Department of Music
University of California, Berkeley

Placement Procedure for Music Major Courses

Students who plan to major in music or wish to take music major classes MUST complete the Music Placement Procedure before beginning music major classes. Students may pre-enroll in classes before the the Placement Procedure and make adjustments to their schedule during the add/drop period if necessary. The Music Placement Procedure consists of five parts. Parts I - III, which make up the Musicianship Placement Exam, are required of ALL incoming students who intend to major in music or enroll in music major courses. Parts IV - V (also discussed below) You may decide whether or not parts IV-V are applicable to you. Be sure to bring a pencil with an eraser to the Musicianship Placement Exam (and the Harmony Advanced Placement Exam. Please follow the links below for more detailed information. The Musicianship Placement Exam will be given at 9 AM on Tuesday August 26, 2008 for Fall semester, in 125 Morrison Hall. The Harmony Advanced Placement exam is given the same day at 3 PM in 117 Morrison Hall. I. Musicianship Placement Exam Written portion, (to include knowledge of music fundamentals and musical dictation) required of all incoming music majors or students who plan to take music major classes. II. Musicianship Placement Exam Audition for appropriate faculty on your own instrument (or voice), (including sight-reading), required of all incoming music majors or students who plan to take music major classes. Administered individually by sign-up, on that same Friday, following Part I of the Exam. You should bring your instrument, and be prepared to play a piece of your choice. You may also be asked to sight-read on your instrument. Those interested in auditioning for orchestra (either through 141 or 150A) should also prepare the audition requirements for orchestra. III. Musicianship Placement Exam Interview, with musicianship faculty, required of all incoming music majors or students who plan to take music major classes. Will include sight-singing. Administered individually by sign-up on that same Friday, following Part II of the Exam. Criteria for placement in the Musicianship series. IV. Harmony Advanced Placement Exam Required only for those incoming music majors or students who plan to take music major classes, who have previously studied four-part writing and can realize a figured bass or harmonize a melody. In other words, if you have sufficient background that you think you may place ahead in the harmony sequence, rather than at the beginning of the harmony sequence, this test is for you. It is administered at 3 p.m. the Friday before classes start, 117 Morrison Hall. V. Piano 405 Placement required for intending music majors with little or no keyboard experience only. Reservations are not necessary for the Musicianship Placement Exam or the Harmony Advanced Placement Exam. If you play an instrument (other than piano, organ, or harpsichord) you should bring it with you to the Musicianship Placement Exam. If you are unable to bring your instrument, please contact Jim Coates (jcoates@berkeley.edu), (510) 643-8723 to discuss the possibility of borrowing one for the exam. Pre-enrollment recommendations Students wishing to pre-enroll in music major courses before completing the Placement Procedure should enroll in 49A, 49B, and 49C unless they have had formal training in musicianship and/or harmony. Those who have had formal training should look at the placement criteria for musicianship and harmony and estimate where they will place. Adjustments to your schedule can be made during the add/drop period during the semester. Students with little musical background should sign up for 20A before beginning the music major classes in musicianship and harmony. They may still enroll in 49A. See the criteria for placement in the musicianship series if you think this may applies to you. PLACEMENT EXAM POLICY CHANGE - 1/15/2008 Beginning immediately, Music Placement Exam results for entry in 49B (Musicianship 1) and 49C (Harmony 1) will only be valid for the semester in which the exam is taken. If a student who placed into 49B does not enroll in 49B in the semester in which the Placement Exam is taken, he or she will need to retake the Placement Test in the semester of enrollment. An exception can be made for qualified students who, because of heavy courseloads, are unable to take 49B-C concurrently. If placed into Musicianship 49B, they may take Harmony 49C before 49B, and their placement result will be honored the subsequent semester provided they have completed 49C successfully. Due to recurrent budget constraints, the Music Department will only be offering one section of 49B and 49C in spring semesters. Entry into these classes will be competitive based on Placement Exam results. The continuing sequence of those classes (F 50-60, Sp 51-61) will also have only one section. Students should plan to take their musicianship and harmony sequence in order to maximize their chances of securing a spot. Students who have placed into 49B on the Music Placement Test prior to Spring 2008 but have not enrolled in 49B or 49C must retake the Music Placement Test. For Spring 2008, it will be given on Friday, January 18, 9 am, Morrison Hall 125. There will be no makeup exam. updated 4/8/2008 people | classes | calendar | performing | degree programs Music Department Home | L & S HomePage | UC Berkeley HomePage