Sixth Form Music Department Handbook

Sixth Form Music Department Handbook Contents Introduction Expectations Behaviour Homework Course Content Performing Composing/Developing musical ideas Listening Summary of exams and coursework Set works  Secular vocal music  Music for film and TV (Page) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 16 Study skills Lessons Performing Composing Listening 21 22 23 24 25 Assessment Mark schemes Information Important dates log Departmental activity log Glossary Recommended reading 27 28-32 33 34 36 37 41 Introduction The music department uses the Edexcel syllabus. The AS music course is a demanding yet rewarding one. It requires many different skills to the GCSE course, but it also builds on the skills developed. It requires commitment and dedication to acquiring these skills. There are 4 music lessons a week and these focus on all areas of the syllabus. Lessons are taught by Mrs Light, Miss Kennedy and Mr Butchers. The course comprises of performance, composition, listening and studying set works. These set works will be secular vocal works and music for film and television. As well as attending lessons students are required to complete homework throughout the course. There will be opportunities to participate in activities outside of school. These may include theatre and concert trips, workshops and seminars. It is expected that students take an active part in music department activities and are members of at least one group. There is an high expectation of students behaviour and it is to be remembered that sixth form students are looked up to by younger members of the school and so they should be setting a good example at all times. Expectations of the music department Behaviour The music department has high expectations of sixth form student’s behaviour. Uniform Pupils are expected to be in full sixth form uniform for all lessons and departmental activities. This includes following guidelines on jewellery and makeup. Students should be smartly presented at all times. Rules regarding mobile phones, ipods and similar equipment are the same as for year 7-11. Any pupil caught with these items will be issued with a detention and their equipment could be confiscated and will only be returned to parents. Chewing gum Chewing gum will not be tolerated. Any student caught chewing gum will be issued with a detention. Behaviour during lessons During lessons students are expected to remain quiet and to contribute. It is essential that students take notes throughout the course and a high standard of concentration is required. Use of department and Equipment Pupils are expected to treat the department and equipment as they did in years 711. Classrooms and practise rooms should be left in a tidy and presentable manner. Equipment should not be moved unless absolutely necessary and it should be returned to its original position immediately after use. The computers and interactive whiteboards should not be used unless you have permission to do so. It is essential that any equipment taken from the music office such as amps and mice are returned as soon as you have finished using them. Students are allowed to store instruments in the department store cupboard but these must be put in before 8.40 and be labelled clearly with your name. If you are late putting your instrument in the cupboard you will have to carry it around with you. If you leave your instrument anywhere else in the department, you will be issued with a detention. Attendance If you are unable to attend a lesson, you should make every effort to catch up on work missed as soon as possible. Consistent absence will raise concerns which will be passed on to the head of sixth form and parents. Punctuality Students are expected to arrive on time to all lessons. Consistent lateness will result in a referral to the head of sixth form and may also result in parental involvement. Deadlines Throughout the course homework is set on a regular basis. This will include essays, composing tasks, research and practise. Students are expected to hand in all work on time. Failure to do so will result in detentions being introduced. Throughout the course students are expected to practise regularly and to take up any performance opportunities that arise as these will form part of the coursework requirement. As part of being in the sixth form, students are expected to take charge of their own learning. This will require them to undertake independent research on topics studied in class as well as developing their listening skills and performance repertoire. Disciplinary Procedure If students are raising concerns about their behaviour, achievement, commitment to the course or their ability to meet deadlines, the following procedure will be followed. 1. Student spoken to by teacher. 2. Student spoken to by the head of deparment. 3. Departmental agreement signed by student to improve the situation. This will involve the head of sixth form. 4. Student placed on departmental report to monitor development. This will involve parents. 5. If these actions do not improve the situation then the students place on the course will be looked at very carefully. Unit 1: Performance Unit 1 contributes to 30% of the final marks in AS music. Students are expected to show during this module that they have progressed to a higher level of performance than at GCSE level. Performing a solo (15% of the final mark) This is an opportunity for students to perform one or more solo pieces lasting 5-6 minutes on their chosen instrument. This may be with or without accompaniment, as appropriate to the piece. Students are expected to choose pieces of at least grade 4 standard, but the top marks will be awarded to those who perform pieces of grade 6 standard or higher. A recording of the performance will be made for assessment purposes. Students are marked on their accuracy, interpretation, quality of performance and the evidence of musicianship within their performance. To achieve this pupils are expected to spend a significant amount of their own time practising and participating in musical activities outside lessons. Students will be given, and be expected to follow, advice from both their classroom teacher and their instrumental teacher on practice techniques. Tips on how to practise and the mark schemes are included in this handbook. Performance during the course (15% of the final mark) During the course students must perform on at least four occasions. Every performance made by a student during the year should be logged on the Performing During the Course Log Sheet. At least three of these performances must be done in the presence a teacher. The final log will be a record of four performances including one performance of the student’s own composition, a solo (recording sent to the board) and an ensemble. Whilst many of these performances may be recorded only the solo will be submitted to the exam board. The marking criteria for this module will be the same as for the solo performance and is in the back of the book. Unit 2: Developing Musical Ideas Unit 2 contributes to 30% of the final marks in AS music. Composition Techniques (15% of the final mark) This is an open exam paper that will be released