This story originally appeared in The Paw Print: Volume 9, Issue 2 on January 16th, 2025.

Music, even as a primitive concept, has been a part of society and culture since the beginning of human civilization.

In an article, Rosie Pentreath from Classic FM suggests that music is as essential to human existence as tangible necessities: “[Music is a] fundamental part of being human…There is no known human society today, or in all of history, that hasn’t produced music in some form. It’s as integral to human expression as language is. As breathing is.”

A simple definition of music can be stated as “art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually according to cultural standards of rhythm, melody, [and]… harmony” (Britannica, 2024). 

Rhythm, melody, and harmony are foundational elements of music (specifically Western music); within those three constructs, more complex ideas and patterns exist, including notes, time and key signatures, tempo, dynamics, chord progressions, and more.

Music is often defined in the US through “Western” music development, which started in Europe and traveled to the US. This includes classical music (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, contemporary); Broadway/theatre music (Wicked, Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, etc); the 1920s Harlem Renaissance (jazz, hip-hop, soul, gospel, ragtime); and popular culture artists (Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, etc). 

Although it has now evolved to be a diverse platform that ultimately has a large influence on music and listening tastes worldwide, Western music can be traced back to the same roots—a uniform set of standards and structure that has birthed numerous music genres over time. 

What are those standards and structures centered on? Rhythm, melody, and harmony. The AP Music Theory curriculum helps equip high school students with the knowledge and skillset to understand music and notation.

Taught by band and orchestra director Chad Davies this year, eight students make up the AP Music Theory class at Wilsonville High School, including sophomore Teddy Peykanu (trumpet).

The class consists of teacher instruction and worksheets. Peykanu shared, “[Davies] tells us to read over and highlight important details.” Then, the students move to worksheets to build skills for identifying chords and scales: “There’s usually a worksheet which… [we have to] complete by the next class. And every class, [Davies] usually gives us practice for identifying chords [and]… scales.”

Peykanu reported that the class is “challenging” and that it can take him “a few classes” to grasp many new concepts fully.

With the challenges of AP Music Theory comes a key by-product: increased musical literacy, which can help students become better musicians overall, leading to positive results during band, orchestra, or choir rehearsals.

Teddy Peykanu, a jazz band, symphonic band, and symphony orchestra member, articulated how AP Music Theory has enhanced his skills in the classroom: “[Music theory] has helped me with improvisation… Now, I can identify chords and chord changes a lot [sic] quicker [and] easier.”

Music theory has helped Andrade-Angel in choir, even on the vocal side: “It’s helped me sightread, and just easier [sic] to understand the music in choir.”

Beyond the academic benefits, music theory is the how and why behind the what. Senior Aasha Patel (oboe), who is also taking AP Theory, explained this further:

“Theory is an essential but often overlooked component of musicianship. As a musician, you could go your whole life without knowing anything beyond baseline theory, but having a deeper grasp of what each element of a piece [of music] means allows you to learn music faster and analyze pieces in a way that ultimately aids in the composition of your own works.”

When asked what he loves most about the course, Peykanu stated, “[I love] how everything fits together… Being able to write four-voice, four-part music [is] pretty fun [too].”

Patel drew her love of music theory outside the music realm: “… Music theory is both rigid yet subjective. It’s like math’s paradoxical cousin. There are strict rules created by dead-and-buried composers, [but] as long as you have a vision, you [can] be ‘correct’ in completion.”

Music theory matters because it enriches the musicianship experience; for high school students, AP Music Theory is an accessible curriculum that prepares students with academic rigor and a deeper understanding of music.