Music Department

Placement Testing During OrientationWeek

Placement Music Theory

Each applicant will be expected to demonstrate:

  • familiarity with the basic terminology of music;
  • ability to read music written in either trebel or bass staff;
  • knowledge of the key signatures of all major and minor scales;
  • understanding of meter and rhythm;
  • ability to recognize and write the common musical intervals;
  • understanding of the structure of major and minor triads.

Students may prepare for the written theory placement exam by studying any standard music fundamentals text, such as: Programmed Rudiments of Music, by Robert W. Ottman and Frank D. Mainous, Prentice-Hall, Inc. Publishers, Eaglewood Cliffs, NJ or Basic Materials in Music Theory: A Programmed Course by Paul O. Harder, Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Publishers, Boston, MA. Other satisfactory music fundamentals texts are readily available in most college bookstores.

Placement In General Musical Knowledge

  • familiarity with primary style periods of music
  • knowledge of primary composers
  • knowledge of various genres, for example, opera, symphony, chamber music, etc.

Students may prepare for the written general music placement exam by studying any standard music appreciation text, such as The Employment of Music by Joseph Machlis.

Placement In Piano

  • scales and chord progressions
  • harmonizations
  • sight reading
  • repertoire

Placement in Aural Skills

Sightsinging: Each applicant will be expected to sing at sight, material of the difficulty of an average folk song.
Eartraining: Applicant will be given a brief aural quiz in recognizing intervals, melodies and rhythms.