SUNY-Fredonia School of Music

 

Music Theory Singing Syllabus

Sophomore

(Revised 6 June 2007)

 

Notes: Chapter and excerpt numbers below refer to Ottman, Music for Sight Singing, 6th ed., Upper Saddle River. NJ: Pierson-Prentice Hall, 2004 and to The Musician's Guide to Aural Skills, vols. 1 and 2, New York: Norton , 2005.  Scales are sung both ascending and descending.  The exams consist of two prepared melodies from this list, one melody sung at sight, and any of the rhythms and exercise material or Sing/Play/Transpose material deemed appropriate by the examiner.

 

MUS 221

Level V (Chapters 13-14)

 

Prepared melodies:

13.5, 13.7, 13.14, 13.16, 13.21, 13.22, 13.31, 13.52, 13.72, 14.5, 14.8, 14.9, 14.10, 14.15, 14.20, 14.25, 14.4, 14.36, 14.44, 14.45

 

Rhythm and exercise material:

Prepared rhythms: 15.1-15.39

Scales:                               major and minor (natural, melodic, harmonic), chromatic

Intervals:                           all simple intervals, M/m9 ascending and descending

Isolated chords:                 Dom. 7th, M7th, m7th, 7th, o7th in root position and all inversions

Chord progressions:          Major: I–V7/IV–IV–V–I           Minor:  i–V7/iv–iv–V–i

Sing/Play/Transpose:

Musician's Guide to Aural Skills, vol. 2, ex. 22.1, progressions 1 or 3 (pp. 32-33).  Students choose one progression and play it in a major key and its parallel minor.

 

 

Level VI (Chapters 15-16)

 

Prepared melodies:

15.88, 15.100, 15.103, 15.127, 15.128, 15.129, 15.131, 15.134, 16.41, 16.43,  16.46, 16.55, 16.56, 16.58, 16.61, 16.64, 16.67, 16.66, 16.72, 16.69

 

Rhythm and exercise material:

Prepared rhythms:             15.40-15.69; 16.1-16.36

Scales:                               major and minor (natural, melodic, harmonic), chromatic

Intervals:                           all simple intervals, M/m9, M/m10, ascending and descending

Isolated chords:                 Dom. 7th, M7th, m7th, 7th, o7th in root position and all inversions;      Dom. M/m 9th in root position

Progressions:                    Major: I–Ger.+6–I–V7–I Minor: i–Ger.+6–i–V7–i

Sing/Play/Transpose:

Musician's Guide to Aural Skills, vol. 2, ex. 24.3, no. 4 or 5 or 7 (p. 101).  Play one of the following bass-and-soprano patterns (4, 5, or 7) in two major keys (over).  For your first key, you may use the given key-signature.  The second key is your choice.
SUNY-Fredonia School of Music

 

Music Theory Singing Syllabus

Sophomore

 

(Revised 6 June 2007)

 

Notes: Chapter and excerpt numbers below refer to Ottman, Music for Sight Singing, 6th ed., Upper Saddle River. NJ: Pierson-Prentice Hall, 2004 and to The Musician's Guide to Aural Skills, vols. 1 and 2, New York: Norton , 2005.  Scales are sung both ascending and descending.  The exams consist of two prepared melodies from this list, one melody sung at sight, and any of the rhythms and exercise material or Sing/Play/Transpose material deemed appropriate by the examiner.

 

MUS 222

Level VII (Chapters 17-18)

 

Prepared melodies:

17.28, 17.29, 17.30, 17.34, 17.35, 17.40, 17.43, 17.46, 17.44, 17.49, 17.52, 17.54, 17.55, 17.61, 17.65, 18.16, 18.18, 18.21, 18.22

 

 

Rhythm and exercise material:

Prepared rhythms[1]:            17.21-17.27; 18.1-18.15

 

 

Scales:                               chromatic, whole tone, "diatonic" pentatonic,[2]

Intervals:                           all simple intervals, M/m9, M/m10, ascending and descending

Isolated chords:                 Dom. 7th, M7th, m7th, 7th, o7th in root position and all inversions;      Dom. M/m 9th in root position

 

Chord progressions:         

major

minor:

I–Fr.+6–IV7–I

i–Fr.+6–i–V7–i

C: I–V–I–V7/IV–E: Ger.+6– I–V7–I

a:  i–V­–i–V7/iv–c#: Ger.+6 i–V7–i

C: I–viio–I6–viio–Ab: viio/V­–­I–V7–I

a: i–viio–i6–viio–f: viio/V­–i–V7–i

 

 

 

 

 

Level VIII (Chapters 19-21)

 

Prepared melodies:

19.3, 19.24, 20.5, 20.8, 20.9, 20.10, 20.17, 20.18, 20.20, 20.23, 20.24, 20.26, 20.33, 21.22, 21.25, 21.59

 

Rhythm and exercise material:

      Prepared rhythms[3]: 21.1-21.11

 

Scales:                               chromatic, whole tone, "major" pentatonic, blues scale,[4] church               modes (all except for Locrian; sung using diatonic solfge)

Intervals:                           all simple intervals, M/m9, M/m10, ascending and descending

Isolated chords:                 all trichords (012-048) sung forward and backward ascending from zero

Chord progressions:         

major

minor:

I–Ger.+6–I– viio7/V– VV/ii–ii6–V7–I

i–Ger.+6–i– viio7/V– Vviio7/iv–N6–V7–i

Bb7–Eb7–Bb7–F7–Eb7–Bb7

 

 

 



[1] Conducting instructions: 17.24 and 17.25 conducted in two; 17.26 and 17.27 conducted in three; 18.1 through 18.8 conducted in four; 18.9 through 18.10 conducted as subdivided three; 18.11 conducted in four; 18.12 through 18.15 conducted in six.

[2]See Musicians Guide pp. 51-52.

[3] Conducting instructions:  21.4 and 21.5 conduct as written; 21.8 conduct 5/4 bar in two, and 7/8 bar as two+three+two. Nos. 21.2, 21.5, and 21.7 need not be conducted.

[4]The scale as: 1-b3-4-#4-5-b7-1 sung on a neutral syllable ascending and descending.