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Piano Proficiency Exam

At the end of your 4th semester of class piano, if you are pursuing the AA Field of Study in Music degree, you will take a piano proficiency test.  (Piano majors take this at the end of their 4th semester of private lesson study.)  This test assures that you’ve reached an appropriate level of keyboard skills required in a music degree.  It is a requirement for the AA Field of Study in Music.

The test consists of 5 equally weighted parts:

• Technique: Play all major and minor scales, the chromatic scale, and all triad arpeggios (4 octaves) 
• Transposition: At sight, transpose a hymn such as “America”
• Harmonization: Provide a block chord accompaniment for the melody of a well-known piece (folk song or hymn such as “America”).  No roman numerals or chord symbols will be given.
• Accompaniment: Add accompaniment to a piece by pattern (Alberti bass, waltz bass, or arpeggiated bass).  Roman numerals or chord symbols will be given.
• Repertoire: Play from memory a solo work from the end of Lancaster’s “Group Piano for Adults, Level 2” textbook (or an equivalent piece that has been approved in advance of the exam).

The exam will be scored by at least two Lone Star College-Montgomery music faculty.