Higher Music – Guidelines for Parents & Carers
The Component Parts of the Course
PERFORMING:
Candidates must prepare a programme of pieces on twoinstruments. A Visiting Examiner will carry out
the finalassessment on both instruments in FEBRUARY.
INSTRUMENT 1:Candidates prepare a 10-minute programme consisting of at least two contrasting pieces. The pieces should be of Grade 4 standard or above.
INSTRUMENT 2:Candidates prepare a 5-minute programme of at least two contrasting pieces. The pieces should of Grade 4 standard or above.
COMPOSING:
Candidates are required to compose two contrasting pieces of music with a total performance time of at least 2 minutes. A programme note must be written for each piece composed. These pieces will be internally marked and externally moderated.
LISTENING:
Candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of all listening concepts from Access 3 to Higher level, and to be able to identify the concepts when listening to music. Candidates should aim to listen to a variety of musical styles in their own time throughout the course in order to develop their conceptual awareness. They are also required to understand how to read and write notation. The final assessment will be an externally marked 1-hour Listening Paper in May.
How the Final Grade Is Calculated
The final grade is arrived at as follows:
PERFORMING (INSTRUMENT 1)maximum 30%
PERFORMING (INSTRUMENT 2)maximum 30%
LISTENINGmaximum 40%
COMPOSING is marked as a PASS or FAIL and does notcontribute to the final grade, but candidates MUST pass thiscomponent in order to pass the full course.
Recommended Study Time Per Week
PERFORMING: INSTRUMENT 13 HOURS
PERFORMING: INSTRUMENT 2 1.5 HOURS
LISTENING1 – 2 HOURS
COMPOSING1 - 2 HOURS
Candidates are very welcome to practise / work in the department before and after the school day and at lunchtimes.
Useful Websites
This website contains listening examples of all concepts and comprehensive information on all musical periods and styles.
This website contains exam style questions that are very useful for self-assessing understanding of concepts and for preparing for prelim and final exams.
This website contains listening examples of all orchestral instruments.
This website contains lots of helpful information on music, including topics on Popular Music, Western Classical Music and World Music.
YouTube contains hundreds of examples of instruments and styles of music, and lots of useful information on specific musical styles / forms – e.g. Sonata form etc.