AP Music Theory Applied

Abstract

Some American high schools include Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory within their course offerings. Students who pass the AP exam can receive college credit either as a music or humanities credit. An AP class, however, offers music students more than future college credit; it ultimately improves musicianship skills and promotes deeper engagement within their ensembles. A more appropriate name for music theory could be musicianship training, as students gain understanding and become better musicians. There are many ways to apply musicianship training. Composition may be considered as the obvious application of music theory, but when viewing the course as musicianship training, teachers can develop many creative ways to apply these skills.