GCSE Music Composing and Appraising Music Report on the Examination June Version: 1.0

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GCSE Music 42702 Composing and Appraising Music

1 GCSE Music Composing and Appraising Music Report on the Examination 4270 June 2014 Version: 1.0

2 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.

3 42702 Composing and Appraising Music The strand this year was The Western Classical Tradition (last used in 2011). Most schools and colleges have now realised that, as long as the link is to this strand, the music can then be written in any style, thus allowing students still to write to their strengths. However, some took the link to the Western Classical Tradition as restricting the choice of instrumental resources: it was not unusual to come across comments which referred to, perhaps, wanting to use an electric guitar or drum kit, but then the student rejecting it as it was not part of the Western Classical Tradition and thus, incorrectly, deemed inappropriate for use in a composition this year. The two elements within this unit Composing and Appraising are equally weighted, meaning that, even if a student produces a good composition, a reasonable or better appraisal is also needed if a high grade is to be obtained. Composition The vast majority of students chose two Areas of Study (AoS) and a suitable link to the strand. A minority chose more than two, which is not a problem, but students should not choose a genre as the link, for example waltz or minimalism, or something too vague, for example writing for western classical instruments. A list of possible links is available on the music pages of the AQA website in the unit 2 Guidance and Exemplars document. The most popular AoS this year were two from AoS2 Harmony and Tonality, AoS3 Texture and Melody and AoS5 Structure and Form: each of these seems very logical, given the strand. Of the other two AoS, many who chose AoS1 Rhythm and Metre wrote pieces which contained a range of rhythms but either no change of metre or one which was not really musically convincing. Where AoS4 Timbre and Dynamics was chosen, there were some effective contrasts between the different instruments and / or instrumental families with, in many cases, changes in dynamics coming about as a result of these. There were examples of most genres of music although, as was to be expected, those which matched the style of Western Classical Tradition were to the fore. On the one hand, there were some excellent examples of what one might regard as the standard forms within the strand, including ternary, rondo, arch-shape and theme and variations. On the other hand, there were some very formulaic approaches, with examples where all students followed the same brief with, in some extreme cases, the result that all pieces conformed to the same structure, the same number of bars in each section, the same initial key and the same modulation at the same point. In all such cases, scope for showing individuality and originality was rather limited. Many students chose their instrumental and vocal resources wisely, making excellent use of them and showing real understanding of appropriate techniques in a musical manner. Some, however, while choosing a range of instruments from across the orchestral families, did not show that they understood how to use them, giving each instrument the same or similar tunes and invariably covering a limited range of notes. It is undoubtedly the piano which gives rise to some of the least idiomatic writing as well as some of the most. Many students see the role of the piano as simply a provider of a chordal background, the left hand playing either a single bass note or a block chord, usually at very low pitch, the right hand simply repeating chords or perhaps moving up and down through the triad. Many others, 3 of 6

4 though, show a true understanding of how to write for it, featuring a range of figuration, a wide pitch, dynamic range and appropriate use of the sustaining pedal and articulation. Those whose compositions included a repeat of an earlier section stood to gain more marks if there was some sense of development on its return: an exact restatement adds nothing extra to the piece in terms of originality, although it does, of course, complete an intended form, such as ternary. To access marks in the higher bands, there needs to be evidence of the development of musical ideas. If students submit their composition with an annotation it would be useful for them to include timings rather than just bar numbers as this makes it easier for the examiner to follow the piece. Alternatively, setting the annotation out as a table with a clear indication of what to listen for at particular sections would also be extremely helpful. For those who chose to submit screenshots, there was a welcome increase in the inclusion of additional information. However, those who tended to rely on scores produced from Logic submitted scores which lasted many pages and often had just one or two bars to each page, making the task of following them very difficult. Submissions covered the full range, from the basic to the truly imaginative and successful. Appraisal The vast majority of students worked through the six questions in order, thus achieving a logical result. Question 1: The opening question is just a matter of identifying the chosen Areas of Study (AoS) and stating the link to the strands. In a few cases, the AoS stated on the Candidate Record Form did not match those written on the front of the appraisal booklet or cover and, in a small number of cases, even though they did match, the candidate still wrote about other AoS within the appraisal. Question 2: Reasons for the choices varied between the vague to in-depth explanations of how the possibilities opened up by these choices would enable the student to compose successful pieces. Question 3: This question provoked the widest range of responses. There were some excellent answers but also some which gave no precise musical detail at all. Students must guard against writing simply an annotation, ie an account of what was done, and, instead, concentrate on the actual process of composition: how ideas were created, be they melodic or harmonic; why a particular key or tempo was chosen; if there are modulations, why they were to the chosen keys; why instrumental and / or vocal resources were chosen. They needed to explain why a particular form was chosen and why others were rejected; how dynamics were worked out; why a specific time signature was chosen and, if later changed, the reasons should be given. There were some instances where students referred to the use of keys, instruments, cadences, modulations, even form, which were just not in evidence in the music presented. There was also evidence that some students do not understand binary form, with many insisting that one of its main features was the return of the A music at the end. Although there are, indeed, examples of where this occurs, it is not an integral part of binary form. 4 of 6