at the beginning of March and students are expected to have completed this by the last week in April. They are given time both in and out of lessons to complete this work. To complete this paper students will be required to harmonise a Bach chorale and to write a melody over a figured bass. To prepare students for this, harmony is studied in detail through the year as well as looking at successful techniques for completing these exercises. Composing (15% of the final mark) Students will be able to choose one composition topic from the following list. They will be expected to base their compositions on knowledge of the topic and they may find it useful to listen to a few examples from existing repertoire, such as some of the following: Variations Variations by Bach, Mozart and Haydn, twentieth century composers might include Ives and Webern, variation related forms might include the chaconne and pasacaglia. Miniatures by Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Grieg. Chopin, Mendelssohn, Romantic Miniatures Neo-Classicism Neo-classical pieces by, for example, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Bartok and Shostakovitch using forms that might include dance movements, sonata structures and fugues. Works of the post-war avant-garde, which might include the return to diatonicism (Tavener, Gorecki and minimalisms, multimedia and installations, community projects, computer games music and Internet art. Songs covering the development of style and form from Blues, through the 32-bar jazz standard (for example, Gershwin, Carole King and the Beatles) to chorus structures (for example, Tamla Motown and Oasis) and riff-based songs, (for example, Led Zepplin and Joan Amatrading). Post-Modernism The Popular Song Club dance and hip-hop Tracks featuring the technical procedures of sampling, sequencing and remixing and their application to current work in addition to the historical development from early rap and club remixes. Fusions of popular styles (which might include Celtic rock, reggae, Bhangra and salsa), examples of world music influences on popular music and jazz (which might include Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Santana) and examples of Western classical music and popular music fusions (which might include Peter Maxwell Davies, Elvis Costello). Synchronisation, title themes, cartoons and adverts with reference to the work of composers such as Bernard Hermann, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, James Horner and the Disney Corporation, and to the television composers George Fenton, Stephen Warbeck and Rachel Portman. Songs, arias, ballads, choruses and ensemble pieces in a wide range of styles, which may include opera, experimental music theatre and musicals. Fusions Film and TV Music Theatre All students will be given advice on which topics would suit their individual needs and would be supported by other modules run during this course. The final composition will not last less than three minutes and it should be presented in an appropriate format to the style. This could be in a written score format using standard notation, a detailed lead sheet or chord chart, track sheets, tables or diagrams. More detail on this is available in the composing sections. Students will be given the opportunity to listen to and analyse similar pieces of music, and will be required to do a substantial amount of research into their chosen topic. Unit 3: Listening and Understanding This unit contributes to 40% of the final marks in AS music. It is split into two main sections: a listening paper and a written paper. Students will learn the skills for these papers in lessons throughout the course and as a result further their general musicianship. 45-minute listening paper (15% of the final mark) In this paper, the student is expected to demonstrate their skills when listening to music. The paper is divided into four questions: Question 1: Timbre & Texture Students will hear two passages of music, for which no notation will be provided. For each passage they will be required to identify elements of timbre or texture. They will be expected to comment in depth about the texture of the music and demonstrate an understanding of such procedures as homophony; counterpoint; melody and accompaniment styles and antiphony. Question 2: Comparison of two performances Students will hear two performances of the same piece of music. They will be expected to comment on the differences that they hear in such areas as tempo, dynamics, ornamentation, instrumentation etc as required by the questions. Question 3: Aural recognition Students will hear a piece of music and be provided with a skeleton score of the same. They will be required to EITHER add notation to that already provided OR to answer questions on the context of the piece in terms of place, period, social ambience, expressive intention. Question 4: Perception of tonality and harmony Students will hear a short extracts of music and a single-stave skeleton score. They will be expected to identify the nature of the tonality (for example major/minor keys, modes or pentatonic music) and/or the nature of individual chords or progressions (including cadences). 1hr 30 min written paper (25% of the final mark) In this paper, students are expected to answer two questions, one from each area of study (Secular vocal music and Film & TV). They will be need their anthologies for this part of the exam but any markings that they have made in them must be erased. There will be four parts to each question. Part (a) will require students to say what they understand by two terms or expressions that will relate directly to the area of studies. Part (b) will require students to locate from their anthology an example of each of the two expressions that they wrote about in part (a). Parts (c) and (d) will focus on matters such as characteristics of musical style, structural matters, resources that have been used, and social and cultural context. Summary of Exams and Assessment Unit 1 Performing: Performing a solo (15%) Due: April To submit: a performance with a copy of the score Performing During the Course (15%) Due: March To submit: a recording of a solo performance with a copy of the score, and a copy of the performance log. Unit 2 Composing: Composition techniques open exam (15%) Received and distributed to students: March Due: April To submit: completed exam paper Composing (15%) Due: April To submit: A recording and appropriate score of a three minute composition based on one of the Areas of Study. Unit 3 Listening and Understanding: 45 minute listening exam (15%) To sit: June 1hr 30 min written paper (25%) To sit: June Popular Music and Jazz Popular music (music of the people) is often thought of as relatively modern, but it has a long history. It is, though, a poorly documented history before the 19th century for two main reasons. Firstly, in the days when only a small proportion of the population could write, literature and social documentation centred on the interest of those who could read and this rarely featured accounts of how the majority of the population lived. Secondly, popular music was (until at least 1800) a primarily aural tradition, in which folk songs and folk