AP Exam Information and Preparation Microlesson

Introduction

At the end of this course, you will take the AP Music Theory exam. This microlesson will introduce you to the AP Music Theory Exam and will provide study materials. The AP Music Theory Exam utilizes various skills. These combined skills include music theory comprehension; score-reading; ear-training (error-detection; chord progressions); sight-singing; and (melodic and harmonic) dictation. The dictation skills also include rhythmic dictation. By the end of this course, you should be well-versed in various music terminology and be fluent in music analysis. Additionally, you should practice ear training/sight singing daily. Refer back to this lesson often throughout your course of study.

Ear training practice resources (and other important resources) can be found by clicking HERE.

About the AP Music Theory Exam

(All information on this page comes directly from the College Board Website).

The AP Music Theory Exam evaluates students' understanding of musical structure and compositional procedures through recorded and notated examples. Listening skills are emphasized, particularly those involving recognition and comprehension of melodic and rhythmic patterns, harmonic functions, small forms, and compositional techniques. Most of the musical examples are from standard repertoire; some examples of contemporary, jazz, vernacular music, or music beyond the Western tradition are included.

The exam requires fluency in reading musical notation and a strong grounding in music fundamentals, terminology, and analysis.

Visit the AP Music Theory student page for exam information and exam practice.

Exam Format

The exam is about 2 hours and 40 minutes long and has two sections — multiple-choice and free-response.

Section I: Multiple Choice | 75 Questions | ~1 hour and 20 minutes | 45% of Exam Score

There are two types of multiple choice questions on the exam:

Questions based on aural stimulus test your listening skill and knowledge about theory largely in the context of examples from actual musical scores. Some questions will cover aural skills, including melodic dictation and identification of isolated pitch and rhythmic patterns, while others may test your skill in score analysis.
Questions based on analysis of printed music scores emphasize knowledge of score analysis, including small-scale and large-scale harmonic procedures; melodic organization and developmental procedures; rhythmic/metric organization; texture; and formal devices and/or procedures. You may also see questions about musical terminology, notational skills, and basic compositional skills.

Section II: Free-Response | 7 written questions and 2 sight-singing exercises | ~1 hour and 20 minutes | 55% of Exam Score

Written Portion: ~1 hour and 10 minutes
- 4 questions on dictation
- 2 questions on part-writing
- 1 question on composition of a bass line

Sight-Singing Portion: ~10 minutes
- Sing and record two brief, primarily diatonic melodies (of about four to eight bars).
- You will have 75 seconds to examine and practice each melody and 30 seconds to perform it.
- You may sing the melody beginning with the given starting pitch or another pitch in a range that is more comfortable.

Exam Questions and Scoring Information

Visit the College Board Website to study and practice with previously released exams. A link is located in the Resources section of this microlesson (found at the beginning of this microlesson).

Helpful Hints & Resources

Helpful Hints for the AP Music Theory Exam

Sight-Singing: After the provided and given pitch, identify if the excerpt is in major or minor; time signature; clef. Sing the scale (major or minor); sing the triad; sing Do-Ti-Do; and Do-Sol-Do. Identify these pitches in the excerpt and any chromatic pitches. Watch for the use of a melodic minor scale’s pitches. Notice approach of direction to final pitch (Sol-Do; Ti-Do; Re-Do).

For the Melodic Dictation: Make a template within the given template to aid with notating the rhythm. (Ex: In 4/4 time, place indications of upbeats and subdivided rhythms). Listen for the direction of the pitches. Listen for the chromatic pitches.
Harmonic Dictation: Only notate the soprano and bass lines for the harmonic dictation. Listen for these pitches and for the quality of the chord (major; minor; augmented; diminished) to help with identification of chord progression and cadences.

Outside Resources

Many outside resources will provide musical examples, audio recordings, answer sheets. When locating outside resources, search for rhythm(ic) sheets/rhythmic dictation; ear-training; sight-singing; error detection; melodic dictation; harmonic dictation. This microlesson provides a wealth of resources that should be referred to frequently throughout your course of study.

Glossary of Terms

The following Musical Terms are listed for the AP Music Theory Exam. Become familiar with them. Terms are organized by category and listed in alphabetical order. To access the key term definition, click on the category and then click on the key term. These terms should be frequently visited and studied; this resource contains much of the vocabulary that you need to know to succeed in this course and prepare for the AP exam. Additionally, a printable copy of the terms is below the interactive.

Click here to download a printable copy of the glossary terms for AP Music Theory.

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