Music Theory
Experience Interactive and Rewarding Professional Development
Learn AP instructional best practices and strategies that lead to student success in the classroom.
Registration for APSI 2023 has closed. If you would like to be notified when APSI 2024 registration opens, please fill out the form below. Thank you!
Course at a Glance
Format:
Live-Online and Asynchronous
New & Experienced Combined
Length:
4 days, Monday - Thursday
Dates and Times:
2024 TBD
Be Notified When 2024 Registration Opens
Program Hours:
32 Contact Hours
Price:
$550 Standard Registration Fee
$600 Late Registration Fee
College Board APSI Materials
College Board APSI materials are included in your registration fee. To provide greater accessibility, we will be offering the College Board materials electronically. The cost of electronic and hard copy materials are the same.
Course Description
Our AP Music Theory Summer Institute offers both new and experienced music theory teachers strategies to lead the most effective music theory course possible. We will explore in detail the course content of AP Music Theory, then address syllabus design, course pacing, and a wide range of available resources including textbooks, apps, and websites. We will then engage in interactive, hands-on workshops: how to approach the most challenging topics in the course including part-writing, how best to integrate sight-singing, contextual listening, and dictation into your students’ daily activities, and how to refresh your music theory knowledge with the most current pedagogical approaches and coach your students’ skills. We will reflect together on new research on diversity, equity, inclusion, and recruitment in the music theory classroom. Participants will leave with tools and exercises ready to slide into their lesson plans, a thorough understanding of the AP music theory course content, and experience with the specific content and scoring for the AP exam.
What You Will Learn
Important workshop topics include:
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Multiple strategies to understand challenging topics in the Music Theory curriculum
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How to design student exercises to develop mastery faster
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Ways to use the Course and Exam Description and AP Classroom resources most effectively
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Pedagogical methods to prepare students better for the AP Music Theory Exam
How You Will Benefit
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Learn ready-to-use classroom activities to help with lesson planning
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Gain a thorough understanding of the AP Music Theory exam and how it is scored
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Review course content via new pedagogical approaches
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Explore different ways to integrate course components into a coherent course plan
How Online Workshops Will Work
No one wants to sit and watch a 32-hour long webinar, so we are working closely with our consultants to develop a modified course schedule that allows you greater flexibility, but still gives you the knowledge and skills you need.
Live-online instruction will be conducted through Zoom while asynchronous learning assignments will be managed through Canvas, the University’s learning management system (LMS).
Once you register, we will provide you with more details on how to access the platforms as well as your materials.
To register, please visit our registration portal.
Meet the Instructor
Dr. Jocelyn Neal
Jocelyn Neal is the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received a BA (1993) in music from Rice University, and an MA and Ph.D. (2002) in music theory from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. Her expertise covers music theory and analysis, theory pedagogy, rhythm and meter, and popular music. She also teaches courses on music and copyright, music-dance intersections, and the cultural reception of popular music.
Dr. Neal served on the AP Music Theory Test Development Committee for four years; she has been a reader, table leader, and question leader at the AP Reading since 2015; and she was on the College Board’s instructional design team that authored the current Course and Exam Description (CED). She has also led outreach projects for local high school AP music theory teachers and taught workshops directly to high school AP students since 2016.
Within the field of music theory, Dr. Neal is currently on the executive board of the Society for Music Theory. She has served as chair of the Popular Music Group for the Society of Music Theory; as a member of the editorial boards for the academic journals Music Theory Spectrum, Music Theory Online, and Intégral; and as co-editor of Southern Cultures. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Musical Quarterly, The Journal of Popular Music Studies, and Music Theory Spectrum. Her books include Country Music: A Cultural and Stylistic History (Oxford University Press, 2012; 2nd ed. 2019). Dr. Neal regularly presents her research at national conferences on American music, popular music, music theory, and cultural studies. In 2016, she founded the UNC Bluegrass Initiative, which she continues to direct.
How to Register
To register, please visit our registration portal. Attendees will need to register using their College Board login credentials.
If paying by check or purchase order, CPE staff will follow up with an invoice. Please reference invoice number on check.
If you have questions or need assistance registering, please contact [email protected] or 423-425-4344.
Frequently Asked Questions
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