This class will start with the fundamentals of western music and build from there, preparing students to succeed on the AP music theory exam! The course schedule is below:

Day 1--Introduction and Fundamentals of Music Notation: Pitch and rhythm notation on a staff, notes and rests, clefs

Day 2--Scales and Modes: Major scales and key signatures, modes of the major scale

Day 3--Fundamentals of Music and Expressive Notation: Tempo markings and BPM, polyrhythm and syncopation dynamics, minor scales, minor key signatures

Day 4--Introduction to Harmony and Melody: Pitch intervals, melodic contour (steps vs. leaps), key relationships, harmonic textures (monophony, homophony, heterophony, etc.). Melodic dictation practice

Day 5--Triadic Chords: Qualities of diatonic chords in major and minor keys, inversions of triadic chords. Sight singing practice

Day 6--Seventh Chords: Qualities of seventh chords, labeling seventh chord inversions. Sight singing practice for second half of class if needed

Day 7--Intro to Counterpoint: Conventions of voice leading, two-part counterpoint

Day 8--Functional Harmony I: Standard chord progressions in tonal music, cadences and types of cadence

Day 9--Functional Harmony II: Four-part voice leading in chorale and keyboard style. Harmonic dictation practice

Day 10--Predominant Chords: Use of predominant chords in musical phrases, types of diatonic and chromatic predominant chords

Day 11--Compositional Devices: Melodic and harmonic sequences, motives and motivic transformation

Day 12--Embellishing Tones: Definition and types of embellishing tone, use of embellishing tones. Melodic dictation practice

Day 13--Chromaticism I: Secondary dominant chords and secondary leading tone chords. Harmonic dictation practice

Day 14--Chromaticism II: Tonicization in theory and practice

Day 15--Musical Structure I: Musical sentences and types of musical period. Sight singing practice

Day 16--Musical Structure II: Larger structural elements in various styles. Sight singing practice for second half of class if needed

The class is designed to be taken in its entirety to introduce all the elements needed to successfully take the AP music theory exam. However, students with prior musical experience may already have mastery of some topics covered in the course, particularly those offered in the first several weeks. Prior knowledge from one week to the next is helpful, but not necessary. If one specific week interests you but not others, please feel free to come and go for that time. For that reason, I am offering the class as an ongoing course rather than a multi-day class; this will allow students to leave and rejoin without having to commit to the entire class.