Sixth Form Subjects

Music

 Course Overview

• AS/A2 Music enables students to extend their knowledge and understanding of music, to create and develop their own musical ideas and to demonstrate technical, interpretative and communication skills through performing music

• The course helps students to develop aural, theoretical and appraisal skills and enables them to explore significant set works selected to suit their preferences. They will study compositional techniques, to create music which draws on their own experience and enthusiasm or to arrange a given piece of music. In their performances, students can present solo and/or ensemble pieces and can work with music technology.

Course Content and Assessment

 A Level Music is split into three components: Performing, Composing and Listening & Appraising.

It is essential that students can already play a musical instrument and have a keen interest in creating and listening to different styles of music to appreciate how they are written and performed.

During both years of the course, students must put together a recital program which can be solo or ensemble based or a combination of both. The performing component is externally assessed but performance and recorded in school. Students are free to choose their own performance material and genres.

The Composing component is externally assessed and students must produce two compositions over the 2 years, a free composition and one set to a brief.

Learning Methods

Listening and Appraising:
The areas of study provide an appropriate focus for you to appraise, develop and demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of musical elements, musical contexts and musical language:

Area of Study 1:
Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory).
Baroque: the solo concerto Classical: the operas of Mozart
Romantic: the piano music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg

Area of Study 2:
Pop music. Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Muse, Beyoncé, Daft Punk, Labrinth.

Area of Study 3:
Music for Media. Bernard Herrmann, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Thomas Newman, Nobuo Uematsu

Performing 35% :
You must be able to perform music using one or all of the following ways:

• Instrumental/vocal: as a soloist, and/or as part of an ensemble
• Production: via music technology.
• You must perform a repertoire that lasts for a minimum of ten minutes.

Composing 25%
Composition 1 is a free composition to be written in a style of your choice
Composition 2 is written in response to an externally set brief
The combined duration of the compositions must be a minimum of four and a half minutes.

Students must be able to compose music in one or both of the following formats:

• Instrumental/vocal: produce notated score, written accounts and/or lead sheet by traditional means or by using music software as appropriate
• Production: generated entirely digitally, by using music software, without notated score but with accompanying annotation.

Future Pathways

 Entry Requirements

• Minimum Grade 6 in GCSE Music and/or an equivalent of Grade 4 on an instrument.
•  A working knowledge of music theory to at least Grade 4 standard is preferred.
• Regular practice on your chosen instrument resulting in ...notable improvement in performance skills
• Participation in more than one musical activity in school.
• Critical listening to and familiarity with your instrument ...both in performance and composition
• To be taking music lessons on your first instrument
• A willingness to listen to a variety of genres and style
• Notation skills and score reading

Student Testimonial

Testimonial in the pipeline

Other courses of interest

• Art and Design
• Psychology
• English Language

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