OCR GCSE in Music

This specification is designed to offer candidates structured opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in Performing, Composing and Listening and Appraising. It encourages them to become:

• more informed performers through study of their instrument and pieces written for it;
• more skilled composers through study of compositional techniques and styles;
• understanding listeners through study of a range of different types of music and the backgrounds to them.

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The focus for learning in all of these is provided by four Areas of Study:

• Area of Study 1: Exploiting the Resource

Range, compass, timbre, articulation and words associated with techniques specific to the instrument (e.g. arco, double-tonguing, rim shot, fill). The names of the composers of the music studied should also be known.

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• Area of Study 2: Techniques of Melodic Composition

• Plainchant, rag, folksong, serialism, blues;
• Scales: mode (modal), pentatonic, major, minor, raga, tone-row, whole-tone, blue-note, microtone;
• Phrase/phrasing: anacrusis, answering phrase, question and answer, cadences (perfect, plagal, interrupted and imperfect);
• Modulation: tonic, dominant, relative minor/major;
• Forms: binary, ternary, rondo, variation, the convention of describing melodic structures such as AABA, AABC, ABAC, da capo, coda, verse, chorus;
• Intervals: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, octave, unison, tone, semitone;
• Devices: repetition, inversion, ascending/descending sequence, motive, retrograde, imitation;
• Ornamentation: passing-note, trill, turn, grace-note.
• It is expected that, through this, candidates will become familiar with the use of words associated with the resources used in the musical examples they study and that, as a minimum, candidates will be familiar with:
  • the names of different types of voice (soprano, contralto, tenor, bass);
  • the names of typical Baroque and Classical ensembles and their characteristic features (orchestra, string quartet, continuo, choir);
  • the names of other resources commonly used in the styles defined in the Starting Point (sitar and tabla, jazz band);
  • The names of the composers of the music studied should also be known.

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• Area of Study 3: Dance Music

• Rhythm values: (¼ beat to 4 beat), dotted notes, syncopation;
• Metre: simple time in 2, 3 and 4, compound time in 2;
• Pulse, accent, sforzando, accelerando, ritenuto, rubato;
• Harmony: tonic, dominant, harmonic rhythm;
• Middle eight; divisions; variations; ornamentation, portamento, pizzicato, hook;
• Renaissance instruments: pipe, tabor, crumhorn, recorder, viol, consort, lute, virginals;
• The names of typical Baroque and Classical ensembles and their characteristic features (orchestra, string quartet, continuo, choir);
• 19th century orchestra: all standard instruments;
• Pop instruments: all standard instruments;
• Synthesiser, mixing desk, remix, overlay, drum machine, amplification;
• The names of the composers/performers of the music studied should also be known.

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• Area of Study 4: Traditions and InnovatioN

• Bhangra: bhangra and chaal dance rhythms, rag, tal, dhol, sitar, tabla, tanpura, drone, electric guitar, bass, electronic keyboards, synthesisers;
• Salsa: son, clave, cross rhythms, montuno and choro (chorus), son bands; guitar, tres, instruments of the Big Band, swing, walking bass, comping;
• Indonesian Gamelan orchestra;
• Minimalism: polyrhythm, cyclic, layering, phase, sequencing, sampling, editing, multi-tracking and mixing, tape loops;
• The names of composers/performers of the music studied should also be known.

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The Areas of Study define a wide background of knowledge and understanding of music and its context in different traditions, and require close, in-depth study of relevant repertoire.

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1. Coursework - 2 performances & 2 compositions (60%
)
2. Terminal Task - 30 minutes (15%)
3. Listening Examination - up to 1 hour 30 minutes (25%)

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