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Placement Exams
At the beginning of each semester, the department offers a series of placement exams for incoming students. The department uses these placement exams to determine your current skill level upon entering SFCM, thus enabling us to place you accurately within the undergraduate or graduate curriculum.
Below are the descriptions of those exams, together with some tips for preparation, where appropriate.
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Undergraduate Exams
Placement exams and assessments are only given during the orientation period of each semester.
Undergraduate Keyboard Skills Exam
Required for all instruments except Keyboard and Composition students. Individual appointments will be emailed as well as posted in a shared Google document.
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.
Undergraduate Dictation, Sightsinging and Musicianship
Required for all instruments. Individual appointments will be emailed as well as posted in a shared Google document.
The Musicianship Placement Exam determines placement into the six semesters of undergraduate Musicianship as well as the appropriate track. There are two components to the exam.
The first component consists of sight-singing 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 solmization system. Conduct while performing, if at all possible.
The second component is a progressive dictation exam beginning with 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. The dictation component does not include any atonal or 12-tone examples. An introductory section of the exam covers the fundamentals of music: intervals, key signatures, scales, and basic chords.
For further questions or information, email Scott Foglesong (scott.foglesong@sfcm.edu)
International Student English Assessment
Required for non-native English speakers only. This assessment will determine placement into HMS 100/101, the ESL version of HMS 110/111 (the yearlong writing course for all freshmen), or into HMS 110/111. It will also determine placement into speaking courses. All non-native English speakers must take this exam.
Optional Placement Examinations
Undergraduate Music Theory Exam
Students who have taken collegiate-level Music Theory courses may receive credit by examination for one through four semesters of core-curriculum Music Theory MMT 112 through MMT 115.
The exam concentrates primarily on common-practice harmonic writing and harmonic analysis.
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.
For further questions or information, email Scott Foglesong (scott.foglesong@sfcm.edu).
Undergraduate Music History Exam
Transfer students from our peer schools who have earned a C grade or higher in a course equivalent to MHL 202-3-4 will have those credits transferred to their SFCM degree as part of the transfer audit process.
Any other student who has done extensive collegiate coursework in Music History may seek the permission of the Chair of Music History and Literature to discuss the possibility of testing out of the undergraduate music history sequence.
The core curriculum at SFCM includes a three-semester music history survey: MHL 202 (Introduction to Music and Culture: Music in California), MHL 203 (1750-1900), and MHL 204 (1900-present). Incoming, non-transfer students who have done equivalent collegiate coursework may request to take a placement exam in one, two, or all three of these time periods, as appropriate, and will receive credit by examination for any exam section(s) passed. The exam will test knowledge of repertoire, as well as general information about the history of music. For more information about the structure of the exam, consult the relevant section of the graduate placement exam information sheet. The undergraduate placement exam includes sections that are structured like Sections I and II of the graduate exam.
To take this exam, you must receive permission from the Chair of Music History and Literature (Alex Stalarow, astalarow@sfcm.edu). Your transcript will be reviewed to determine whether your previous coursework is extensive enough to warrant your taking the exam, and in which of the three historical periods listed above.
Undergraduate Foreign Languages
Optional for all students.
Students who may be proficient in French, Italian, and/or German may take the placement exam of those languages to receive advanced placement unless this is your native language.
Please contact the instructor below at least 24 -hours before the scheduled test day to sign-up for a placement exam spot during Orientation:
- Italian Language Optional Placement Test
Please email instructor at least 48 hours before the scheduled test day to sign up Stefania Filigheddu (sfiligheddu@sfcm.edu) - German Language Optional Placement Test
Mirjam Jooss (mjooss@sfcm.edu) - French Language Optional Placement Test
Muriel Barton (mbarton@sfcm.edu)
SFCM gives humanities (HMS) transfer credit for foreign languages completed at accredited American colleges, provided the student received a grade of C or better. Students do not need to take the foreign language placement examination if their college transcript indicates completion of foreign language studies.
Graduate Exams
Placement exams and assessments are only given during the orientation period of each semester.
Graduate Music Theory Exam
Required of all incoming graduate students.
The 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.
You will be asked to write a four-voice setting from a figured bass line, provide a four-voice harmonization of a given melody, perform a harmonic analysis of a given chorale-like example, and analyze musical forms. The exam does not cover counterpoint or post-1900 practices.
For further questions or information, email Scott Foglesong (scott.foglesong@sfcm.edu).
