Music Therapy

THE GUITAR PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION

A graduation requirement for the BMT degree

The Guitar Proficiency Examination is a procedure designed to insure that Bachelor of Music Therapy students at UW-Eau Claire attain a level of skill on the guitar necessary for effective functioning in the clinical setting. Bachelor of Music Therapy students are required to pass all parts of the Guitar Proficiency Examination prior to enrollment in MUTX 215 or 217.

The examination is given each semester prior to finals week and must be scheduled with Music Therapy faculty during the semester. A sign-up procedure will be established so that students may arrange in advance to play the examination.

The Guitar Proficiency Examination consists of the following six sections and skill areas:

  1. Sing with prepared accompaniment 5 folk or popular songs of the student's choice. The student will utilize:

    1. A minimum of 2 different strumming patterns;
    2. A minimum of 3 different broken-chord fingerpicking patterns;
    3. A total of at least l5 different chords in standard, first-position fingerings.

  2. Accompaniment of one folk or popular song at sight. The song for sight-playing will contain from 4 to 7 chords from the following list, to be played with standard, first-position fingerings:

    Major: C, D, E, F, G, A;
    Minor: dm, dm7, em, am, bm, bm7;
    Seventh: C7, D7, E7, G7, A7, B7;
    Major Seventh: CM7, DM7, FM7, GM7, AM7

  3. Transposition and accompaniment of 2 songs at sight.

    1. One song to be read from lead-sheet format (melody line and chord names provided).
    2. One song to be read from word-chord format (lyrics and chord names provided).

    Examples: E to D; C to A; B to C; E to G.
    Songs will contain 4 to 6 chords.

    (For parts l-3, students must be prepared to sing as they play. Singing will not be graded.)

  4. Scale-playing:
    One octave ascending and descending:
    C major;
    G major.

  5. Melody-playing:
    One prepared song of the student's choosing, at least 8 measures in length.

  6. Chord-symbol interpretation:

    Student will play 3 different chords at sight from chord-symbol notation presented by the examiner.

The student who fails all or a portion of the Guitar Proficiency Examination will be advised of the procedure to follow. Students will re-take only those sections of the Examination which are failed. Students have the option of preparing on their own for the Examination or of taking advantage of Department course offerings, such as MUTX 120 or 116 to prepare.

Transfer students who have taken a guitar proficiency examination at another school may either take this department's examination or produce evidence that they have passed a proficiency examination of equal difficulty. This evidence must include a signed letter and proficiency requirements from the former music school or department.