Placement Examination Information

Listed below are all the examinations offered during orientation week and what you are required to take according to your degree. The test listings include links to study guide information if available.

See the orientation schedule on the current student page for exam times and locations.

Are you unable to attend an exam?
(please note that there is a $30 rescheduling fee for each exam missed)
Contact Erika Johnson (415.503.6297)
AND
John Spitzer (415.503.6220), Music History
Scott Foglesong (415.503.6244), Musicianship and Music Theory
Marcie Stapp (415.681.7625), Basic Phonetics and Lyric Diction
Jill Ferguson (415.503.6239), English, Introduction to Western Civilization, Foreign Languages

Special students need only to take exams for which they need to satisfy a prerequisite. Contact Erika Johnson (415.503.6297) with questions.

Introduction to Western Civilization

Required for: All incoming undergraduates
The examination tests historical/cultural knowledge, critical thinking, research and writing skills, and grammar knowledge. Students who will be taking language courses are advised to review their knowledge of English grammar. Otherwise students need not make any special preparations for the examination.

Transfer students may receive credit by exam if they have completed one year of a college level course equivalent to the Conservatory's GED 202/203 Introduction to Western Civilization and received a grade of 'C' or higher. It is possible to receive credit for one or both semesters.

Dictation, Sightsinging and Musicianship

Required for: All incoming undergraduates
The Musicianship Placement Exam determines placement into undergraduate musicianship sections. There are two components to the exam.

The first component is an individual sight-singing exam of short duration, which measures the student's ability to match pitch, retain the tonic, and perform music fluently at sight. Some examples will emphasize rhythm, modulation, and fluency in the alto and tenor clefs.

The second component is a comprehensive exam, administered in a group, which covers written theory and dictation skills. This exam is in two parts. The first part covers the rudiments of written theory (notation, key signatures, scales, intervals, and so forth), as well as dictation of single-voice rhythms, basic intervals, and simple melodies. This part of the exam is used to determine placement within the first three semesters of the musicianship sequence. The second part of the exam covers harmonic and melodic dictations of increasing difficulty, which determine placement within the final two semesters of the musicianship sequence.
Study guide and more info

Keyboard Skills

Required for: All incoming undergraduates (except keyboard instrument majors)
The examination covers sight reading of simple piano pieces, the performance of major and minor scales, and basic harmonic progressions at the piano. If supplementary work on the piano is indicated, one or two semesters of the keyboard skills class will be required.

English

Required for: all students for which English is not their native language
This exam will determine placement or exemption from GED 210/211 English, and/or GED 212/213 Advanced English as a Second Language. All non-native English speakers must take this exam unless they attended high school or college in the United States. If you are unsure if you have to take the exam please contact the Admissions Office or Erika Johnson (415.503.6297).

Music Theory

Optional for all students
Students who have taken collegiate-level Music Theory courses encompassing both Harmony and Structural (Formal) Analysis may receive credit by examination for one through four semesters of Music

Theory. The section of the exam covering the first two semesters of Music Theory concentrates primarily on common-practice harmonic writing and progressions, with only elementary structural analysis covered.

The section determining credit for the second two semesters concentrates predominantly on structural analysis, while including chromatic harmony as well. Credit for any given semester is contingent upon credit given for the previous semesters-for example, second-semester examination credit is awarded only if credit for the first semester is awarded as well.
Study guide and more info

Music History

Optional for all students
Students who successfully complete this exam may earn credit for one, two, or three semesters of Music History. The examination will test the student on knowledge of historical periods and stylistic practices and the historical and societal events that shaped those practices. It is not recommended that you take this exam unless you have an extensive background in music history.
Study guide and more info

Foreign Languages

Optional for all students
Students who may be proficient in French, Italian or German may take the placement exam of those languages to receive credit by examination unless this is your native language.

The Conservatory does give transfer credit for foreign languages completed at accredited American colleges provided the student received a grade of C or better. Students need not take the foreign language placement examination if their college transcript indicates completion of foreign language studies.

Basic Phonetics and Lyric Diction

Optional for all students
Phonetics and Lyric Diction exams will only be given at the beginning of each semester.

Students wishing to earn credit by examination for APP 210 must take the Basic Phonetics Placement Test, which covers the following material:

The International Phonetic Alphabet
You will be asked to transcribe English words (real or invented) into IPA upon hearing them pronounced, and to identify simple English words written in IPA.

Basic Articulatory Phonetics
You will be asked to answer multiple choice questions regarding the physical formation of vowels and consonants.

English Lyric Diction
You will be asked to choose between various possible IPA transcriptions of simple English words, based specifically on suggestions contained in The Singer's Guide to Languages by Marcie Stapp available from Marcie Stapp (415.681.7625)

This test is administered on an "open-book" basis but within a one-hour time limit. Students taking the examination should bring a copy of The Singers Guide to Languages with them to the examination.

To receive credit by exam for APP 211-213 (Lyric Diction French/German/Italian) students should contact Marcie Stapp (415.681.7625) to arrange an individual appointment. These appointments will occur on the same day as the Basic Phonetics test.

Dictation, Sightsinging and Musicianship

Required for: all incoming Master of Music candidates
The Graduate Eartraining and Dictation exam determines whether or not you need to take a one-semester refresher course in dictation and solfège skills (Musicianship Review MMT 602). The exam is in two parts: dictation, and singing.

If you have very little prior experience with eartraining or solfège, it is possible that the department will strongly recommend that you take an undergraduate music fundamentals course prior to taking the one-semester graduate refresher course.

