Music

Details of exam

Part 1: Pupils will sit a listening paper of 1 hour 15 minutes. This is a past GCSE paper and will test pupils on everything they have learnt so far in the course.

Part 2: Pupils will submit a recording and score of a solo performance which will be marked using GCSE Performance criteria.

The results from both parts of the exam will be combined to give a grade for this year’s summer exam.

Topics to revise

The main areas to revise are:

Pupils must have a secure understanding of the elements of music and be able to recognise aurally, the following devices:

• Structure: different types of forms, such as binary, ternary, rondo, verse-chorus, strophic • Tonality: major, minor, modulations to related keys such as the dominant • Melody: recognise devices such as conjunct, disjunct, scalic, chromatic, ascending and descending sequences, ornamentation such as trills, mordents, appoggiaturas • Harmony: diatonic chords, dissonance, chords I, IV, V, cadences, extended chords such as 7ths, pedal point, suspensions • Rhythm: note values, recognise triplets, septuplets, dotted rhythms, syncopation, be able to read and write rhythmic patterns and recognise them aurally • Tempo: recognise changes in tempo, be able to identify tempi by applying correct terminology e.g. allegro, presto, largo • Metre: time signatures, changes of metre, simple or compound time

Area of Study 1: Musical Forms and Devices

• The development of music and features of the Western Classical Tradition • Describe and recognise musical forms and structures • Musical devices (see list of elements above) • An in-depth understanding of how the elements of music are used in the set work ‘Badinerie’ by J.S. Bach.

Area of Study 2: Ensemble Music

• Sonority, timbre and texture • Textural devices • Musical ensembles • Chamber Music: the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras • Musical theatre • Jazz and Blues

Area of Study 3: Film Music

• The film industry • The use of musical elements in film music • Musical devices: leitmotif, ostinato, minimalism, riffs, layering

Area of Study 4: Popular Music

• Rock and Pop • Musical features: instruments, voices, structure, melody, rhythm, harmony, riffs • Fusion • An in-depth understanding of how the elements of music are used in the set work ‘Africa’ by Toto.

How to revise for the listening test

How to revise for the listening test:

• All PowerPoints and lesson resources can be found on the Digital Learning Site under ‘Music’ • Complete practice listening exercises found on the DLS under ‘Exam Practice’ • Revise the work covered this year by working through exercise books, your study guide, and tasks on Sparkjar • Use interactive websites to practise skills:

• https://www.teoria.com/en/tutorials/ for tutorials and exercises on note reading • https://quizizz.com/ for quizzes on the elements of music, rhythm, notation and instrumental sounds • https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zbmct39 for revision on music theory and the elements of music