ArtsOne to two semesters of introductory college music theory

AP Music Theory

Music notation, harmony, voice leading, and aural skills including sight-singing and dictation.

AP Music Theory develops a student's ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music heard or presented in a score. Students study musical notation, harmony, voice leading, and form, and develop aural skills through listening, sight-singing, and melodic and harmonic dictation.

$65
Single 90-minute lesson
$49.50
Lowest rate per lesson
50 lessons
Full syllabus, 75 hours
Prices and optionsRequest a tutor
Course Introduction

Why AP Music Theory Matters

A qualifying score on the AP Music Theory Exam can earn college credit or placement. Each college sets its own policy, so check the score your colleges ask for.

Essential credit for music and performance majors
Develops aural and notation fluency
Foundation for composition and conducting
Strengthens analytical listening skills
College Equivalent

Music Theory I

Required/Recommended for Majors
Music PerformanceMusic EducationCompositionMusic ProductionConductingMusicologyMusic Therapy
Exam Format
Multiple Choice75 questions (45%)
Free Response9 questions (55%)

Scored 1–5. In Bluebook, fully digital or hybrid (handwritten free responses).

AP Music Theory course units

The units of the College Board course. Lessons follow them in the order your class takes them.

Unit 1
Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements
Pitch notationMajor scales and keysMeterTempo and dynamics
Unit 2
Music Fundamentals II: Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture
Minor scalesKey relationshipsIntervalsTexture
Unit 3
Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords
Diatonic chordsChord inversionsSeventh chord qualities
Unit 4
Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase
Soprano-bass counterpointFour-part voice leadingCadences
Unit 5
Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
Predominant chordsHarmonic progressionCadences and predominant function
Unit 6
Harmony and Voice Leading III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices
Embellishing tonesMotivic transformationMelodic and harmonic sequence
Unit 7
Harmony and Voice Leading IV: Secondary Function
TonicizationSecondary dominantsSecondary leading-tone chords
Unit 8
Modes and Form
ModesPhrase relationshipsSections of musical form

How lessons approach AP Music

Understanding the concepts, and answering the exam's questions the way they are scored.

Conceptual Understanding
Building deep knowledge that lasts
  • Build fluency reading and writing notation
  • Internalize voice-leading and harmony rules
  • Practice aural skills daily (intervals, chords)
  • Connect theory to repertoire you perform
Exam-Specific Strategies
Techniques that maximize your score
  • Drill sight-singing under timed conditions
  • Practice melodic and harmonic dictation
  • Master part-writing and harmonization FRQs
  • Review notation and analysis multiple-choice

Past papers and practice exams

Practice exams in the current exam format are reviewed afterwards, and the errors set the work for the next lessons.

Past papers

Released AP Music Theory FRQs (dictation, sight-singing, part-writing) with scoring guidelines.

  • Full-length practice exams in the current exam format
  • Multiple-choice plus aural and written free-response
  • Sight-singing and dictation practice included
  • Feedback on part-writing and analysis
  • Progress tracking on aural and written skills

How a practice exam is used

  1. 1
    Sit a full practice exam
    Timed, section by section
  2. 2
    Review the errors
    With your tutor, by unit and question type
  3. 3
    Targeted practice
    On the units and question types that cost points
  4. 4
    Repeat
    Before the exam

AP Music Theory: lessons, prices and how to start

One-to-one lessons are 90 minutes, live online. Prices are set per program, so they are the same for every AP subject.

AP Music Theory one-to-one tutoring packages
Single lesson$65Per lesson: $65Buy a lesson
10 lessons$630Per lesson: $63Buy package
20 lessons$1,200Per lesson: $60Buy package
Full syllabus · 50 lessonsLowest rate75 hours · or 2 payments of $1,350 ($2,700 in all)$2,475Per lesson: $49.50Buy packageor pay in 2

Group options

All 2026–27 AP groups are full. The AP group course is $1,755 or 3 payments of $585, 75 hours of teaching in 50 lessons, in classes of at most 6. Three or more students who come together can ask for a private group.

Ask about a private group

How do you start?

Request a free consultation: it is a conversation about your goals and timeline, not a lesson or a test. There is no separate diagnostic test for AP, because no single test stands in for a school syllabus. The first lesson does the assessment: your tutor works through your recent marked work and past-paper questions from your own specification, and reads where you stand. It is a normal paid lesson, not a free trial, and it teaches as it assesses.

Request a free consultation

Refunds

Not satisfied after your first private lesson? Full (100%) refund. Not satisfied after the first week of your group course? Full (100%) refund. No score is guaranteed. Full terms.

Every AP priceAll AP subjects

AP Music Theory — Frequently Asked Questions

How is the AP Music Theory exam structured?
The AP Music Theory exam has 75 multiple-choice questions in about 1 hour 20 minutes, worth 45% of the score, and 9 free-response questions in about 1 hour 20 minutes, worth 55%. Knowing the split matters because the two halves reward different preparation — the multiple-choice section rewards coverage, the free-response section rewards being able to set out a method.
What college credit does AP Music Theory carry?
One to two semesters of introductory college music theory. Credit policies are set by each university rather than by the College Board, so confirm the score your target schools require before choosing which exams to sit.
What does AP Music Theory cover?
The course is organized into 8 units: Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements, Music Fundamentals II: Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture, Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords, Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase, Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function and 3 more. Our tutoring follows the same order, so what you cover with a tutor lines up with what your class is doing.
What college course is AP Music Theory equivalent to?
Music Theory I. That is the level the exam is written to, which is why a strong AP score is treated as evidence you can handle first-year university work in the subject.
Which majors is AP Music Theory useful for?
It is most relevant to Music Performance, Music Education, Composition, Music Production and 3 more. It is worth taking if it is either required for your intended major or the strongest subject you can show, since a high score in a demanding subject carries more weight than a safe pass in an easy one.