Tips for creating SATB part writing and analysis exercises

How to Create an SATB Score

To create an SATB exercise for part writing or analysis, you must first add an SATB score to a Harmonia document. You can import an MusicXML file (see instructions here) or, generate an SATB score using the in-app SATB Score Generator.

How to Create an SATB Score Using Harmonia’s Score Generator

To generate an SATB score using Harmonia’s SATB Score Generator, follow the steps below:

Log into Harmonia 3 using a teacher account and create a new document. (Select New Document from the File menu if a blank page is not already displayed.)

Select Generate Score from the Insert menu and choose SATB Generator in the submenu. (Note: the Insert menu is only visible when signed in with a teacher account. Contact us if you are an instructor and would like a teacher account.)

This will display a Music Editor on the right with controls for configuring the desired score. (Click the Controls icon at the upper right to hide or show this panel as you work.)

• Allowable Key Signatures: Configure the desired key signatures by selecting the number of allowable accidentals. Select from major and minor keys further down in the editor.
• Score Categories: Select from eleven different score categories in the pulldown menu. Each group consists of a variety of progressions, which may be viewed in major and minor keys. For example, clicking on Neapolitans will display ten different groups of individual chords and progressions in a variety of voicings. Hovering the mouse over each group button below will provide a description of each progression or chord and provide the number of unique voicings. To select one or more group, click the buttons for major and/or minor and the “Add” button. The Sketch Scores are unique in that each group enables teachers to compose any progression of their choice in 15 templates based on common progression durations. Qx4|W, for example, is a progression consisting of a measure of four quarter notes followed by a measure filled with a whole note. Hover a mouse over each group button to learn more about each group.
• Items Slider:Select the number of scores to generate and Click the Generate button.

Check & Edit BEFORE Converting Scores to Assessments

Once a score is added to a page, examine Harmonia’s automatic analysis for correctness. This is also the moment where you can make any changes to a score. For example, if you’d like to change a chord from a V to a V7, you can make the change now. Check the voice leading –Harmonia will tell you if your chordal sevenths or leading tones don’t resolve properly or if you have made any other part-writing errors. Make any changes if necessary and continue.

Before converting a score into any type of assessment, first ensure that the musical pitches are correct. In particular, any visible Harmonia error annotation on the score should be resolved before converting the music into an assessment because those errors will affect the grading. Also consider resolving warnings and comments before converting to an assessment. In the case of an analysis assessment, the theory line should contain the symbols you want students to provide by typing them into the assessment's theory line. For example, in an analysis assessment of a four part-score score the theory line should display the roman numerals you expect students to provide in the exercise.

How to create an SATB analysis exercise

If there are numerous scores on your page, select the score you’d like to convert by clicking anywhere inside the score box. Select Convert Score to Assessment in the Teacher menu, and select Roman Analysis from the pulldown menu, and then click the Convert Score button.

When a score is converted into an analysis assessment the notes in the score are locked (made unselectable or uneditable) and the symbols of the authority analysis currently visible in the theory line become hidden. The theory-line entries are then converted into empty fields (boxes) for students to enter their analysis symbols. The completed analysis is then compared against the hidden authority analysis to determine a grade for the assessment.

Once converted to an assessment, the only available options for configuration in the Music Editor on the right involves the Theory Line. Click on any green box in the theory line and then use the Theory Line group buttons to Show or Clear an answer, to Hide/Unhide an entry (i.e., students won’t see a box to fill in once downloaded from their Cloud menu). Because students must type in the key name, a colon, and the chord label (e.g., f#:i) in the first theory-line box to receive full credit, teachers may choose to provide the given key at the beginning of the example for students. To do so, click the Friendly Key box in the Music Editor.

How to create an SATB composition exercise

If there are numerous scores on your page, select the score you’d like to convert by clicking anywhere inside the score box. Select Convert Score to Assessment in the Teacher menu, and select Roman Composition from the pulldown menu, and then click the Convert Score button.

When a score is converted into a composition assessment the symbols in its theory line are locked and notes in the score can be converted into draggables, i.e. items that the student moves up and down to compose the score. The completed composition is then analyzed by Harmonia and compared against the authority analysis to determine a grade for the assessment.

Once converted to an assessment, the only available options for configuration in the Music Editor on the right are the Draggables, Locking, and Grading Groups.

The Draggables customization controls are available for all composition assessments. A draggable is Harmonia's term for an item that a student clicks and drags to compose a note in the composition. Notes that are not draggable are inactive and ungraded in the composition. To use these buttons, first click on a note in the score to convert. The Draggables buttons provide the following functionality:

Convert Note

Converts the selected note into a draggable or an inactive note, depending on the current state.

Convert Chord

Converts all the notes in the chord containing the selected note into draggables or inactive notes, depending on the current state of the selected note. For example, some teachers use this feature to provide a starting chord for the progression.

Convert Voice

Converts all the notes belonging to the same voice as the selected note to draggables or inactive notes, depending on the current state of the selected note. For example, you can use this feature to provide the soprano and bass-line contrapuntal framework and require students to fill in the inner voices.

Convert All

Converts all the notes in the score to draggables or inactive notes.

The Locking customization controls allow you to lock notes in the score. A locked note is visible to the student but inactive and ungraded by the assessment. To use these buttons, first click on (select) a note in the score to lock. The Locking buttons provide the following functionality:

Lock Note

Locks or unlocks the selected note, depending on the current state.

Lock Voice

Locks all the notes belonging to the same voice as the selected note.

Unlock Voice

Unlocks all the notes belonging to the same voice as the selected note.

How to create an SATB Figured Bass exercise

If there are numerous scores on your page, select the score you’d like to convert by clicking anywhere inside the score box. Select Convert Score to Assessment in the Teacher menu, and select Figured Bass from the pulldown menu, and then click the Convert Score button.

When a score is converted into a figured bass assignment, Harmonia considers this as a mixed assessment, in which notes in the score can be converted into draggables and the theory line contains empty fields. Both the completed composition and the analysis are analyzed by Harmonia and independently compared against the authority analysis to determine a grade for the assessment. The total point value of a mixed assessment will be sum of composition points and analysis parts.

Once converted to an assessment, all options in the Music Editor are available for configuration in the Music Editor on the right. Configure Draggables, set Locking options, Theory Line entries, and Grading using the Editor. All of these features are described above, but for figured bass exercises, teachers will typically want to complete the following steps:

• Convert all voices to draggable rests, except for the bass voice, to create a figured bass exercise.
• Determine if your students should be provided with a starting chord for good voicing placement using the Convert Chord button.
• Once you have converted all the pitches of your choice to draggables, lock the remaining given notes, so that students cannot edit or alter them.
• In the theory line, click on the first text box and decide if students should be provided with the starting key by selecting the Friendly Key box, or if they should be required to fill it in on their own.

Final Steps

Once the exercise is configured to your liking, check the grading scheme in the Music Editor and make any changes if desired. Add text directions, audio, video, or images as necessary and then select Save or Save As… from the File menu.

Note that the automatic grading feature only works if you upload the file to you online course and download the assignment through the Harmonia Cloud menu. Log into your course on our web server and upload the file for delivery to your students. For more information Add homework assignments to your Harmonia course.