TH & EN

TIME Music Proficiency Exams for All New Graduate Students

Western Instruments

Western Music Theory and Analysis Grade GR
Western Music History Grade GR

Thai/Eastern Instruments

Western Music Theory Grade 3
Thai Music History, Theory, and Analysis Grade GR

Graduate Admissions Handbook 2013-2014 (Download)

 

Western Music Theory and Analysis Grade GR (for Western Instrument Students)

Applicants for all programs of the Masters of Arts, Masters of Music, and Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Music of Mahidol University College of Music will be required to pass the Western Music Theory and Analysis Grade GR. The Guidelines for these exams includes the following:

 

A. Contents: The T.I.M.E exam for Western Music Theory and Analysis is separated into two sections. The first section covers the music fundamentals and 4-part harmony topics that are taught in the required undergraduate theory courses for Western music performance majors. The second part of the exam covers the topics of musical form and analysis that are taught in an undergraduate Western form and analysis class. 

The Theory is designed to determine applicants’ competence in a variety of theory topics, including the following: 1) voice-leading, 2) functional diatonic  harmony, 3) figured bass, 4) key relationships, 5) modulation, 6) secondary functions, 7) non-chord tone, 8) cadence types, 9) rhythm and meter, 10) sequential progression, 11) mode mixture, 12) chromatic harmony (+6 and N6), & 13) enharmonicism
Applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability with these materials in brief figured bass excerpts, brief melodic harmonization exercises, brief “fill-in the blank” exercises, and multiple-choice questions.

The Analysis is designed to determine the applicant’s competence in the analysis of phrase and form. In order to gauge this, applicants will need to apply a variety of topics from theory (voice-leading, functional diatonic harmony, figured bass, key relationships, modulation, secondary functions, non-chord tone, cadence types, rhythm and meter, sequential progression, mode mixture, chromatic harmony [+6 and N6], enharmonicism, etc.) toward the identification of phrasing and form, including but not limited to: 1) phrase types, 2) period structures, 3) sectional labels, 4) large-scale formal types, 5) elision, 6) phrase overlap, 7) grouping identity and difference, 8) variation, 9) repetition, 10) transition, 11) thematic areas, 12) themes, & 13) motives

Applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability with these materials by conducting analysis of short works and applying their analysis to a series of brief “fill-in the blank” exercises and multiple-choice questions.

B. Study Sources:
Kostka, S. (2004) Tonal harmony: with an introduction to Twentieth-Century music, fifth edition. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Benward, B. (1997). Music in theory and practice, Vol. 1. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Spencer, P. & Tempko, P. M. (1988). A practical approach to the study of form in music. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.
Stein, L. (1979). Structure and Style – The Study and Analysis of Musical Forms. Miami: Warner Bros. Publications.

 

Western Music History Grade GR (For Western Instrument Students)

A. Contents: The Western music history exam will assess knowledge of Western music history spanning the Middle Ages through the Contemporary period, encompassing major composers, major musical treatises, genres, stylistic conventions, instrumentation and performance practice, as well as historical contexts (socio-cultural and political history).
B. Study Sources:
Grout, D. J. Burkholder, J. P., & Palisca, C. V. (2006). A history of western music. New York: W.W. Norton.
Stolba, K. M. (1998). The Development of Western Music. Boston: McGraw Hill.

 

Composition and Theory Grade GR (Composition Studies Major Only)

In order to enter the Master of Music or Doctor in Music programs in Composition and Theory of Mahidol University, applicants will need to score 80% or higher on both the Western Music Theory and Analysis Grade GR. In addition, applicants will be required to pass the Composition & Theory Entrance Exam. For the Composition and Theory Entrance Exam, applicants will need to demonstrate competence in the following:

  1. Western Art Music of the Common Practice Era
  2. 20th- and 21st-Century Western Art Music
  3. set theory
  4. instrumentation and orchestration
  5. extended techniques
  6. counterpoint
  7. texture
  8. form

Applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability with these materials through analysis, brief “fill-in the blank” exercises, multiple-choice questions, and a composition exam.

 

Western Music Theory Grade 3 (for Thai/Oriental Instrument Students)

A. Contents: Applicants will need to score 60% or higher on both the T.I.M.E. exam for Western music theory grade 3. The fundamentals of music, including topics in musical pitch, rhythm, scales, key signatures, scale degrees, triads, ornaments, transposition and analysis.

 

Thai Music History, Theory and Analysis Grade GR (for Thai/Oriental Instrument Students)

will be responsible for the exam.
A. Contents:
B. Study Sources:

 

Jazz Knowledge Grade GR (Jazz Studies Major Only)

A. Contents: The T.I.M.E exam for Jazz is separated into three sections – Jazz Theory, Jazz History, and Jazz Composition and Arranging.  Following is the guidelines for each section.

  • Jazz Theory – Knowledge of scales and modes derived from major, harmonic minor, jazz melodic minor, diminished, and whole tone scales; Chord/Scale relationships related to the scales mentioned above; jazz voicings, jazz improvisation analysis.
  • Jazz History – Recognition of the jazz music in different eras from early jazz to present; major jazz performers, composers, and arrangers.
  • Jazz Composition and Arranging -- Important changes in jazz – e.g. Blues Changes, Rhythm Changes, and Coltrane Changes; essential jazz repertoire (e.g. memorization and analysis of changes or melodies); and jazz harmonic substitutions.

B. Study Sources
Mark Levine (1995). The Jazz Theory Book. CA: Sher Music
Bert Ligon (2001). Jazz Theory Resources. WI: Hal Leonard
Lewis Porter, Michael Ullman, Edward Hazell (1993). Jazz: from its origins to the present. NJ: Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall.
Mark C. Gridley (1994), Jazz Styles (History and Analysis). NJ: Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall.