Course Policies - Music Theory, Functional Keyboard, Aural Training

Placement and Exemption Testing Policy for Music Theory, Aural Training, and Functional Keyboard

Placement Testing for Incoming Students

Incoming first-year students will take a mandatory placement test in Music Theory upon arrival in the Fall semester to determine whether they will go into MUSC 161 Foundations of Music Theory or MUSC 171 Diatonic Harmony. Students who place into MUSC 171 may request to attempt additional placement tests to go into MUSC 172 Chromatic Harmony or MUSC 271 Form & Analysis. These tests are administered by the Director of Theory and/or the music theory faculty.

Incoming first-year students are automatically registered for MUSC 173 Aural Training I, but may elect to take voluntary placement tests to place into Aural Training II, III, or IV (MUSC 174, 273, and 274, respectively). These tests are administered by the Aural Training Coordinator and/or the aural training faculty at the start of the Fall semester.

Incoming students will be placed into the appropriate Functional Keyboard sequence (two-, three-, or four-semester) by the Keyboard Area Coordinator at the start of the Fall semester.

Students may only attempt these placement tests once upon entry to the School of Music, with the following exceptions:

Placement Testing for Transfer Students

Incoming transfer students must take placement tests in music theory, aural training, and functional keyboard to determine where they should start. Transfer students may request to take placement tests at any time prior to their enrollment, or else this testing will take place in the Fall with incoming first-time-in-college students.

Further Exemption Testing

Exceptionally strong students (here defined as any student who has earned a grade of A or higher in the most recent course in any given sequence) may request to attempt additional exemption tests for subsequent courses in the sequence. The request must be made to the Director of Theory in writing. Upon approval, the student will attempt any additional exemption testing prior to the fall semester. Exemption testing will not be offered prior to the spring semester. Moreover, students are permitted only one such attempt to place out of any given course in the sequence.

Aural Training Policies

If a student enrolled in MUSC 173 is failing the course by the “last day to drop a full-term course without a grade of X” deadline (see academic calendar), the student has two options: 1) drop the course and enroll in MUSC 170 Aural Training Review. Upon receiving a passing grade in MUSC 170 Aural Training Review, the student then repeats MUSC 173 in the subsequent semester; or 2) remain in MUSC 173 and attempt to pass the class. If a passing grade in MUSC 173 is not achievable by the last two weeks of the semester, the student can late drop the course, receiving a grade of X, which has no GPA implications. (Students cannot drop courses or withdraw within the last two weeks of the semester.)