91416 - SOLO PERFORMANCE 3

EXEMPLARS OF STUDENT WORK

EXCELLENCE EXEMPLAR

For Excellence, the student needs to perform two programmes of music convincingly as a featured soloist.

This involves an assured and musically expressive performance that demonstrates interpretive understanding.

The standard requires that two programmes of music are performed – one programme is exemplified here.

This student’s performances on electric guitar are convincing. There is musical understanding and expression, appropriate and fluent improvisation together with interpretive understanding.

For a more secure Excellence, musical communication and stage presence could be worked on to create a fully assured performance.

MERIT EXEMPLAR

For Merit, the student needs to perform two programmes of music effectively as a featured soloist.

This involves a technically secure performance that is stylistically appropriate and confidently communicated to the audience.

The standard requires that two programmes of music are performed – one programme is exemplified here.

This student has performed on piano a programme that is technically and musically effective. The first and third pieces demonstrate the use of expressive rubato and musical shaping (interpretive understanding). Presentation is confident and the student acknowledges the audience appropriately.

To reach Excellence, the second piece, by Beethoven, needs more careful exploration of the expressive potential of the music. A higher degree of interpretive understanding is required to allow the pedalling to be more subtle and internal parts to be fully controlled.

MERIT EXEMPLAR

For Merit, the student needs to perform two programmes of music effectively as a featured soloist.

This involves a technically secure performance that is stylistically appropriate and confidently communicated to the audience.

The standard requires that two programmes of music are performed – one programme is exemplified here.

This student has performed a programme of music on bass guitar which demonstrates evidence of effective work, with generally consistent technical skills, stylistic understanding, and confident communication. All repetitions are controlled, and there is sufficient rhythmic flow and feel to the bass line to allow the performances to be mostly effective, particularly in the second piece.

For a more secure Merit, rhythmic stability, sound quality and balance would need to be addressed in the first piece.

ACHIEVED EXEMPLAR

For Achieved, the student needs to perform two programmes of music as a featured soloist.

This involves presenting music to a live audience. The performance demonstrates technical, musical, and presentation skills appropriate to students in at least their fifth year of instrumental study through group itinerant tuition. Each piece of music is of sufficient length to demonstrate these skills.

The standard requires that two programmes of music are performed – one programme is exemplified here.

This student performs on cornet as a prominently featured soloist. The student performs the head of both pieces and then plays generally effective passages of improvisation. There is sufficient technical control – the student plays in tune, breathes appropriately to maintain phrase integrity and demonstrates a range of articulations and inflections appropriate to the style of the music.

To reach Merit, the student could be more confident in their communication to the audience, which would in turn allow for more expressivity and effectiveness.