Music Theory Incoming First-Year Students
Those who missed or failed the diagnostic at audition day will have two more opportunities for Fall 2023:
1. Saturday, May 6 at 10 AM, RSVP required (Dr. Kim Archer karcher@siue.edu by Wednesday, May 3). Diagnostic will take 20 minutes.
2. Monday, August 21 at 9 AM in Dunham Hall room 1029. (First day of MUS 125a.)
“Music Theory” is actually two different classes:
- MUS 125a: Lecture Component (Mon/Weds/Fri 9:00-9:50 AM)
- MUS 126a: Aural Skills Component (Tues/Thurs 9:00-9:50 AM)
Students who passed the music theory diagnostic during their audition should register for these two classes.
Students who have not yet taken the diagnostic or not yet passed the diagnostic will have an opportunity to (re)take it on the first day of fall semester classes. In the meantime, you should register for general education classes to fill your schedule, which you can then drop if you pass the diagnostic.
Music Theory Diagnostic
When you register for classes, your advisor will be able to tell you if you passed the music theory diagnostic at your audition. If you didn’t take the diagnostic when you auditioned, if you didn’t pass it, or if you think there’s a mistake on the advisor’s list, don’t worry! You can still take it on Monday morning, the first day of classes. Simply come to MUS 125a (Music Theory) on Monday at 9 a.m., in Dunham Hall 1029.
Note: Transfer students take a different diagnostic. If you have ever taken music theory at a community college or other university, you should report to Dunham Hall 0158 at 9 AM on the first day of classes and speak to Dr. Coan.
Preparing for the Music Theory Diagnostic
Attached is a practice version of the Music Theory Diagnostic. It contains many, many questions that resemble the test, along with answers on the back of each page. Also, the following free resources might be useful:
If you have any questions, contact Dr. Archer at karcher@siue.edu.