dances would be learnt, modified and added to by successive generations. There was no need to write down such music, nor would most of its performers have had the skills to do so and there was no means to record the actual sounds of such music. A distinct style for popular music began to emerge in the 19th century. As the economy moved from agriculture to industry many people moved from the countryside to the towns, adapting their music to new themes of working in coal pits or on railway building. The more prosperous among the population aspired to be entertained by professional musicians in Victorian music halls and to require music for their own performance in the home. Industrial manufacture of affordable pianos and the invention of cheap music printing made this a realistic prospect. A market that began with simple songs by classical composers and short piano pieces by romantic composers, was soon dominated by thousands of short, tuneful waltzes, marches and songs to be played and sung in the parlous of 19th century Europe and America. Most commercial popular music was modelled on simple types of European art music in the 19th century, but after 1900 the main influence came increasingly from African-American music. This is first seen in ragtime, a style of popular music related to European dances of the time (such as the military two-step) but featuring a constant syncopation of the melody against an accompaniment in march style. Ragtime developed in the Midwest of the USA, and its ‘ragged time’ reflected the rhythmic banjo playing of black Americans in the popular minstrel shows of the late 19th century. West End Blues (Joe ‘King’ Oliver) In the days when international travel was mainly by ship, a rich mix of cultural traditions could be found in major sea ports such as New Orleans in the south of the USA. Here could be heard, in the early years of the 20th century, marching bands, ragtime, European parlour music, black American music such as the blues, visiting dance bands from Mexico, and a combined legacy of West African and European folk forms. There was also a cheap supply of band instruments that had become available after troops stationed in the area during the American civil war were disbanded. Jazz was first developed in New Orleans and Louis Armstrong was born there in 1901. By the time he was 17 he was already playing cornet in the leading jazz band in the city but by this time work in New Orleans was becoming scarce and, like many of his fellow musicians, Armstrong moved to Chicago in 1922 where he joined a band in which Joe ‘King’ Oliver played first cornet and Armstrong played second. It was in Chicago that their music was first recorded and thus became internationally famous. Armstrong went on to form his own bands for a series of records made between 1925 and 1928. The instrumentation of West End Blues is typical of New Orleans jazz, consisting of a frontline (trumpet, clarinet and trombone) and a rhythm section (piano, banjo and drums). Black and Tan Fantasy (Duke Ellington) Duke Ellington is one of the few major figures in jazz whose importance arises more his compositions than his work as a performer. In 1924 he took over the leadership of a small jazz band in New York which he expanded in size and which in 1927 was awarded a contract to play at the Cotton Club, one of the city’s leading nightclubs and a venue for frequent broadcasts. Although located in the heart of the black community of Harlem it catered for an entirely white audience, who came to see floorshows based on highly stereotyped ideas of African culture. To accompany these, Ellington developed what is known as his jungle style, featuring heavy drums, dark saxophone texture and rough growling brass sounds. Four (Miles Davis) During the 1930s and 1940s many big bands appeared, playing jazz-influenced dance music called swing. But jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk found this type of music too predictable and developed a new style of jazz known as bebop. Played by much smaller groups, it was music for listening rather than dancing, and featured driving rhythms and complex, often dissonant harmonies. The trumpet Miles Davies worked with Charlie Parker between 1945 and 1948 after which he began to lead his own bebop groups. Davis was one of the most innovative jazz musicians in the second half of the 20th century, creating a more lyrical style, known as cool jazz in the 1950s, and experimenting with unusual metres and modal jazz. He went on to use electronic instruments and to popularize jazz-rock in the 1960s and other types of fusion in the 1970s. I’m Leavin’ You (Chester Burnett) Much popular music in the first half of the 20th century was influenced by the techniques of jazz, although not by its essentially improvised nature. Swing quavers, blue notes and a rich harmonic vocabulary of chromatically altered chords are found in the music of such American song writers as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin and big bands adopted the idioms of swing in the dance music of the age. The invention of recording, radio and the musical film helped the rapid dissemination of this new style of popular music, but such technology also accelerated a change that had begun many years before. No longer was popular music created primarily for the people to perform, but for them to consume – as listeners and dancers. Microphones allowed vocalists such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to use a soft, light singing tone (known as crooning) and still be heard over the sound of a big band. Popular music in America was more diverse than in Britain, partly because the many different radio networks focused on developing regional tastes. Thus country music, blues and gospel music continued to develop alongside the mainstream popular styles of more commercial music. As black singers from the south of the USA moved to industrial cities such as Chicago in search of work, the blues changed from a rural type of music to a harder urban style. Rhythm and blues, which emerged in the 1940s, later became one of the key influences on rock music. It invested the traditional blues format with the rhythms of jazz and, to fulfil a role as dance music in the large dance halls of the time, much louder sounds – the drum kit, saxophones and amplified voices and guitars. Honey Don’t (Carl Perkins) Rock ‘n’ roll began when white people started playing rhythm and blues in about 1954, and became instantly popular when Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock was included in the 1955 film, The Blackboard Jungle. It combines elements of rhythm and blues with an American country-music style known as rockabilly. This tends to be much more tightly rhythmic than the laid-back jazz-like style of I’m Leavin’ You, as can be heard in the walking bass and the regular strumming of the acoustic guitar part in Perkins’ piece. The instrumentation of rockabilly music rarely varied:  Lead guitar – an electric guitar played with a plectrum (‘pick guitar’) and a good deal of echo effect  Acoustic rhythm guitar  Plucked double bass (‘upright bass’)  Drums, playing predominantly with a firm backbeat on the snare drum. A distinctive technique used