Keyboard Proficiency Requirements

• BRASS (all degrees): a g1 n1 r s
• CONDUCTING
  • Choral (all degrees): f g1 n1 r s
  • Instrumental (all degrees): a b c e i1 n2 q s
  • Opera: a b c e f1 g1 i1 n1 q s
  • Wind: a g1 n1 r s
• COMPOSITION: (all degrees): g1 n1 r s
• EARLY MUSIC (all degrees): g2 i3 n3 s
• ELECTRONIC (all degrees): a g1 n1 r s
• HARP* (all degrees): a g1 n1 r s
• JAZZ* (all degrees): a g1 n1 r s
• MUSICOLOGY (all degrees): e i1 m t
• ORGAN*:
  • BM: c d f j2 j3 l1 p
  • MM/DM: c d f g3 i1 k l2 p
• PERCUSSION (all degrees): a g1 n1 r s
• PIANO (all degrees): c g1 s
• STRINGS (all degrees): a g1 n2 r s
• THEORY** (all degrees) a e i1 i2 j1 j2 m n1 r s
• VOICE (all degrees): g1 n2 r s
• WOODWINDS (all degrees): a g1 n2 r s
• MUSIC EDUCATION
  • BME- Choral/general and Teaching Area: b d f j1 n2 o r s
  • BME- Instrumental: a g1 n2 o r s

  • MME- Piano: b c f g1 j1 o r s
  • MME- Voice: b f g1 j n1 o r s
  • MME- Organ: b c f g1 j1 o p r s
  • MME- Instrumental: a g1 n1 o r s

  • MAT- Choral/general and Teaching Area: b d f j1 n2 o r s
  • MAT- Instrumental: a g1 n2 o r s

  • DME/PHD- Piano: b c f g1 j1 o r s
  • DME/PHD- Voice: b f g1 n2 o r s
  • DME/PHD- Instrumental: b c g1 n2 o r s

IDENTIFICATION OF LETTERS

a

Transpose at sight a melodic line to any key up to a 4th away from the original key.

b

Transpose an accompaniment. Moderately slow tempo must be maintained.

c

Sight read a solo vocal or instrumental part, together with the piano accompaniment. Melody must be accurate and all essential harmonies represented.

d

Sight read hymns and anthems in a four part texture.

e

Sight read a four-part open score using alto clef.

f

Sight read a four-part open vocal score using modern G and F clefs.

g1

Sight read piano music or accompaniments to art songs or instrumental solos.

g2

Sight read an accompaniment to a 16th century English lute song (ed Fellowes/Dart).

g3

Sight read a composition in the "trio style."

i1

Play at sight from simple figured bass with correct harmonies and proper doublings and voice leading.

i2

Play from figured bass (example given 24 hours in advance). Proper voice-leading and doubling as well as appropriate expression in the melodic line.

i3

Realize an accompaniment for a 17th Century instrumental or vocal solo from a figured or unfigured bass, 24 hours preparation.

j1

Improvise an accompaniment to a melody, with or without chord symbols. Blocked chords are not an acceptable accompaniment, and melodies may require secondary chords or secondary dominants. You may bring in a prepared example.

j2

Harmonize a given melody in four part harmony.

j3

Improvise a second voice below or above a hymn melody.

k

Chorale style improvisation.

l1

Modulate to G Major from a key a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th removed.

l2

Modulate to G Major from any key.

m

Chord progression formulae: these are written out and are to be played in any key except C Major. Proper voice-leading is required.

n1

Perform a prepared piano composition or accompaniment. Must be a musical performance of acceptable repertoire.

n2

Perform a prepared piano composition from memory fluently.

n3

Perform a keyboard work of the 16th or 17th Century.

o

Play the Star Spangled Banner in A flat and America in F, both with proper tempo and pedalling and from memory. Foreign students may substitute their own national anthem for one of the above.

p

Hymns:

1. Sight read a hymn as written
2. Play the melody on a different manual as an accompanied solo line
3. Transpose one hymn at sight, up or down a major or minor second. (MM and DM transpose up or down a major or minor third).
4. Transpose one hymn and demonstrate the above skills on a prepared hymn of your choice.

q

Advanced score reading from any full orchestral score. The student isresponsible for all essential voices. You may bring a prepared score.

r

Scales, arpeggios, blocked and broken chords:
All technical work must be performed from memory using both hands simultaneously.

• All major and harmonic minor scales, 4 octaves in 16th notes at least 60 to the quarter.
• All major and minor arpeggios, dom7/dim7 arpeggios starting on white keys, 3 or 4 octaves.
• Blocked and broken chords (with inversions, 3 octaves)in 3 or 4 note form, in all major and minor keys, as well as some diminished or dominant seventh chords (those dom7/dim7 chords whose arpeggios start on white notes).

s

Play a prepared keyboard composition or accompaniment with 48 hours preparation. This composition is chosen and distributed by the Secondary Piano Department.

t

Sight read an orchestral score from before 1850 involving at least two different families of transposing instruments (e.g., woodwind and brass) in the context of a Classical ensemble. A slow but steady tempo must be maintained, and the transposing instruments must be played at concert pitch.

Revised 05/07

doc

First converted to HTML by David Cartledge, November 4, 1994. Updated frequently.