Graduate Dictation, Sightsinging, and Musicianship Exam
Required of all incoming graduate students.
The exam determines whether or not you will need to take a one-semester refresher course in dictation, sightsinging, and musicianship (Musicianship Review MMT 602).
The first component consists of sight-singing 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 solmization system. Conduct while performing, if at all possible.
The second component is a progressive dictation exam beginning with simple rhythms and melodies, and progressing through increasingly difficult examples, including intervals, chords, advanced melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, and chorale dictation. The dictation component does not include any atonal or 12-tone examples.
Graduate Music History Exam
The Music History Placement exam will determine whether you are placed into the graduate refresher courses MHL 602 and/or MHL 603, or whether you may pass directly into upper-level seminars.
The exam lasts 1.5 hours, and includes three sections:
- General questions about the history of Western classical music from 1700 to 1900, and from 1900 to the present
- Listening and score identifications and discussion covering Western classical music repertoire from 1700 to the present
- Critical thinking skills: reading comprehension skills; reflective essays (2)
Because the exam is designed to test material learned at the undergraduate level, no advance preparation is necessary. It’s a tool for placing you in the classes that will best serve your needs.
N.B.: If you did not take undergraduate music history courses that covered Western classical music from 1700-2000, we recommend that you consider skipping the test and enrolling for MHL 602 and MHL 603 (one per semester). These courses earn you credits that count toward your degree.
On the test, all of your answers and words must be your own. If you use phrases, sentences, or paragraphs from elsewhere (a textbook, any online source, etc.), or if your answers are the same as any other students’, you will receive zero credit.
As a courtesy, we do offer some study tips, and make some materials available in advance (see below).
Section I: General Knowledge about the History of Music
This section includes roughly forty questions (fill in the blank, multiple choice, and short answer) that test your general knowledge of Western classical music history of the 18th-19th and of the 20th-21st centuries (with an equal number of questions for each era).
Section II: Score Identification and Discussion
In this section, you will be asked to identify no more than fifteen musical excerpts, roughly half from the 18th and 19th centuries and half from the 20th and 21st. Within the exam you will be given an audio clip, score excerpt, or both, for each question. For each excerpt, you will be asked to name the composer, genre (symphony, opera, string quartet, etc.), and date (within 25 years). In addition, you will be asked specific questions regarding musical features such as texture, form, text setting, etc. All excerpts will be taken from repertoire published in the Oxford History of Western Music, College Edition score anthologies, Volumes 2 and 3, plus the following composers from Volume 1: J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, Corelli, Handel, and Vivaldi.
Section III: Critical Thinking Skills
This section is divided into two parts:
- Part A tests reading comprehension by asking you to read one selection, then answer related multiple choice and fill in the blank questions. It is not necessary to do the reading in advance; however, as a courtesy to students who would like extra time to prepare, you can find it here.
- Part B asks you to reflect on and write about your own experiences with music history (as a musician and/or a student), first for the period of early music through 1900, and secondarily for music from 1900 to the present.
If you have further questions, email Alex Stalarow (astalarow@sfcm.edu). Students who have gotten their BM from SFCM in the last two years should contact Prof. Stalarow to check-in about their placement requirements.
Graduate Basic Phonetics Exam
Optional for MM and Advanced Certificate vocalists who want to be excused from APP 210 Basic Phonetics. You should NOT take this exam if you have never studied phonetics and IPA.
The exam includes the following:
- 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.
International Student English Assessment
Required for non-native English speakers only. This assessment will determine placement into or exemption from MHL 607 (graduate-level writing) and/or placement into remedial English courses (writing and speaking). All non-native English speakers must take this exam.
Optional Placement Exams
Vocal Physiology
This course is a mandatory prerequisite to Vocal Pedagogy (APP-203).
The placement exam is open to graduate students only.
The exam is closed book: notes are not allowed during the test.
The Vocal Physiology placement exam will cover detailed structure and function of the vocal instrument. Those who pass will be able to enroll directly into Vocal Pedagogy (APP-203) for the Spring semester.
This course is created in conjunction with Vocal Pedagogy to provide a seamless, integrated program. References, texts, and articles will be shared across courses and the application of these concepts will be geared towards singing. The purpose is: 1) to gain a better understanding of your instrument, 2) to apply this understanding to your own vocal processes, 3) to acquire tools to troubleshoot your instrument, 4) to maintain a healthy vocal life, and 5) to gain knowledge that can be applied to teaching other singers of all voice types and styles.
