Bienen School of Music
Welcome to Bienen! You can count on our student affairs staff and our Bienen peer advisers to offer helpful information and guidance throughout your time here.
Advising and Registration
Assistant dean Linda Jacobs serves as the primary academic adviser for all Bienen students. Student affairs staff member Jeff Merkley will also be available to advise you on course requirements and registration. If you are a five-year dual-degree student, you will have an additional adviser from your other school (Weinberg, SESP, McCormick, Medill, or Communication).
Bienen's academic advising begins in late July with online Zoom sessions with Dr. Jacobs. Dual degree students will have a second Zoom session with Dr. Jacobs and an adviser from their additional school. Watch your Northwestern email for dates for these online advising sessions.
Fall quarter course registration will be on campus during Wildcat Welcome. At least half of your fall courses will be based on your placement exam results, so there is no need to make class selections or prepare a course schedule prior to advising sessions.
Music Placement Diagnostic Tests
Music Theory and Aural Skills
All new music students take music theory and aural skills placement tests before arriving on campus. An overview of the tests is provided below to help you prepare. If accessibility services or accommodation are appropriate for you, please initiate the process of registering with AccessibleNU as soon as possible.
Placement test orientation: You will receive a link to complete a series of required online test orientation tasks on August 1. These must be completed no later than August 14.
Placement diagnostics: As part of the test orientation, you will register for two diagnostic test sessions given on Zoom on the following dates. Times are central daylight time (CDT).
- Music Theory: August 19, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., or August 22, 7–9 p.m.
- Aural Skills: August 25, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., or August 29, 7–9 p.m.
Music Theory
- Part I—Basic skills (required). This 15-minute music theory exam covers fundamentals such as clefs, note reading, major and minor key signatures, rhythmic notation, intervals, and triad and seventh chord construction and identification. This part is for placement purposes only.
- Part II—Advanced placement (optional). Part II of the music theory exam is offered for students who wish to place into an honors section or place out of the first-year course sequence. Unlike high school courses, the honors designation does not mean an increased workload; it does mean a more rigorous application of topics. Part II measures advanced proficiency and readiness for in-depth studies in these areas:
- Counterpoint: writing and terminology
- Figured bass: realization and melodic composition
- Harmony: part writing; harmonization of a given melody or bass line; and Roman numeral analysis, including embellishing tones, applied chords, chromaticism, modulation, and cadence types
Aural skills
All new students take this diagnostic test, which includes examples of aural recognition (intervals and pitch patterns, chord qualities, and inversions) and melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic dictation.
As a follow-up to this test, all students sign up for and complete a 10-minute singing interview via Zoom.
A review of aural skills and basic music theory over the summer is encouraged. Websites such as musictheory.net, teoria.com, and Open Music Theory are helpful resources. If you have questions, please email professor Susan Piagentini at s-piagentini@northwestern.edu.
Keyboard skills
This exam will be on campus during Wildcat Welcome and takes about five minutes to complete. The exam is used to identify an appropriate-level keyboard skills class for you. Class levels range from students with no keyboard experience to piano performance majors. Keyboard skills classes are required of all BM degree students, except jazz majors, who have their own keyboard classes that don't require this placement exam.
Non-Music Placement Exams and Assessments
If you plan to take courses in chemistry, biology, languages other than English, or math or if you’re in a five-year dual degree program, use the guidelines on the Placement Exams webpage to determine which exams or assessments may be required for you. Be sure to note the exam deadlines.
Course Planning
Based on your music placement exam results, you will be assigned to specific sections of music theory, aural skills, and keyboard skills classes. BM students will also have lessons and an ensemble assignment, except for piano majors and composition majors, who can choose to delay their ensemble requirement.
Bienen degree students will typically have one nonmusic class. Five-year dual-degree students often defer keyboard skills and take two nonmusic classes.
Sample Course Schedules
The regular full-time course load at Northwestern is 4 units. Bienen students typically enroll in 4 to 5 units each quarter. Following is a sample four-year music major’s first-year course lineup for fall:
- Music theory (0.5 units)
- Aural skills (0.5 units)
- Keyboard skills (0.5 units)
- Ensemble—band, orchestra, or choir (0.5 units)
- Applied lessons (1 unit)
- Studio class, if applicable (0 unit)
- Nonmusic elective/distribution requirement (1 unit)
A five-year dual-degree student’s first-year fall schedule mostly mirrors that for four-year students, except that it includes two courses for the nonmusic degree, and keyboard skills is deferred to accommodate the additional nonmusic course.
Students in certain majors may be required to take other or additional courses:
- Voice majors also register for vocal solo (0) and diction (.5) classes.
- Some instrumental majors also register for studio ensembles.
- First-year music education majors take a music education class instead of a nonmusic elective/distribution requirement.
- Piano and composition majors may defer the ensemble requirement to their second year or later.
- Jazz majors take an improvisation course instead of keyboard skills.
AP/IB Credit
If you took AP/IB exams, your credits may count toward your degree. Four-year Bienen students follow the Bienen School’s AP/IB guidelines; five-year dual degree students follow the AP/IB guidelines set by their nonmusic school. Advisers will review your AP/IB credits with you during your advising sessions.
Questions?
The Bienen School’s Office of Student Affairs is ready to assist you.
Call 847-491-3818 or contact Linda Jacobs or Jeff Merkley by email.