Secondary Piano Placements

Undergraduate

Any student entering the School of Music as a music major (all degrees) or minor (church music only) must be placed into the correct level of Secondary Piano.  Students are asked to complete a brief questionnaire detailing their piano experience, which can be found here.

If a student has no previous piano background, (s)he will be placed into MUS 1131, Class Piano Level I(s). 

Depending on experience level, students may test out of some or all of their piano requirement.  Those who have studied piano previously will be emailed a list of items to include in a placement video, which will include a prepared piece, reading, harmonization, transposition, and technique.  A due date in late May will be set that allows the video to be reviewed prior to the beginning of the orientation advising session.

For more information regarding secondary piano level requirements, please go to https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php?id=226693 or contact Dr. Terry Lynn Hudson at Terry_Hudson@baylor.edu.

Graduate

Students in the following majors must fulfill a secondary piano requirement: Church Music, Composition, Musicology, and Music Theory.  Incoming students in these majors will take a piano proficiency placement immediately prior to the start of Fall classes; skills tested include a prepared piece, sight reading, score reading, harmonization, transposition, and technique.  Based on these results, students either will be placed into Applied Study or passed out of their requirement.

Proficiency requirements are listed in Appendices C-F of the Graduate Handbook, accessed on the following page: https://www.baylor.edu/music/index.php?id=951863.  The secondary piano requirement also can be fulfilled by taking 2 semesters of piano with a minimum grade of “B.”

For more information, please contact Dr. Terry Lynn Hudson at Terry_Hudson@baylor.edu.