by most bass players in rockabilly (and which comes from jazz playing) is the slap – so commonly used that the instrument was sometimes called the slap bass. The string is pulled hard away from the fingerboard and then allowed to snap back, producing the percussive slap represented by the x-headed notes in the score. Waterloo Sunset (Ray Davies) With just the substitution of bass guitar for upright double bass, the instrumentation of rockabilly formed the basis of most 1960s rock music, including that of The Kinks. Like most British groups of the time they had begun by playing blues-influenced music, but under the direction of singer, guitarist and song-writer Ray Davies they were soon one of the few groups to resist copying everything American. Davies drew on very ordinary aspects of British culture such as afternoon tea, London sunsets, commuters and the taxman, as themes for a series of wry miniatures which were still very influential 30 years later in the Britpop of the 1990s, especially in works such as Blur’s album The Great Escape. A Day in the Life (Lennon and McCartney) The cosmopolitan life of a busy sea port brought together a rich mix of musical influences in New Orleans, and the same is true of Liverpool where all four of the Beatles and many other pop musicians of their generation grew up. John Lennon said ‘It’s where the sailors would come home with blues records from America … I heard country and western music in Liverpool before I heard rock ‘n’ roll’. A Day in the Life is the concluding song from the Beatles’ 1967 album Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This was what is now called a ‘concept album’ – a collection of related songs, in this case linked by a theme of loneliness. As in many of the Beatles’ later songs the lyrics are subtle and the music sophisticated. John Lennon wrote the verses, Paul McCartney contributed the bridge, and the Beatles’ producer (the classical oboist George Martin) directed the orchestra and effects. You can get it if you really want (Jimmy Cliff) Many people in the west are oblivious of the vibrant pop music traditions of other cultures – the rai music of north Africa, Israeli rock, Nigerian highlife or south-east Asian dangdut. Only rarely do such styles slip through the barriers of western commercialism, but in 1969 the Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker had a number one hit in the UK with his song Israelites. The style, like that of his 1970 hit You can get it if you really want (written by Jamaican singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff), is an early version of reggae known as rock steady. Like reggae, there is a clear backbeat and a concentration on short repeated patterns based on a limited number of chords. Also like much reggae, the lyrics allude to a struggle against poverty and oppression, although set in the context of irresistibly tuneful dance music. Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison) Van Morrison grew up in Belfast, although he has lived most of his life in America where he developed a unique style of nostalgic music that combines elements of rhythm and blues (which he played in Ireland), rock, jazz, soul and Irish folk music. Tupelo Honey is from Van Morrison’s 1971 album of the same name. Its mellow style and free vocal delivery are typical of the slow rock ballads that had become popular ever since the release of Procul Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale four years earlier. Don’t look back in anger (Noel Gallagher) Noel Gallagher has made no secret of his admiration for the work of the Beatles, and Don’t look back in angeris clearly a tribute to John Lennon who was killed in 1980. The opening bars on the start of Lennon’s song Imagine, and the lyrics of bars 13-16 are a quotation of Lennon’s own words. Music for film and television The Development of film. From the 1960s onwards it became increasingly common for films to move away from orchestral soundtracks towards more diverse sources, including rock music, folk, jazz and electronic music. However major film companies continued to have a preference for the wide spectrum of sounds and dramatic effects available from a symphony orchestra. The most successful film composer of the late 20th century to write such orchestral scores in John Williams (born in 1932). After an early career as a jazz musician he was appointed pianist to the studio orchestra of the film company Twentieth-Century Fox. This led to commissions to compose TV music, particularly for science fiction programmes, and then to write the music for Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977). The works that will require extra attention will be Passport to Pimlico: The Siege of Burgundy; Planet of the Apes and Titanic. If possible, try and watch as many of the films that we will study as you can. The music department has some copies of the films, but these will only be available on a 2 day loan. Make sure that you read about these works and their composers. Find out about when they lived and what else they composed and listen to some of their other works. Below are some starting points for each work, but they are by no means comprehensive. Passport to Pimlico Passport to Pimlico is an Ealing Comedy. These are a series of films in which a distinctly British sense of humour is exploited to the full. The composer, Georges Auric, is French and so therefore, seemed a surprising choice, but he had a reputation as a composer of light, witty music. Auric was the youngest member of Les Six. This was a group of urbane and satirical French composers which included Milhaud, Poulenc and Honegger. Auric had also written film scores for the avant-garde film director Jean Cocteau, as well as much theatre and ballet music. Passport to Pimlico was filmed in 1949 and it is about the residents of Pimlico in central London. An unexploded bomb left over from the war blows up and in the debris they find an old document decreeing that Pimlico is part of the ancient French province of Burgundy. Quickly seizing the opportunity the residents of Pimlico declare the area to be independent of the rest of the country and set about dispelling the gloom of post-war Britain by abolishing licensing laws and food rationing. The music in this film is comic music and it is similar to the music used in cartoons. The cartoon film, which was developed by Walt Disney in the 1930s, led to a new type of score in which music was synchronised very precisely with almost every event in the action. For example sliding down a drainpipe might be accompanied by a descending xylophone scale and the dazed bump when the character hits the ground by a ‘wah-wah-wah’ from muted trumpets. This technique is known as mickeymousing. The music ‘The Siege of Burgundy’ accompanies a scene in which British government officials retaliate by partitioning off ‘Burgundy’ with a cordon of barbed wire, setting-up customs barriers and cutting off water and electricity. Other Londoners come out in force to throw food over the barricades to the besieged folk of Pimlico. On the Waterfront: Symphonic Suite On the Waterfront tells a story, based on real life, of crime and extortion in the new York docks, and of the struggle