Learn about AP Music Theory from a Peer Tutor

This article was part of a series by the Board of Student Academic Support Services (SASS) that interviewed OHS course peer tutors about the courses they tutor. You can book an appointment with these peer tutors through the OHS Writing Center, which can be found on the OHS Gateway site. 

SASS: What did you enjoy about AP Music Theory?

Adelyn Chen (‘20): My favorite thing about the course was being able to take music that I played and listened to and analyze it. We often pulled excerpts from common classical music and we would apply whatever lesson we were on to that particular piece.

SASS: What challenged you the most in AP Music Theory? How did you overcome those challenges?

Adelyn: I was most challenged when we took on an entire piece of music (a whole piano sonata or a long excerpt from a symphony) and had to analyze it based on what we were learning. They were big assignments that took a lot of effort in scrutinizing details. I slowed down, took more time, and went note by note, and even when I was finished I would go back over my work to check again.

SASS: What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking AP Music Theory?

Adelyn: Make sure to ask questions as soon as you have them during lecture, or email the instructor if you don't come up with them during class. Type them in the chat, the instructor will get to them, and I promise homework and tests will be much easier when all of your questions have been answered. Also, practice sight-singing on your own time and simulate the sight-singing quizzes yourself.

SASS: About how much time a week did you spend working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in AP Music Theory?

Adelyn: I spent about 4 hours a week.

SASS: What was your favorite topic covered in AP Music Theory?

Adelyn: My favorite topic covered in the course was musical phrase structure.

SASS: What assignments did you enjoy doing in AP Music Theory?

Adelyn: I enjoyed doing ear training and dictation.

SASS: Did you have any experiences with AP Music Theory that could encourage those who are uncertain of the course to want to take it?

Adelyn: Initially, I thought that AP Music Theory was mostly subjects that I'd already covered, such as chord types and triads, etc. Eventually I realized that it covers much more than that and it helped me understand more about music than I ever expected to. If you play music, particularly classical music, this course will really help you grasp theory concepts that are shown everywhere in music (and it will help you if your teachers ever quiz you on theory)!

SASS: How well did this OHS course prepare you for the AP exam?

Adelyn: It prepared me even better than I thought it would. I blew right through the AP exam and got a 5 overall as well as on both subscores. Each section was familiar enough to me because we had gone over so many practice questions as a class.