5 Recording information was often very brief - whether the realisation has been from software or through a live performance, it is important that the student gives a clear account of how he / she prepared the work for its recording. This year, there were many occasions where detailed accounts were given and it was obvious that great care had been taken to ensure that all compositions could be realised acoustically. This is very commendable, as long as it is in the best interests of the student. There were some occasions where the actual recording differed in some or many details from the notated score. These discrepancies should have been addressed in the course of the appraisal and, where they were not, the examiner had to make a decision as to whether to go with the performance or the score and then apply that approach across the school/college. Question 4: Too many difficulties focus on lack of facility at using a particular software programme or loss of data. Better responses focused on issues encountered during the actual creation and development of the composition, including difficulties with ensuring an effective modulation, having to change the key to accommodate instrumentalists abilities, having to adjust the pitch range for the same reason. Question 5: Success is to be measured in terms of the AoS and the link to the strand. The best answers pointed out, precisely, locations within the composition which demonstrated good use of the various musical elements contained within the chosen AoS. Here, students showed how the piece had successfully achieved its composer s aims and met the given link to the strand. It is not part of the appraisal to write about what might have been done had there been more time or if the student were to approach the task again: this is not required and there is no credit available for it. Question 6: The context is what has been established as the area into which the type of composition to be undertaken fits best, be it a classical string quartet, a piece of programmatic piano music, a song in a particular style, a waltz, a piece in a named musical form. The best students identified composers and examples of their music which demonstrated the characteristics they were aiming to emulate and, in their response to this last question, made it clear just how successful they felt they have been. There should be precise references to locations in the composition which exemplify this success. Administration In general, this was very good, with the vast majority of work arriving by or soon after the deadline of 7 May. The work of individual candidates was well organised and well recorded, with either individual CDs or a clear track-listing. In most cases, this was in candidate number order, as it should be. In only a very small number of cases did examiners find CDs which were unplayable on conventional equipment and, in most cases, using the computer solved this. However, the specification requires that all recordings should be playable on a standard CD or minidisc player. In a very few cases, work was very late arriving and, occasionally, some items were omitted and had to be requested by the examiner. 5 of 6

6 Submissions should consist of: Candidate Record Form Appraisal booklet if the appraisal is word-processed, attaching it just to the front cover is sufficient Score or annotation Recording with, in the case of a composite CD, a full track-listing, preferably in student order The student must sign both the Candidate Record Form and the Appraisal booklet and the teacher must sign the Candidate Record Form. An Attendance List should be included. Schools and colleges are reminded that is an examined unit and therefore should not be marked by the school or college. Concluding comments The three Strands of Learning are rotated yearly. For work submitted in 2015, for which the deadline is 7 May 2015, the strand will be Popular Music of the 20 th and 21 st Centuries. Guidance material is available on the AQA website at and there are examples of marked work, with examiner commentaries, in Secure Key Materials. Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 6 of 6

GCSE MUSIC Composing Music Report on the Examination June Version: 1.0

GCSE MUSIC Composing Music Report on the Examination June Version: 1.0 GCSE MUSIC 42704 Composing Music Report on the Examination 4270 June 2013 Version: 1.0 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2013 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.