Fast & Easy Music Theory Tips!
The problem with most music students is that they don't know what to expect. They think that simply sounding good will ensure their success in music school. Very few musicians expose themselves to the core curriculum that will dominate their college education while still in high school, but if you do, you can easily rise to the top! "When should I begin?" As early as possible. Start today if you can. My teachers started forcing music theory on me around my late sophomore/early junior year of high school, and even though I was completely reluctant to learn for a while and resisted, I ended up gaining a lot of valuable knowledge that has given me the tools to excel in the classes I am taking now. If at all possible, I recommend beginning to think about this material about 1-2 years before music school, but you can actually surpass a large majority of students with just a few weeks of extra work before your first semester. So let's get the ball rolling on this. What can you do to prepare yourself for music school? Music Theory: Everyone is so afraid of music theory, and it is usually the weak point found in otherwise great musicians. However just taking some time to master the fundamentals will put you so far ahead of everyone else that you will rarely ever be confused. Most serious musicians have a private lesson teacher (and if you don't, I highly recommend it) who helps them with repertoire. What most students don't realize is that every well-trained teacher has an extensive background in theory as well, and if you ask them to devote maybe 5-10 minutes per lesson to theory exercises, you will learn very quickly. Apart from that, many high schools now offer AP music theory, which is a pretty fast-paced course, but if you can pass the AP exam, you might get college credit! I took this course, and the material covered spanned at least the first two semesters of college music theory. Remember, even if you don't do well in this course, you will still leave knowing more information than the large majority of entering college music students. There are some great books out there as well: I highly recommend Contemporary Music Theory Level One by Mark Harrison for those more interested in jazz/pop, and The Complete Musician by Steven G. Laitz, for those more interested in classical (chances are you will have to study classical either way). There are also hundreds of great websites out there, and one of my personal favorites is musictheory.net, because it actually provides training exercises and has great lessons. Note: Before I get into specifics, keep in mind that this may seem like a lot of information if you haven't ever done music theory before, but if you even learn half of what I will go through, you will be off to a great start. Take it at your own pace, and remember that everything you are doing right now is "extra-credit". Don't hesitate to ask your high school director or your private teacher about any of these concepts, they will probably be very impressed that you are thinking about this kind of stuff already. What to learn:
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