Edexcel AS Music

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Edexcel AS Music

• An introduction to 2009 - 2010

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Overview

• There are three units in your AS Music programme
• Unit 1 Performing Music
• Unit 2 Composing
• Unit 3 Developing Musical Understanding

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Unit 1 Performing Music

• This unit is internally assessed
• This unit will be complete by June 2009
• What is this unit worth?
• This unit is worth 30 of your AS and 15 of the
  total GCE mark.
• Unit content
• This unit allows you to perform in any style as a
  soloist or as an ensemble. You can perform on
  any instrument or sing and your submission can be
  from notated music or based on improvisation.

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Unit 2 Composing

• This unit is externally assessed
• This unit will be complete by June 2009
• What is this unit worth?
• This unit is worth 30 of your AS and 15 of the
  total GCE mark.
• Unit content
• You will be required to compose a three minute
  composition in response to a chosen brief. In
  September Edexcel will publish four compositional
  briefs on www.edexcel.org.uk (Unit 2 Composing).
  You will also submit a CD sleeve note which will
  explain your compositional process and musical
  and extra-musical influences which will be a
  response to three questions set by Edexcel.

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Unit 3 Developing Musical Understanding

• This unit is externally assessed
• This unit is assessed by a two hour examination
• This unit will be complete by June 2009
• What is this unit worth?
• This unit is worth 40 of your AS and 20 of the
  total GCE mark.
• Unit content
• In this unit you will study set pieces of music
  by listening and reading scores to identify
  important musical features as well as social and
  historical context. You will be provided with an
  anthology of scores (the New Anthology of Music
  or NAM) in induction week.

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Unit 3 Areas of Study

• The three areas of study are
• AoS 1 Instrumental music
• AoS 2 Vocal music
• AoS 3 Applied music
• For your AS Level you will study AoS 1 and 2,
  Instrumental and Vocal music.

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Unit 1 Performing Music

• Unit 1 Performing Music
• You can perform as a soloist or as part of an
  ensemble
• You can perform music in any style
• You can perform on any instrument or your voice
• You can perform from notation or from an
  improvised stimulus
• You will be assessed on a performance lasting
  between 5 and 6 minutes

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Unit 1 Performing MusicHow you will be assessed

• For this unit you will be assessed by your tutor
• For this unit your performance will be recorded
  at college by a Music Technician
• Your performance will last between 5 and 6
  minutes
• You may submit a recording lasting longer than 6
  minutes
• If your performance falls under the required
  minimum of 5 minutes then your marks will be
  penalised according to the length of performance
• This unit will be externally moderated by Edexcel
• There will be set recording sessions throughout
  the year
• You may re-record your submission
• The recording music be done in one continuous
  take

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What you will submit

• A recoding of the piece/s on CD which will
  contain only your work
• Photocopies of the music. If your performance is
  accompanied then only your part will be submitted
• Where the music is improvised or a composed by
  the student then an appropriate form of score
  music be submitted. This may include a full
  score or simply a lead sheet

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Unit 1 performing Music

• Ensemble performance
• There will be a maximum of five performers which
  includes you. Your part cannot be doubled by
  another and must play a clear and active part in
  the ensemble
• More than one student can be assessed in an
  ensemble
• Improvisation
• You must submit the stimulus for your
  improvisation which could be a lead sheet, head
  or chord progression. It is preferable that you
  also submit a written evaluation of your methods
  of interpretation and development

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Unit 1 Accompaniment

• If your chosen work requires an accompaniment
  then you must perform with an accompaniment
• You may perform as a soloist with an ensemble as
  long as your part is clearly soloistic
• You may perform with a backing track

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Unit 1 Difficulty

• You are expected to perform at a level equivalent
  to Grade 5 ABRSM
• If you perform at a higher level then your marks
  will be enhanced
• Your grade will be restricted if you perform at a
  lower level

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Unit 1 Marking

• Your tutor will assess your work using assessment
  criteria which are supplied by Edexcel
• Each piece will be assessed separately
• If you perform two movements of a single piece
  each movement will be assessed separately
• You will be provided with a copy of the
  assessment criteria for all aspects of this unit
  notated music and improvised music
• Internal assessment
• Your work will be assessed by your tutor and the
  assessment moderated by another member of staff
• You will complete an authentication document

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Unit 2 Composing

• What you will learn
• You will learn how to use music sequencing
  programmes and how to input your music using
  Sibelius music publishing software
• You will be taught how to write for instruments
  in a stylistically and idiomatically correct
  manner
• You will be encouraged to compose in a musically
  intelligent and effective manner
• You will be taught how to develop and extend a
  musical idea
• You will be taught musical devices such a
  harmony, rhythm and form
• You will study musical extracts as part of your
  creative development