of a young dock worker (Marlon Brando) who fought against the corrupt practices exposed in the film. It was a stark contrast to the romantic comedies and Hollywood epics usually seen in the cinema at the time. Its harsh social realism made a great impact. On the Waterfront is the only film score that Leonard Bernstein ever wrote. He had previously achieved success in writing musicals for the theatre and some of these were filmed. His most famous musical West Side Story followed three years later in 1957. The social realism of the film is not reflected in the music as Bernstein retains the large symphony orchestra, which was the norm for big-budget American movies. However the percussion rhythms and brass writing (both characteristics of Bernstein’s style) give the music a hard edge which echoes the intensity and violence of the film. Bernstein arranged some of the music from the underscore into a symphonic suit in 1955. Planet of the Apes Jerry Goldsmith was born in 1929. He composed music for many television shows and wrote his first film score in 1957 at the age of 28. By the 1960s he had a reputation as one of the first film composers regularly to use avant-garde techniques in his film scores. These have included atonality, electronic effects and such unusual sound sources as rubbed glass rods and the recorded calls of whales. While his style is often abrasively dissonant he also has an uncanny sense of knowing when to win his audiences over with a traditionally memorable melody (as in the theme to Star Trek). This combination of skills has proved very successful in the music for other sci-fi films such as Alien (1979) and Planet of the Apes (1968). Planet of the Apes centres on a group of American astronauts who become stranded on an unidentified planet. When they eventually stumble on life-supporting vegetation they also come face to face with a population of hunters – gorillas on horseback – who, in this scene of spectacular chase music, succeed in capturing the humans. ET ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is a children’s fantasy in which the scary alien of traditional science fiction is transformed into a cute animatronic who is befriended by an American schoolboy. As the sun sets on Halloween, the ten year-old takes ET for a ride in the front basket of his bicycle. ET uses his telekinetic powers to take control of the bike which flies through the night sky silhouetted against the moon. The film credits indicate that the music was orchestrated by Herbert Spencer, who collaborated with John Williams in many of his film scores. Morse on the Case Barrington Pheloung was born in Australia in 1954 and studied at the Royal College of Music in London, after which he settled in Britain. He has composed many ballet scores as well as music for advertising campaigns by companies that include Rover, Andrex and Sainsbury and music for multimedia projects as the game Broken Sword. He has also written film music for Hilary and Jackie and Nostradamus and for a number of television series, including Boon, Dalziel & Pascoe and Inspector Morse. Many of the Morse episodes require at least an hour’s worth of music, with individual cues lasting as long as eight minutes, but unlike the other set works the music is mostly non-intrusive. However it is not just ambient music used to set a mood – it also underlines emotional points and creates particular emphases in the dialogue that it underscore. Pheloung enters into the spirit of the mysteries. The theme music starts with the letters M.O.R.S.E spelled out in Morse code. In a 1993 documentary about the series Pheloung also indicated that he sometimes wrote music that contains Morse-code ‘clue’s about the identity of the suspect. He was keen to develop a more subtle approach in television music. In a 1995 interview he said ‘In a television cop show, the first thing when he gets in his car and chases after someone, you’ve got to get the drum machine starting up. Some really up-beat, urgent thing. And I’ve never believed in car chases, for instance, as particularly glamorous, or murder and death. So I went always the opposite way – don’t forget the character hates driving fast and has vertigo. The background music when Morse is ever involved in chases is far more about the horror, in fact…It has to be said that the people at the network thought that the films wouldn’t work in this format, nobody would concentrate on it for two hours. But years later, we had 26 million visitors.’ Inspector Morse is set in the idyllic surroundings in Oxford and it frequently uses the Oxford colleges as locations. Inspector Endeavour Morse enjoys opera, particularly Mozart and expensive wine. He solves crime with the help of his assistant Detective Sergeant Lewis. Pheloung uses the understated textures and ambient sounds characteristic of much post-modernist music. Unlike the tight, repetitive rhythms of minimalism he frequently uses slow moving ideas, and avoids creating obvious rhythmic and melodic patterns. Texture, timbre and silence are essential ingredients and these are combined to create a style in which the meditative and sensory experience of the music is the main focus. The long, sustained notes that change in unexpected parts of the bar ensure that there is no obvious sense of pulse and this gives the entire extract a timeless quality. It begins with a thin, two-part texture. The opening intervals played by the piano are echoed in inversion by the unison muted strings – the piano rises a 4th, the strings fall a 4th. The music is entirely diatonic for the first 51 bars. Titanic James Horner was born in Los Angeles in 1953. His family moved to London when he was ten, and he studied at the Royal College of Music before returning to America. His first film score to achieve great success was Star Trek II (1982) and his many subsequent credits include Aliens (1986), Braveheart (1995) and The Mask of Zorro (1998). Titanic (1997) is based on the true story of the ocean liner which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, but it is presented in Hollywood epic style and threaded through with a love story, to give a blockbuster mix of romance and drama. For such a combination Horner uses the traditional medium of a large orchestra, but the instrumentation is given a more contemporary feel by the addition of synthesised vocal sounds that contrast with the vocalising of a real choir. This music accompanies a scene in which Titanic is about to sail out into the open sea. The Lessons During your course you will participate in a variety of lessons and will use a variety of skills. They will revolve around the 3 main component of music: performing, composing and listening. As a guide, practical lessons are generally held in D3 and D4 and lessons in D5 or D7 are always listening lessons. As a member of the sixth form you are expected to be fully prepared for each lesson and keep your music folder up to date with your class work and homework. Music folder You should keep an A4 ring binder or your work that contains all the worksheets and information given to you by your teacher. It may be worth having a separate folder for harmony, set works and practical work. Your listening lessons notes should