Music

Course summary

The A Level course is linked closely to what has been studied at GCSE. It allows students to perform, compose, listen, and study in detail, many different styles and forms of music. We offer the WJEC course which is broken up into units and is an extension of the main study areas encountered at GCSE. Some new skills are required and the depth of study is increased. In particular, candidates need to be able to follow musical scores in several different styles. The course comprises a mixture of coursework and examinations. New in the specification is that the performance is now a live examination marked by a visiting examiner. You will be required to perform pieces equivalent to Grade 5-6 standard, although extra credit is given for playing pieces of a higher standard. You can choose whether you wish to have performance or composition as your strongest option with one being 35% of the course, the other 25%. The written paper tests knowledge of two key areas: the symphony between 1750 and 1900 and Rock and Pop between 1960 – 1990.