Bridging work for new starters 2021 Course: MUSIC Name of student:
This booklet contains a number of tasks that students are expected to complete to a good standard in order to be able to be enrolled in this subject. Please complete the relevant theory audit tasks on an A4 electronic word document that is printed out and brought to your enrolment interview. The work handed in should be: written in full sentences with no copying and pasting from external sources. have all tasks completed have students’ full names on each sheet multiple sheet should be connected together
This booklet also contains significant additional information and a range of optional tasks. We would encourage you to complete all the tasks but you do not need to bring any optional tasks to your enrolment interview. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/music/as-and-a-level/music-7272/specification-at-a-glance
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Contents Page no. Welcome and introduction 3 Music Theory 4 -6 Performing 7 Composing 8 Listening 9 Wider Reading 10 HE & Careers 11 Musical Elements Key Vocabulary Glossary 12 - 17
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A level Music is a stimulating course that allows you to develop your creative response to a wide range of musical styles through performance, composition and analysis. Analysis work will develop your aural understanding of a wide range of music so you are able to confidently answer questions on the use of musical elements in familiar and unfamiliar music. This analysis enables you to develop your understanding of how to create your own work in a range of styles and how to effectively communicate as a performer in a range of genres. During the two years you will prepare a ten-minute portfolio of performance work and create two compositions with a wide choice of briefs. This practical and academic course provides you with a range of transferable skills such as creative and analytical thinking, confidence, personal evaluation, organisation and management of workload, useful in any chosen career path.
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Music theory In preparation for advanced Set Work Analysis and advanced Composition you need to work through the following 'Chapters' on the 'Focus on Sound’ app and audit your Music theory knowledge and learning. Since there are a number of chapters to work through it is advisable to set aside a one hour sessions to work through each chapter of this material, and possibly more where you are finding the material challenging.
Go to: https://dixonsca.musicfirst.co.uk
Enter your current username and password
If do not have a username and password, please use the following: User name: t.rafnsson Password: 318dixfos
TASK 1 Go to: Lessons/Music theory Complete the section shown on the screen shot by visiting each power point page, listening to each sound link and testing yourself by answering all the questions. You need to particularly focus on questions marked in blue (some of this should be familiar GCSE knowledge) and red (advanced A level knowledge).
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TASK 2 Go to: Sound words/keys Complete the following sections listening to each sound link and testing yourself by answering all the questions. You need to particularly focus on questions marked in blue (some of this should be familiar GCSE knowledge) and red (advanced A level knowledge). Tonality Basics Key Signatures – Major keys Key Signatures – Minor keys Modulations Other tonality terms
After completing this section, you should aim to be confident working out the key of a piece of music and identifying when the music modulates. You can practise trying to identify modulations when listening to different pieces of music. You could also look at the music you are practising and make sure you can identify the key and if it modulates at any point.
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TASK 3 Go to: Sound words/chords Complete the following sections listening to each sound link and testing yourself by answering all the questions. You need to particularly focus on questions marked in blue (some of this should be familiar GCSE knowledge) and red (advanced A level knowledge).
Chord basics Rock and Jazz Chords Pop chord Progressions Harmonic Intervals Classical chord names Chords and Inversions Chromatic Chords Dissonance Cadence Other harmony Jazz chord progressions
As you work through each chapter in this section create an electronic audit sheet that you can email/print and bring to your first A Level lesson in September. The audit sheet should list each aspect of knowledge covered in the chapter, whether this consolidation or new knowledge, and notes to remind you of the 'new' knowledge (see example below)
Example audit
Consolidation New Chapter Notes Knowledge Knowledge Major 7th Major 7th chord sounds more clashing than the X chord standard 7th chord
11th note above the root as well as the 5th and 11th Chord X 7th. The 9th can be included as well but not the 3rd
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A Level Bridging Work Performing Performing is a huge part of A-Level music and is 30% of your final grade. So why not challenge yourselves to practise your instrument/voice for 30 minutes every day. You will be aiming to study repertoire of Grade 5 and above pieces. Transitioning to A-Level Music is all about transitioning on our instrument from one Grade/Skill level to the next. So this challenge will really help you to develop a good routine and progress. In your first few lessons your teachers will be discussing what pieces you would like to work on for your ten-minute performance and you will need to decide and hand in photocopies of the music you want to perform in your November Key Assessment 2. Regular practise and thought about the pieces you enjoy and feel confident performing will help you be successful in this aspect of the course.
