AGO Choir Master Certification

1. Rehearse a choir and conduct them in a worship service.
2. Harmonize a melody at the keyboard.
3. Demonstrate basic keyboard skills and knowledge of chord progressions.
4. Transcribe from dictation and detect errors in a played passage.
5. Analyze form in choral music.
6. Show knowledge of Gregorian chant and its distinctive notation.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of hymnody and liturgy.
8. Articulate principles and guidelines for vocal training.
9. Be familiar with choral literature.
10. Show familiarity with music history and literature.

2021 Application Deadlines and Fees

The next exam will be given June 2, 2021 (morning and afternoon). Both sections, $300; single section $250; no student rate. Surcharge for non-AGO members is $100.

Click HERE to submit an application form to take the Choir Master Examination.

Either of the following works may be substituted for Copland’s “At the River”:
David Hurd: “Love Bade Me Welcome” (Shela 418-610).
Rosephanye Powell: “The Word Was God” (Gentry Publications JG2323).

Educational Resources for Choir Master Certification

Choir Master Ear Training Exercises

The AGO Committee on Professional Certification has created the ear training exercises below for candidates to use in their preparation for Choir Master certification. Listen to each of the examples and then refer to the Ear Training Solutions and the Ear Training Solutions – Error Detection.