These courses offer a comprehensive and rigorous study of music. They focus on five elements of music: (1) Western Music (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century), (2) World Music (music of Indonesia, Andes Mountains, and two cultures of the students’ choice), (3) Music Literacy (Music Theory and Acoustics), (4) performance, and (5) composition. Upon completion of the higher level course, students take the IB examination, which is graded by a panel of international educators.

This course emphasizes development of listening skills, sight-reading skills (vocal), familiarity with a broad musical repertoire, and a basic concept in music theory. The goals of AP Music Theory are to develop informed listeners who respond knowledgeably to music and to prepare students for the AP examination. It is strongly recommended that this course be taken by students in Grade 10 who plan to study IB Music.