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Unit 2 Area of study

• You will choose one composition brief from four
  set by Edexcel.
• AoS 1 Instrumental music
• Topic 1 Composing expressively
• You will investigate how mood and emotion are
  created in music
• You may write in any style
• You may write for any instrument and instrumental
  combinations
• Topic 2 Variation structures composing
  idiomatically for instruments
• Keeping within instrumental ranges
• Instrumental techniques
• Instrumental restrictions
• Instrumental timbres and characteristic
• You may write in any style
• You may write for any instrument and instrumental
  combinations

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Unit 2 Area of study

• AoS 2 Vocal music
• Topic 3 Words and music structure in vocal
  music
• Text and music
• Form in vocal music
• You may write in any style
• You may write for any instrument and instrumental
  combinations
• Topic 4 Text, context and texture
• Types of text
• Texture in vocal music
• Style in vocal music
• You may write in any style
• You may write for any instrument and instrumental
  combination

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Unit 2 Composing

• Written submission
• You are required to submit a CD sleeve note to
  support your submission which will be based on a
  response to three questions set by Edexcel.
• The composition and CD sleeve note will be
  completed under controlled conditions 15 hours
  for the composition and 1 hour for the CD sleeve
  note
• Your work will be assessed externally

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Unit 2 Composing

• Style
• Although you will be working to a set brief
  Edexcel will ensure that the wording is
  sufficiently open-ended to allow you to work in
  any style and for any genre. It is important
  that you undertake private study and research
  into a variety of composers in order to broaden
  your musical vocabulary.
• CD sleeve note
• This is completed under controlled conditions
• You will prepare your sleeve note beforehand
• You may take your research material into the
  controlled conditions

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Unit 2 Composing

• Controlled conditions
• You have 15 hours to complete the composition
• You have 1 hour to complete the CD sleeve
• The 15 hours will take part over a number of
  sessions which will be supervised by your tutor
• The sessions will take part in the Music
  Department
• You cannot take your work home with you between
  sessions. Your work will be kept by your tutor
• You may not download material from the internet
• You may not save your work to any device or
  upload to an email address
• All work must be your own
• The recording of your work takes place outside of
  the 15 hours restriction

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Unit 2 Composing

• What you will submit
• A 3 minute composition
• A notated score
• A recording on audio CD containing your work only
• CD sleeve note
• Authentication
• Your score is not marked on presentation but it
  is expected to be legible and preferably created
  using Sibelius music publication software.

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Unit 3 Developing musical understanding

• The unit in brief
• You will study a selection of set works from the
  anthology
• You will study AoS 1 and 2 Instrumental music
  Vocal music
• You will learn to use a score to identify musical
  features such as harmony and tonality as well as
  other musical features and apply these principles
  in the completion of an SATB texture

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Unit 3 Developing musical understanding

• Set works
• What you will learn
• You will learn how to listen to music
• You will learn how to follow a musical recording
  using a score
• You will learn how to identify musical features
  through listening
• You will learn how to identify musical features
  in a score
• You will learn about resources (instrumentation),
  form, texture, tonality, harmony, melody, rhythm
  and metre
• You will learn about the social and historical
  context of the set works
• You will learn how to write about music in an
  analytical, formal and informative manner
• You will learn how to compare and contrast
  musical features
• You will learn about the function of harmony and
  how harmony is used in the set works
• You will learn about the hierarchy of chords
  within a key
• You will learn about the structure of keys

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Unit 3 Developing musical understanding
The works for 2010 Instrumental music Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, movement 1 Mozart
Piano Sonata in B flat, 1st movement Poulenc
Sonata for Horn, Trumpet Trombone Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8, movement 1 Vocal
music Monteverdi Ohimè, se tanto amate Fauré
Après un rêve Tavener The Lamb Ray Davies
Waterloo Sunset Van Morrison Tupelo Honey Familia
Valera Miranda Se quema la chumbambá
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Unit 3 Developing musical understanding

• How you will be assessed
• There will be a 2 hour examination in which there
  are three sections
• Section A Listening
• Section B Investigating musical styles
• Section C Understanding chords and lines
• You will be issued with a CD
• You will not be allowed a copy of the anthology
• You will be given 5 minutes reading time at the
  start of the examination
• For Section C you are allowed to use a keyboard
  with headphones but not musical software