SACE Music Studies Practice Questions
The 64 practice questions inside the SACE Music Studies Mastery Pack, grouped by area of study. Every question comes with a full worked solution.
- Aural perception and dictation
- Multiple choice × 12
- Notate × 2
- Identify and notate × 1
- Musical elements, notation and the formula sheet
- Multiple choice × 12
- Rewrite × 1
- Transpose × 1
- Write × 1
- Score reading and analysis of unfamiliar works
- Multiple choice × 14
- Describe × 3
- Identify × 1
- Explain × 1
- Compare × 1
- Manipulating elements: melody writing, arranging and harmonisation
- Multiple choice × 10
- Compose × 2
- Harmonise × 2
Original constructed practice material: the hub cannot play audio, so the excerpt is described in words and written in text notation (pitch letter + octave, middle C = C4; | = bar line; ~ = tie).
An excerpt in 4/4 is described as follows.
- Bar 1: beat 1 is one note lasting the whole beat; beat 2 is three equal notes that together fill the beat; a note starts on beat 3 and lasts one and a half beats; a short note on the second half of beat 4 is held over the bar line.
- Bar 2: the held note ends at the end of beat 1; beat 2 has two very short notes followed by a note half a beat long; a final note fills beats 3 and 4.
Write the rhythm of both bars, using correct beaming and a tie where needed. State the number of beats in each bar to prove your answer.
Show the worked answer
Answer: Worked solution
Bar 1: crotchet | quaver triplet (three quavers beamed with a 3) | dotted crotchet, quaver ~
Bar 2: ~ crotchet | two semiquavers + quaver (beamed together as one beat) | minim
Written in one line: | crotchet, quaver-triplet, dotted crotchet, quaver ~ | crotchet, semiquaver, semiquaver, quaver, minim |
Beat check: bar 1 = 1 + 1 + 1½ + ½ = 4; bar 2 = 1 + (¼ + ¼ + ½) + 2 = 4.
Reasoning: the note held over the bar line starts on the "and" of 4 (a quaver) and continues for beat 1 of bar 2, so it must be written as a quaver tied to a crotchet; a single note cannot cross a bar line. The dotted crotchet starting on beat 3 is acceptable in 4/4 because it begins on the half-bar and stays inside the second half of the bar. The semiquaver group is beamed as one beat so beat 2 of bar 2 is visible.
Mark allocation (4): 1 mark for the triplet on beat 2 of bar 1; 1 mark for the dotted crotchet–quaver figure on beats 3–4; 1 mark for the tie across the bar line written as quaver ~ crotchet; 1 mark for the semiquaver–semiquaver–quaver and minim of bar 2 with four beats in every bar. As the SAA keeps advising, check the beat total of every bar before moving on.
20 full-length practice exams with worked solutions, 20 revision notes, 64 practice questions and 200 flashcards.
Preview a sample note and question free on the SACE Music Studies hub →