Music Theory Fundamentals Certificate Program

interlochen online music theory basics certificate

Next session begins Jan. 12

Tuition Rate: $799

Rates increase Jan. 1

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FAQs

Develop the foundational skills required of any professional musician. Go from complete beginner—learning scales, key signatures, and how to read music—to expressing your musical ideas in your own compositions and communicating with other musicians.

Taught by a world-class musician, composer, and educator, the Music Theory Basics certificate program offers a unique opportunity to deepen your craft, earn a valuable credential, and receive credit from Interlochen. This program is designed for both adults and teens and consists of three four-week courses that must be taken in sequential order.

Music Theory Basics 1

✔Identify and use the elements of Western music notation, including clefs, notation, intervals, pitch, musical texture, and chord construction
✔Apply the core principles of melody and harmony, including range, flow, and contour
✔Identify and use rhythmic elements that help give structure to music, such as beat, pulse, and duration
✔Create short, original melodies in a monophonic style

Music Theory Basics 2

✔Notate and identify all simple intervals in a variety of clefs
✔Construct triads and seventh chords in a variety of clefs
✔Understand the different functions of various chords within a scale
✔Identify simple harmonic progressions in major and minor keys
✔Create your own chord progressions for use in a variety of Western musical styles
✔Create simple, two-voice contrapuntal textures in your musical compositions

Music Theory Basics 3

✔Create a short melodic example in a complex meter
✔Identify various seventh chords and their inversions in popular musical excerpts
✔Notate harmonic progressions using lead sheet symbols
✔Identify and construct 9th, 11th, and 13th chords, in addition to non-tertian chords, such as added tone chords and suspended chords
✔Create your own musical compositions
Courses

Tuition

$ 897   $799

Ages

Teens: Grades 6-12

Adult Learners: Ages 18+

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Expert guidance
Receive direct, personalized feedback from a professional artist.
Collaborate
Work with your instructor and peers through messaging or optional real-time weekly classes.
Learn on your own schedule
Explore meaningful instruction in about five hours a week per course.
Real growth
Develop skills and projects that are important to your artistic and professional growth.
For all students:

✔ A respected credential from Interlochen Online
✔ Physical and shareable digital certificate upon completion
✔ A portfolio of completed, polished projects
✔ A strengthened résumé, college application, or LinkedIn profile

For middle school and high school students:

✔ An official transcript awarding high school credit
✔ Accreditation by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

No, course sections are designed for their respective age groups, either for adults (students 18 and older) or young people (students under 18).

Yes, there are eight sessions of courses per year. View the academic calendar for more session dates.

Meet the Faculty

Andrew Martin Smith, D.M.A.

Instructor of Music Composition & Theory

Questions? Speak with an Advisor.

Email: online@interlochen.org 

Phone: 231.276.5990 

You can also schedule an appointment.

Start Learning Music Theory

Get access to Understanding Intervals in Music Theory, an exclusive guide developed by Interlochen Online faculty.

Music theory student