NES Music (820) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0011 make up about 33% of the test. They ask you to understand the components of a score; understand the elements of melody; understand the elements of harmony, and more.

• Competency 0001: Understand the components of a score. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of music notation (e.g., clefs, names of notes, key signatures, rhythms); Understand common musical symbols and embellishment symbols (e.g., repeat signs, bowing, fermata, tremolo); Recognize and understand the elements of a score (e.g., voice parts, instrumentation, transpositions); Understand expressive terms and symbols (e.g., dolce, marcato), dynamic markings (e.g., crescendo, subito piano), and tempo markings (e.g., allegro, andante); Understand articulation symbols (e.g., legato, staccato, accents).
• Competency 0002: Understand the elements of melody. Skills tested: Recognize melodic intervals; Recognize the types and characteristics of scales and modes (e.g., pentatonic, modal, major, minor, chromatic, whole-tone, octatonic); Understand melodic embellishments and devices (e.g., trill, turn, repetition, sequence); Understand melodic structures and characteristics (e.g., phrases, conjunct and disjunct motion, focal point).
• Competency 0003: Understand the elements of harmony. Skills tested: Recognize harmonic intervals and inversions; Analyze chord types, chord inversions, and harmonic progressions (e.g., Roman numeral analysis, chord identification); Recognize and understand types of cadences (e.g., authentic, half, deceptive, plagal); Demonstrate knowledge of "common practice" period voice-leading (e.g., avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves, resolution of dissonance); Recognize and understand types of nonharmonic tones (e.g., passing tones, neighboring tones, suspensions).
• Competency 0004: Understand the elements of rhythm, meter, and tempo. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of note and rest values; Understand rhythmic devices (e.g., diminution, augmentation, syncopation); Recognize and understand time signatures; Understand the characteristics of meter (e.g., compound, simple, duple, triple); Recognize and understand tempo markings (e.g., largo, andante, vivace, accelerando, ritardando).
• Competency 0005: Understand musical composition, arranging, and improvising. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of forms, musical styles, textures, and compositional techniques; Understand and apply knowledge of techniques for arranging music for a variety of instruments and voices; Understand and apply knowledge of techniques for musical improvisation (e.g., instrumental and vocal improvisation, basic keyboard accompaniments, improvisation on classroom instruments).
• Competency 0006: Analyze elements of a score in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify different voice parts and ensembles; Identify different instrument parts and ensembles; Recognize and analyze elements of expression and dynamics (e.g., dolce, crescendo, sforzando); Recognize and analyze elements of articulation and embellishments (e.g., legato, staccato, glissando, pizzicato).
• Competency 0007: Analyze the elements of melody in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify types of melodic intervals, scales, and modes (e.g., pentatonic, modal, major, minor, chromatic, whole-tone); Identify and understand melodic embellishments and devices (e.g., trill, turn, repetition, sequence); Recognize melodic structures and understand their characteristics (e.g., phrases, conjunct and disjunct motion, focal point).
• Competency 0008: Analyze the elements of harmony in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify harmonic intervals, chords, harmonic progressions, and cadences (e.g., authentic, half, deceptive, plagal); Recognize and understand modulations and nonharmonic tones (e.g., passing tones, neighboring tones, suspensions).
• Competency 0009: Analyze elements of rhythm, meter, and tempo in a musical recording. Skills tested: Recognize and understand rhythmic patterns and devices (e.g., diminution, augmentation, syncopation); Identify meter, meter changes, tempo, and tempo changes.
• Competency 0010: Analyze elements of compositional forms and techniques in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify types of compositional forms (e.g., binary, ternary, strophic, variations, twelve-bar blues); Identify and understand contrapuntal techniques and devices (e.g., fugue, imitation, subject, countersubject); Identify types of textures (e.g., polyphonic, heterophonic, homophonic); Recognize and understand other textural elements (e.g., doublings, melody and countermelody, ostinato).
• Competency 0011: Identify performance errors in a recording of a musical score. Skills tested: Analyze pitch or rhythmic errors in a vocal or instrumental performance; Recognize deviations from suggested markings of dynamics, phrasing, articulation, and tempo.

Competencies 0012–0024 make up about 33% of the test. They ask you to demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from the Middle Ages through 1750; demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from 1750 through 1900; demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from 1900 through the present, and more.

