*The Suspension
*The Retardation
*The Appoggiatura
*The Escape Tone
*The Neighboring Group
*The Anticipation
*Pedal Point
*NCT identification by sight
Aural Skills:
*Aural Identification of Non-chord Tones
*Dictation of intervals and chords including RN analysis (intro to harmonic
dictation)
Week 23
Module 12: Non-chord tones- Part B (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 11 and 12)
Written Topics:
*Embellishing a simple texture
*Functions of a NCT (i.e.: displacement, tension/resolution)
*Figured Bass and NCTs
*Special problems in the analysis of NCTs
*Variations
Aural Skills:
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, and V chords in root position, melodic dictation
using leaps in the tonic triad
Week 24
Module 13: Diatonic Seventh Chords: The V7 Chord (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 13)
Written Topics:
*Voice-Leading Considerations for V7 chords
*Root Position and Considerations
*First Inversion and Considerations
*Second Inversion and Considerations
*Third Inversion and Considerations
*Other resolutions of the V7
Aural Skills:
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, and V chords in root position, melodic dictation
using leaps in the tonic triad.
Week 25
Module 14: Diatonic Seventh Chords: The II7 and VII7 Chords (Tonal Harmony,
Chapter 14)
Written Topics:
*The Supertonic 7th
*The Subtonic 7th in Major
*The Subtonic 7th in Minor
*The Leading-Tone 7th
Aural Skills:
*Sight-singing melodies
*Harmonic dictation using I, ii, IV, and V.
Week 26
Module 15: Diatonic Seventh Chords: Other Diatonic Seventh Chords (Tonal Harmony,
Chapter 15)
Written Topics:
*The subdominant 7th Chord
*The Submediant 7th Chord
*The Mediant 7th Chord
*Seventh Chords and the Circle of Fifths Progression
Aural Skills:
*Sight-singing melodies
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, ii, V, and cadential six-four cadences.
Week 27
Module 16: Secondary Functions- Part A (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 16)
Written Topics:
*What is Chromaticism
*Diatonic vs. Altered Chords
*Secondary Functions and Tonicization
*Secondary Dominant Chords (Spelling and Application)
*Recognizing Secondary Dominant Chords in Context
Aural Skills:
*Sight-singing melodies
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, ii, V, and cadential six-four cadences.
*AP Free-Response Aural Skills Examples.
Weeks 28 and 29
Module 17: Secondary Functions- Part B (Tonal Harmony, Chapter 17)
Written Topics:
*Secondary Leading-Tone Chords
*Secondary Leading-Tone Spelling and Resolution
*Recognizing Secondary Leading Tone Chords in Context
*Sequences Involving Secondary Leading Tone Chords
*Deceptive Resolutions of Secondary Leading Ton Chords
*Other Secondary Functions (i.e.: V6/4)
Aural Skills:
*Sight-singing melodies
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, ii, V, and cadential six-four cadences
*AP Free-Response Aural Skills Examples
Weeks 30 and 31
Module 18: Modulations (Chapter 18 and 19)
Written Topics:
*What are Modulations?
*Review: Circle of Fifths and Key Signatures
*Key Relationships and Closely Related Keys
*Common Chord Modulation
*Modulation by Common Tone
*Modulation by Chromatic Alteration
*Sequential Modulation
*Monophonic Modulation
*Direct Modulation
Aural Skills:
*Sight-singing melodies
*Harmonic dictation using I, IV, ii, V, and cadential six-four cadences
*AP Free-Response Aural Skills Examples
Weeks 32, 33, and 34
Module 19: AP Review (www.collegeboard.com and Barron’s AP Music Theory, practice
exams)
Written Topics:
*The Music Active Section of the AP Exam
*The Music Inactive Section of the AP Exam
*Melodic Dictation (FR 1-2)
*Harmonic Dictation (FR 3-4)
*Realize the Figured Bass (FR 5)
*Roman Numeral Analysis (FR 6)
*Harmonize the Melody (FR 7)
Aural Skills:
*Sight Singing (SS 1 and 2)
Weeks 35 and 36
Module 20: Final Composition Project
Written Topics:
*Writing Melodies that Work
*Structuring Melodies
*Mixing Strong and Fragile Progressions
*Choosing the Right Chords
*Considering Form
Aural Skills:
*Focusing Your Lyrics
*Writing Creative Lyrics
*Writing “Familiar” Lyrics
*Integrating Lyrics with Melodies
Guidelines
Late Work Policy
All weekly assignments are due on Friday of the week in which they were assigned.
Specific dates and times will be announced in the Learning Block daily announcements.
Students are responsible for all material covered and all assignments given, regardless of
personal illness, family emergency, or computer system failures. If ever in doubt about a
due date or an extension, please contact the course instructor.
Although this is an online course, it is not self-paced. Reasonable deadlines have been set
to insure that students have adequate time to complete all assignments within the current
session. Active participation in this class is required.
Late work is not accepted for full credit unless the teacher has been made aware of and
approved an extension for extenuating circumstances (i.e.: illness, family emergency,
relocation, etc.). This acknowledgement between the student and instructor must be made
in writing (email or text).
Late work turned in after the deadline will carry a 5% reduction for each week late. No
work will be accepted once a module has been closed.
Teaching Strategies
Since this course is administered online, students will be expected to utilize a high
amount of music technology. Students should gain mastery of these technologies early on
in order to be able to effectively gain knowledge in the content area. The technologies
utilized online are the same programs that would comprise a music technology lab.
The Advanced Placement program presents a rigorous course with high expectations.
Students will gain knowledge of music theory through analysis and reflection (form and
analysis exercises), composition (composing music), and tonal mastery (aural skills).
The combination of these three teaching strategies enables the student to respond
successfully to the higher-order thinking skills questions on the Advanced Placement
Exam.
Analysis of musical compositions is at the forefront of AP Music Theory. The instructor
has developed a set of flash-based learning guides for form and analysis study. The aural
skills portion of the course is principally administered through over 400 teacher-made
exercises. Students will meet bi-weekly for a minimum of 20 minutes individually with
the instructor for additional aural skills exercises and be expected to keep a 2-hour
weekly listening log with their reflections. The aural musical content will be streamed
through the courseware system.
Student Evaluation
Quizzes and tests will be given throughout the course. The project-based learning within
composition, form and analysis and performance (piano and voice) are essential in
developing music theory skills.
Mastery of the Advanced Placement Music Theory content will be most important in
evaluating students. One of the greatest advantages to online learning is that it is studentcentered. This means that although this course is not self-paced, students have the ability
to spend more time where needed for additional practice. The courseware allows students
to work toward mastery on an individualized basis.