Pioneer High School AP Music Theory Curriculum Map

Unit
Rhythmic Notation

Pitch Notation

Performance
Markings
Key Signatures

Scales

Intervals

Triads

Roman Numeral
Analysis

Content
Beat & tempo; meter
signatures; simple,
compound, and
asymmetric meters;
hemiola; cross rhythms;
syncopation; notating
rhythm
Pitch notation; staff &
clefs; ledger lines; octave
designation; chromatic
alteration; enharmonic
equivalents

Essential
Questions

Focus Questions

Skills

Assessment

State Benchmark

How do I use musical

notation to compose,
perform and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

What are the primary

symbols used to notate
rhythm?

Student will be able to

Homework; Groupwork;
perform simple rhythms.
Composition; Test
Student will be able to
identify rhythmic elements in
a musical passage.

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

How do I use musical

notation to compose,
perform and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

What are the primary

symbols used to notate
pitch?

Student will be able to

identify pitch elements in a
musical passage.

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

How do I use musical

notation to compose,
perform and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?
Key signatures; placement How do I use musical
of flats & sharps; circle of notation to compose
fifths; relative and parallel and/or evaluate musical
keys
excerpts?

How do performance
markings affect musical
compositions?

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Chromatic scale; major

scale; transposition; tonic;
natural, harmonic, melodic
minor scales; parallel and
relative scales; scale
degrees, pentatonic,
whole-tone
Numeric value; quality;
major scale; inversion;
diatonic vs. chromatic;
consonant vs. dissonant

What tetrachords are used

to create the major scale?
How is this varied in the
minor scales? Can you
transpose melodies to other
keys?

Student will perform musical

passages, exhibiting correct
usage of performance
markings present.
Student will be able to draw
the circle of fifths, and
identify the major and relative
minor tonalities from various
key signatures.
Student will be able to
write/identify written
major/minor scales. Student
will be able to transpose
simple melodies to other
keys.

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Can you draw and identify

intervals of various size,
quality, and direction?

Student will be able to draw Homework; Groupwork;

and identify intervals of
Test
various size, quality, and
direction.

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Can you draw and identify

triads of various qualities
and inversions? Can you
realize a figured bass
excerpt?

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Homework; Groupwork;
Test

A.1.5; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Dynamics; articulation;
tempi

How do I use musical

notation to compose
and/or evaluate musical
excerpts?

How do I use technical

terminology and essential
musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?
Structure of triads;
How do I use technical
seventh chords; inversion; terminology and essential
figured bass
musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

Diatonic & primary triads;

functional chord symbols
(major & minor keys)

Can you complete the circle

of fifths, drawing/identifying
all major key signatures and
relative minors?

Student will be able to draw

and identify major, minor,
augmented, and diminished
triads, in root position and
inversion. Student will be
able to realize figured bass
excerpts.
How do I use technical
What roman numerals are Student will be able to
terminology and essential assigned to triads of the
analyze chord progressions
musical elements to
major/minor scale? Can
harmonically, using RNA.
compose and/or evaluate you harmonically analyze a Includes chord progressions
musical excerpts?
chord progression using
in four-voice texture.
RNA?

Principles of
Harmonization

Cadence points; harmonic How do I use technical

rhythm; chordal hierarchy; terminology and essential
harmonic motion
musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

Cadences

Harmonic (authentic,
How do I use technical
plagal, half, deceptive);
terminology and essential
Rhythmic; open vs. closed musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?
Passing; neighbor;
How do I use technical
changing; appoggiatura; terminology and essential
escape; anticipation;
musical elements to
suspension; retardation;
compose and/or evaluate
pedal point
musical excerpts?
Triads in root-position, 1st How do I use technical
inversion, 2nd inversion, terminology and essential
6:4 chords, doubling,
musical elements to
common tones.
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

Non-Harmonic
Tones
Voice Leading

General Melodic
Characteristics

Schenkerian
Analysis

Characteristics of
individual vocal lines;
contour; triad outlining;
interval structure; tonal,
real, and modified
sequences.

How do I use the

characteristics learned to
compose and/or evaluate
music in different styles?

Can you differentiate

between closed and open
cadences? How do the
triads of the major scale
typically progress in a
chordal hierarchy?
What are the types of
harmonic cadences
employed? Can you write
and identify these in a
musical context?
How are embellishing tones
used to ornament
melodies/enhance chord
progressions?

Student will be able to

identify open and closed
cadences. Student will be
able to write/identify chord
progressions that follow the
chordal hierarchy.
Student will be able to
compose/identify harmonic
cadences.

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

A.1.5; B.2.4; C.3.1;

C.3.2; C.3.3

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

A.1.5; B.2.4; C.3.1;

C.3.2; C.3.3

Student will be able to

compose/identify nonharmonic tones in a musical
context.

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

A.1.5; B.2.4; C.3.1;

C.3.2; C.3.3

What are the principles of

good voice leading? How
does doubling vary for
triads in inversion? What
are the four types of 6:4
chords? Can you part-write
a melody in SATB texture?

Student will apply the

Homework; Groupwork;
principles of good voice
Composition; Test
leading into four-voice, SATB
texture, adhering to the rules
governing chord connection,
doubling, and resolution.

