<p>I have no idea myslef. However, D. was Music Minor and was taking the same classes as Music Majors. Music was D’s R&R away from very challenging major. She has mentioned that Music Theory classes were especially very easy (in her UG), may not be the case somewhere else. She had to practice for some other (singing) classes and while it was very challenging to do well singing in duets with someone who definitely had many voice lessons in her life and had a chance to develop a great voice before college, D. still enjoyed her Music Minor a lot. That is where she had her A-'s, but she was not sorry, it was all worth it.
Do not worry, your son will do just fine.</p>
<p>…just another note. Make sure that kid enjoys his summer. Summer classes or any independant studies should be avoided. They need time down. Studying in a summer will do more harm than good, IMO.</p>
<p>My music majors tell me it’s a whole lot of math - but not in the traditional sense - and that the classically or jazz trained keyboarding people have an easier go of it because they’re used to working with intervals and positions, etc. </p>
<p>It is true that these are the classes ( there are 5 courses in the theory sequence here) that do tend to weed out the people who can’t cut it as majors. I know we often chat about how hard/rigorous a STEM major is, but dang, those music kids put us all to shame. Still, if your S tested into it, his placement should be just fine. And with some work, he’ll be ok. He shouldn’t need to get a jump on things by studying this summer.</p>
<p>I do think that Music Theory can hit even accomplished musicians as a shock. And it is not necessarily the whole class, but parts of it.</p>
<p>I think the ear training is hard for many. Also, the studies of chords structures and moving harmony, which are very math-like.</p>
<p>Instrumentalists may have an easier time than pure vocalists. Keyboard players may do better because they are accustomed to playing chords, not just melodies, as a normal function of their instrument. Jazz players can have an advantage because they often have an advanced understanding of chord structures and a good ear.</p>
<p>I guess, since my D. has been playing piano since she was 6 and although she does not care for math, it has always been her easiest class, that is why she had the easiest time with Music Theory.
Her challenge was singing in duets from sheet music, but she has developed a great voice in these college classes without taking voice lessons before. She commented that her voice was nothing compared to awesome majors’ voices, but I imagine that these peope have been trained before college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>S2 took Music Theory 1 his first semester freshman year to see if he might want to pick up a music minor. About the third class the prof stopped him after class and asked him “You play jazz guitar don’t you?” Son said yes, the prof said “I can always tell. You’ll find the concepts of the class easy, you just need to learn the language for stuff you already know, and please don’t be discouraged if I tell you in class that you are getting ahead of what I’m teaching.” Son said that is exactly how the class played out for him.</p>
<p>“And I would have been thrilled if my S had been as talented and dedicated as your D, but he’s getting there. Now that he’s found the right field it appears that he is more dedicated as well as more talented, but he didn’t know any of this when he took Music Theiry, and since he was well prepared, its rigors reY threw him for a loop.”</p>
<p>There are always wonders along the way. My d. found Italian almost by accident, it seems. And my older d. lacks the talent to make it as a performer, and doesn’t work fast enough (and her keyboard skills aren’t good enough) to make it as a composer (at least for now), so she sort of fell into musicology, rather like your son in art history. Glad to see it working out for him!</p>
<p>lololu, I don’t know what jazz guitar music looks like, but jazz piano doesn’t even have notes. D2 has a cord followed by a bunch of symbols that translates to something like G seventh second inversion something else. Leaves me dumbfounded.</p>
<p>jazz guitar “music” is just chart with some dots on little squares. And a whole piece might be less than a line long. I’m lost but he knows what he’s doing.</p>
<p>Music Theory I is the standard class for people who are familiar with music but have no background in theory.</p>
<p>Lots of jazz music just gives the chord that is being played at any given time. Then the melody is played overtop the chords. The melody might be written out, or during solos it will just have the chords, and whoever is playing the solo understands the tonal center thanks to the chord.</p>
<p>There are a couple take-aways from this discussion thread: (1) Music Theory isn’t an “easy” class, except for some music majors and others really into music; (2) it is highly recommended you have a background in music (i.e., you can read/play music); (3) don’t take music theory to guage your interest levels in music overall ( for example, to determine if you want to make music a minor), it’s not really the type of class that will stir your musical passions.</p>
<p>At my daughter’s school music theory is very rigorous, and is compared to pre-med science in level of difficulty. It includes musicianship. It is a 4 semester sequence for most students and involves a lot lot of time: lecture, discussion section and piano. Most everyone starts with the first course, even if they tested out of it.</p>
<p>My daughter plays a little piano, but not a lot, but knows a lot of theory. They apparently measured her progress, not her absolute ability, in the piano section. I don’t know if this is true elsewhere.</p>
<p>Many of her teachers have said they also were not good at piano, and found theory difficult.</p>
<p>Some who have gifts in music have trouble with theory. Those who “hear” music and have near perfect pitch can identify notes without using intervals, for instance, so theory class is an adjustment. My daughter often composes without any instrument at all, including piano. </p>
<p>I would question the quality of a music program if it is considered 'easy," but I suppose theory might come easily to some. But those who find it hard are often excellent musicians.</p>
<p>My DD did not have any particular problems with any of her Music Theory classes at her SLAC, but she’s a classically-trained musician with a particularly good ear (yay, Suzuki) who is very strong in math and had the advantage of AP music theory in HS. (Fortunately they did not measure her progress on the piano, as she is not a pianist.)</p>
<p>My son is on a music scholarship to S. Carolina and aced AP Music Theory in HS. He plays trombone, but has to take piano and voice and be proficient at both for his music major…so he doesn’t see theory as a real challenge compared to those. I suppose it’s all relative - just would hate to see a non-music student interested in music overall take the class and regret it.</p>