Member Associations
of Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association
Willow Grove Chapter
DOROTHY SUTTON PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL
THEORY TEST CONTENT
PRIMER LEVEL
KEY NAMES - piano white key identification
NOTE NAMES – Piano - a 5th above and below middle C; Alto and Bass Clef Instruments – low
G to C above the staff; Guitar, Treble Clef Instruments and Vocal Treble Clef – Middle C up an
octave; Vocal Bass Clef – second space C up to middle C
NOTE VALUES - quarter note, half note, dotted half note, whole note
TIME SIGNATURES - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4
INTERVALS - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, (white keys)
VOCABULARY - treble clef, alto clef, bass clef, forte, piano, double bar, staccato, legato, interval, tied notes,
steps, skips, one bow, slurred, time signature, measures, beats, bar lines
LEVEL 1
KEY NAMES - sharp and flat piano key identification, including white key sharps and flats
NOTE NAMES – Piano – all notes on the grand staff; Alto and Bass Clef Instruments – C below staff up to E
above staff; Guitar, Treble Clef Instruments and Vocal Treble Clef – Middle C up to top line F; Vocal Bass Clef –
second space C up to F above the staff
NOTE/REST VALUES - pair of eighth notes, quarter rest, half rest, whole rest
TIME SIGNATURES - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4
INTERVALS - up to and including a 6th (white keys)
VOCABULARY - mezzo piano, mezzo forte, fermata, ritardando (rit.), flat, sharp, natural, whole step, half step,
bar line, measure, repeat sign, key signature
LEVEL 2
NOTE NAMES – Piano – all notes on the Grand Staff; Alto and Bass Clef Instruments, Vocal Bass Clef – C below
staff up to high F; Guitar, Treble Clef Instruments and Vocal Treble Clef – Middle C up to top line F
NOTE/REST VALUES - dotted quarter note, single eighth note, eighth rest
TIME SIGNATURES - 6/8
INTERVALS - 7th, octave
KEY SIGNATURES - recognition of C, F, and G major keys
SCALES - be able to write C, F, and G major scales
CHORDS - identification of white key major triads in root position
VOCABULARY - a tempo, crescendo, diminuendo, transpose, ff, pp, 8va, slurs, D.C. al fine, allegro, moderato,
andante, accent, triad, tempo, pianissimo, arpeggio
LEVEL 3
NOTE NAMES – Piano – two ledger lines above and below the Grand Staff; Alto and Bass Clef Instruments,
Vocal Bass and Vocal Treble Clefs – C below the staff up to C above the staff; Guitar, Treble Clef Instruments –
Middle C to C above the staff
NOTE/REST VALUES - eighth note triplet
TIME SIGNATURES - C, 3/8, 9/8, 12/8
INTERVALS - recognition of perfect or major intervals in a white key major scale
KEY SIGNATURES - recognition of D, A, E, and B major keys
SCALES - be able to write D, A, E, and B major scales
CHORDS - identification of major triads in root position: Db, Eb, F#, Ab, and Bb
TRANSPOSING - be able to write 4 measures up or down 1 whole step in the treble clef
VOCABULARY - phrase, tonic note, D.S., ledger line, common time, dolce, adagio, allegretto, molto, poco,
Baroque style (know dates and composers)
LEVEL 4
NOTE NAMES – Piano – Inner ledger lines of Grand Staff; Alto and Treble Clef Instruments, Guitar and Vocal
Treble Clef – G below the staff up to high F; Bass Clef Instruments and Vocal Bass Clef – C below the staff up to
C above the staffPMTA is an affiliate of Music Teachers National Association
PMTA is a 501c3 non profit-education association.
