Why study music?

Music enables you to develop your creativity and skill on a chosen instrument or voice. It allows you to explore compositional ideas while underpinning theoretical knowledge and staff notation.

What will I learn about?

Performing music (AS unit)
You will perform a solo in a musical style of your choice on your instrument or with your voice as part of a five to six minute assessed performance.

Composing (AS unit)
This unit encourages you to develop your composition skills. You will create two pieces in response to a chosen brief.

Developing musical understanding (AS unit)
You will focus on listening and understanding music using set works from the anthology, learning important features and social/historical context. In the third section, you will use a score to identify harmonic and tonal features, and apply this knowledge in the completion of a short essay question.

Extended performance (A2 unit)
In this unit you will extend your performance skills and prepare a 12 to 15 minute assessed performance using any instrument or voice.

Composition and technical study (A2 unit)
This unit has two sections – composition and technical study. You are required to write a 3 minute piece for composition. The technical study section builds on your knowledge and awareness of harmony.

Further musical understanding (A2 unit)
An extension to the AS Unit, you will further develop your skills to compare and contrast pairs of excerpts, contextualise music, and identify harmonic and tonal features.

How will I be assessed?

• Examinations
• Performance skills
• Written assessment
• Composition skills

Future pathways and careers

• Music
• Arts
• Teaching
• Performance
• Composing and writing music
• Journalism

Course level

A Level and AS

Entry requirements

GCSE at grade 5 in music and instrumental/vocal skills to grade 5 standard.

Examination board

Edexcel

Specification

To be confirmed