![]() ![]() This is about hearing the vertical relationships between notes. You’re almost certainly going to be asked about pitch. Pitch: The Vertical Relationship Between Notes So before we get to that, however, let’s look at what a standard musical aptitude test actually is. What is a ‘standard musical aptitude test’? But as we’ll see, there’s another type of MAT or entrance exam where you almost certainly will. You don’t need to play an instrument to pass most standard MAT entrance exams. So, so long as we’re encouraging students to think about how music works, they are being well prepared to pass a musical aptitude test. So the concepts are universal, a bit like color really. However, this is only because those students who’ve been playing and involved in music so far have been practicing thinking about music for some time.Įssentially, the musical aptitude test is a cognitive music test that is designed to look at how the student thinks about the music that they hear. So one of the questions people often ask is, “Do you have to have studied music before doing an MAT test?” The honest answer to this is, well, it helps. Do you need to play an instrument to pass an Musical Aptitude Test? By doing practice tests and understanding the types of questions that could come up, you’re going to get a lot more confident going into the exam. The good news is, however, that even though they’re looking for “inherent” musical aptitude, it can be learned and honed so long as you know what to practice and how to practice it. It can mean that you don’t get into the school that you’re after or that perhaps you don’t get the scholarship that you’re going for. If you fail a musical aptitude test it doesn’t mean you’re “unmusical.” However, failing does often massively affect a school career. ![]() ![]() What if you fail a Musical Aptitude Test? So there are quite a lot of variations, which makes it quite hard to prepare for. This is because they’re looking for inherent musical aptitude and they don’t therefore want to give people too much preparation time. Whilst there is somewhat of standard musical aptitude test, which we’ll see in a minute, the problem is that schools keep them pretty darn secret. One, you could be in a music school or in a hall somewhere listening to a CD and answering multiple-choice questions or you could be in a meeting with the examiner or the head of music and they might ask you questions like, “Clap this rhythm” or “Sing the top note of this chord” or “Tell me is the second note higher or lower?”īut there could be many other questions, and this is the slight problem with musical aptitude tests. So what sort of questions could come up? Well, there could be a number of different formats. So if musical aptitude tests are designed to look for inherent musicality or ‘aural capacity’ in a student, what does that mean?Īural capacity is the ability to discern detail in things like pitch, texture, and rhythm. Over my 10 years as a private music teacher I’ve helped many students pass entrance exams like this one and have condensed many of the exercises, interview questions and parental advice into an extremely comprehensive course. The good news is that it is possible to prepare for a musical aptitude test if you know what to practice and how to practice it. Failing one of these musical aptitude tests can result in the student not getting into the school they want and drastically altering their school career. However, whilst there is somewhat of a ‘standard MAT test’, schools often vary what they put in - making preparation hard. This essentially means measuring their aural capacity and ability to discern detail in pitch, texture, and rhythm. What is a Musical Aptitude Test and How to Prepare for OneĪ musical aptitude test or specialist music entrance exam is designed to look for inherent musicality in a student. If you like it, you can also purchase a full course to really improve your chances. To get free access to a musical aptitude test, visit. ![]()
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