Dictation: this is a progressive exam beginning from extremely simple dictation challenges (simple rhythms and melodies), and progressing through increasingly difficult examples, including intervals, chords, advanced melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, and chorale dictation. At the most advanced level, you are asked to take down a Bach-style chorale with harmonic analysis on four hearings. You are encouraged to continue only as far with the exam as you are comfortable, to take down only what you hear, and to avoid guesswork.

Singing: you are asked to sight-sing a number of musical compositions, both melodies and single-voice rhythms, ranging in difficulty from very simple to extremely complex. The musical selections may be in any of four clefs (treble, bass, tenor, and alto), major and minor modes as well as the standard Church modes, and at the more difficult level may be selected from the 12-tone or atonal literature. The instructor administering the examination will determine which selections to ask you to sing, depending upon your prior experience with solfège. You may sing the examples in any solfège system with which you are familiar, including using a neutral syllable. You are also asked to conduct during your performances, if at all possible.

Study guide and more info

Graduate Music Theory

Required for: all incoming Master of Music candidates
The Graduate Music Theory placement exam determines whether or not you will need to take a one-semester refresher course in the basics of music theory (Theory Review MMT 604).

If you have very little prior experience with music theory, it is possible that the department will strongly recommend that you take an undergraduate music fundamentals course prior to taking the one-semester graduate refresher course.

The exam covers both harmony and formal analysis. To demonstrate skill in harmony, you will be asked to write four-voice settings from either bass lines or melodies, as well as provide harmonic analysis of examples. The examples are progressive in difficulty, beginning with simple diatonic progressions and proceeding through more advanced chromatic practices. The exam does not cover twentieth-century or non-Western harmonic practices, nor does it cover counterpoint.

You will be asked to perform a formal analysis of a musical composition, which will be in a larger homophonic form-i.e., a compound form such as Minuet & Trio, a rondo form, sonata-allegro form, or something similar. You will also be asked to provide some terminology and to answer a number of questions related to the formal analysis of a particular musical composition.
Study guide and more info

Graduate Music History

Required for: all incoming Master of Music candidates
The examination tests the student on knowledge of the historical periods and stylistic practices of Western concert music, and an understanding of the historical and societal events that shaped those practices.
Study guide and more info

English

Required for: all students for which English is not their native language
This exam will determine placement or exemption from GED 210/211 English, and/or GED 212/213 Advanced English as a Second Language. All non-native English speakers must take this exam unless they attended high school or college in the United States.

Foreign Languages

Optional for all students
Students who may be proficient in French, Italian or German may take the placement exam of those languages to receive credit by examination unless this is your native language.

The Conservatory does give transfer credit for foreign languages completed at accredited American colleges provided the student received a grade of C or better. Students need not take the foreign language placement examination if their college transcript indicates completion of foreign language studies.

Basic Phonetics and Lyric Diction

Optional for all students
Phonetics and Lyric Diction exams will only be given at the beginning of each semester.

Students wishing to earn credit by examination for APP 210 must take the Basic Phonetics Placement Test, which covers the following material:

The International Phonetic Alphabet
You will be asked to transcribe English words (real or invented) into IPA upon hearing them pronounced, and to identify simple English words written in IPA.

Basic Articulatory Phonetics
You will be asked to answer multiple choice questions regarding the physical formation of vowels and consonants.

English Lyric Diction
You will be asked to choose between various possible IPA transcriptions of simple English words, based specifically on suggestions contained in The Singer's Guide to Languages by Marcie Stapp available from Marice Stapp (415.681.7625)

This test is administered on an "open-book" basis but within a one-hour time limit. Students taking the examination should bring a copy of The Singers Guide to Languages with them to the examination.

To receive credit by exam for APP 211-213 (Lyric Diction French/German/Italian) students should contact Marcie Stapp (415.681.7625) to arrange an individual appointment. These appointments will occur on the same day as the Basic Phonetics test.

English

Required for: all students for which English is not their native language
This exam will determine placement or exemption from GED 210/211 English, and/or GED 212/213 Advanced English as a Second Language. All non-native English speakers must take this exam unless they attended high school or college in the United States. If you are unsure if you have to take the exam please contact the Admissions Office or Erika Johnson (415.503.6297).

Foreign Languages

Optional for all students
Students who may be proficient in French, Italian or German may take the placement exam of those languages to receive credit by examination unless this is your native language.

The Conservatory does give transfer credit for foreign languages completed at accredited American colleges provided the student received a grade of C or better. Students need not take the foreign language placement examination if their college transcript indicates completion of foreign language studies.

Basic Phonetics and Lyric Diction

Optional for all students
Phonetics and Lyric Diction exams will only be given at the beginning of each semester.

Students wishing to earn credit by examination for APP 210 must take the Basic Phonetics Placement Test, which covers the following material:

The International Phonetic Alphabet
You will be asked to transcribe English words (real or invented) into IPA upon hearing them pronounced, and to identify simple English words written in IPA.

Basic Articulatory Phonetics
You will be asked to answer multiple choice questions regarding the physical formation of vowels and consonants.

English Lyric Diction
You will be asked to choose between various possible IPA transcriptions of simple English words, based specifically on suggestions contained in The Singer's Guide to Languages by Marcie Stapp available from Marice Stapp (415.681.7625)

This test is administered on an "open-book" basis but within a one-hour time limit. Students taking the examination should bring a copy of The Singers Guide to Languages with them to the examination.

To receive credit by exam for APP 211-213 (Lyric Diction French/German/Italian) students should contact Marcie Stapp (415.681.7625) to arrange an individual appointment. These appointments will occur on the same day as the Basic Phonetics test.