Advanced Placement Music Theory, continued

Topics of study for this rigorous course include:

• Review of basic Pitch Notation:  The Staff and It’s Evolution, Clefs, Ledger Lines, Grand Staff, Octave Designation, Half Steps and Whole Steps, Intervals, Chromatic Alterations, Enharmonic Equivalents, Accidentals.
• Review of Meter and Rhythm:  The Proportional System, Beat and Tempo, Accent, Meter and Measure, Meter Signatures, Simple Meters, Compound Meters, Asymetric Meter, Conflict of Rhythm and Meter, Borrowed Divisions, Syncopation, Cross Rhythms, Hemiola, Dots, Ties, Rests, Dynamic and Articulation Markings.
• Review of Major Scales/Circle of 5ths/Key Signatures:  The Chromatic Scale, The Whole Tone Scale, The Major Scale, Transposition, Tonality, Key Signatures, The Placements of Sharps and Flats The Outer Circle of 5ths and Outer Circle of 4ths.
• Review of Minor Scales/Circle of 5ths/Key Signatures:  The Inner Circle of 5ths and Inner Circle of 4ths, The Relative Minor, Relative Major and Minor Scales, The Natural Minor Scale, The Harmonic Minor Scale, The Melodic Minor Scale, The Parallel Minor Keys.
• Review of Intervals:  Numeric Values of Intervals, Quality of Intervals (Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented), The Intervals of the Major Scale, Alteration of Interval Quality, Enharmonic Intervals, Inversions of Intervals, Simple vs. Compound Intervals, Diatonic vs. Chromatic Intervals.

• Review of Triads/7^th chords:  Building and Identifying Triads (Major Triads  Minor Triads, Diminished Triads, Augmented Triads).  Building and Identifying 7^th Chords (The Major 7^th chords, The Minor 7^th Chords,  The  Diminished  7^th Chords, The Augmented 7^th Chords). 
• Chord inversions:  Identifying and Building Triadic Inversions (Root Position, 1^st Inversion, 2^nd Inversion), Identifying and Building Inversions of the 7^th Chord (Root Position, 1^st Inversion, 2^nd Inversion, 3^rd Inversion)
• Chord Symbols and Figured Bass:  Using traditional 18^th Century Nomenclature to Identify and Analyze Chords.
• Diatonic Triad Functions in major and minor keys:  Diatonic Primary and Secondary Chords in a Major Key, Diatonic and Chromatically Altered Primary and Secondary Chords in a Minor Key (based on form of scale).
• Functional Tonal Principals:  Tonality, Chordal Hierarchy, Progression vs. Regression, Harmonic Motion, Harmonic Rhythm, Variants in a Minor Key, Idiomatic Chord Substitutions.
• Cadences:  The Authentic and Perfect Authentic Cadence, The Plagal Cadence, The Half Cadence, The Deceptive Cadence.
• Embellishing/Non-harmonic tones:  Passing Tone, Neighboring Tone, Changing Tone, Anticipation, Suspension, Retardation, Simultaneous Embellishing Tones, Pedal Point.  Use of these in Harmonic Analysis.
• Melodic principals in 4 part writing/ Voicing Chords:  Characteristics of the individual line’s range, tessitura, spacing, movement, doubling and resolution of tendency tones.
• Principals in Chord Connection:  Contrary Motion, Oblique Motion, Similar Motion, Parallel Motion.
• Connecting Root position triads:  Triads in the 5^th Relationship, Triads in the 3^rd Relationship, Triads in the 2^nd Relationship.
• Voicing Triads in 1^st inversion:  Frequency, Spacing, Doubling of 1^st inversion Chords,
• Connecting Root Position and 1^st Inversion Triads, Successive 1^st Inversion Triads. 
• Part writing using non-chord tones:  Voicing Suspensions and Retardations, Stylistic Use of Non-Chord Tones.
• Triads in the 2^nd Inversion:  The Cadential Six-four Chord, the Passing Six-four Chord, The Pedal Six-four Chord, The Arpeggiated Six-four Chord.
• Connecting Triads in All Positions
• Harmonizing a Melody and Part Writing for SATB Voices:  Writing with Inversions, Writing with Non-Chord Tones, Writing with Inner Voices.
• The Dominant 7^th Chord:  Part Writing with the V7 Chord, Part Writing with Inversions of the V7 Chord, Proper Resolutions of Tendency Tones in the V7 Chord. 
• The Leading Tone 7^th chord:  Part Writing with the vii7 Chord, Part Writing with Inversions of the vii7 Chord, Proper Resolution of Tendency Tones in the vii7 Chord.
• Harmonizing with other 7^th chords: Common Diatonic 7^th Chords in Major Keys, Common Diatonic 7^th Chords in a Minor Key (based on scale).  Voice leading with Non-Dominant 7^th Chords, Pre-Dominant 7^th Chords, Sequences Using 7^th Chords, Chain Suspensions Using 7^th Chords.
• Secondary Dominant Chords: the V/V, V/iii, V/ii, V/vi Chords and the V7/V, V7/iii, V7/ii, V7/vi Chords.
• Secondary Leading Tone Chords: the vii/V, vii/iii, vii/ii, vii/vi Chords and the vii7/V, vii7/iii, vii7/ii, vii7/vi Chords.
• Identifying Secondary Dominants in Analysis of Music, Part Writing With Secondary Dominants, Voice Leading with Secondary Dominants, Analysis with secondary dominants
• Small Forms: Binary Form, Ternary Form, Rounded Binary Form, Period, Parallel Period, Contrasting Period, , Double Period

Sight singing training and aural skills development are additional components of this course. Computer technology is used in the class to reinforce skills as they are presented. Software used in this course includes: Auralia, Musition, Sibelius 6 and various Web-based software. Students who complete this class acquire skills  that are roughly equivalent to those taught in a  first year college music theory curriculum at most universities in the country.