Introduction to A level Music

Key skills developed by the A level Music course and valued by universities/employers include:

• The ability to analyse unfamiliar, complex material, identifying patterns and relationships within (developed through analysis of musical scores and audio recordings).

• The ability to understand interrelated laws and principles and apply them to solve problems (developed through completing techniques of composition exercises following the conventions established by composers including J.S. Bach).

• The ability to write concisely and persuasively using technical language (developed through writing essays analysing familiar and unfamiliar music).

• The ability to present confidently to an audience (developed through performing an eight minute recital on a chosen instrument or voice).

• The ability to develop ideas with imagination and creativity which are framed within given conventions (developed through completing free compositions, inspired by the work of other composers).

• The ability to deal with ambiguities and use language to frame these (developed through reading and making multiple analyses of the set works studied).

• The ability to listen critically (developed through all of the units of the A level music course).