General Information About Theory at FIU
UNDERGRADUATES
1.) All undergraduate music majors are required to take a core sequence of four lower-division theory courses (Theory I-IV), together with their four co-requisite sight-singing courses (Sight Singing I-IV). This four-semester core must be completed before being admitted to upper-division status. Therefore, by the beginning of your third year (fifth semester), you should plan on having finished these eight theory and sight-singing courses.
2.) The pre-requisite for Theory I/Sight Singing I is MUT 1001 (Fundamentals) with a grade of C or better. For a sample Fundamentals test, click here. If you are new to FIU (incoming freshman or transfer student) and you wish to register for Theory I and Sight Singing I, or for any other theory course beyond Fundamentals, you will need permission. Otherwise, the system will not permit you to register for these courses. Permission is obtained by taking a theory placement exam.
For more information on contents of placement exams, see below under “expectations for theory placement exams.”
3.) If you are placed in Theory I (MUT 1111), you must register for the co-requisite Sight Singing I (MUT 1221). You will receive a permission number that will permit you to register for these courses.
4.) If you are placed in Theory II (MUT 1112), register for the co-requisite Sight Singing II (MUT 1222). If you are placed into Theory III, sign up for Sight Singing III. Ditto for Theory IV and Sight Singing IV. There are no permission numbers for Theory II and beyond. Instead, we will issue a memo for you take to the registrar.
5.) Sometimes, sight-singing skills lag significantly behind written theory skills. If that situation applies to you, it should become obvious during the first week of classes. You can then switch to a lower-level sight-singing class during the drop/add period.
6.) It is permissible to register for a sight-singing course that is one level lower than the theory course for which you are concurrently registered (e.g., you can register for Theory II and Sight Singing I). The reverse is not true: you cannot take a sight-singing course that is more advanced than the theory course for which you are currently registered.
7.) No placement process is perfect! If it turns out that the first couple of assignments in your theory class are too difficult for you (you earn less than a B-, or they take an inordinately long time to complete), it is strongly suggested that you switch to the next level down during the drop/add period. If, on the other hand, the assignments seem too easy, stay where you are! The first week or two always tend to include a certain amount of review.
8.) The only way to place into or out of a theory course at FIU is via a placement test taken before you register for your first FIU theory class. We are frequently asked whether a theory requirement can be waived on the basis of an AP test or of theory courses taken elsewhere. We base our decisions, however, solely by the results of your most recent FIU placement test.
9.) Once you begin the four-semester theory/sight singing sequence, you must complete the entire sequence from the point at which you entered it. You can no longer use placement tests to place out of a course. (An exception would be for students who took theory courses elsewhere than FIU AFTER matriculating at FIU, e. g., students taking a junior year abroad.)
10.) The minimum grade that must be earned in a theory/sight-singing course in order to progress to the next level is C. For composition majors, or prospective composition majors, the minimum is B. Sight-singing courses have two components: sight singing and dictation. You must earn a minimum of C (B for composition majors) in BOTH components of a sight-singing course in order to pass it successfully.
11.) Depending on your track, you will be required to take up to three upper-division theory courses once your have successfully completed the entire theory/sight-singing lower-division core. Consult the undergraduate catalogue, the School of Music student handbook, and your advisor for upper-division theory requirements specific to your area of concentration. The minimum passing grade for upper-division theory courses is C (B for composers).
12.) Please do not sell or get rid of your theory text books or handouts until after you complete all theory courses at FIU. Students sometimes get rid of materials from lower-division theory courses once they finish Theory I-IV. This is unwise because you may be asked to consult or review certain of these materials while taking courses like Form & Analysis or Counterpoint.
13.) Our two composition Graduate Assistants are available for theory tutoring. Their office hours and contact information are posted on the door to Professor Joel Galand’s office (currently WPAC 146c).
GRADUATE STUDENTS
1. Most graduate students in music are required to take MUT 5051 (Graduate Theory Survey) OR place out of the course via a placement exam. The exceptions are the areas of Jazz, Music technology, and Performing Arts Production.
2. Most graduate students are also required to take MUT 5629 (Analytical Techniques). In order to qualify for this course, you need either to have earned a B or better in Graduate Theory Survey or have passed a placement exam (see #1 above). Students in Jazz, Music Technology, and Performing Arts Production may take Analytical Techniques as an elective, subject to the same qualifications. Students in Music Education who pass out of Graduate Theory Survey should take Analytical Techniques instead.
3. Graduate Theory Survey is offered only in the fall. Analytical Techniques is offered only in the spring. Please plan accordingly.
EXPECTATIONS FOR THEORY PLACEMENT EXAMS
To place into Theory I, we expect familiarity with the following:
–– Notation of rhythm and meter, including compound meters
––Scale types: major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor
––triad types: major, minor, diminished, augmented
––seventh-chord types: dominant, major, minor, diminished half-diminished
––inversions of triads and seventh chords and the figured-bass symbols that denote them (6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2 or simply 2; note that the absence of a figure indicates a 5/3 chord).
If you are rusty on figure-bas symbols or they are new to you, you can still get into Theory I if the rest of the test is sound.
To place into Theory II, we expect the above plus the following:
––Ability to realize figured and unfigured basses and melodies using diatonic triads and seventh chords (along with their idiomatic inversions)
––Ability to use the cadential 6/4 chord
––Ability to modulate to V in major and to III in minor
To place into Theory III, we expect the above plus the ability to recognize and use the following:
––diminished and half-diminished leading-tone seventh chords
–– applied (i.e., “secondary”) dominant and leading-tone chords
––harmonic sequences
––diatonic modulations beyond those mentioned for Theory II
––melodic and rhythmic embellishments (various kinds of passing tones, skips, neighbor tones, suspensions, and anticipations)
To place into Theory IV, we expect the above plus the ability to recognize and use the following:
––borrowed chords (i.e., chords generate via modal mixture)
––ninth chords (and other extensions)
––the Neapolitan (also known as ♭II or “Phrygian II)
––the various augmented-sixth chords
––chromatic voice-leading techniques
––chromatic modulations
To place completely out of the Theory Sequence:
All of the above plus individual appointment with Professor Joel Galand.
To place out of Graduate Theory Review:
All of the above, plus some knowledge of classical form (e.g., binary forms, sonata forms, etc.) plus some familiarity with post-tonal materials (e.g., ability to recognize whole-tone and octatonic collections).
For practice:
You may review the appropriate chapters from our undergraduate tonal harmony textbook
Aldwell, Edward, and Carl Schachter. Harmony and Voice Leading. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Schirmer, 2003.
We suggest you try your hand at the chapter exercises. Fundamentals covers materials in chapters 1-5, Theory I goes through chapter 15, Theory II through chapter 26, Theory III through chapter 29, and Theory IV through the end. The reason the more advanced courses move more slowly is that we increasingly incorporate other topics not reflected directly in the text: form, model composition, post-tonal techniques, and species counterpoint.
For further information, contact Dr. Galand at galandj@fiu.edu or 305-348-7078