The standards listed below pertain to the core curriculum for all music degrees (the BA/BS degrees do not require conducting). The standards represent the expected and required level of achievement for all students majoring in music at Houston Baptist University.

These standards represent instruction and experience provided to each student in courses, ensembles, and applied studies throughout the School of Music. They specify a cumulative experience representative of approximately three years of study in all music curricula and are skills necessary and vital to all musicians, regardless of area of specialty.

Attainment of these standards will be carefully assessed by the entire music faculty, in individual course work, in applied studies, and in ensemble performance. Specific assessment tools to aid the student in attainment of the standards are:

• the initial audition and level of achievement on entering placement exams
• the completion of a Freshman Diagnostic, completed by each student’s major applied professor, piano professor, theory professor, and ensemble director
• passing the Upper Divisional Exam, placing a student on a specific degree plan and enrollment in upper division course work in music
• completion of junior and senior recitals and other performance requirements
• passing the Theory Cumulative Exam, the Music History Cumulative Exam and the Piano Proficiency Exam

Sightsinging, Music Reading, and Theory Skills

Sightreading and Music Reading Skills:

• to easily sing at sight moderately difficult melodies containing chromaticism and modulations.
• to sing and identify all intervals and commonly used scales and modes through 20th century patterns and meters.
• to read and perform music in all clefs.
• to read and perform music using notational symbols used from chant through the 20th century.
• to readily identify errors in performance of music from single line monophony through polyphonic and chordal ensemble music.
• to read scores, from two-part to orchestral scores.

Listening Skills:

• to develop skills in critical listening.
• to identify individual parts (number and specific materials in each).
• to easily take dictation of melodic, harmonic, and two-three part contrapuntal excerpts.
• to recognize and discuss musical forms and genres from chant through the 20th century.

Writing Skills:

• to compose simple monophonic through 20th century examples of music, demonstrating specific techniques and practices.
• to use common techniques of written analysis through the 20th century.

Piano Proficiency

To demonstrate the ability to:

• recognize and play all major and minor scales in all keys, 2 octaves in parallel fashion.
• perform the standard cadence progression in all keys.
• read single and two-part lines from an open score.
• sightread a piece of moderate difficulty.
• perform a prepared piece from memory.
• harmonize a melody using figured bass or chord symbols.
• harmonize a melody at sight.
• accompany a piece at UIL level 3.

Musicology

Music Literature:

• to recognize and identify (with correct spelling) primary works and composers through the 20th century.
• to understand and identify the genres, forms, and style traits of music through the 20th century.
• to know and understand the different style periods of Western music.
• to demonstrate the ability to follow a score.
• to demonstrate acquaintance with music literature beyond vocal/choral and keyboard works through the 20th century.

Music History:

• to understand the cultural context of specific works.
• to understand why composers wrote specific works and in specific styles.
• to understand style and performance practices of music through the 20th century.
• to understand primary movements in music history.
• to understand the development of genres.
• to place composers and their works in cultural contexts.
• to understand the interrelation of culture and music and different types of literature.
• to recognize genre, form, style, and probable dates of scores at sight.

Conducting
(not required for BA/BS Degrees)

Standard Conducting Grammar:

• to demonstrate qualities of beginning and ending.
• to demonstrate the knowledge and ability of evoking sound.
• to demonstrate basic rehearsal techniques and philosophy.
• to demonstrate ability to detect and correct errors in performance.
• to demonstrate ability in score reading.
• to demonstrate ability in working with both instrumental and choral ensembles.
• to demonstrate independence of gesture, the ability to choose and maintain tempo, to use interpretive gestures in patterns, and the ability to memorize significant musical events (to be free from the score).
• to demonstrate the ability to incorporate theory and musicology skills into conducting and rehearsal.
• to demonstrate the ability to sing all parts of a score, to identify and interpret all notational practices, to interpret all characteristic markings in a score (bowings, articulation, interpretive marks).
• to demonstrate the ability to use a baton.
• to demonstrate the ability to choose literature for different types of ensembles.

Prerequisite for enrolling in Conducting: passing the Theory Cumulative Exam and completing the Music Literature sequence of courses.