ELDRED, NY — Students studying music at Eldred Central School have the opportunity for the first time ever to take an advanced placement (AP) course at the high school. Three students have been doing so since the beginning of the school year.

Brian Nivison, who created and teaches the course, said it involves the study of music theory and is comparable to what a music student would study in “freshman music theory one, and a little bit of theory two.” If the students earn a three or better out of five possible points on the AP test, they will get college credit.

The program actually started last year when Nivison prepared a couple of students to take the AP exam. He said staff at Delaware Valley High School, which is a much larger school in Pennsylvania, “generously gave permission” for the Eldred students to take the test there, after paying a fee. In the process of creating the AP music program, Nivison also took the opportunity to monitor the teachers of the AP courses at Wallenpaupack Area School District. He was grateful for the help of both schools.

After the first two students took the test, Eldred principal Scott Krebs asked Nivison if he would submit the necessary materials to allow the school to have its own AP music course on the Eldred campus.

Nivison said, “It was a little daunting at first; it was a lot of work, and I hadn’t imagined doing that, but I went to work. I first had to work on a syllabus to have it approved by the College Board, which is the same organization that puts out the SATs and ACTs.

“I tried to condense a 40-week syllabus into 33 weeks because the AP test is on May 9 this year or on week 35… and there has to be time for review, and so many things: notations, key signatures, circle of fifths, all the building blocks for what makes music work.”

Nivison said he believes the AP program at the school district will grow. “I believe hopefully you’ll see it in science, math, history.” Delaware Valley has two dozen AP courses; now Eldred has one, with more possibly on the way.