Department of Music

 

Entrance Requirements

 

There is no formal entrance examination for music but prospective students must have a satisfactory standard of music literacy and the ability to play an instrument and/or sing. Students are expected to take instrumental lessons, either in College or outside.

 

Below are some examples and advice

 

Entrance Requirements: Examples and Suggestions for Practice

There is no formal entrance examination for music but prospective students must have a satisfactory standard of music literacy and the ability to play an instrument or sing. Musical examples indicating the type of knowledge and skills that are required so as to be comfortable with the first semester are given below.

Scale structure

 

To be able to write Major, Melodic and Harmonic minor scales (one octave ascending and descending) with and without a key signature in treble and bass clefs.

To identify the intervals between two adjacent notes in the scale.

Ex. 1: C melodic minor scale, ascending and descending with key signature

 

Ex. 2: C melodic minor scale, ascending and descending without key signature

 

Interval knowledge

 

To recognise by ear and then to notate intervals in bass and treble clefs

 

Ex.1: Notate the requested intervals beneath the given notes

 

Minor Seventh        Minor Second        Perfect Fifth         Major Third

Solution

 

Minor Seventh        Minor Second      Perfect Fifth         Major Third      

 

Melodic Dictation

 

To notate simple melodies in treble and bass clefs

Example: Notate the melody of ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ in the key of E flat major, in 2/4 time in the treble clef

Practice Tip No.1: Notate it in as many keys as you can.
Practice Tip No. 2: Notate it in the bass clef in as many keys as you can.
Practice Tip No. 3. If you don’t have someone who can play melodies to you, you can try to notate tunes that you already know.

Sequences

This is further practice for recognising and notating intervals

Ex. 1
Identify the intervals between each pair of adjacent notes, and then continue the sequence.

 

Hint: D to F sharp = Major Third: F sharp to F natural = Minor Second
Tip: Be careful to include accidentals where necessary

 

Solution

 

 

Sight singing

Students should be able to sing short melodies in major and minor keys with simple rhythms.

Ex. 1: Major Melody (B flat major, with dotted rhythms in compound time)

 

Ex. 2: Minor Melody (D minor, simple duple metre, with triplet, ‘C natural’ and ‘C sharp’)

 

Tip: One of the most important skills that all good sight singers have is ‘looking ahead’. i.e. don’t look at the note you are singing, look at the ones you are just about to sing.
Note: Being able to sight sing is a skill that most people can learn, regardless of the quality of their voice.