Examining Board - AQA

SUBJECT CONTENT

The course caters for a range of student abilities and desires. Cleverly designed by AQA, it invites you to interconnect and overlap different areas of your musicianship so that success in any one UNIT is dependent on the hard work you do in the other two. This 'linking' idea is present at both AS and A2 level. As you might expect, there are a large number of musical skills to develop and these include music history and analysis, aural perception, harmony and counterpoint, creativity and composition, ensemble and solo performance, research skills, realisation, score-reading, listening and appraising and many more. Your teachers will plan a route through all these to suit your musical aptitude, personal goals and career needs. Many different musical styles will be explored and your theoretical knowledge and musical vocabulary will expand immensely. ICT and related music technologies are available to all students as useful tools in the learning process.

METHODS OF STUDY

Small groups naturally lead to greater personal attention, interaction, discussions and demonstrations in lessons. Indeed, it is often very necessary to involve the teacher and/or other students in your coursework and final exams. The self-discipline you will have already shown in hours of lonely music practice, composition or study in school and at home should help you meet the new and increased challenges of rehearsal, research, experimentation, private listening and music scoring. Essay planning and writing under staff guidance will also occupy part of your musical studies and this aspect is often new to musicians.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT

AS

• UNIT 1 2½ hr. Listening/Understanding Music 40% AS (20% of A’level) (externally assessed)
• UNIT 2 Composition [coursework] 30% AS (15% of A’level) (externally assessed)
• UNIT 3 Ensemble & Realisation [coursework] 30% AS (15% of A’level) (centre assessed then moderated)

A2

• UNIT 4 2 ½ hr. Understanding 20th and 21st Century Music 15% of total A’level (externally assessed)
• UNIT 5 Investigation, Report and Composition [coursework] 20% of total A’level (centre assessed then moderated)
• UNIT 6 Solo Recital and Viva Voce 15% of total A’level (visiting examiner)

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Students do not necessarily have to have completed a GCSE course. If you have, the higher grades are preferred and tend to signal an acceptable blend of musicianship and academia. We regularly accept students who have passed external Associated Board (Guildhall or Trinity) Practical and Theory Examinations and are at lease Grade 5. Occasionally there can be exceptions but you should still be receiving private instrumental tuition from a good teacher since AQA will expect your playing technique to be very secure.