Freshman Theory

A TIMED placement test will be given the first class day of Music Theory. This test will consist of questions about rhythm, meter, notation, and key signatures. Students who make less than 80% on this test will be placed in Music Fundamentals (MUSC 1000) and will have to delay beginning the music theory sequence until the following year.

In order to be successful on the placement test, you should be FLUENT in the following:

• Reading notes in bass clef (including up to two ledger lines above and below the staff):
  Drilling practice
• Reading notes in treble clef (including up to two ledger lines above and below the staff):
  Drilling practice
• Accidentals and the intervals of whole and half steps:
• Duration: whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, 32nd notes.
• Duration: Ties and dots
• Meter signatures: Simple Meters and Compound Meters
  (Drill practice on meter identification)
• Major Scales
  (Drill practice-scale construction)
  (Drill practice-scale identification)
• Writing complete and correct key signatures up to seven sharps and seven flats on treble and bass clefs:
  (drill practice-constructing key signatures) (drill practice-identifying key signatures)
• Additional web resource for help in reading music (Clefs, note durations, time signatures, etc.)

It is HIGHLY recommended that you drill this material until you are able to answer all questions quickly and accurately.  Besides the lessons on the material, musictheory.net also has practice exercises.