• Competency 0012: Demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from the Middle Ages through 1750. Skills tested: Identify characteristics of musical styles (e.g., modal, monophony, polyphony, basso continuo); Understand important genres (e.g., Gregorian chant, madrigal, fugue, concerto grosso); Understand the music of major composers (e.g., Hildegard von Bingen, Palestrina, J. S. Bach).
• Competency 0013: Demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from 1750 through 1900. Skills tested: Identify characteristics of musical styles (e.g., Alberti bass, periodic phrase structure, chromaticism, coloristic use of orchestra); Understand important genres (e.g., sonata, symphony, lieder, opera); Understand the music of major composers (e.g., Mozart, Clara Schumann, Dvořák).
• Competency 0014: Demonstrate knowledge of Western (European) music from 1900 through the present. Skills tested: Identify characteristics of musical styles (e.g., impressionism, minimalism, aleatoric music, serialism); Understand important genres (e.g., ballet, opera, chamber ensembles); Understand the music of major composers (e.g., Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartók).
• Competency 0015: Demonstrate knowledge of music from the United States from 1650 through 1900. Skills tested: Identify characteristics and origins of musical styles (e.g., folk, ragtime, wind band); Understand important genres (e.g., spiritual, blues, march, ballad, opera); Understand the music of major composers (e.g., Billings, Joplin, Gottschalk, Sousa).
• Competency 0016: Demonstrate knowledge of music from the United States from 1900 through the present. Skills tested: Identify characteristics and origins of musical styles in the United States (e.g., jazz, Broadway, gospel, Classical); Understand important genres in music of the United States (e.g., musical, symphony, rhythm and blues, rap); Understand the music of major composers in the United States (e.g., Ives, Ellington, Rodgers, Bernstein).
• Competency 0017: Demonstrate knowledge of music from various world societies. Skills tested: Identify characteristics and origins of musical styles (e.g., reggae, raga, mariachi, gagaku); Identify instruments of various world cultures (e.g., djembe, didgeridoo, sitar, pan pipes).
• Competency 0018: Recognize characteristics of Western (European) music from the Middle Ages through 1750 in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify important musical styles (e.g., modal, monophony, polyphony, basso continuo); Identify important genres of music (e.g., Gregorian chant, madrigal, mass, fugue, concerto grosso); Identify the music of major composers (e.g., Palestrina, Handel).
• Competency 0019: Recognize characteristics of Western (European) music from 1750 through 1900 in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify important musical styles (e.g., Alberti bass, periodic phrase structure, chromaticism, coloristic use of orchestra); Identify important genres of music (e.g., sonata, symphony, lieder, opera); Identify the music of major composers (e.g., Haydn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky).
• Competency 0020: Recognize characteristics of Western (European) music from 1900 through the present in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify important musical styles (e.g., impressionism, minimalism, aleatoric music); Identify important genres of music (e.g., ballet, opera, chamber ensembles); Identify the music of major composers (e.g., Debussy, Stravinsky, Berg, Ravel).
• Competency 0021: Recognize characteristics of music from the United States from 1650 through 1900 in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify important styles in the music of this period (e.g., folk, ragtime, wind band); Identify important genres of music in this period (e.g., spiritual, march, hymn); Identify the music of major composers in this period (e.g., Foster, MacDowell, Beach).
• Competency 0022: Recognize characteristics of music from the United States from 1900 through the present in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify important styles in the music of the United States (e.g., jazz, Broadway, Classical); Identify important genres of music in the United States (e.g., standards, symphony, rhythm and blues); Identify the music of major composers and performers in the United States (e.g., Gershwin, Davis, Still, Zwilich).
• Competency 0023: Recognize characteristics of music from various world societies in a musical recording. Skills tested: Identify characteristics and origins of musical styles (e.g., reggae, raga, mariachi, gagaku); Identify instruments of various world cultures (e.g., djembe, didgeridoo, sitar, pan pipes).
• Competency 0024: Demonstrate knowledge of music criticism and aesthetics. Skills tested: Demonstrate the ability to critique and evaluate musical performances, compositions, and arrangements, using appropriate criteria and vocabulary.

Competencies 0025–0029 make up about 14% of the test. They ask you to understand choral and instrumental literature; understand techniques of conducting; understand basic vocal and instrumental techniques, and more.

• Competency 0025: Understand choral and instrumental literature. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate criteria for choosing a repertoire (e.g., appropriate levels of difficulty, skill development, range); Understand the types and characteristics of school vocal and instrumental ensembles (e.g., chorus, orchestra, band, chamber, jazz); Demonstrate knowledge of stylistically appropriate performance practices; Understand the legal aspects of music (e.g., copyright laws).
• Competency 0026: Understand techniques of conducting. Skills tested: Recognize common beat patterns; Identify and understand common expressive techniques; Identify and understand common cuing techniques.
• Competency 0027: Understand basic vocal and instrumental techniques. Skills tested: Recognize and understand basic terminology (e.g., embouchure, vibrato, tessitura, pizzicato); Understand and apply fundamental concepts (e.g., breath support, vocal physiology, harmonics).
• Competency 0028: Understand the musical development of children and adolescents. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between music instruction and developmentally appropriate emotional, psychomotor, and social activities (e.g., vocal and aural health practices, materials for general music classes and ensembles); Understand appropriate audience etiquette in different settings.
• Competency 0029: Identify and understand methodologies in music education. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the commonalities and differences in special approaches to music education (e.g., Orff Schulwerk, Kodály, Dalcroze, Gordon, Comprehensive Musicianship); Understand connections between music and other disciplines.

Competencies 0030–0030 make up about 20% of the test. They ask you to prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following: music theory and analysis; music history, literature, and culture; music education.

• Competency 0030: Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following: music theory and analysis; music history, literature, and culture; music education. Skills tested: (Refer to objectives 0001 through 0029 and associated descriptive statements.).