Music

“Without Music, life would be a mistake”.

– Friedrich Nietzsche

“I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve gained that I wouldn’t have been offered elsewhere, they’ve prepared me for the adult world in a way normal academia wouldn’t have”. – Music Scholar

Skills Required

Instrumentalists and singers Grade 6 and above are well suited to this course regardless of having taken the subject at GCSE.

Course Overview

The A Level Music course imaginatively explores the three musical disciplines: performance, composition and analysis. It is tailored to your strengths as coursework is weighted to the skills you most enjoy. We follow the OCR specifications with 60% coursework and 40% examination. It ranges from classical to jazz and covers diverse musical interests.

Methods of Assessment

Unit 1 Performing

Students will give a recital in Upper Sixth, for a duration of 6 to 12 minutes depending on your coursework weighting. The recital can be solo or include ensemble works giving you the best experience. The recital is assessed by audiovisual recording.

Unit 2 Composing

Over the course you will complete two compositions, and the coursework accounts for 25% of the A Level. Students will have dedicated composition lessons throughout the course, and for those wanting to showcase their composition, you can include an additional technical exercise to increase the weighting of the coursework to 35%.

Unit 3 Historical Study

This is the only examination aspect of the course assessment, and it represents 40%. Students will study a range of music, focusing on 20th century jazz, jazz musicians and 19th century music. Students well also study two works, one classical and one jazz, providing invaluable insight and analytical skill that is a huge benefit to performing musicians.