also be stored in a folder and it is recommended that you get into the habit of typing these up after each lesson. Equipment For each of these lessons you are expected to arrive fully prepared with your instrument (if needed for a practical lesson) and for all lessons you should always have a pen, pencil, ruler, A4 paper, manuscript paper, this handbook and your music folder available. For lessons on the set works you will need your copy of the anthology (see bibliography) In practical lessons guitarists are welcome to use amps, but should supply your own leads. Drum kit players will need to check the availability of the kit for each lesson. Study Skills Performing Skills Performing lessons In performing lessons you will need your instrument and failure to bring it will result in an alternative task (such as a timed essay question) being set by the teacher. It is expected that you support the course through practice of your instrument daily. Always find somewhere quiet to practice away from distractions. View it as an ongoing homework during your time on the course and work with your instrumental teacher on improving your technique and tips on scales and warming up techniques. Performing skills Practice is not just about setting time aside to run pieces through, but working on technique using scales and studies. You should work on your pieces in smaller sections, bar by bar. A play through from start to finish does not constitute practice! In your final coursework a large focus is on accuracy and to achieve the highest grades you need to play your final pieces without any errors at all. There is also a large focus on interpretation and your attention to dynamics and musical shape. For example, if you fail to show the difference between an mp section and an mf section, it will be unreasonable to expect above a C grade. Playing with shape and attention to technique and dynamics show your control and mastery of the instrument. See the mark schemes section to see exactly how your work is marked. Try to mark your own pieces and look at how to improve. Participating in groups and doing solos in concerts will help develop these skills further and you will also keep a log of your performances as part of Paper 1. Composing Skills Composition lessons There are two kinds of composition lessons that head towards the two pieces of composing coursework you submit in March/April. The first is called ‘compositional techniques’ and you spend time working on harmony exercises (i.e. putting a melody over a bass line or harmonizing sections of a Bach Chorale). In these lessons you will work either on keyboards or do a worksheet on your own with just a pencil and rubber. The second composing lesson will be free composing and for your exam you will have to submit one free composition. Composition skills – Free composing Composing is often viewed with a certain amount of fear and there is no need. Your teacher will give you a topic and you will have to produce a free piece within this topic. It is difficult to tell you how to start, some people start with a melody or a riff they have played on their instrument, some start with lyrics and others start with a chord sequence they like. When your work is marked various criteria will be looked at.   Instrumentation o Choosing appropriate instruments and being imaginative in your choice of combinations showing a good blend and balance Using the Resource o Using the instruments well, for example using legato, staccato, pizzicato or pedal indications for the piano. Also using the instruments appropriately within their range and using the correct pitch transpositions Tempo and rhythm o Using motifs and ostinati to make your piece memorable. All music should have tempo markings and exploit tempo to good effect: e.g. ralentando Melody o A memorable melody is important. Maybe move it between instruments and develop it as the piece continues. Do not be afraid of repetition and bringing the melody back at key points of the music to add shape Structure o Organise your piece clearly into sections with attention to balance and form. Pay close attention to the opening and ending as well as link sections, making sure changes, such as key changes, are smooth Presentation o All work is marked on the presentation. The work is handed in on CD with an accompanying score, which is marked on how neat and     organised it is. Bar lines should be aligned and dynamic markings should be clear. It is possible to hand in chord charts and commentaries instead if they are detailed. Remember your write-up should give as much detail to the listener as a traditional score should you use this method Listening skills Listening It is assumed that you listen to music regularly or you would not be studying this course. It is essential that you build your knowledge through frequent listening. Raid the music department supplies to borrow CDs or head into town to buy yourself some extracts. Maybe start with a composer you know or pieces that are written for your own instrument? When you are listening try not to do anything else. Focus on the music and the different parts with a running commentary in your head; what instruments are used? How do the parts relate to each other? How is the mood created? If you get stuck then start by thinking about each of musical elements in turn: tempo, dynamics, pitch, rhythm, texture, timbre. Note taking While you will listen attentively in lessons and understand the content, can you be sure you will remember all the details six months later in the exam? During listening lessons you may find you wish to take some notes to use for future reference. You can type them up if you wish and store them in your music folder as a reference for future revision. While worksheets are handed out occasionally the lessons are structured differently to those of GCSE and during set works your teach will expect you to annotate your score and make notes. If you miss a lesson you may find it useful to ask a friend to keep notes for you. Essay writing You may not be aware that essay writing forms a large part of AS Music. As part of the set works exam you have to answer extended questions analysing one or more of the set works. Successful music essays are very analytical and to the point with regular reference to the score and particular bar numbers. Here are some useful tips to writing a good essay in music:0       Do not write a lengthy introduction. Place the question into context immediately in one sentence then set about answering the question Do not waffle and each time you make a statement refer to a bar number to back it up Try to make at least six clear statements Use musical words such as ‘polyphonic’. Do not use adjectives like ‘floaty’ Plan your essay carefully so you do not repeat yourself End your essay with a brief conclusion that pulls your ideas together In the bibliography there is a book you can use to help you with your essays. A copy is available on overnight loan from the music office. Score reading In music lessons you will frequently use a score as you study. For set works you will follow your own anthology. You are welcome to make notes in pencil on your anthology, but they must be rubbed out before the final