MTTC Music Education (099) study guide
MTTC Music Education (099) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Music Education (099) is one of the subject tests in the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) program, delivered as a computer-based test by appointment year-round, Monday through Saturday, excluding some holidays, at test sites in Michigan and nationwide. It carries endorsement code JQ. Passing 099 alone does not complete the endorsement: the MTTC test page states that both the Music Education test (099) and a Professional Knowledge and Skills test (117, 121, 135, or 136) are required to obtain the JQ endorsement for initial certification. The test contains 100 multiple-choice questions with 2 hours and 30 minutes of testing time, inside a 2 hour and 45 minute total appointment that includes 15 minutes for the CBT tutorial and nondisclosure agreement. The MTTC Music Education (099) study guide has 4 sections and about 1,335 words.
01Music Theory and Analysis
The Music Theory and Analysis domain checks whether you can read, spell, and explain tonal and post-tonal structures quickly enough to teach them. Expect items on clefs, key signatures, intervals, scales and modes, chord quality and inversion, Roman-numeral function, cadences, phrase structure, and common forms; some questions ask for error detection in a notated line.
357 words, about 2 min02Music History and Literature
This domain samples knowledge of Western and non-Western repertories, style periods, genres, composers, and the social functions of music. Items ask you to place a work or stylistic feature in context, compare eras, and recognize genres by their performing forces and formal markers.
315 words, about 2 min03Performance and Conducting
This domain tests the practical musicianship a teacher uses in rehearsal: tone production, intonation, articulation, diction, transposition, score reading, and conducting gesture. Expect questions that ask you to diagnose an ensemble problem, choose a rehearsal strategy, or translate between written and sounding pitch.
351 words, about 2 min04Music Education Pedagogy and Curriculum
This domain tests planning, instruction, assessment, and the professional knowledge that supports K–12 music programs. Items ask how to sequence skills, design rehearsals, meet diverse learner needs, and use assessment evidence.
312 words, about 2 min