There has been some talk amongst the kids of the music department regarding an AP music theory class at DHS. I interviewed a student who has been trying to get this ball rolling for about two years now, and it seems that the majority of the students currently involved in the music department would really like to have the opportunity to have a class like this.

As a student who is heavily involved in the music department at DHS, another advanced course would be an exciting addition to my repertoire. Even though I would not be able to be enrolled in this class at DHS next year, the buzz around the topic has raised a few questions, like: What would the course consist of? What would the AP exam be like? Why wouldn’t there be a regular music theory course? What are some of the prerequisite classes you would need to take if any? Who would teach it? Would it be a year-long course or a semester course? 

Some of my questions were answered by Mrs. Hammer and Mr. Bautz, who are the choir and band teachers here at the high school. Mrs. Hammer explained to me that the class would obviously focus on advanced music theory that we wouldn’t normally focus on in our auditioned ensembles that we have here already. However, this class would benefit a student whether they’re in band or choir. This class would give the student a deeper understanding of the music they are performing from multiple different levels. Any student who has a passion for their music should take this class to improve their musicianship.

But we know that there are students in the program who want to improve their musicianship, now what we need is someone qualified to teach the course. Mr. Bautz informed me that both him or Mrs. Hammer would have to get certified to teach this and that they aren’t sure that they would be able to get certified in time for this class to be a reality. However, there has been some buzz around having the new band teacher at the middle school, Mr. Hoeft, teach it because he is already qualified and has taught this course in years past. While there are some logistics to be talked about with that, Mr. Heoft teaching the class could be a possibility.