NOTE/REST VALUES - dotted eighth-sixteenth, sixteenth rest
TIME SIGNATURES - cut time (2/2)
INTERVALS - perfect 4th, 5th, 8th, and Major 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, in black key major scales: Db, Eb, F#, Ab, and
Bb
KEY SIGNATURES - F# (Gb), Db, Eb, Ab, Bb major keys and be able to write sharps and flats in the correct
order
SCALES - fingering patterns for white major scales
CHORDS - identification of all minor triads in root position
TRANSPOSING - be able to write 4 measures up or down a 5th from C major
VOCABULARY - Classical and Romantic styles – know dates and composers, con moto, non troppo, simile,
subdominant note, dominant note, alla breve, cantabile, leggiero, vivace, tablature, Renaissance
LEVEL 5
NOTE VALUES - eighth note-two sixteenth notes
INTERVALS - minor 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th
KEY SIGNATURES - relative minors (e.g.) C Major - a minor
TIME SIGNATURES – 5/4
SCALES - be able to write a, e, d, c, and g minor scales, recognition of 3 forms of the minor scales (no writing)
CHORDS - identification of any major or minor triad in 1st and 2nd inversion
TRANSPOSING - be able to write 4 measures from Bb to Ab or Eb
VOCABULARY - tenuto, senza, meno mosso, una corda, Contemporary style, sequence, portato, largo,
cadence, presto, prestissimo
LEVEL 6
NOTE VALUES – sixteenth note triplet, four beamed thirty-second notes
INTERVALS - augmented and diminished
KEY SIGNATURES - parallel minors (e.g.) G Major 1 sharp - g minor 2 flats
SCALES - be able to write 3 forms of minor scales, whole tone scales, and chromatic scales
CHORDS - augmented and diminished chords in root position
TRANSPOSING - be able to write 4 measures up or down a 5th from an Ab major melody
VOCABULARY - subito, accelerando, agitato, rubato, risoluto, sans ralentir, con forza, m.d. (main droit), m.g.
(main gauche), modulate, Impressionist style, lento, prestissimo, atonal, parallel chords, know the charactistics for
all styles of music
LEVEL 7- Piano Only!
INTERVALS - Major, minor, augmented and diminished intervals, including double sharps and double flats
KEY SIGNATURES - all major and minor scales, relative minor, parallel minor
SCALES - be able to write and identify any major or minor scale including fingerings (natural, harmonic and
melodic forms of the minor scales), write and recognize whole tone scales, chromatic scales and pentatonic
scales
CHORDS - Major, minor, augmented and diminished triads in root position, 1 st and 2 nd inversion positions,
dominant or diminished 7 th chords in root position e.g. (C 7 or C dim7)
TRANSPOSING - from any key to any other key
HARMONIC ANALYSIS - be able to analyze a simple passage of music in a major key, identify and write the
chord symbols below using Roman Numerals – (the following chords will be used) I , I 6 , I 6/4 , ii , ii 6 , ii 6/4 , IV ,
IV6 , IV6/4 , V , V6 , V6/4 or V7
VOCABULARY - authentic cadence, half cadence, plagal cadence, articulation, cadenza, canon, con fuoco,
counterpoint, enharmonic key, maestoso, marcato, morendo, piu, poco a poco, sforzando, spiritoso, syncopation,
transcription, binary form, ternary form, homophony, polyphony
LEVEL 8 - Piano Only!
CHORDS – major seventh, dominant seventh, minor seventh, and diminished seventh including all inversions e.g.
(F7, C Maj 6/5, D min 4/3, or A dim 4/2)
MODES – Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Be able to write any mode starting
on any key. For example C Dorian would be written: C D Eb F G A Bb C
CADENCES – authentic, plagal, half, and deceptive
METER – identify simple or compound, duple, triple, or quadruplePMTA is an affiliate of Music Teachers National Association
PMTA is a 501c3 non profit-education association.
ORNAMENTS – identify appoggiatura, trill, turn, mordent and grace note
HARMONIC ANALYSIS – these additional chords may be used: V 6/5, V 4/3, V 4/2, vi, vi 6, and vi 6/4
NON-HARMONIC TONES – be able to identify the following: anticipation, appoggiatura, lower neighbor, upper
neighbor, passing tone and suspension
VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL FORMS, DANCES AND OCCASIONAL PIECES – be able to match the
following to their appropriate definition: aria, ballade, berceuse, bolero, cantata, capriccio, chamber music, etude,
fugue, impromptu, invention, lied, madrigal, mazurka, minuet, musette, nocturne, oratorio, opera, overture, partita, polonaise, prelude, recitative, rhapsody, rondo, serenade, scherzo, solo concerto, sonata, symphony, suite,
tarantella, theme and variations, toccata and waltz
VOCABULARY – a cappella, ad libitum, allargando, assai, C clef, doloroso, episode (as in a fugue), 15ma,
glissando, grave, hemiola, leading tone, leitmotiv, libretto, l'istesso, loco, mediant, monophony, ostinato, pedal
point, peu á peu, Picardy third, pizzicato, rinforzando, rubato, secondary dominant, sequence, simile, slentando,
smorzando, solfege, sotto voce, stretto, subject (as in a fugue), submediant, supertonic, timbre and vibrato
Print this form, complete, enclose check and mail to: Olga Bondarchuk-Huque, 9260 Darlington Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115. Must be postmarked by Monday, September 30, 2019.