Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This course is required for students who plan on majoring in music at a four-year institution and is strongly recommended for any student wishing to pursue studies in music theory. The course is open to all students

The material for the course will be presented in a lecture/lab format. Instruction will take place in an electronic piano lab. The piano lab should facilitate practical examination. Students will be required to apply the material through music performance on the the piano keyboard. Musical examples from a wide array of genres will be used to demonstrate the concepts covered. Lectures may be enhanced through the use of multimedia technologies.

Students will able to accurately perform major scales in all keys with prepared fingerings (separate hands, four octaves, ascending and descending)
Students will be able to accurately construct and perform seventh chord arpeggios (hand over hand, ascending and descending)
Students will be able to accurately interpret and perform triads and seventh chords using pop chord notation.
Students will be able to construct and perform chord progressions using the secondary and primary triads in all major and minor keys.
Students will be able to successfully harmonize a single-line melody using proper chord progression (including secondary harmonies).
Students will be able to accurately harmonize the major and minor scales.
Students will be able to accurately perform four-part, chorale style harmonizations.
Students will be able to provide harmonic analysis of chords as found in music.
Students will be able to accurately perform a basic (beginning to intermediate level) composition for treble and bass clef.
Students will be able to successfully transpose a basic piano composition to two new keys.
Students will be able to successfully perform a basic piano composition at sight.

OUTCOME ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES:

Methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course letter grade should be made clear by the instructor at the beginning of the course. Due to the fact that this course focuses on the performance of a musical instrument, the primary assessment method will be through applied keyboard exams and exercises.   Other assessment methods may be used, including:

Qualitative and/or quantitative examinations
Homework assignments
Listening assignments
Concert reports
Research project
Class participation

I. Major Scales
    Separate hands with prepared fingerings
    Four octaves up and down the keyboard
II. Arpeggios    
    Seventh chords (MM7, Mm7, mm7, half-diminished 7 and diminished 7)
    Root position and all inversions
    Reading and interpreting pop chord notation
    
III. Harmony
    Review of primary triads    
    The secondary triads
    Harmonization of melodies using primary and secondary triads
    Harmonization of major and minor scales
    Four-part harmonization at the keyboard
    Harmonic analysis of chords as found in the music literature
IV. Sight-reading and Transposition
V. Score reading

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:
The following skills are expected to successfully meet the minimum requirement of "C" of "Pass" for the course.

• Accurately perform major scales with prepared fingerings (four octaves, separate hands, ascending and descending).
• Accurately perform seventh chord arpeggios (hand over hand, ascending and descending, all inversions).
• Accurately interpret and perform harmonies from pop chord notation.
• Construct and perform chord progressions using all diatonic triads in major and minor keys.
• Successfully identify and perform proper progression to harmonize simple single-line melody using all diatonic triads in major and minor keys.
• Perform intermediate level composition for piano (treble and bass clef) at sight.
• Accurately transpose simple piano composition to two new keys.