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Welcome to the Contemporary Musical Arts Department at NEC! We’re delighted that you’ll soon be joining our community.
Welcome to the Contemporary Musical Arts Department at NEC! We’re delighted that you’ll soon be joining our community.
Below, you will find information about two required zoom events this summer: our Aural Skills Placement Test on July 24, and Individual Meetings taking place on July 24 or 25 with CMA Co-Chairs Eden MacAdam-Somer and Hankus Netsky.
By May 31, please fill out the survey at this link so that we may schedule your individual meeting at a convenient time.
CMA Aural Skills Placement Test
CMA Aural Skills Placement Test
July 24 at 10:00 AM (US Eastern Daylight)
July 24 at 10:00 AM (US Eastern Daylight)
In order to make your transition to NEC as smooth as possible, it’s important for us to have a clear idea of your Aural Skills level so that we can place you in the most appropriate courses as your register for the fall semester. Our testing is in addition to the required exams administered through NEC’s Music Theory and Music History departments, so please be certain to pay attention to any communications that you’ll be receiving from them concerning their exams. The purpose of our exams is to follow up on the tests that we administered at the time of your audition and to take into account any progress that you might have made since then.
Zoom Link for Aural Skills Placement
Zoom link: https://necmusic-edu.zoom.us/j/96140993181
Meeting ID: 961 4099 3181
Information About The CMA Aural Skills Placement Test
Information About The CMA Aural Skills Placement Test
Every applicant will be given a written test with nine sections, all drawing from the pedagogy we use in our program including both aural and written skills. We will send you a template for the test that you are encouraged to print out in advance. We will expect you to email your completed test back to us as soon as you complete it. Our undergraduate levels are listed below. Graduate students will also be assigned to specific CMA Aural Skills classes based on your test results.
First semester undergrad level begins with:
First semester undergrad level begins with:
Section 1: Dictation involving melodic intervals where we give you the first pitch and ask you to identify the name of the interval and the second pitch. The intervals we play might be major or minor (2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths), perfect (4th, 5th, octave), or augmented (4th) or diminished (5th).
Section 2: Dictation involving harmonic intervals where we give you the top pitch and ask you to identify the name of the interval and the lower pitch. The intervals we play might be major or minor (2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths), perfect (4th, 5th, octave), or augmented (4th) or diminished (5th).
Section 3: Melodic and Rhythmic Dictation. We’ll play a fairly simple four-bar melody and tell you the starting pitch. We’ll expect you to write the correct melody and rhythm.
Section 3a: Write a four-bar response to the given melody. This exercise is tantamount to “trading fours” vocally or on your instrument only, in this case, it tests your ability to do it in written form. It’s very much like a question-answer format, so be certain to keep the melody in the first four bars in mind when you write your answer!
Second semester undergrad level introduces:
Second semester undergrad level introduces:
Section 4: Five-chord harmonic dictation using “conventional” chords up to 7ths, in treble and bass clef with the top pitch given. We’ll ask you to write out the chords in the correct voicing and write the correct chord symbol above it.
Third semester undergrad level introduces:
Third semester undergrad level introduces:
Section 5: Five -chord harmonic dictation in treble and bass clef using less more advanced chords (up to 13ts). The top pitch is given.
Section 6: Chord voicing notation. We will ask you to notate some favorite voicings of chord when given a chord symbol.
Section 7: We will ask you to identify the intervallic root motion of triads in treble clef. The first triad will be given. We’ll also ask you to identify the second triad.
Section 8: We will ask you to try to identify the root progression of a song’s A section.
Semester 4 undergrad level (possibly testing you out of some previous semesters):
Semester 4 undergrad level (possibly testing you out of some previous semesters):
Section 9: We will give a dictation using less conventional chords that should be entirely notated (not based on chord symbols).
CMA Individual Meetings
CMA Individual Meetings
July 24 & July 25
July 24 & July 25
In these individual Zoom meetings, we will get to know you and your skillset better through a brief individual aural skills test and a chat about ensemble and studio placement. Please join the waiting room a few minutes early and be ready to play your main instrument as well as a keyboard, if you have access to one.
Time: Please fill out the scheduling survey HERE by May 31
A schedule of individual meeting times will be provided via NEC email by June 3.
All times given are in US Eastern Daylight Time, and you will also be notified of your meeting time via your NEC email—please keep an eye out for any related messages.
Important, on the day of your meeting:
Please log into zoom early, go to “audio” under “settings” and select “live performance audio” or “original sound for musicians - high fidelity music mode.”
You may then join the waiting room a few minutes early and be ready to play your main instrument as well as a keyboard, if you have access to one.
Zoom Link for Individual Meetings
Zoom link: https://necmusic-edu.zoom.us/j/96140993181
Meeting ID: 961 4099 3181
Questions: Eden MacAdam-Somer, CMA Department Co-Chair (eden.macadam-somer@necmusic.edu) or Hankus Netsky, CMA Department Co-Chair (Hankus.Netsky@necmusic.edu)
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