Our Faculty - Kennesaw State University College of the Arts

Transfer Students–Transfer Credits & Placement Tests

If you are transferring music theory or aural skills courses to KSU from your previous institution(s) and wish to apply this credit towards your degree, you must take our placement tests in order to verify your level of competency in the content of those courses. The placement tests will be administered ONLY on the Music Orientation day. Placement tests are similar to the final exams for the courses they are testing.

A grade of ‘C’ (70%) or better constitutes a passing grade for all placement tests (and all theory courses in our school). If you score below 70% on any exam, you will be required to re-take the course at KSU. Specific content and expectations for theory courses are shown below. More information is available in the KSU course catalog online.

Music Theory Test-out Guidelines:
Knowledge Requirement by Semester

Course	Text	Chapters	Content
MUSI 1121: Music Theory I	Tonal Harmony, Fifth Edition, by Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne: text and workbook	1–6	• basic elements of pitch and rhythm • construction and analysis of triads and seventh chords • principles of voice leading • part writing with root position triads
MUSI 1122: Music Theory II	same	7–14	• harmonic progressions • part writing with first and second inversion triads • analysis of cadences and phrases • uses of non-harmonic tones and diatonic seventh chords
MUSI 2221: Music Theory III	same	15–22	• other diatonic seventh chords • secondary chord functions • modulation techniques using common chords and other means • mode mixture • Neapolitan sixth chords
MUSI 2222: Music Theory IV	same	23–28	• augmented sixth chords • enharmonic spellings and enharmonic modulations • expanded elements of harmonic vocabulary • late 19th century tonal practices • introduction to 20th century techniques

Aural Skills Test-out Guidelines:
Knowledge Requirement by Semester

Course	Text	Chapters	Content
MUSI 1111: Aural Skills I	Karpinski, Manual for ear training and sight singing. Ottman & Rogers. Music for sight singing, 7th ed	Karpinski 1-19 Ottman 1-6	• Major and minor scales and melodies • Identification of meter, mode (major or minor), starting scale degree and anacrusis versus crusis • Scale degree identification: all diatonic members and #4, ascending and descending from tonic • Rhythms in simple and compound meters • Error correction of single-line melodies for pitch, meter, rhythm and tempo mistakes
MUSI 1112: Aural Skills II	same	Karpinski 20-45 Ottman 6-12, 15 (syncopated rhythms)	• Melodies including leaps of subdominant, dominant (seventh) and other diatonic harmonies • Harmonic intervals and two-part melodies • Harmonic progressions with root and first inversion diatonic triads • C clefs • Rhythms with beat subdivisions, some syncopation • Error correction of single-line melodies for pitch, meter, rhythm, tempo, articulation and dynamics mistakes
MUSI 2211: Aural Skills III	same	Karpinski 46-61, 68 Ottman 12-16	• Melodies with decorative chromaticism, seventh chord outlines, modulations to closely-related keys • Harmonic progressions with second inversion triads, seventh chords, applied chords, Neapolitan and augmented sixth chords • Rhythms with irregular beat divisions • Error correction in two-part textures
MUSI 2212: Aural Skills IV	same	Karpinski 62-78 Ottman 17-21	• Decontextualized interval identification • Melodies with remote modulations, diatonic modes, whole-tone and octatonic scales and other post-tonal materials • Harmonic progressions with sequences and modulation • Rhythms with asymmetrical compound meters and changing meters. Selected cross rhythms • Error correction in multi-part textures

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