exam. When you follow a score look at all the parts. Do not just focus on the melody line or the words, but on all the parts simultaneously and look at how the parts relate to each other. Don’t just pore over the score though just because it is in front of you, look away and listen to the overall effect too to enhance your listening experience! Homework As part of your homework schedule for music, it is expected that you practice your instrument daily and make good progress. The majority of A Level students will have weekly instrumental lessons to support the music course. In addition to this you can expect regular homework. Occasionally research homework will be set and this usually feeds into the next lesson. Harmony exercises are also set and it is expected that your music folder is up to date. A certain amount of your own time should ensure your folder is neat, legible and all notes are accurate. Most regularly essays are set based on the set works. Revision techniques You will have 2 exams, one on set works and the other a CD paper with unheard excerpts. You will have plenty of practice in class and in the mocks, but do not think that this will be enough for you to pass. Your teacher will supply you with practice exam papers if you want them and you can come back into school during the study leave to get advice or to get your work marked. You can also borrow CDs and get copies of some of the set works. Use your music folder as a starting point for your revision, by May you should have a stack of notes to support your work. Make sure you have all the notes from lessons you have missed. Good revision will be a mix of doing your own timed essays, revision of instruments and eras and thoroughly revising your set works. Listening to extracts on the radio and analysing the elements makes a refreshing change from writing and reading! Sixth form essays – marking criteria A Excellent understanding of the question with fully referenced answers Thoughtfully considered examples with full referencing to the score and intelligent justification Thoughtfully structured with a progression of ideas within the context of the essay Detailed and driven by ideas with frequent independent alternatives Advanced use of musical vocabulary Thorough understanding of the question supplying a clear justified answer Good examples chosen with reference to the score and how they fit within the piece Clearly defined structure, consistent around ideas Examples are thoroughly explained and justified with reference to their context within the piece Appropriate confident musical vocabulary used Well answered with justified independent ideas C Good understanding of the question and good attempt to answer Relevant examples chosen with reference to the score A structured essay with progression of thought Examples explained clearly with an understanding of how this example fits within the context of piece Sound musical vocabulary demonstrating a musical approach Evidence of independent thought General understanding of the question and an attempt to answer and draw conclusions Clichéd examples with bar numbers Hanging examples with no attempt to justify their relevance Music vocabulary used, although sometimes incorrectly No evidence of independent thought Essay structured around examples B D E Little or no understanding of the question Irrelevant examples used without reference to the score Some explanation of examples, but often incorrect Music vocabulary is frequently incorrect and poorly used Little structure or organisation of ideas Failure to answer question Very little detail Poor understanding of music vocabulary No examples relating to score U Last updated January 2006 OL/KY Important Dates All coursework is to be sent off in the third week of April. You will be given individual deadlines throughout the year and you may want to record these below. You could also record the deadlines of important essays that will be set throughout the year. Coursework Performing during the course Solo Performance Composition Harmony Deadline Done Exam dates Exam Mock Actual exam Date Log of departmental activity You may find it useful to keep a record of everything that you have done in the music department. This may include performances in concerts and ensembles, helping out at a concert or activity or taking part in performances outside of school. This will help you when completing your performing during the course record and also help you to write your personal statement when applying for further courses or on your CV when you want to apply for jobs. Date Activity Your role Glossary Texture Antiphony – The alternation of two or more groups of instruments and/or singers Canon – A device (sometimes an entire piece) in which a melody in one part fits with the same melody in another part even though the latter starts a few beats later. The device occurs in the type of song known as a round. Counter-melody – A melody of secondary importance heard at the same time as a more important melody. Descant – A high part added above the melody of a hymn or carol. Doubling –Where two instruments or singers play the same part. Ground Bass – A variation technique in which a repeating bass pass supports an evolving melody in an upper part together with a variety of harmonic progressions. Heterophonic – A texture in which a melody and a decorated version of the same melody occur simultaneously. Homophonic – A texture in which one part has all the melodic interest to which the other parts provide an accompaniment. Imitation – Immediate or overlapping repetition of a melody. Melody and accompaniment – A tune with a simple part played with it. The melody has all the interest. Monophonic – A texture that consists of a single unaccompanied melody. Pedal note – A sustained or repeated note against which changing harmonies are heard. Polyphonic – The simultaneous use of two or more melodies. Tutti – A passage of music intended for the whole ensemble. Unison – All the parts move together. Structures Aria – Italian for a song or air Bar – The separation of beats into equal groups. Binary – A two-part musical structure, usually with each section repeated. Call and response – A singer or instrument responds to another singer or instrument. Da Capo – An instruction placed at the end of a piece of music to indicate a return to the beginning. Interlude – Something played or sung between the main parts of a larger work. Ostinato – A repeating melodic or rhythmic pattern. Phrase – Short musical units of various lengths. Prelude – An instrumental movement intended to go before a larger work or group of pieces. Repetition at pitch – Repeated played the same notes. Ritornelli – An opening instrumental section. Usually found in music from the latebaroque period. Later on in the piece of music, ideas from the ritornello return. Rondo – A musical form in which a refrain alternates with different episodes, creating a structure such as ABACA or ABACABA. Sequence – The immediate repetition at a different pitch of a phrase or motif. Sonata Form – The most common form for the first movement of sonatas, symphonies, concertos and chamber works. It uses two contrasting tonal centres (tonic and either dominant or another closely