Music

Course summary

The A-level course allows pupils to study Music as a practical, intellectual, and creative subject, covering a wide range of styles of music, including classical, jazz, film music, and pop. We live in an age of cultural diversity and the course aims to enable musicians from all backgrounds to develop as performers and composers. The course is divided into three units: Performance, Composition, and Appraising. The Performance unit requires students to perform on their main instrument demonstrating a range of repertoire to produce a balanced programme. The Composition unit requires students to compose both in the style of other composers and to compose their own compositions. The briefs assessing technique include Bach Chorales, 2-part harmony, arrangement, and remix. The Appraising unit requires students to analyze music focusing on structure, instrumentation, melody, harmony, and texture. There is a real breadth to the thirteen-set works covered and students study the set works using scores and recordings. Students are expected to compare the set works and place them in a wider context by studying a selection of other works from the same genres.