• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

UNSW Bachelor of Music Online Music test - Help (1 Viewer)

lamadoo

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
3
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Hello fellow students :spin:

I'm looking for some advice on passing the online musicianship test for unsw. I'll be applying for the 2014 uni classes.

It says on the website we are expected to be of grade 6 ameb or music2. I am neither.

What can I expect the exam to be like? What to focus on...how long does the online test take? Tips to ace it :punch:

I really want to do a bachelor of education(music) :)

My performance is strong just that my music theory is absent :confused2:


I've just brought 'The complete idiots guide to music theory' and planning to buy 'Take five and pass first time'.

Thanks fellow musicians :)
 

madharris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
2,160
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
I've done a little research for you but can't really find much about it, so from what I've found, I will guess what might possibly be in the test

Basic music theory: chords (including chord quality (maj, min, aug, dim, half aug, half dim) chord number, chord inversion, added tones e.g. A 9th chord, 7th chord, how to label chords, things like that), staffs, chefs (g clef -treble, F clef - bass, c clef - alto tenor (there's quite a few c clefs), ledger lines, note durations (from a brieve to a semidemihemidemisemiquaver), measures and time signature (compound and simple time sigs, no time sig, etc), rest duration (see note durations), dots and ties, steps and accidentals, rhythm and meter, odd meter, scales (major, natural minor, melodic minor, harmonic minor, (possibly things such as pentatonic, Ionian, aeOlian, Phrygian, Dorian, Lydian, lochrian, mixolydian, chromatic, whole tone, broken chords, arpeggios, possibly more), scale degrees using carrots, key signatures (learn how to draw a circle of fifths it really helps), transposition to all instruments of a concert band and orchestra + possibly more, Italian, French and German terms, what symbols mean, basic instrument ranges and clefs, learning about some instruments me how they are, the basic instrument families, cadences, harmonisation, can't really think of anything else

Score reading: howtoread a score, what each instrument is (e.g. Fagotti is a bassoon), the intruments of an orchestra, the instruments of a big band, hsc music 'concepts of music', lots of what I said in basic music theory
Pitch: overall range of piece, range of individual instruments, tonality,steps or leaps between instruments, chords, keys, inversions, intervals (perfect fifth, minor 3rd, diminished 5th etc)
Duration: how short or long a note is, time sig, how a note is played
Texture: different layers of sound and how they interact with each other, e.g stabs, tutti, counterpoint, etc,
Tone colour: how the music sounds, how the individual instruments sound, how the instrument plays the music, the techniques of each instrument and how they affect each instrument, how the player plays the instrument and what effect this has on the music, etc
Dynamics and expressive techniques: dynamics, techniques of the instruments, and how they affect the tone colour
Structure: the overall structure, the micro structure, how the rest of the concepts affect the structure, etc
Sorry I would go into more detail but I haven't had to think about this for 2 months :)

Music style:
Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, modern, etc
With each of the above periods, you need to know a few composers and a bit about them, the size of the orchestra and how it developed, the style and how each of the music sounds, know a few large and famous works
E.g. Baroque
Dates 1600-1750
Composers js Bach, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Handel
Style: repeating passages which allow for terraced dynamics, doesn't allow for much expression, a eru straight and simple division of the beats, accompaniment would usually be a figured bass, accompaniment would be usually played by a harpsichord and viola de gamba,
Small orchestra, increasing availability of instruments allowed for the demand of chamber music, etc
Major works: water music, fireworks suite, dido and Aenea
That's a small example but you probably need to know it in a lot more detail

Hope that helps, that's a very basic overview of what could be in the test. If u need any help, don't hesitate to contact me and I will try my best to help

:)
 
Last edited:

lamadoo

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
3
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Thank you very much mad harris :skip: that helps so much weeee
 

epsilon346

New Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
1
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Sorry to restart this thread but I went looking myself, having just finished my HSC and applied for UNSW, and figured other people might find it useful if it shows up as more recent :D

On the UNSW website they recommend that applicants review "music theory and general musical knowledge to the level of Grade 5 AMEB Theory. There will not be any music history component. All questions will be multiple choice and cover basics such as: all scale constructions, triads, cadences, and basic four-part harmony. Simple score reading will also be included".

So you can safely assume that...

Music style:
Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, modern, etc
With each of the above periods, you need to know a few composers and a bit about them, the size of the orchestra and how it developed, the style and how each of the music sounds, know a few large and famous works
E.g. Baroque
Dates 1600-1750
Composers js Bach, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Handel
Style: repeating passages which allow for terraced dynamics, doesn't allow for much expression, a eru straight and simple division of the beats, accompaniment would usually be a figured bass, accompaniment would be usually played by a harpsichord and viola de gamba,
Small orchestra, increasing availability of instruments allowed for the demand of chamber music, etc
Major works: water music, fireworks suite, dido and Aenea
That's a small example but you probably need to know it in a lot more detail
... will not be in the test, thankfully.

Hope this helps anyone who missed that info when they were applying like I did haha :)
 

lamadoo

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
3
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Thanks epsilon i just took the test. Was easy but its definitely WAY beyond the scope of grade 5 AMEB theory, so out of context some questions. Had to wing some questions. The ones outside of grade 5 theory are all types of chords (Dominant 7ths, dim. 7th, secondary tonic?? Idk what that is but definitely secondary dominant) also every type of scale in existence lols (Dorian modes, etc, even acoustic & hungarian scales). All variations of clefs.

Good thing i read 'The Idiots Guide to Music', which covers most of it. Its got questions on composers/performers near the end as well and their works, a few questions on music style/era and instrumental groups & melodic decorations.

Good luck last day for you guys if your trying.
 
Last edited:

yoyo987

New Member
Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
28
Gender
Female
HSC
2013
Yeah the test was not what I expected. I have sat my 6th grade musicianship but there were questions that were not even in that and the time went by so quickly. However, I guess, since you only have to pass, if you have studied up to 5th grade theory you should be successful. Good luck everyone!
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top