{ Write More Music! }

Wow, has it been a busy week! I started my on-campus assistantship on Tuesday, took entrance exams on Wednesday, and had a piano proficiency hearing yesterday. I know it’s out of sequence in my “Graduate Experience” series, but I’d like to make a few remarks about preliminary exams while the information is fresh in my mind.

If you have chosen a graduate program in music that is not where you completed your undergrad degree, you will be required to take preliminary exams. In some cases, if you DID chose to pursue a graduate program where you completed undergrad, you will be required to take preliminary exams. These exams serve as a benchmark so the faculty can determine if you need any additional coursework. In most cases, the exams cover Theory, Aural skills, and Musicology.

For the music theory exam, expect questions about chord progressions, modes, pivot chords, augmented sixths, secondary dominants, key signatures, non-harmonic chord tones, forms, serialism, and score analysis. In my case the exams were separated into the common practice period and twentieth century music. Really, anything is possible on this exam. I have seen “Tonal Harmony” recommended as a study text, but I used “The Music Theory Handbook”

Aural skills covered intervals, scales, chords, and sequences in a multiple-choice type test. I can’t really think of a good way to practice other than just practicing whatever method you used in undergrad for ear training.

The Musicology exam was 125 questions and covered everything from the medieval period to present day, including quite a bit of random information. This particular test seemed to focus on the Renaissance, but really anything is valid here. Almost everyone recommends the Grout “A History of Western Music.”

Piano proficiency varies widely by school, so be sure to check the requirements for your school and program.