2008 ANGEL IMPACT Awards - Exemplary ANGEL Program

Award Recipient

SUNY Fredonia
School of Music
Music Theory Placement Program
Fredonia, NY

Contributors

Patricia Corron, Associate Director, Kevin Lane, Programmer/Analyst, Paul Murphy, Associate Professor, Gordon Root, Assistant Professor

Program Description

Incoming students' varying levels of theoretical knowledge made it difficult for the SUNY Fredonia School of Music (SOM) to teach its beginning music theory classes. SOM faculty used ANGEL and a Banner SIS-ANGEL integration to create a meaningful solution to a learning problem.

First, faculty carefully constructed, tested and adjusted a placement exam to measure music theory knowledge. They also developed a practice test to help reduce student anxiety and allow students to prepare for the placement exam. Incoming students take the practice and placement tests in ANGEL. The ANGEL-Banner SIS integration captures placement exam scores.

A score of 70% or higher on the placement exam is required for admittance into the music theory course. Students who demonstrate entry-level skills by scoring 70% or above on the placement exam are placed in the traditional music theory course. Students who do not score 70% or higher on the placement exam are placed in a Rudiments course where they learn the beginning skills needed to succeed.

"The music theory placement program has had quite a positive effect. For the first time, we have been able to place incoming freshman on a large scale in the most appropriate classes in a remarkably efficient way," says Paul Murphy, Associate Professor, School of Music, SUNY Fredonia. "Using ANGEL to accomplish this made all the difference," Murphy continues. "ANGEL gave us a means of both broadcasting a practice (advisory) exam to prospective students and examining a large body of incoming students in an efficient manner. Not only has the program solved problems, it has made us an example of 'how to do it.' I have received several calls from other teachers in similar positions asking how we were able to achieve this."