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Music

Music

Director Of Music: Mr W J Warns
Contact Details: wjw@felsted.org  
Twitter/X & Instagram: @felstedmusic    


IB

Why study Music?
The skills learnt in Music are extremely wide-ranging. They include the expected skills such as performance, composition and listening, but the course also provides pupils the opportunity to develop analytical and writing skills, research skills, teamwork and time management skills. As part of the Diploma Programme Music Course, pupils study music from familiar and unfamiliar musical worlds and they will be encouraged to explore the similarities and differences that link music from within our culture to that of others across time. By the end of the course, pupils would have engaged with a diverse range of music that will broaden their musical horizons and provide stimuli to expand their own music-making. They will gain knowledge and perception of music from different times, places and cultures and be able to use appropriate musical terminology to describe their understanding of music. In addition to this, they will have strong performance skills through practical music making as well as develop creative skills through composition.

Where will it lead me?
The Music course provides a foundation for further study in Music at University level or a career in music. Nonetheless, the skills developed on the course are highly transferable for pupils who may wish to pursue other careers. Universities and employers value the wide range of skills and self-discipline required to excel in the study of music.

Alongside more obvious careers, such as being a freelance performer, composer, music journalist or critic, music administrator, teacher, music therapist, sound producer, or recording artist, many musicians go on to careers in law, advertising, business and marketing.

Course structure
There are three components that both Standard Level and Higher Level pupils are required to study. ‘Exploring music in context’ allows students to engage with a wealth of musical material and reflect on personal, local and global context in which it is composed and performed. ‘Experimenting with music’ provides students with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the music they engage with at both a theoretical and practical level. Finally, ‘Presenting music’ allows students to practise and prepare composition that will be performed or presented to an audience. In addition to this, Higher Level students study a component called ‘The contemporary music maker’ where students will plan and collaboratively create a project that draws on the competencies, skills and process found in the three previous components, and is inspired by real-life practices of music-making.

Students will demonstrate their skills in the components listed above in a mixture of written work, practical exercises, composition and performing. There will be opportunity to work on multimedia projects, explore music technology and work collaboratively with others. This course allows students to encounter music in a variety of different roles – including researcher, creator and performer. Nonetheless, academic rigour is maintained throughout the course as students are required to critically analyse the music with which they engage, drawing information and conclusions which they then apply to their own practical music making through creating and performing.

 


Assessment:

Exploring music in context –
External Assessment 30% at SL
20% at HL
Students select samples of their work for a portfolio submission.  Students submit:
A. written work demonstrating engagement with, and understanding of, diverse musical material  
B. practical exercises in creating and performing

Experimenting with music –
Internal Assessment 30% at SL
20% at HL
Students submit an experimentation report with evidence of their musical processes in creating and performing in two areas of inquiry in a local and/ or global context. The report provides a rationale and commentary for each process.  Students submit:
A. a written experimentation report that supports the experimentation
B. practical musical evidence of the experimentation process in creating and performing

Presenting music –
External Assessment 40% at SL
30% at HL
Students submit a collection of works demonstrating engagement with diverse musical material from four areas of inquiry.  
The submission contains:  
A. Programme notes
B. Presenting as a creator: composition and/or improvisation
C. Presenting as a performer: solo and/or ensemble

The contemporary music-maker HL only – 30%
Students submit a continuous multimedia presentation documenting their real-life project which evidences:
A. the project proposal
B. the process and evaluation
C. the realised project, or curated selections of it.
 


A Level

Exam Board: AQA  www.aqa.org.uk
Syllabus Code: 7272  

 

 

Why study Music?
Music is constantly evolving, inspiring creativity and expression in a way that no other subject can. This course provides you with the opportunity to study a wide range of music genres and brings together listening, performance and composition. Through the two years of study, you will further develop your musical knowledge and understanding. You will be encouraged to engage critically and creatively with a wide range of music and musical contexts, and reflect on how music is used in the expression of personal and collective identities. The advanced study of Music will give you a solid understanding of musical history and theoretical principles, as well as a wealth of experience of extending and manipulating musical ideas through composition, and playing music with an understanding of context and a composer’s intention through performance.

Expectations of independent study
Studying academic music combines the highly practical activities such as performance and composition with the traditional field of musicology with pupils undertaking scholarly score analysis, research about music history and developing an understanding of harmony. All pupils will be required to undertake independent work in the form of practice, listening and reading. There is no substitute for private listening to a wide range of repertoire to extend one’s understanding of musical styles. The syllabus covers all musical styles, with particular focus on areas including Mozart Opera, Piano Music of Chopin, Musical Theatre and Art Music since 1910. Pupils will be required to send recordings of live performances to be assessed for the performance component. In order to succeed in this part of the course, pupils should undertake regular daily private practice to develop their instrumental/vocal skills.

Requirements
At least a 6 at GCSE is required, and pupils will also need to be taking one-to-one lessons in at least one instrument or voice to meet the requirements of the performance coursework.

What do the pupils say?
“It’s a challenging and exciting combination of practice, creative and academic work.”
“As a pianist, I love playing Chopin – it is great to be able to combine my practical experience with my academic endeavours as we have studied in depth the music of Chopin.”
“I’ve been able to develop as a musician and use my performing experience towards my final mark.”

What career pathways are open to me if I study this subject?
A Level Music will allow you to develop particular strengths and interests, encourage lifelong learning and  provide access to higher education and university courses in music and  music-related subjects as well as other  music-related careers. Several Felsted pupils have gone on to study music at University or Conservatoire. Old Felstedians are currently studying Music at Liverpool University, King’s College London, Royal Holloway College London, Westminster University and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Past pupils are currently working in Music, Law, Music Technology and as Performers and Teachers.


Assessment:

Component 1 40%
Appraising Music:  
Listening, analysis and contextual understanding. 2hr 30min exam paper with listening and written questions using excerpts of music

Component 2 35%
Performance:     
Music performance. Solo and/or ensemble performance as an instrumentalist or vocalist

Component 3 25%
Composition:  
Composition skills. Completing  two compositions, one to a brief and one free composition


The course has enabled me to discover more about a range of musical styles that I hadn’t encountered before.
Katy, L pupil

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