related key) in a first section called the exposition. The second section, the development, uses a wider range of keys and it finishes with a recapitulation in which music from the exposition is repeated in the tonic key. Ternary – A three part musical structure in which a middle section is flanked by two identical or similar passages. Theme and Variations – The theme is a musical idea which is then changed in various way to produce variations. Introduction – The beginning of a piece of music. Verse – A section of music following the same melody but usually different words, which separate the chorus. Chorus – A section of text and music which is repeated after each verse. Refrain – A phrase which recurs at intervals. Middle 8- An instrumental section in the middle of a song. Bridge – A linking section between two parts. Coda – The end Melody Ascending movement – The pitch goes higher. Conjunct – The melody moves in small steps. Descending movement – The pitch goes lower. Disjunct – The notes in melody leap and do not move by step. Intervals – The distance between two notes. Perfect – An interval in which the two notes occur in the same key. Pitch repetition – The same pitched note repeated. Stepwise movement – Moving in the notes of the scale. Tritone – An interval of three tones. It is exactly half an octave. Ornaments Acciaccatura – An ornament above or below a main melodic note. It is printed as a small note with a slash through the stem. It is played as fast as possible. Appogiatura – A melodic decoration that produces a dissonance before resolving on a note of the chord. They are written as small notes. Glissando – Sliding through pitches from one note to another. Improvised ornamentation – The spontaneous decoration of a melodic line. Mordent – An ornament consisting of a rapid alternation of the main note with the note a step below. Ornamentation – The decoration of a melodic line. Pitch bend – Electronically (usually) changing the pitch of the notes in microtones. Trill – One note is played alternately and quickly with the note above or below it for the whole duration of the note. Instrumental techniques Arco – Use the bow. Col legno – Play the strings with the wooden part of the bow. Double stopping – The performance of a two-note chord on a string instrument. Flutter-tonguing – Used on wind instruments the rolling of an ‘r’ with the tongue to produce rapid repetitions of the same note. Harmonics – Individual pure sounds. Woodwind players over blow . Strings players can play harmonics by touching the string lightly at an appropriate point. Mutes – An object used to muffle the sound of an instrument. (Con sord – with mute; Senza sord – without mute) Percussive use of instrument - Focusing on the rhythm and not the pitch. Pizzicato – Plucking the strings. Sprechgesang – Speech-song. Term for a type of vocal enunciation between speech and song. Vibrato – A fluctuation of pitch on a single note. Harmony Chromatic – Notes outside the current key or that are used to add colour. A chromatic step is a semitone. Compass – The notes that a particular instrument is able to play. Inversion - When a note other than the root is sounding in the bass. Major – The name given to a scale whose intervals follow the pattern – T-T-S-T-T-TS (T= tone, S = semitone). Minor – The name given to a scale whose intervals follow the pattern – T-S-T-T-S-TT. Pentatonic – Music based on a scale of five pitches. Range – The notes that a particular instrument is able to play. Register – A part of the range of an instrument or voice. Retrograde movement – A succession of notes played backwards. Suspension – A harmonic device in which a note is first sounded in a consonant context (preparation) and then repeated (or held) over a change of chord so that it becomes dissonant. There is then a resolution when the suspended note moves by step (usually downwards). Tessitura – Term used to describe the part of a vocal or instrumental range in which a piece of music predominantly lies. Transposition – The notation or performance of music at a pitch different from that in which it was originally written. Vocal Music Alto – A low female voice. Baritone – A male voice of moderately low pitch. Bass – Lowest male voice. Contralto – Low alto voice. Countertenor – High tenor singing alto part. Mezzo-soprano – Low soprano. Soprano – High soprano. Tenor – High man’s voice. Treble – Boys voice (Cathedral choir). Barbershop Quartet (4 men) –T T B B Cathedral Choir - Tr, Ct, T, B Duet – Two performers or singers. Female Chorus - SSA Lead/backing singers – The solo part/ Singing in the background. Male Chorus - TTBB Mixed Voice Chorus - SATB Quartet – Four performers or singers. Solo – One performer or singer on their own. Trio – Three performers or singers. Aria – Italian for a song or air. Ayre – A traditional folk tune. Ballad – Modern song, slow with strong melody. Folk Song – Traditional song eg. Scarborough Fair Lied – A German expressive song for a soloist. Madrigal –A light song for a variety of voices, a capella with imitation. Musical – A performance of a play with songs and instrumental sections Opera – A piece of musical theatre based entirely on recit and aria Rap – Spoken words over a strong beat. Recitative – A vocal solo that follows the rhythms and inflexions of speech, supported by an accompanient. Song – A piece of music with lyrics Anthem – A religious piece for choir and organ. Carol – A hymn at Christmas. Hymn – A simple harmonized tune with religious words. Oratorio – A dramatized work with recit, aria and chorus of a religious story. Spiritual – An American gospel inspired hymn. Film Music Mickey Mousing – The process of adding music to synchronise exactly with the visual action of a film. Motif – A short but memorable melodic fragment which is subject to be changed through techniques such as sequence, inversion and extension. Useful Resources Books Edexcel; The New Anthology of Music published by Edexcel. Every student must have his or her own copy of this book.  The anthologies are ordered from ‘Hickies’ in Reading over the summer and pupils collect them and pay for them on delivery to the store. Second hand anthologies are sometimes available from the past year 13s at a reduced cost (see your teacher for details) Edexcel also publish past papers and aural guides. They are available from www.edexcel.org.uk A Students Guide to AS Music by Paul Terry and David Bowman; Published by Rhinegold Publications; www.rhinegold.co.uk A Students Guide to A2 Level Music by Paul Terry and David Bowman. Published by Rhinegold Publications; www.rhinegold.co.uk Listening Tests for AS Students published by Rhinegold Publications Listening Tests for A2 Students published by Rhinegold Publications The Student’s Guide to Writing by John Peck and Martin Coyle. Published by Palgrave. www.palgravestudyguides.com A music dictionary is recommended. Websites Harmony – www.abcmusicnotes.com/AS&Alevel/Chorale%20Writing.htm www.geocites.com/musicalhelp/Projects/KS5/harmonytech.htm General - www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/guide www.revisemusic.org.uk www.themusicland.co.uk www.abcmusicnotes.com www.duckmusic.com CDs Edexcel New Anthology of Music; www.edexcel.org.uk