A Level Music

Course summary

Music A Level covers the three components of Performance, Composition and Listening and Analysing. You can choose to study more performance (35%) and less composition (25%) or vice versa. The Listening and Analysing component is worth 40% of your final grade. Performance is assessed by a visiting examiner during the second year of the course and you are expected to be playing at Grade 6 standard for 10 to 12 minutes. Composition requires a piece composed in the Western Classical Tradition (a brief for this is set by the exam board) and a second piece which can be a free composition. As part of the Listening and Analysing paper, you will study the Development of the Symphony, including set works by Haydn and Mendelssohn, Music of the Twentieth Century, including set works by Debussy and Poulenc and Jazz from 1920 to 1960.