Placement Evaluation Information

The School of Music placement exams are not required for incoming Undergraduate Students.  However, we do recommend all incoming Music students take the exams to ensure they are placed in classes appropriate to their skill level.  All exams are currently being offered remotely. To sign up for placement evaluations, please complete the Audition Submission form located on the Online Audition page.

Music Theory Placement Evaluation

The theory Evaluation assesses students’ knowledge of music theory in order to place them in the correct class. Incoming undergrad students may opt to enroll in MUS 130 (Music Fundamentals) in lieu of taking placement evaluations. Students may not retake these tests once beginning studies in the SF State music program.

The exam is divided into two parts:

PART I – Fundamental (Basic) Music Theory Evaluation

You will have 24 hours to complete the Basic Music Theory Evaluation. No additional materials may be used during this evaluation.

Basic Skills: to be exempted from MUS 130 (Music Fundamentals)

Part I of the theory evaluation includes:

• Treble & Bass Clef notation
• Simple and Compound Meters
• Accidentals (Sharp, Flat, Natural signs)
• Note Value Equivalencies (and how Dotted Values work)
• Scales: Major, Minor (Natural, Harmonic & Melodic), Chromatic, Modes
• Key Signatures for Major & Minor Keys
• Intervals: Numbers and Qualities for Simple and Compound Intervals (analyzing and notating)
• Triads: Major, Minor, Augmented, Diminished

PART II – Advanced Music Theory Evaluation

You will have 24 hours to complete the Advanced Music Theory Evaluation. Applicants must complete the Basic Music Theory Evaluation in order to take the Advanced Music Theory Evaluation (both exams can be taken on the same day). You are not allowed to ask for outside help, but you may use additional study aids (i.e. notes, textbooks, etc.). The exam must be completed within 24 hours and returned to Dr. Sabey (sabey@sfsu.edu) via email.

Advanced Music Theory: Take this evaluation to be exempted from MUS 231 (Species Counterpoint), MUS 232 (Diatonic Harmony), MUS 233 (Chromatic Harmony), and/or MUS 405 (Tonal Counterpoint).

Section One: Counterpoint

This portion of the evaluation covers material in MUS 231 and/or MUS 405 

All students must take counterpoint (MUS 231) before advancing in our theory sequence. This should not be interpreted as a step backwards, but merely a rounding-out of SF State’s music degree requirements.

(Complete one of the following two questions)

• Writing 2-part, 5th Species Counterpoint and including labeled examples of Passing Tones, Neighbor Tones, Nota Cambiatas and Ornamented Suspensions
• Writing Tonal (Baroque) 2-part Counterpoint (in the style of a Bach Invention) and including labeled examples of Passing Tones, Neighbor Tones, Appoggiaturas and Suspensions – if a student can answer this question, they can skip the species counterpoint question (passing this portion will allow exemption from both MUS 231 & MUS 405)

Students majoring in the Jazz or Creative Music B.A. (who may instead take MUS 234, MUS 235 and MUS 231) do not have to complete the remaining sections of the evaluation, but are strongly encouraged to do so, and are welcomed in the following courses.

Section Two: Diatonic Harmony

This portion of the evaluation covers material in MUS 232 (Diatonic Harmony)

Many transfer students have prior studies in harmony and voice leading. It is still essential that they demonstrate a strong command of these skills in order to pass out of this class.

• Harmonization and Roman Numeral Analysis of a Bass Line in 4-parts (incorporating inversions) and including labeled examples of Passing Tones, Neighbor Tones, Appoggiaturas, Suspensions and Escape Tones
• Analysis (with Roman Numerals) of a Modulating Passage, including Nonchord Tones and Cadences

Section Three: Chromatic Harmony

This portion of the evaluation covers material in MUS 233 (Chromatic Harmony)

Like the diatonic harmony portion of this evaluation, some transfer students have prior studies in harmony and voice leading. It is still essential that they demonstrate a strong command of these skills in order to pass out of this class.

• Analysis and Voice Leading of Various 4-Part Chromatic Chord Progressions
• Analyzing and Harmonizing/Realizing a Chromatic Figured Bass in 2-parts (bass & soprano) 
• Identifying/Organizing the Components of Medium and Large Formal Structures (i.e. Binary, Ternary, Rondo, Sonata, etc.)

Ear Training Placement Evaluation

The Ear Training Placement evaluation is an optional 45-min evaluation held in synchronous time in-person or over Zoom.

The School of Music’s Fundamentals of Ear Training & Musicianship I (MUS 221) covers simple rhythm dictation; interval recognition, and simple melodic dictation. If you have either taken classes at another institution or would like to be exempt from MUS 221 sign up for the Ear Training Placement evaluation.

Please note that incoming students who place into MUS 130 (Music Theory Fundamentals) will be required to enroll in and pass MUS 130 before enrolling in MUS 221-23.

If you have any questions about the Ear Training evaluation please contact David Xiques (dxiques@sfsu.edu).

To be exempted from MUS 221 (Fundamentals of Ear Training and Musicianship I)

Students will demonstrate the following skills:

• Simple rhythm dictation (quarter, eighth, sixteenth note and syncopation)
• Interval recognition within an octave
• Simple melodic dictation (no chromaticism)

To be exempted from MUS 222 (Fundamentals of Ear Training and Musicianship II)

Students must demonstrate the following skills:

• Concepts listed above in MUS 221 and
• Melodic/rhythmic dictation with patterns that include larger leaps and triadic motion
• 2-Part melodic dictation
• Harmonic dictation in the form of a Bach Chorale: triads, write in four voices, write Roman numerals

To be exempted from MUS 223 (Fundamentals of Ear Training and Musicianship III)

Students must demonstrate the following skills:

• Concepts listed above in MUS 221 and MUS 222
• Melodic/rhythmic dictation that includes leaps within the V7 chord, chromaticism and modulation
• Harmonic dictation in the form of a Bach Chorale, recognition of seventh chords and secondary dominants
• B.M. and M.M. voice and composition majors who are required to remediate in ear training must complete through MUS 224

Piano Placement Evaluation

All undergraduate music majors are required to take Class Piano Courses. The Piano Placement evaluation is taken to pass out of one or more of these classes. Please upload a video (YouTube or Vimeo preferred) of no more than 10 minutes of you playing piano/keyboard in any style, demonstrating your level of keyboard proficiency.

Incoming graduate students must take classification evaluations for the School of Music. To sign up, please complete the Placement evaluation Sign-Up on our auditions page.

The Music History Placement evaluation is a multiple choice test with both a written and an administered listening portion. It is a 90-minute test administered via Zoom.

Section One: 

• General Historical Knowledge (120 pts)
• 60 multiple choice questions, 10 each on the main periods of Western music history:
  • Medieval (c. 900-c. 1430)
  • Renaissance (c. 1430-c. 1600)
  • Baroque (c. 1600-1750)
  • Classical (c. 1730-c. 1815)
  • Romantic (c. 1815-c. 1910)
  • Modern (c. 1910-present)

Section Two: 

• Stylistic Identification (150 pts)
• Five (5) questions where a piece of music will be played live on Zoom. Students identify which of the six (6) periods it is from and give three reasons for their choice in their own words

Section Three: 

• Essay (30 pts)
• A short essay on aspects of studying music history

Time allowed: 90 minutes
Total possible points: 300
Points needed to pass: 240

• The Music Theory Evaluation is a take-home evaluation. Time limit: 24 Hours.
• The Ear Training Placement Evaluation is offered via Zoom. It is a 45-minute administered test.

Recent SF State music graduates may be exempted from one or more of these requirements. Contact the graduate coordinator for further information.