QUEENSLAND CONSERVATORIUM
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
INFORMATION ON THE ENTRANCE MUSIC
THEORY TEST
The Entrance Music Theory Test is
part of the process of admission to the Queensland Conservatorium. Prospective
students must take this Music Theory Concepts and Aural Skills exam. The Music
Theory department uses the results of this test to advise on admission and
placement of students at the
adequate course level. Most of the admitted students are placed in the first
level course, Music Theory 1, and its co-requisite Aural Studies 1.
Students with insufficient skills can be placed in Music Theory Foundations and
its co-requisite Aural Studies Foundations. The Entrance Test consists of two sections:
1. Music Theory
Concepts and Skills,
and
2. Aural Skills
Test.
1. The section Music Theory
Concepts and Skills tests the studentsÕ knowledge and speed of
resolution of concepts such as
2. The section Aural Skills tests the students level of
ear training and abilities by:
Preparing
for the exam
Ideally, a
prospective student who has enjoyed an adequate musical education and practice
at school or privately in the years prior to their admission to the
Conservatorium, should face the exam with confidence and fluency. As
last-minute preparations are usually ineffective for this type of exam,
students willing to learn should look for assistance in strong resources. The
most important resources at this stage are their parents and current music
teachers, who will facilitate additional encouragement, drive, and expectations
for advancement. Another important resource is that which contains specific
technical information and how-to tips, such as bibliography, web based
training, group practice, computer assisted training, etc.
Parents and
Teachers willing to learn more about how to best assist the students';
successful progress in their music studies are welcome to contact and meet the
staff of Music Theory at the Conservatorium. For details, check on the GU Open
Day website.
Prospective
students can train towards the test by reviewing all the concepts and skills
covered in chapters 1-8 of the textbook The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis (Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin). This textbook comes with a Workbook and a set of CDs. For additional
exercises, students can access the publisher's website:
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/musictheory/premium/index.html
Copies of this
textbook are available at the ConservatoriumÕs Music Library, and available for
purchase at The Coop Bookshop just outside the Conservatorium's lobby. Furthermore, this and many other useful music theory and aural
skills books are readily available through the web (check in www.amazon.com). Other
recommended textbooks that feature good summaries of music fundamentals
include: Gauldin,
Robert. Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music. 2nd ed. (Chapters 1 through 4) Clendinning,
Jane; Elizabeth West Marvin. The MusiciansÕ Guide to Theory and Analysis. About
the format of the exam To facilitate
expediency in the marking of the large number of exams, the test makes use of a
standard institutional answer sheet, which is read and marked electronically (check the sample
page below). Students use this sheet to answer the questions of the test in
multiple choice fashion. The process of reading the questions, comparing
possible answers, and checking with the students' own notes can be a little
tricky, thus all students are strongly encouraged to become as familiar as
possible with the format of the answer sheet and the process of multiple
choice. At continuation, students can use the following templates to devise
their own training document, which exercises both contents and strategies for
the test. For best results, the student should try the design of the test with
other musicians friends, or have a teacher or parents administer mock tests. What to bring for your exam: -
A
photo ID (your name and photo should appear on the ID card). -
A
soft black pencil - 2B. -
Eraser Sample of
the answer sheet used in the test. Designing
your own exercises *
Identifying rhythmic patterns Have
someone assist you to write or choose a few bars of any melodic and rhythmic
phrase, and ask them to blank-out one bar. Have your assistant create a list of
few options from which you choose the correct answer. example Choose
the correct answer from the following, and fill out the appropriate circle in
the answer sheet.
