General Keyboard Requirements

(Revised 2013)

All music majors must meet specific keyboard musicianship requirements. These requirements vary according to curriculum and require each student to: (1) study piano for a designated number of semesters; and, (2) pass specific keyboard musicianship courses and/or keyboard proficiency examinations. Students with advanced skills may take an examination to be placed in higher level keyboard classes or to satisfy all requirements. Information on keyboard proficiency examinations is available in keyboard musicianship courses or from Dr. Jackson Leung.

Piano as a Secondary Instrument

All secondary piano students enroll in keyboard musicianship classes during their freshman year or freshman and sophomore year, depending on the degree requirements. (note B.A. students take only one year of secondary piano).

All secondary piano students who are required to study piano two years must pass MUS 2560 and its accompanying proficiency exam as a prerequisite for continuing piano study.

Functional Keyboard Requirements for Keyboard Majors and Concentrations

Music education majors with piano or organ concentration and voice secondary will take MUS 3560 or the equivalent proficiency exam. Music education majors with piano or organ concentration and instrumental secondary, as well as B.A. students with keyboard concentration have no functional keyboard requirements.

Piano Classes and Piano Proficiency Requirements

Acquiring practical piano skills is a vital part of music education at Wright State. These skills are attained through a sequence of classes in keyboard musicianship.

The Music Program requires that all students successfully complete or test out of the following keyboard musicianship courses, depending on their course of study.

Instrumental Music Education majors / Bachelor of Arts in Music majors, vocal track/music minors:

• One full year (two semesters, fall and spring: MUS 1550, 1560)
• Instrumental music performance majors: two full years (four semesters, MUS 1550-60, 2550-60)
• Vocal music education or performance majors: three full years (six semesters, MUS 1550-60, 2550-60,  3550-3560).

Piano Proficiency Tests

In addition to satisfying all course requirements, students must pass with a C or higher all sections of the final course exam (proficiency test) given at the end of each year (1560-standard section A, 2560, or 3560) in order to satisfy their proficiency requirements and, if required by their major, enroll in the next year of keyboard musicianship.

Proficiency tests for students who do not satisfy requirements during the regular final examination time (spring semester, final exam week) will be offered at the beginning of each fall semester during the placement testing period (the first week of classes). Students are responsible to contact the instructor and sign up to retake the portion of the exam they have not yet completed successfully.