| The Boston Conservatory Department of Composition, Theory, and Music History Department Chair: Andy Vores Room 221 avores@bostonconservatory.edu 617 912-9107 Departmental Assistant: Andrew Jackson andrew_jackson@bostonconservatory.edu Undergraduate Placement Exams During Orientation Week all incoming undergraduate and transfer students take placement exams in Ear Training, Piano (not required for Piano majors), and Theory. For Ear Training and Piano, students are assigned specific time slots; 6 minutes for Ear Training, 10 minutes for Piano. The Theory exam is a one-hour paper. Ear Training Keyboard Theory Ear Training Placement All students take Section 1 and Section 2 Students seeking to place out of ear training courses may attempt Sections 3, 4, and/or 5 Section 1 rhythm Students who fail this section may be required to take MU349 Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the fall semester Section 2 solfège with conducting; rhythm; aural analysis Students who pass this section will be waived out of Ear Training 1 and placed in Ear Training 2 Section 3 solfège with conducting; rhythm; aural analysis; dictation Students who pass this section will be waived out of Ear Training 1 and 2 and placed in Ear Training 3 Section 4 solfège with conducting; rhythm; aural analysis; dictation Students who pass this section will be waived out of Ear Training 1, 2, and 3 and placed in Ear Training 4 Section 5 solfège; conducting; accompaniment; aural analysis; dictation Students who pass this section will be waived out of all Ear Training requirements ________________________________________________________________________________ Keyboard Placement Section 1 scales; arpeggios; triads; intervals; sightreading Students who do not pass this section will be placed in Keyboard Skills 1 or 2 Students who pass this section will be placed in Piano Class 1 or 2 Section 2 sightreading; transposition; prepared piece of your own choosing Students who pass this section will be waived out of Piano Class 1 or 2 and placed in Keyboard Theory 1 or 2 Section 3 sightreading; harmonization; figured bass Students who pass this section will be waived out of all keyboard requirements ______________________________________________________________________ back to top Theory Placement For Freshman placement students need take either Section 1 or Section 2 Students seeking to place out of harmony and counterpoint courses may attempt Sections 3, 4, and/or 5 Section 1 key signatures; scales; intervals; triads; rhythmic notation Students who do not pass this section will be placed in Music Fundamentals Students who pass this section will be placed in Harmony & Counterpoint 1 Section 2 harmonic analysis; harmonization (root position and first inversion); 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Species counterpoint Students who pass this section will be waived out of Harmony & Counterpoint 1 and placed in Harmony & Counterpoint 2 Section 3 harmonic analysis; harmonization (seventh chords, triads in all inversions); 4th Species counterpoint; secondary dominants Students who pass this section will be waived out of Harmony & Counterpoint 1 and 2 and placed in Harmony & Counterpoint 3 Section 4 harmonic analysis; harmonization; analysis of sonata form; modulation Students who pass this section will be waived out of Harmony & Counterpoint 1, 2, and 3 and placed in Harmony & Counterpoint 4 Section 5 harmonic realization; harmonic analysis; borrowed chords; chromatic harmony Students who pass this section will be waived out of Harmony & Counterpoint 1, 2, 3, and 4 and placed in Form & Analysis 1 (except Voice majors, who are not required to take Form & Analysis) Interested students should request a copy of The Boston Conservatory Music Theory Primer from the Music Division Office. This covers basic information that you need to be familiar with in order to begin Harmony and Counterpoint I. This primer also includes a sample of Section 1 of the placement exam. The primer may also be downloaded here >Primer It is important to recognize that the information in this primer is not what you will be learning during your first year. This is information which you should already know when you arrive in order to successfully begin the first year of theory. |