Music theory offered for third year at Greenbrier High School

Students at Greenbrier High School have a unique opportunity to study a different aspect of music.

Many students in our area participate in band, choir, orchestra and other music performance opportunities. However, few have the chance to study music theory.

According to the Arkansas Department of Education, only 21 high schools in the state currently offer or have offered advanced placement music theory. For the third year in a row, Greenbrier High School is providing the course.

Music theory is the study of the nature or mechanics of music. It examines how music is constructed and how all the elements relate to each other to create the variety of beautiful sounds we consider music. Through the AP program, the College Entrance Examination Board offers a very rigorous curriculum which includes music reading skills, harmonization, analysis and composition. Possibly the most challenging aspect of the AP curriculum is the aural portion. Over half the AP music theory exam focuses on aural skills those related to a student's sense of hearing music. Students must learn to sight sing or sing new melodies they have never heard before simply by looking at the music. Students also learn to take melodic and harmonic dictation and notate music based solely on hearing it.

Currently 10 GHS students are enrolled in the theory class which meets everyday. It is taught by GMS Band Director Marcy Wells. In order to teach the class, Wells attended a week-long training sponsored by the College Board. Wells was unfamiliar with the AP theory curriculum until coming to Greenbrier and says she is amazed at its depth and intensity. According to Wells, the class covers in one year all the information most freshman music students study in their first year of college. "I enjoy teaching the class because it allows me to present something completely new to students. While most of my students have some music background, its mechanics and specifics are new to them. I love exposing students to an entirely different side of music. What they learn in theory applies to all their other musical experiences and the type of critical thinking music uses can help them be better students in all their classes," says Wells.

Currently, Greenbrier High School offers 11 advanced placement courses with an enrollment of 207 students. According to Robin Clark, AP Coordinator for the district, "Greenbrier students benefit from the academic rigor of AP courses. These courses give our students the opportunity to earn numerous hours of college credit while still in high school. But most importantly, students gain the confidence needed to be successful in college level courses as their skills are developed to full potential."

Greenbrier administrators take pride in the opportunities they are able to provide their students.

They strive to broaden students' access to challenging courses while maintaining high academic standards for every student.

Greenbrier High School students experience the challenges of a rigorous program and many earn college credit while still in high school.

Susan Jackson, GHS assistant principal, credits the hard working teachers with the success of this program, "Behind these students are talented teachers who provide the higher level learning opportunities necessary to succeed in today's challenging academic world. These teachers are the heart and soul of everything we do for students at Greenbrier High School."