Placement Exams
*Applicants who missed August placement exams should contact the research [dot] music [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Music Research Department) before September 4th, 2013.
Applicants should review the Placement Exam Info - August 2013 [.pdf] as soon as possible.
Placement examinations are administered for both new and transfer students.
Sample Exams -
These sample exams are posted as a guide for students preparing for the McGill placement exams. The answer keys will allow you to assess your performance and identify areas to study further. Websites, books, and other study materials are suggested for each test to help you improve your performance before the August exams.
Rudiments: Theory Rudiments Sample Placement Exam.pdf | Answer Key.pdf
In addition to the written theory rudiments tested in the placement exam, basic musicianship skills (as tested in the MUSP 140/141 placement test) are also considered when determining student placement. The basic musicianship self-diagnostic quiz posted below may help you identify areas to work on over the summer. It is recommended that you take the quiz in a quiet place with good-quality speakers or headphones.
Basic Musicianship Self-diagnostic Quiz.pdf | Answer Key.pdf
Audio files: 1a | 1b | 1c | 1d | 1e | 1f | 1g | 1h | 1i | 1j | 2a | 2b | 2c | 2d | 2e | 2f | 3a | 3b | 3c | 3d | 4a | 4b | 5a | 5b
Recommended materials for review (theory rudiments and basic musicianship): www.teoria.com, www.musictheory.net, Musition, MacGAMUT, or the Eastman School of Music’s eTheory course (contact robert [dot] hasegawa [at] mcgill [dot] ca for a $20 discount code for eTheory). For written theory rudiments, review interval writing and identification, key signatures, relative major/minor keys, scales including harmonic and melodic minor, scale degrees, and writing triads in various inversions. Basic musicianship proficiency includes aural identification of intervals and chords (by type and inversion), as well as rhythmic and melodic dictation.
Musicianship (MUSP 140): sample exam.pdf
Recommended materials for review: Self study with www.teoria.com, commercial musicianship software (EarMaster, Practica Musica, Auralia, or MacGamut), standard musicianship textbooks (Ottman, Music for Sight Singing; Berkowitz, A New Approach to Sight Singing; Karpinsky, Anthology for Sight Singing; Phillips/Clendenning/Marvin, Aural Skills; Lavignac, Solfège des solfèges), or McGill Conservatory summer courses [pdf] (see page 13 of the linked PDF). Review aural recognition of intervals (including compound intervals), chord quality (triads and seventh chords), dictation (rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic), simple atonal structures, and sight-singing.
Theory and Analysis 1 (MUTH 150): sample exam.pdf | answer key.pdf
Recommended materials for review: Any standard music theory textbook (Laitz, The Complete Musician; Aldwell/Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading; Marvin/Clendinning, The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis). Review seventh chords in all inversions and types, resolution of dominant and diminished seventh chords, writing simple harmonic progressions in four parts, harmonic analysis with Roman numerals and figured bass, and labeling non-harmonic tones and cadence types.
Theory and Analysis 2 (MUTH 151): sample placement.pdf | answer key.pdf
Recommended materials for review: Any standard music theory textbook (Laitz, The Complete Musician; Aldwell/Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading; Marvin/Clendinning, The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis). Review harmonic analysis with Roman numerals and figured bass, chromaticism, labeling non-harmonic tones and cadence types, realizing a figured bass in chorale style, and harmonization of a chorale melody.