Specification/Exam Board

Eduqas GCSE Music, comprising 3 Components:

Component 1: Performing (30%)​

Component 2: Composing (30%)​

Component 3: Appraising (40%) Exam (1 hour 15 mins)​

As part of your GCSE Music coursework in Component 1, you will be expected to perform to a good standard (approximately Grade 4) as a singer/instrumentalist by the start of Year 11. As such, it is a course requirement that you are already a keen instrumentalist and/or singer. You must be committed to having regular instrumental/vocal tuition ​outside of your curriculum music lessons and to practising your instrumental/vocal performing weekly (ideally daily!).

Curriculum Allocation

Music is taught for 3 100-minute lessons per fortnight.

Curriculum Period 1: "The Next Step" - understanding and applying musical elements

Curriculum content

Skill-Building for all aspects of the course:

  • Notating and dictating rhythms and melodies
  • Analysing, composing and performing using staff notation
  • Keys, cadences, melodic and rhythmic devices, structures, textures and dynamics
  • Score reading
  • Using composition software to notate a composition

Learning Activities include:

  • Performing from a score, with and in front of others
  • Composing using music theory knowledge and staff notation e.g. writing a melody in a simple structure using devices
  • Listening exercises to develop notation skills and ability to identify musical elements

"Commercial Music" - Area of Study 4 (Popular Music in Context) and Area of Study 3 (Music for Film)

Area of Study 4: Popular Music:

  • Musical characteristics and context of Popular Music styles
  • strophic form, 32 bar song form, verse, chorus, middle 8, riffs, bridge, fill, break, intros and outros, backing tracks, improvisation
  • Appraising - more challenging theoretical and aural work:
  • primary and secondary chords, cadences, standard chord progressions, power chords, rhythmic devices such as syncopation, driving rhythms
  • the relationship between melody and chords
  • How to ‘describe’ a piece using the elements of musical language
  • Introduction to prepared extract – Africa: instrumentation, lead and backing vocals, strophic form, repetitive chord sequences, cadences (chordal analysis), solo, rhythmic features (triplets, syncopation, driving rhythms), walking bass, key change

Area of study 3: Film Music:

  • Layering, further examples of imitation, chromatic movement and dissonance in harmonic work, leitmotifs, thematic transformation of ideas
  • The relationship between the story and the music: choosing appropriate elements of music to represent characters and plot
  • The effect of audience, time and place, and how to achieve this through use of the musical elements
  • Use of sonority, texture and dynamics to create a mood
  • How to achieve contrasts and develop initial ideas when composing

Learning Activities include:

  • Ensemble / Solo performing
  • Composing to a brief (i.e. a piece of film music): creating "the situation", achieving contrasts, composing main themes, developing thematic material
  • Producing a score / leadsheet

Assessment

  • Assessment of  mini NEA-style composition task (30%)
  • Performance Assessment - solo or ensemble (30%)
  • Short listening test to include basic rhythmic and pitch dictation (separately), and recognition of some devices, elements and instruments (40%)

    Curriculum Period 2:

    Curriculum content

    "Art Music" - Area of Study 1 (Musical Forms and Devices) and Area of Study 2 (Music for Ensemble)

    Area of study 2: Music for Ensemble

    • Performing in smaller ensembles; (e.g. chamber music, jazz, musical theatre etc.)
    • Composing using texture and sonority (chords and melody) including: Monophonic, homophonic, unison, chordal, melody and accompaniment, countermelody
    • Introducing additional concepts of melody, harmony and tonality: inversions, dissonance, range, intervals, pentatonic, blue notes, modulations to relative major/minor

    Area of study 1: Musical Forms and Devices

    • Introduction to Area of Study 1 Set Work : Badinerie, by J.S. Bach : Instrumentation, anacrusis, simple triple time, repeat marks, ornamentation, trill, conjunct movement, sequence, octaves, minuet and trio, G major, D major, chordal analysis (using Roman numerals), perfect cadence, imperfect cadence, modulation to dominant, dominant 7th, chromatic movement.
    • Western Classical Tradition - musical elements and historical context through 1600 (Baroque Era) to the modern day

    Assessment

    • Solo or ensemble performance (30%)
    • Short Composition task (30%) 
    • Mini mock exam (all 4 AoS for Unit 3) (40%)


      Curriculum Period 3: Culmination of Year 10 - Free Composition

      Curriculum content

      Students will spend the final shorter curriculum period drawing upon their analytical, performing and composing skills developed in Curriculum Periods 1 and 2 to begin to compose their Free Composition for their Unit 2 NEA. Students will be encouraged to explore a sophisticated range of musical devices and use music technology, while composing within their own particular musical interest or for their own instrument/voice.

      This work will be completed and more formally assessed in Year 11 as part of the final submission of NEA for Unit 2.

      Revision resources

      Study Guide: "WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Music" (Jan Richards)

      Subject advice and guidance

      If you need any further guidance then please contact Mrs Reardon-Davies (Director of Teaching and Learning in Music) via email:

      a.reardon-davies@endon.shaw-education.org.uk