A-level Music

Music A-Level is a rewarding and rigorous course, suitable for those pupils who are Grade 7 standard and above on an instrument. It suits those who want to go on to read Music at university, as well as those who would like an A-level subject with a more practical element to it and want to have a deeper understanding of how music is constructed. It further develops the skills of performing, composing, listening and analysis that were learnt at GCSE level.

Course content L6

• Developing performance skills and choosing repertoire
• Composition skills
• Compositional techniques
• Aural skills (familiar and unfamiliar works)
• Analysis skills (set works and wider listening)

Course content U6

• Preparation for recital
• Composition (based on set briefs / free composition)
• Compositional techniques (Bach chorales)
• Aural skills (familiar and unfamiliar works)
• Analysis skills (set works and wider listening)

Examination arrangements

• Solo recital (8-10 minutes)
• One composition in controlled conditions (free composition or one to a brief)
• Compositional technique exercise completed in controlled conditions
• Exam consisting of
  • Section A – Aural test related to set works
  • Section B – Essays related to set works and unfamiliar material

The music course requires quite a lot of wider listening, so it would be worth creating some playlists under the genre headings and starting to get to know any of the pieces below which you might find interesting:

In terms of reading, the most useful book is Bennett’s History of Music, which gives a great overview. But if you are interested in some wider reading, then you might find chapters in the following books interesting: