AP Music Theory is an advanced level course designed to engage students in learning activities that will help them to achieve the outcomes assessed by the College Board's Advanced Placement Music Theory Examination. It is equivalent to a first-year college-level theory class.

The AP Music Theory course is designed to develop a student's ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score, as well as further student's study of musicianship. These abilities will be developed through various aural, performance, written, creative, and analytical exercises. The curriculum aims to enrich students' musical experiences both in and out of their performance ensemble classes. It integrates aspects of melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, form, musical analysis, elementary composition and, to some extent, history and style. Musicianship skills such as dictation and other listening skills, sight-singing and keyboard harmony are considered an important part of the theory course. Although this course focuses on music of the Common Practice Period (1600-1900), materials and processes found in other styles and genres are also studied.