*
Recognising rhythmic features within aural and notated context For the
following routine, you need to have someone choose a musical phrase. They
should give you at least 4 different written versions of its rhythm. The rhythm
in some bars of their choice has been altered. Choose the correct version. Try this
with binary and ternary meters. As with
the previous example, you choose the correct answer from the options, and then
fill out the corresponding circle in the answer sheet. example: The fragment chosen and played by
your assistant. The different version from
which you have to choose the correct one (in this case, none is correct). *
Training intervals identification and recognition Design a grid
containing all the intervals within an octave. Give this grid to a friend and
have them choose 4 (or more) intervals that to play for you (your friend can
play them on any instrument, or various instruments when possible). example: Questions Intervals to
choose from: 1 M2 M3 P4 2 M2 M3 P4 3 M2 M3 P4 4 M2 M3 P4 Option 2 Questions Intervals to choose
from: 1 3 6 2 2 3 6 2 3 3 6 2 4 3 6 2 In Option 2 you
have a variation of the exercise. This one offers a gradual challenge, as you
have to make only a partial identification: decide if an interval is a Second or a
Sixth or a Third, leaving the
identification if it is Major or Minor in the next step of the exercise.
This approach helps you to isolate problems and work on your strenghts. Option 3 Check a b c d e f g h i j k m2 M2 m3 M3 P4 T P5 m6 M6 m7 M7 In this
variation of the question, you have to pick from a grid containing all the intervals within an octave.
Note, however, that the Answer Sheet can accommodate only 5 choices.
Consequently, the test will feature questions in which you have to choose from selected sets of intervals. *
Chord identification Have someone
choose a few items from the grid of options below, and play for you those
chosen items (using either a keyboard or a guitar). On your copy of the grid
you choose the appropriate answer. Fill out the corresponding circle in the Answer
Sheet. Example: Your
blank copy of the chords grid:
1 2 3 4 5 - - - You have 5 questions M a a a a a And these are the options, m b b b b b you choose from a through e. M7 c c c c c Each option represents one type of Mm7 d d d d d chord
(shown on the left column) m7 e e e e e Your
friendÕs copy of the grid, from which they play the chosen set: 1 2 3 4 5 M a a a a
(G) a m b b b b b
(F#m) MM7 c
c c
(Br7) c c Mm7 d
(E7) d d d d m7 e e
(Dm7) e e e Note: always sing the correct answer after the
exercise is completed. If you mistook a chord, sing first your answer, then
sing the correct answer. (For
example, 2e was Dm7. If you chose M7, then sing first Dr7, then the correct Dm7 chord). *
Identification of key signatures Have a friend
write 4 different key signatures (using alternatively treble and bass clef). He
them show you the notation and ask ÒWhich of these is the key signature of
_____? . The blank corresponds to a key that they have chosen beforehand and
is included within the 4 options. *
Scale structures Pick any note
on your instrument. Write this note down. Starting on this note, play a major
scale, then play a minor scale. Write these down. While you play the scale THINK of the name of
the notes, and while you write them down SING the names of these notes. *
Scales and triads Pick any note
on your instrument, then play a major scale starting on that note. Then play a
triad starting on each note of that scale. As you play, 1) think the name of the note, and 2) think what type of 3rds you are
stacking up. As major or minor triads result from overlapping appropriate 3rds,
this will lead you to reinforce your familiarity of what type of chords
you would expect to find on each scale degree in major or minor modes. Write
your triads down. As you write each triad down, sing them, while paying
attention when you have to use a capital roman numeral for a major triad, or a
small roman numeral for a minor triad. *
Arbitrary intervalic recognition Write down 4
different notes from the chromatic scale. Play them on your instrument. Under
each note, arbitrarily write the symbol of any interval within an octave (i.e.
m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, aug4 –or T for tritone. , P5, m6, M6, m7, M7, P8).
Once each of your 4 notes has a code for an interval, decide to produce the
interval either up or down. Play with your instrument the indicated interval.
Think carefully first, then observe the fingering. Write the new notes on top
of your earlier notes. Play them again, sing them. Look at them and imagine how
they sound. Read with your mind's ear the set of intervals even backwards, both with the names of the
notes, and with the name of the interval produced. example:
Does all this look too
elemental? Then you will breeze through the
coursework! Does all this seem incredibly
difficult? The sooner you start practicing
and joining with others to strengthen
your skills and knowledge, the easier and more applicable all this will
become. Send your comments to Gerardo Dirié
g.dirie@griffith.edu.au Music Studies – Theory and Composition Queensland Conservatorium South Bank, Queensland, Australia http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/qcgu/study/areas/music_studies.html
Option 1