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Identify large and small

scale melodic features.
What are the harmonic
implications of a melody?
How do tonal, real, and
modified sequences differ?

Student will be able to

compose melodies that
adhere to the general
characteristics discussed.
Student will be able to
identify errors in melodic
passages. Student will be
able to sequence musical
motives, according to the
rules of tonal, real, and
modified sequences.
Melodic pitch hierarchy,
How do I use the
Can you provide a melodic Student will be able to create
primary, secondary &
characteristics learned to reduction for a given
melodic reductions,
embellishing tones; step- compose and/or evaluate melodic passage? Identify recognizing stepprogression & large-scale music in different styles? any step-progressions or
progressions, large-scale
arpeggiation; melodic
large-scale arpeggiations
arpeggiations, primary,
reduction.
from a melodic passage.
secondary, & embellishing
tones.

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Melodic Form &

Organization

Motives, phrases, phrase

relationships, cadential
elision; periods, threephrase, modulating,
symmetric / asymmetric;
cadential / internal
extension; melodic
analysis.

How do I use the

characteristics learned to
compose and/or evaluate
music in different styles?

How are motives, phrases,

and periods related,
structurally? Can you
analyze a melodic passage
in terms of phrase
relationship, harmonization,
and period structure?

Student will be able to

Homework; Groupwork;
analyze phrase relationships, Composition; Test
harmonizations melodies,
and identify period structures
from musical literature.
Student will be able to
compose melodies that
adhere demonstrate specific
phrase/period types.

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Seventh Chords

Dominant / Leading-Tone
Seventh Chords;
Nondominant Seventh
Chords; Part-Writing with
said triads.

How do I use technical

terminology and essential
musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

Analyze an excerpt of
musical literature that
utilizes various types of
dominant and non-dominant
seventh chords. Can you
part-write using said triads?
Can you identify said triads
aurally?

Student will demonstrate

Homework; Groupwork;
ability to analyze musical
Composition; Test
literature that includes
dominant and non-dominant
seventh chords. Student will
compose part-writing
exercises that follow the
guidelines for good voice
leading.

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Secondary
Dominants &
Modulation

Secondary Dominants;
Pivot Chord and
Chromatic Modulation;
Modulation vs.
Tonicization. Part-Writing
with said triads.

How do I use technical

terminology and essential
musical elements to
compose and/or evaluate
musical excerpts?

Student will demonstrate

ability to analyze musical
literature that includes pivot
chords, modulation, &
tonicization. Student will
compose part-writing
exercises that follow the
guidelines for good voice
leading.

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Musical Form

Form & Dramatic Shape;

Simple Binary forms;
Rounded Binary form;
Ternary form

Homework; Groupwork;
Composition; Test

B.2.4; C.3.1; C.3.2;

C.3.3

Composition

Musical form;
compositional elements;
motivic development;
sequences

Homework; Composition

A.1.6; B.2.5; B.2.6;

C.3.1; C.3.2; C.3.3

Sight-Singing

How do sight-reading
Single line melodies of
varying levels of difficulty; techniques help the
Solfege; Rhythmic reading performer sing with

Can you perform rhythms

and melodies in various
key/meter signatures?

Student will analyze,

compare, and compose
music that demonstrates an
understanding of Simple
Binary, Rounded Binary,
Simple Ternary, Strophic, and
Theme and Variation forms.
Compositions will exhibit
understanding of texture and
dramatic shape.
Student will create an original
composition for keyboard,
demonstrating an
understanding of the
essential musical elements.
Student will perform rhythms
and melodies in a variety of
key/meter signatures.

Can you notate rhythms

and melodies in various
key/meter signatures?

Student will notate rhythms

and melodies in various
key/meter signatures.

Groupwork; Performance --

Analyze an excerpt of
musical literature that
utilizes pivot and chromatic
modulation. Can you partwrite using said triads?
Can you identify said triads
aurally? Can you
differentiate between a
modulation and a
tonicization?
How do I use the
Can you analyze a musical
characteristics learned to excerpt in terms of formal
compose and/or evaluate structure? Can you
music in different styles? compare between different
examples of similar musical
forms? Can you compose
music demonstrating
particular musical forms?
How do I use the
characteristics learned to
compose and/or evaluate
music in different styles?

expression and accuracy?

Rhythmic & Melodic

Dictation

Single line melodies of

varying levels of difficulty.
Pitch & rhythm isolated
and in combination.

How do aural skills

techniques help the
performer notate musical
excerpts with accuracy?

Can you create an original

musical composition,
exhibiting appropriate use
of musical elements?

Groupwork; Performance A.1.6

Harmonic Dictation

Keyboard Harmony

Four-part chorales of
varying levels of difficulty.
Notate soprano & bass
lines, identify possible
harmonizations.
Keyboard recognition;
performance of
major/minor scales; basic
chord progressions

How do aural skills

techniques help the
performer notate musical
excerpts with accuracy?

Can you notate soprano

Student will notate soprano Groupwork; Performance -and bass lines from fourand bass lines in various key
part chorales in various key signatures.
signatures?

How do basic keyboard

techniques help the
performer play with
accuracy?

Can you perform

major/minor scales and
basic chord progressions
on an electronic keyboard?

Student will perform

Homework; Performance
major/minor scales and basic
chord progressions on an
electronic keyboard.

A.1.4