Music Theory Program :: Midwest Young Artists

The Theory Program

Open your ears to deeper musical understanding and enhance your playing skills by working regularly this fall with the building blocks of music! MYA’s Saturday and Sunday theory classes focus on active listening experiences as well as written concepts. Worksheets provide opportunities to practice concepts from class and to write your own music. During the school year classes meet for two 15-week semesters on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. For more on the Theory Program, see below:

Any student over 7 years old who studies an instrument and possesses basic music reading knowledge may participate. Parents and other MYA friends are invited to participate as well! Tuition is waived for all MYA members. Initial class enrollment is based on a skills assessment quiz. In order to be placed in a theory class, all new students must take the assessment quiz. Exceptions are made for younger students who have had no previous theory training. Generally these students begin in the Musicianship I class.

Students may only move into the next higher level class by passing a proficiency test (in both written and aural skills), offered at the end of each year, regardless of whether they move into a higher level orchestra!

Classes are taught every week by Peter Kupfer

Jazz Theory

Details coming soon! See below for Fall 2007 placements.

Classes are taught every week by Nic Meyer

Class offerings

Musicianship I, Ages 7-10, 30 mins/week

Clef reading (treble, bass, alto)
Major Scales & Intervals
Sight singing diatonic scalar melodies
Dictation with diatonic scalar melodies
Simple duple/triple meter
Basic Phrasing
Simple composition with above concepts

Musicianship II, Ages 10-13, 30 mins/week

Review Musicianship I concepts
Minor Scales & Intervals
Sight singing with skips up to P5
Dictation with skips up to P5
Compound meter
Simple composition with above concepts

College Prep I, Ages 13-15, 1 hr/week

Review Musicianship II concepts
Scales, Tonality, Key, Modes
Intervals (Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented)
Triads (Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented)
Inversions (Intervals & Triads)
Seventh Chords
Ear training to be integrated for all of the above concepts

College Prep II, Ages 15-17, 1 hr/week

Review College Prep I concepts
Diatonic triads
Diatonic sevenths
Functional harmony
Cadences and simple progressions in major and minor (e.g., I-V-I, I-IV-V-I)
Analyze simplified chorales
Non-harmonic tones
Ear training to be integrated for all of the above concepts

College-Level, Ages 16-18, 1 hr/week

Review College Prep II concepts
Species counterpoint (I)
Principles of voice leading with four voices
Realizing figured bass
Phrase structure and form
Secondary dominants/leading-tone chords
Modulation
Harmonizing given melodies
Analyze complete chorales and more advanced pieces
Ear training to be integrated for all of the above concepts

Jazz and College Prep, Ages 14-18, 1 hr/week

Details coming soon!

Fall 2008 Classes

Please note that material covered in each level is the same regardless of orchestra.

Saturday Classes (see below for Sunday classes) updated 8-18-2008

9:00-9:30am // Musicianship I (Cadet)

10:30-11:00am // Musicianship I (Reading)

11:00-11:30am // Musicianship II (Cadet)

11:30-12:00pm // College Prep I (Cadet/Prep)

12:00-12:30pm // College Prep I (Concert)

12:30-1:00pm // College Prep II (Concert)

2:00-2:30pm // Musicianship I (Prep)

2:30-3:00pm // Musicianship II (Prep)

3:00-3:30pm // College Prep I (Symphony)

3:30-4:00pm // College Prep II (Symphony)

Sunday Classes

12:00pm // Musicianship I

2:00pm // Musicianship II

4:30pm // Jazz and College Prep