Music

What is A level Music about?

Do you ...

• love playing an instrument and performing?
• like exploring and creating new music?
• enjoy listening to music from a range of styles?
• wonder about how and why music has developed the way it has?

If yes, then the A level Music course is for you! Where else can you play music and get coursework credit for it, create and record your own music, listen to music in class, and learn about different styles of music?

What does the course consist of?

Students who choose to study A Level Music follow the Edexcel specification. The course is made up of three components:

Performing

Students are encouraged to develop their performance skills by playing a range of styles of music as a soloist and/or an ensemble member. At AS, students present a performance of 5-6 minutes. The requirement extends to 12-15 minutes at A2, allowing for a wider and balanced programme of music.

Composing

Students learn how to write for instrument(s) and/or voices, and how to develop musical ideas. At AS, students create a three-minute composition based on a task of their choice, plus CD sleeve notes to accompany the composition. At A2, students compose a second three-minute composition, in addition to learning to compose using styles and techniques of other composers.

Developing Musical Understanding

This unit focuses on listening to music and understanding how it works. At AS, students study pieces of music from the two topics: Instrument Music and Vocal Music. At A2, students continue to study Instrumental Music, and also study Applied Music. Pieces range from Haydn Symphonies and Mozart Piano Concertos, through Gershwin, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, to the film music of John Williams. At A2, students also learn to use a musical score to identify musical features, and then apply these principles for themselves in the completion of a SATB exercise.

Whom does the subject suit?

The A level Music course is a balance of coursework and examinations. Coursework is worth 60% of the course: Performing (30%) and Composing (30%). Students are expected to supplement class lessons with individual instrument tuition, instrument practice, and independent study time on composition tasks. The remaining 40% of the course is assessed in a 2-hour examination at the end of each year of study. Regular homework tasks are set to support learning in this unit.

The course caters for a wide range of musicians. Students are free to choose any instrument(s) and/or voice(s) and perform music in any style. Students can perform from a score, or improvise, as appropriate. The level of performance is expected to correspond to Grade 5 (AS) and Grade 6 (A2) of graded examinations of bodies such as the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Trinity Guildhall, Rockschool, and the London College of Music. If students perform at a level that exceeds Grade 5, additional credit will be awarded. If students perform at a lower level, marks are scaled accordingly.

The composition component of the course allows students to explore areas which inspire and interest them. The composition briefs are broad enough to allow a personal approach. Students may choose to notate their musical ideas using traditional notation or a notation software package such as Sibelius, or they may wish to take a more technology-based approach, using sequencing software such as Cubase.

Students are expected to have some music theory knowledge and skills. An ability to read music is an integral tool in understanding how music works. Music reading skills play an important role in all three units of the course, especially in Developing Musical Understanding. It is recommended the students have GCSE Music, or Grade Three music theory before embarking on the A level Music course. However, students with limited music reading skills will be considered for the A level Music course.

How is Music taught at d'Overbroeck's?

Students studying A level Music at d'Overbroeck's can take advantage of specialised facilities and resources. A well-equipped music computer suite enables students to use music technology software such as Sibelius and Cubase to compose music. Students use the recording studio at our St Giles building to record performances and compositions. Students perform at venues such as the Jacqueline du Pre Music Room at St Hilda's College, Oxford University. Instruments lessons are available from our team of specialist instrument tutors, who visit the College weekly.

What books can I read to get a sense of the subject?

We use many books in the course of study. Of particular interest to prospective Music students are two books published by Rhinegold publications. These are available on the web, from Rhinegold or from specialised music shops such as Blackwell's in Oxford:

• A Student's Guide to AS Music for the Edexcel Specification
• A Student's Guide to A2 Music for the Edexcel Specification

What websites are useful to look at?

There are many websites which provide supporting information about A level Music. The most specific website for the course we offer is that of Edexcel, where you will find a student's guide, course specifications, and examiner's reports.

Who will teach me?

The Music department is a lively and enthusiastic team that brings together areas of specialism including popular music and jazz, composition, musicology, choral, orchestral and concert band music, and music recording and production.

Sue McKendrick is Head of Music. She is a graduate in Music (Organ and Voice) and Classics from Lancaster University where she studied with Ian Hare. She extended her Organ studies with Anne Marsden Thomas at the St Giles Conservatoire, with the Royal College of Organists and Trinity College London. She studied for a PGCE in 2000 at Southampton University and has since been Head of Music at Plymouth High School for Girls and King Alfred's Sports College, Wantage. Latterly she has broadened her qualifications in Education studying towards Masters with Oxford Brookes University. Sue has many years experience as a Church Organist and accompanist, and up until 2000 was a peripatetic music teacher in piano, voice and keyboard. She has a broad ranging interest in music from Choral Music to Popular Music and Jazz, has extensive experience of choirs, choral groups and orchestras, both as a participant and conductor and in recent years has been Musical Director and Conductor for shows such as 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat', 'Guys and Dolls', 'Grease', 'The Sound of Music', 'West Side Story', 'Return to the Forbidden Planet', 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Best of Broadway', and 'African Jigsaw'.

Music is also taught by Ed Yeo who was a music scholar at Bedales School, and is a graduate of Durham University. Whilst at university he was a choral scholar in Durham Cathedral Choir under James Lancelot, as well as a member of several chamber and vocal groups. He plays the piano and the violin, and played with Durham University Orchestral Society throughout his time studying. Ed has had experience playing both instruments in orchestras for a number of musicals including 'West Side Story', 'Guys and Dolls' and 'Singin' in the Rain'. His main interests are choral and chamber music, and still sings regularly with the London based group Novem Altare. Ed qualified with a PGCE from the University of Reading in 2010, and has lived in Oxford since then. Alongside music, Ed's other interests include hill-walking and tennis.

What might the subject lead onto?

The A level Music course provides an excellent basis for lifelong learning and for Higher Education courses in Music, and many students who take A level Music continue their studies at university. The three units of the course can lead to studies in performance, composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, sound engineering, conducting, popular music and jazz, and music education.