--- title: "AP Music Theory Tuition — Aural Skills & Sight Singing" slug: ap-music-theory-tuition subject: "AP Music Theory" category: "Arts" url: https://www.apcourses.net/ap-music-theory-tuition --- # AP Music Theory Tuition Online AP Music Theory tuition covering harmonic dictation, melodic dictation, sight singing, part-writing, harmonisation and figured-bass realisation. > AP Music Theory covers fundamentals (pitch, rhythm, meter), diatonic harmony, voice leading, form, and a substantial aural-skills component. The exam combines MCQ (with both aural and non-aural sections) with FRQs that include melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, part-writing, harmonisation, and sight-singing. We coach all components together because they reinforce each other. ## At a glance - Category: Arts - Typical year group: Grades 10–11 - Exam length: yaklaşık 2 hours 40 minutes - Units in the College Board CED: 8 - Group course: not running for this subject this year (1-to-1 tuition only) ## Pricing Shown and charged in Euro. - Single lesson (90 min): €56 — full refund if you are not satisfied after the first lesson - 10-lesson package: €540 (€54 per lesson) - 20-lesson package: €1,028 (€51 per lesson) - This subject is taught 1-to-1 only this academic year; no group course runs for it. Lessons in the 10- and 20-lesson packages can be split freely across any AP subjects. ## Units 1. Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements 2. Music Fundamentals II: Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture 3. Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords 4. Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase 5. Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function 6. Harmony and Voice Leading III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices 7. Harmony and Voice Leading IV: Secondary Function 8. Modes and Form ## Exam at a glance - **Format**: MCQ (aural and non-aural) plus FRQs including melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, part-writing, harmonisation, sight-singing - **Sight-singing**: Recorded performance of two short melodies - **Skills**: Notation, voice leading, diatonic harmony, aural recognition - **Calculator**: Not permitted ## What it tests AP Music Theory tests notation fluency (key signatures, scales, intervals, chord qualities), correct part-writing under voice-leading rules, and aural recognition — students must hear a melody or chord progression once and transcribe it. Sight-singing is unique to AP Music Theory: students record themselves singing two unfamiliar short melodies, scored on pitch, rhythm, and continuity. ## Where students lose marks - Part-writing FRQs with parallel fifths, parallel octaves, or doubled leading tones. - Melodic dictation answers without bar lines or with wrong meter. - Harmonic dictation answers with wrong inversions. - Sight-singing performances with hesitations that break the scoring continuity. - Roman-numeral analysis with wrong chord qualities (e.g. iv instead of IV in a major key). ## How tutoring helps - Diagnostic across notation, part-writing, dictation, and sight-singing. - Part-writing voice-leading rules drilled on past FRQs. - Aural dictation practice — short melodic and harmonic transcriptions weekly. - Sight-singing practice with recording, playback, and feedback. - Final-month timed mock papers with full aural components. ## Compared with A Level and IB AP Music Theory overlaps with A Level Music harmony chapters and IB Music HL theoretical components. The main differences are the AP aural-skills weight and the recorded sight-singing task, neither of which has a direct A Level equivalent. UK applicants to US programmes in music, music theory, or composition commonly present AP Music Theory alongside A Level Music. ## Who this suits - **Good fit**: Students with grade-7-plus practical music background, applying to US music or composition programmes. - **Exam sprint**: Students confident on notation and part-writing but weak on dictation timing. - **Approach with caution**: Students without solid aural skills — the dictation and sight-singing components are unforgiving. ## Weekly study plan - **Weeks 1–3 — Notation & Rhythm Fundamentals**: Treble/bass clef, key signatures, time signatures, rhythm patterns. - **Weeks 4–6 — Scales & Intervals**: Major/minor scales, modal scales, interval identification, compound intervals. - **Weeks 7–9 — Triads & Seventh Chords**: Triads and seventh chords, inversions, chord symbols (Roman-numeral analysis). - **Weeks 10–12 — Four-Part Voice Leading**: Soprano–alto–tenor–bass writing, the parallel-fifths/octaves rules. - **Weeks 13–15 — Harmonic Progression & Cadences**: I–IV–V–I, secondary dominants, modulation, cadence types. - **Weeks 16–18 — Aural Skills — Dictation Practice**: 30 minutes of daily melodic/harmonic dictation. - **Weeks 19–21 — Sight-Singing Practice**: Solfège (movable do), interval jumps, key changes. - **Weeks 22–24 — Form & Analysis**: Binary, ternary, rondo and sonata-allegro form. - **Weeks 25–30 — Exam Prep Intensive**: Full-length mocks, FRQ practice. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need to be able to read music for AP Music Theory? Yes — fluently in treble and bass clef, with comfortable key-signature recognition. Roughly ABRSM grade-5-theory level is the realistic floor. ### What is the sight-singing component? Students see two short unfamiliar melodies, get 75 seconds of preparation per melody, then sing them while being recorded. Scoring rewards correct pitch, correct rhythm, and continuity (no large pauses). ### Can a UK ABRSM grade-8 student do well in AP Music Theory? Yes — that level is more than sufficient on the theoretical side. Most ABRSM-grade-8 students need targeted work on the AP-specific FRQ formats and the recorded sight-singing rather than on the music itself. ## Related AP subjects - [AP Art History Tuition](https://www.apcourses.net/ap-art-history-tuition) - [AP European History Tuition](https://www.apcourses.net/ap-european-history-tuition) - [AP English Literature and Composition Tuition](https://www.apcourses.net/ap-english-literature-tuition) ## Contact Free consultation: https://www.apcourses.net/contact All 31 AP subjects: https://www.apcourses.net/ap-tuition Pricing: https://www.apcourses.net/pricing