AP Music Theory

MUS501 and MUS502 | Full-Year Course
ELECTIVE ⬜9 ⬜10 ⬛11 ⬛12
⬜DMACC ⬜NCAA ⬜RAI

AP Music Theory is a two-semester course designed to develop a student’s ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score. The first semester will seek to instill mastery of the rudiments and terminology of music including: notation, intervals, scales and keys, chords, metric organization, and rhythmic patterns. The second semester will build on these skills and progress to more sophisticated and creative tasks such as: composition of bass lines, realization of figured bass, analysis of repertoire, and composition of melodies. Emphasis will be placed on functional triadic harmony in traditional four-voice texture, tonal relationships, modulation to closely related keys, standard rhythms and meters, phrase structure, and small musical forms. Students will continually work to improve in areas of aural skills, sight-singing, composition, and analysis.

The AP Music Theory course is designed to prepare students not only for the AP test in the spring but also for their college placement exams. In order to do this most effectively, students should take the course as close as possible to their college exam dates, preferably during their senior year.

It is highly advised to take the Advanced Placement exam as a culmination of the AP course curriculum.  Students who successfully complete an AP course will have a .5 weighted grade applied to their gpa for the course. Students who participate in the AP exam will have a total of 1.0 weighted grade applied to their gpa for the course. Regardless of exam participation, a student's transcript will reflect the title of the AP course they enrolled in.

Each exam has a cost that will be incurred by the student.  If students are in need of financial assistance to help with the cost of AP exams, please see your assigned counselor for information.