Topics to be tested include:
- Alignment: basic body posture and relevant structures
- Respiration: anatomy and physiology; voluntary vs involuntary control
- Phonation: anatomy and physiology of the larynx and vocal folds
- Resonance/Articulation: anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract and articulators
- Acoustics: source/filter interactions, sound, spectrographs, analysis
- Resonance/Registration: corresponding changes of the vocal tract and articulators during registration events
- Auditory and Psychoacoustics: anatomy and physiology of hearing and perception
- Neuroscience of Singing: the control center, “why we sing?”: convergent and direct evolution
- Clinical Issues and Vocal Health: common issues affecting singers and corresponding treatments
Vocal Pedagogy
This exam is only open to Graduate Level students and may take up to 90 minutes to complete.
The Vocal Pedagogy placement exam covers both the theory of vocal pedagogy and its practical application. The exam is open to graduate students who have significant previous experience teaching voice or whose transcripts demonstrate significant coursework in vocal pedagogy at the undergraduate level. It determines whether those students may opt out of APP 603 Vocal Pedagogy.
The first two sections of the exam cover pedagogical theory.
In the first section (15 points), you will be asked to describe your teaching philosophy (best practices supporting effective teaching in general) as well as your pedagogical principles (aspects that correspond to efficient healthy vocal technique).
In the second section (30 points), you will be asked to list and discuss some of the resources available to voice teachers, such as collections of repertoire and exercises. You will also be asked to summarize the writings of a few important post-World War II pedagogues, or important books on vocal pedagogy. You may choose any pedagogues and/or books you wish, so long as the writings are available in English.
The third and fourth sections of the exam address the more practical aspects of teaching voice.
The third section (30 points) focuses on the repertoire and exercises you might use with particular students, and also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of specific vocal issues.
Finally, in the fourth section (25 points), you will be asked to evaluate a video clip of a young singer. These sections of the exam emphasize the questions you might ask students as well as the answers you would give.
Foreign Languages
Open to MM, PSC/AD students.
Students who may be proficient in French, Italian, and/or German may take the placement exam of those languages to receive advanced placement unless this is your native language.
Please contact the instructor below at least 48-hours before the scheduled test day to sign-up for a placement exam spot during Orientation:
- Italian Language Optional Placement Test
Stefania Filigheddu (sfiligheddu@sfcm.edu) - German Language Optional Placement Test
Mirjam Jooss (mjooss@sfcm.edu) - French Language Optional Placement Test
Muriel Barton (mbarton@sfcm.edu)
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.
Preparing for the Exams
Eartraining and Dictation Exams
If you have had some prior training in solfège, it is a very good idea for you to go back over your solfège books and practice sightsinging both melodies and rhythms. Simple "rustiness" can sometimes affect your placement adversely, so a bit of prior practice can be helpful. Remember that we do not require you sing in a particular solmization system for your exam, although we use the fixed-do system here at SFCM. Review basic conducting patterns and practice singing while conducting--again, only if this is a skill in which you've already received training.
Dictation is a skill which really needs to have been acquired in a classroom or formal setting. It can be difficult to "practice" dictation on your own. However, sightsinging practice can be extremely beneficial in helping to freshen dictation skills.
Theory Exams
A solid review of harmonic principles, especially voice-leading and chord construction, is encouraged for anyone planning on taking the Music Theory exams--either undergraduate (optional) or graduate (required). This website contains a substantial series of lecture notes covering classic Western harmony; those notes may be very helpful to you. They can be accessed by clicking here.
The standard textbook used for harmony at SFCM is:
Aldwell and Schachter: Harmony and Voice-Leading, 3rd Edition.
For formal analysis, this website offers substantial resources including lecture notes, audio lectures, and other materials. Please note that some of these resources may be password-protected (due to copyright restrictions) and cannot be accessed unless you are currently enrolled in a theory course at SFCM. However, most of the resources are freely accessible. You may access the analysis resources by clicking here.
Here are several textbooks you may find useful:
Wallace A. Berry: Form in Music
Leon Stein: Structure & Style
Keyboard Skills (Undergraduate)
If you have had some prior keyboard training, we strongly urge you to review your scales (major and minor) and basic chord progressions (cadences), and to sightread piano music at your level as often as possible.