Music

Assessment

You will have four 70-minute lessons per week (three appraising and one composition). A performance seminar is also held once every fortnight, in which you take turns performing in front of your peers to increase confidence and work on performance skills. You should also be having lessons with a specialist instrumental/vocal teacher and are encouraged to arrange these through the college, thereby benefitting from the subsidy system. COMPONENT 1: APPRAISING MUSIC (40%) 2 HOUR 30 MINUTES EXAM PAPER The specification covers a range of music from Romantic piano music to musical theatre, art music of the last 100 years, and pop icons such as Beyoncé. Students will cover the listening/aural test examples and all of the set works before the exam. The exam is split into three parts: SECTION A: LISTENING Three sets of questions. One set will be linked to Area of Study 1: Western classical tradition 1650-1910, one of which will require aural dictation. The remaining two sets of questions will be linked to Areas of Study 2-7. Students choose two of the six question sets available. SECTION B: ANALYSIS Two sets of linked questions including short answers and extended writing from Area of Study 1 assessing understanding of musical elements and students’ abilities to make critical judgements. SECTION C: ESSAY One essay question from one area of study from a choice of Areas of study 2-7 referring to three of the named artists. This will assess critical understanding across genres, styles and traditions, and students’ ability to show connections between the music and its context. COMPONENT 2: PERFORMANCE (35%) A recorded performance in front of an audience. Students must perform for a minimum of 10 minutes, and performances must be at Grade 7 or above to have a chance of getting the top marks. Performances are graded based on the ambition of the project, technical control, expressive control and performance quality. Performances will be submitted to the exam board by May in the second year. In the first year, a mock version of these (5-minute performance) will be marked within the college using exam board guidelines. COMPONENT 3: COMPOSING (25%) Students will produce two compositions totalling a minimum of four and a half minutes. Composition for assessment must be completed under direct supervision within the college. One composition will be in response to a brief from a choice of seven externally set briefs related to each Area of study. These may include stimuli such as a poem or piece of text, photographs, film or notation. The second composition will be a free composition which need not reference an area of study or given brief.