OCR A-Level Music
The focus of A-Level Music is on providing a contemporary, accessible and creative education in music with an integrated approach to the three main elements – performing, composing and appraising. We encourage students to broaden their musical horizons and understanding with areas of study that are designed to inspire and challenge them.
Entry requirements: GCSE Music 6 and above. We would like external candidates to do an audition with their instrument of choice.
Career opportunities:
- Music producer
- Music therapist
- Musician
- Private music teacher
- Secondary school teacher
- Sound designer
- Sound engineer
- Sound technician, broadcasting/film/video
- Special effects technician
What will I study? In addition to continuing your performance and compositional development you will look at the following areas of study:
- Instrumental music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven
- Popular song: Blues, jazz, swing and big band
- Instrumental jazz from 1910 to the present day
- Religious music of the Baroque period
- Programme music 1820 to 1910
- Innovations in music from 1900 to the present day
You can specialise in Performance or Composition, giving weightings of 35% for your Focus and 25% for your second choice [Performance 35%, Composition 25% or Composition 35%, Performance 25%]
First Year
- You will build your Musicianship skills
- Chord Theory
- Advanced Rhythmic Development
- Melodic decoration
- Basic rules of counterpoint
- And all other processes that will support your musical development
- We will study the set work in detail and also analyse a broad selection of Music Repertoire
Second Year
- You will complete your composition and performance coursework
- We will review your Listening Paper preparation
- You will sit your final Listening Paper,
Assessment overview: The key features of the assessment include:
- A performance component – a non-exam assessment completed during the course
- A composition component – a non-exam assessment completed during the course
- An examined listening and appraisal component sat at the end of the course