Welcome to NEC! The faculty of the Music Theory Department look forward to meeting you and working with you throughout your journey at the Conservatory. We are writing to let you know what to expect when you arrive in August. Since graduate students at New England Conservatory come from diverse backgrounds, a computerized diagnostic Master of Music Theory Competency Exam (MMTCE) is given to ensure that each student who joins us has acquired certain essential skills and information.
MMTCE is a mandatory exam, administered to all incoming Master’s students before Orientation Week in the Fall semester, and the week before the start of classes in the Spring semester. Make sure to reserve a week in the fall and spring semester for the examination. Exact dates and times are communicated via email.
All Master of Music (MM) students must pass the exam before enrolling in graduate courses offered by the Music Theory Department. It is also strongly recommended that Graduate Diploma students take the exam; while they are not required to take theory classes at NEC, they need to pass the exam or get the instructor's consent to enroll in graduate theory classes.
Have a wonderful summer, and we look forward to seeing you during Orientation Week!
Sincerely,
The Music Theory Faculty
Master of Music Theory Competency Exam (MMTCE)
Subject Areas:
Formal/Harmonic Analysis
This section of the exam contains several subsections:
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Part-writing |
You will be asked to notate the progression in fourpart harmony (chorale style). |
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Analysis of a tonal piece |
You will be asked several questions on a movement, or section of a movement, from the 18th or 19th century. Questions will focus on any of the following: phrasing and cadences, rhythm and meter, form, overall tonal plan, harmonic analysis, non-chord tones, and motivic analysis. |
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Analysis of a post-tonal piece |
You will be asked questions on a movement, or section of a movement, from the 20th century. Be prepared for questions on pitch collections, including a 12-tone row, integer notation, and melodic, rhythmic, and textural transformations in the piece. |
Melodic Ear Training
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Identification and notation of melodic intervals |
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Melodic dictation |
You will be asked to notate two short melodies. The key, meter and the first pitch are provided. |
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Rhythmic dictation |
You will be asked to notate the rhythm in two short examples. A meter and tempo are established for you. |
Harmonic Ear Training
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Identification of chord quality: triads |
Your choices are major, minor, diminished, or augmented |
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Identification of chord quality: seventh chords |
Be prepared for the following seventh-chord qualities: major, major-minor (same as dominant seventh); minor, half-diminished and fully diminished. |
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Harmonic dictation |
You will be asked to notate roman numerals and inversions in two harmonic progressions |
Opportunities for THEORY AND EAR TRAINING REVIEW
If you do not pass one or any of the components of the MMTCE, we strongly recommend that you enroll in Principles of Harmony and Form (THYG 082) immediately after the exam. If you would like to focus on improving your ear-training skills with respect to the exam, we strongly recommend enrolling in Principles of Harmony and Form-Lab (also THYG 082) immediately after the exam. In addition, students can take selected courses to pass portions of the exam. The following table shows remediation courses in relation to each MMTCE component:
| Exam Component | Course that would fulfill the deficiency |
| Formal/Harmonic Analysis » | Principles of Harmony and Form |
| Melodic Ear Training » | Principles of Harmony and Form, Lab |
| Harmonic Ear Training » | Principles of Harmony and Form, Lab |
| 20th century » | Graduate 20th–21st century course |
Please be aware of the following
- The enrollment in the courses shown in the right column of the table above is voluntary in the first semester of your studies. In other words, if you fail part-writing, tonal and post-tonal analysis components, you are required to do one of the following:
- Enroll in the Principles of Harmony and Form course
- Retake the exam (or rather, the portion of the exam that you failed the first time) in January.
- If you fail only the 20th century section of the exam, you are required to do one of the following:
- Enroll in the Principles of Harmony and Form course
- Enroll in 20th-21st century theory elective
- If you fail the Ear Training exam, melodic or harmonic portion, you are required to do one of the following:
- Retake the Ear Training test (the portion that you failed) in January
- Enroll in Principles of Harmony and Form - Lab
- You can take the MMTCE exam twice: in August, before the beginning of your first semester, and in January, before the beginning of your second semester. If you don’t pass the exam in January, you are required to take the review course, Principles of Harmony and Form, and the Lab, in January, your second semester.
- In the fall semester, we offer two sections of the review course, Principles of Harmony and Form, and it is possible that we will not be able to accommodate all students who would like to enroll. In such cases, you will take the course in the spring semester.
Resources for Review
You can find the instructions for the online practice exam here:
Master of Music Theory Competency Exam (MMTCE) (Fall 2023).
The following selected materials, are helpful for preparation of the placement exam and review of the undergraduate music theory.
Harmony and Form
- Burstein, L. Poundie, and Joseph Nathan Straus. Concise introduction to tonal harmony. WW Norton, 2016.
- Caplin, William E. Analyzing Classical Form: An Approach for the Classroom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Chs. 1–8.
Post-Tonal Theory
- Straus, Joseph N. Introduction to post-tonal theory. WW Norton & Company, 2016. Chapters 1 and 2 are of special interest for the placement exam.
Ear Training
- Auralia software https://www.risingsoftware.com/auralia
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Artusi software: https://www.artusimusic.com/
Sight-Singing Skills
- Robert Ottman and Nancy Rogers: Music for Sight Singing (Prentice-Hall)
- Lars Edlund: Modus Vetus (Edition Wilhelm Hansen)