Summer Prep for AP Music Theory

musicislife73
Wed, 23 May 2012 01:01:53 +0000

Also, sing. A lot. The sight-singing they test you on isn’t difficult (to me personally), but it helps to have at least a 1.5-2 octave vocal range so you can sing what they give you without discomfort and/or having to transpose. (On a side note, don’t get sick before the exam. I got a cold the night before this year, so sight-singing was painful due to a sore throat.) Additionally, it helps to have a basic knowledge of piano. What instrument(s) do you play? Make sure you are “fluent” in both treble and bass clef and have a good understanding of alto and tenor clef, as they are all tested, the latter not quite as deeply as the former. (For example, all but 2 of the FRQs will require both treble and bass clefs; only one sight-singing and one melodic dictation will not test both. Be prepared for random MC questions requiring an understanding of the other clefs, such as in chord/inversion identifications or the like. If you’re lucky, you’ll only get asked something similar to “Which of the following is a d minor chord?” with options in alto and tenor clefs only. Be able to differentiate between the two, and be able to read them fairly rapidly.)