Andrew Davis. ©2006.

Specific information for my theory questions on the masters comprehensive exams at the Moores School of Music:

In general I tailor the exams so that they reflect the content of classes you took with me. But the exam is broader than just a test on one class: the idea is for you to demonstrate that you're fluent with basic analytical skills--formal analysis, harmonic analysis, historical context, etc.--given a score to look at and any other material that might be pertinent (e.g., text and translation for a piece of vocal music).

That said, the format is usually one in which I give you one or more scores, related to material from the class you took from me, and ask you to make some analytical observations in response to guided questions ("explain the harmonic progression in mm. 15-25," for example, or "explain the piece's formal organization," or "explain how form and harmony relate to the text in this piece," or "identify the forms of the 12-tone series in mm. 2-12"). The questions are usually broad, and almost always include some component asking you to say why what you observe in the music is significant or important. Maybe the form is the result of a long period of historical development; maybe the harmonic language indicates some kind of move toward a new style; maybe there are constraints on the piece because of the presence of a text; etc. The questions also might include something asking you to speculate on how your analytical observations might relate to a performance of the piece, or how you might teach the music to someone, either for a performance or possibly in some kind of literature and analysis class. In some cases, especially those involving non-tonal music, the questions also might include something asking you to explain the theoretical approach to the music more generally--why it's important, what it's trying to accomplish, whether or not it's successful, who developed it and where you might go to learn more, etc.

NOTE: if you took the theory pedagogy seminar from me, all of the above still applies, but almost everything I ask you will be phrased in the context of how you might *teach* certain of these issues to students. You should be familiar with the issues involved (i.e., in what order is it best to teach the concepts and why?; which concepts are most likely to cause the most difficulty and why?; etc.), and you should be familiar with resources you might use, either those to help you with your own teaching or those to which you could refer students for information.

So: review your notes and the music we studied in courses you took from me, and be familiar with the major historical and analytical issues we talked about. If you have more questions, let me know. Be sure to also see my document with "general information on preparing for a comprehensive exam in music."