MTEL Music cheat sheet

Major scale interval pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H; natural minor: W-H-W-W-H-W-W; harmonic minor raises scale degree 7, melodic minor raises 6 and 7 ascending only.

Key signatures by number of accidentals: sharps F-C-G-D-A-E-B (order of sharps), flats B-E-A-D-G-C-F; each sharp adds a fifth upward, each flat a fourth upward.

Circle of fifths: C-G-D-A-E-B-F#-C# and C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb; adjacent keys differ by one accidental, which is why they are closely related.

Triad quality by intervals above the root: major = M3 + P5, minor = m3 + P5, diminished = m3 + d5, augmented = M3 + A5.

Seventh chords: major seventh (M3, P5, M7), dominant seventh (M3, P5, m7), minor seventh (m3, P5, m7), half-diminished (m3, d5, m7), fully diminished (m3, d5, d7).

Roman numeral analysis: uppercase = major or augmented triad, lowercase = minor or diminished; figured bass 6 = first inversion, 6/4 = second inversion, 7 = root-position seventh.

Common cadences: authentic (V-I), half (ends on V), plagal (IV-I), deceptive (V-vi); a cadential 6/4 resolves to V before the final tonic.

Non-chord tones: passing (stepwise between chord tones), neighbor (step away and back), suspension (prepared, held over, resolved down by step), appoggiatura (approached by leap, resolved by step).

Modulation cues: a new leading tone, a new diatonic dominant chord, and chromatic alteration of a pitch not in the home key usually signal the new tonic.

Medieval: Gregorian chant is monophonic and modal; organum adds a second voice; the Ars Nova (14th c.) introduces mensural notation and isorhythm.

Renaissance: imitative polyphony, pervasive imitation, and the mass and motet as principal sacred genres; Josquin, Palestrina, and Byrd are core figures.

Baroque hallmarks: basso continuo, terraced dynamics, ritornello form, and the rise of opera (c. 1600 in Florence) and the concerto.

Classical era: sonata form (exposition-development-recapitulation), the string quartet, and symphony; Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven define the period.

Romantic traits: expanded orchestra, chromatic harmony, program music, character pieces, and nationalism; Schubert lieder and Wagner music drama are central.

Twentieth century: Debussy's impressionism, Stravinsky's primitivism and rhythmic displacement, Schoenberg's twelve-tone method, and Copland's American vernacular.

Jazz lineage: blues and ragtime roots, New Orleans style, swing-era big bands, bebop (small-group virtuosity), cool jazz, modal jazz, and fusion.

American concert traditions include shape-note singing, spirituals, brass bands, and musical theater; these are frequent MTEL listening-list topics.

Conducting pattern geometry: 4/4 = down, left, right, up; 3/4 = down, right, up; 2/4 = down, up; 6/8 = down, left, left, right, right, up.

The ictus is the point of rhythmic beat; preparatory beat shows tempo and dynamic, and the release follows the final beat with a cutoff gesture.

Balance rule: melody dominates, inner voices recede, bass anchors; ensembles tune to a single reference pitch (usually oboe A or tuner A = 440 Hz).

Intonation: sharp tendencies occur on open strings and high register; flat tendencies on cold instruments and low brass; adjust with embouchure, slide, or air.

Blend: match vowel shape, tone color, and dynamic across the section; staggered breathing in winds and strings preserves a continuous line.

Rehearsal sequence: warm-up, tuning, slow sectional work on difficult passages, then full-ensemble run-through with recorded self-assessment.

Transposition: Bb instruments sound a major second below written pitch, F instruments a perfect fifth below, Eb instruments a major sixth below.

Score reading: read from the bass upward for harmonic analysis but from the melody outward for balance; C-clefs place middle C on the indicated line.

Kodaly sequence: prepare (aural/kinesthetic experience), present (label the element), practice (reinforce in new contexts); rhythm syllables use ta and ti-ti.

Orff approach: speech, movement, and barred percussion; ostinato and bordun accompaniments precede full harmony; improvisation is built into each lesson.

Dalcroze eurhythmics ties musical concepts to bodily movement; solfege uses fixed do or movable do with hand signs.

Gordon music learning theory: audiation precedes notation; discrimination learning (aural/oral, verbal association, partial synthesis) precedes inference learning.

Bloom-style objective writing: observable verb, condition, and criterion; 'students will clap a steady beat for eight measures at 90 bpm' is measurable, 'understand rhythm' is not.

Assessment types: formative (ongoing, feedback-oriented), summative (end of unit), performance-based (playing or singing a task), and portfolio-based (growth over time).

Special-learner adaptations: enlarged notation, color-coded scores, preferential seating near the conductor, and rhythm syllables for decoding support.

National Core Arts Standards for music: creating, performing, responding, and connecting; curriculum maps should show alignment across grade levels.

Repertoire selection criteria: vocal range and tessitura, text appropriateness, cultural balance, and technical demand matched to ensemble level.