Are you looking for the best AP Music Theory review book so you can pass your exam and score a 5?
Then you’re in luck.
We’ve found the Best AP Music Theory book for you today.
The Best AP Music Theory Review Book
| Description | Details |
|---|---|
| Barron's AP Music Theory This book masterfully helps you study for the AP Music Theory exam. It teaches you everything you need to know for the exam, and they give you tips and strategies for passing the test. We recommend this book for anyone struggling to study for the AP exam in May. It also includes: - Two full-length practice tests (both aural and non-aural sections included) - All questions answered and explained - Helpful strategies for test-taking success - In-depth review chapters covering music fundamentals, harmonic organization, harmonic progression, melodic composition and dictation, harmonic dictation, visual score analysis and much more An included MP3 CD provides aural skill development prompts for both practice tests' aural sections, as well as material that complements exercises and examples in the subject review chapters. | Our Review 4.8/5: Best Textbook  |
AP Music Theory Exam Overview
Exam Overview
The AP Music Theory Exam evaluates your understanding of musical structure and compositional procedures through recorded and notated examples. Listening skills are emphasized, particularly those involving recognition and comprehension of melodic and rhythmic patterns, harmonic functions, small forms, and compositional techniques. Most of the musical examples are from standard repertoire; some examples of contemporary, jazz, vernacular music, or music beyond the Western tradition are included.
Exam Format
The AP Music Theory exam is 2 hours and 40 minutes long and has two sections — multiple choice/short answer and free-response. Each section is divided into two parts. You can see here for the AP Music Theory Course Overview.
College Board provides free example test questions, so click here if you want to check them out.
Next Exam Date
See updated 📅 AP Exam Schedule 2022.
Last Time The Exam Changed
The AP Music Theory exam has not changed and has no future plans to change. We recommend that you use the AP Music Theory review books below as they make sure that you are 100% ready for the exam taking place next May.
The Best AP Music Theory Books Resources for You
AP Textbooks
The most important thing you can do, truthfully, is to get a good textbook for your AP exam. It’s your tool for helping you learn the material that will be on the exam, help structure your preparation, and allow you to test your learning comprehension with review questions. It’s critical that you choose the books that are recommended as those will help you best prepare.
Here are some ideas for finding good textbooks:
- Check the College Board’s list of textbook recommendations on the AP course audit page for your exam.
- If you’re self-studying for an AP course that your school is offering, you can see if they have a textbook used for the actual course.
- Be diligent in reading reviews of any textbook you are planning on buying, and see if it helped others prepare for the AP exam.
AP Review Books
A good AP review book is probably the second-most important resource you can have, after a good textbook. It’s not the most comprehensive manner of studying, but, it will allow you to review the most important information for the AP exam. For example, if you have gone through your textbook, then as your test day draws closer, you may want a review book to keep the information lucid in your short-term memory. The Princeton Review and Barron’s are two generally well-regarded AP review book sources, but make sure you’re getting the best book for the specific course you are studying.
AP Prep Books
A good AP prep book is probably the third-most important resource you can have, after a good textbook and review book. These prep book offer tips include everything you need to know to achieve a high score and it has a comprehensive content review for all test topics, so if you know you’ll be fully covered to score a 5 on your next AP exam. The best part about prep books? They include tried-and-true strategies to help you avoid traps and beat the test, and that’s all that matters right now.
Recap of the Best AP Music Theory Books
| Description | Details |
|---|---|
| Barron's AP Music Theory This book masterfully helps you study for the AP Music Theory exam. It teaches you everything you need to know for the exam, and they give you tips and strategies for passing the test. We recommend this book for anyone struggling to study for the AP exam in May. It also includes: - Two full-length practice tests (both aural and non-aural sections included) - All questions answered and explained - Helpful strategies for test-taking success - In-depth review chapters covering music fundamentals, harmonic organization, harmonic progression, melodic composition and dictation, harmonic dictation, visual score analysis and much more An included MP3 CD provides aural skill development prompts for both practice tests' aural sections, as well as material that complements exercises and examples in the subject review chapters. | Our Review 4.8/5: Best Textbook |