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A Level Bridging Work Composing For the A level music course you are required to create 2 pieces of composition work. One is a free composition, and one is to a set brief sent by the exam board. For those who have studied GCSE composition this is very similar to the requirements of GCSE. The difference at A level is the expectation that you can handle the technical side of the music well; for example, including a modulation (transitioning to a different key), within the piece, using an imaginative structure, and creating more complex harmonies and rhythmic features. One of the most important things when composing is the ability to create ideas and to start getting them down onto paper. To help you with the link from Yr 11 to Yr 12 I’d like you to try and complete the following tasks: Task 1
Really think about what styles of music you enjoy listening to or singing/playing, and how any of the music you listen to could be a starting point for creating your own music In order to do this you need to break down the key elements of that music o Work out what instruments are playing o What kind of harmonies are used (can you get access to the chord structure or music and look at what is happening in the piece – the key, the chords, the different layers) o What is the overall structure of the piece (e.g. intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro or intro, A, B, coda etc) o What different instruments/voices are used at different points in the piece – i.e. how is the texture/layers varied o How is the melody constructed – are there repetitive aspects? Can you identify any sequences or call & response techniques? Task 2
Taking into consideration some of the key things you have discovered about your chosen piece(s) above now try the following: o Can you come up with an 8 bar chord sequence (improvise on a guitar or keyboard if you have one, or use a piece of software if you have access to one) o Can you create a series of melodies that would go with the chord sequence, or stand-alone if you have been unable to create a chord sequence? o Can you develop the piece further, with additional layers? o Are you able to note any of it down – either on manuscript, graphically (chord symbols) or input to any software you have access to at home?
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A Level Bridging Work Listening
Listening to music is a daily activity for Musicians. An important part of A – Level Music is being able to critically appreciate a wide genre of Music. The listening and appraising exam paper is 40% of your final grade. So why not challenge yourself to choose a different composer each week. Below is a list of composers and you can access music and programmes about these in the BBC Composer of the Week podcasts. There are also some good podcast and you tube links to Jazz musicians and Musical Theatre that link to other genres of music studies on the course. A good way to keep track of your listening is to buy yourself a note book and write down the Music you have listen to, who was performing it and comments about why you enjoyed or didn’t the music. You will find your Music teacher often discusses what she is listening to and will be inquisitive about your listening habits, keeping a diary record will help you feel more confident in these discussions and also prepare you for the wide variety of music you will cover on the course.
Corelli Purcell Vivaldi JS Bach Beethoven Greig Brahms Chopin PODCASTS Composer of the Week https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrvd3/episodes/downloads The Armstrong Tapes https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b0075fpx Jazz Record Requests https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000j967 YouTube BBC Howard Goodall’s Story Of Music The Age of Invention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxsE8wawVA The Story of Musicals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBjntZmrxg0
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A Level Bridging Work Stretching your learning further… Wider reading The story of Music Howard Goodall https://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Music-Howard- Goodall/dp/0099587173/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1587981499&sr= 8-1 How Music Works by John Powell https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Music-Works-listeners- classics/dp/1846143152/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/260-8043017- 0157846?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1846143152&pd_rd_r=6c92b15c-01ef-4cb8-a502- c4f163bc3355&pd_rd_w=FrAW0&pd_rd_wg=u4L9y&pf_rd_p=c6e663a4-ad5a-49d5-9f57- e5f0aa7bd5f7&pf_rd_r=T882NNW3CFSCJKHRXNCW&psc=1&refRID=T882NNW3CFSCJKHRX NCW Music: A very short introduction by Nicholas Cooke https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Very- Short-Introduction-Introductions- ebook/dp/B005OQGC8E/ref=reads_cwrtbar_17?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005OQGC8E& pd_rd_r=9126f253-a41c-4383-9d22- 2b8d5d4bb2e0&pd_rd_w=n6AuP&pd_rd_wg=tVKtY&pf_rd_p=1157b281-769f-489c-aa16- 4dd23f165f5a&pf_rd_r=P5E66QFTY4VWNPCPDPF1&psc=1&refRID=P5E66QFTY4VWNPCPDP F1
Listen to this by Alex Ross https://www.amazon.co.uk/Listen-This-Alex- Ross/dp/0007319061/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= OTHER PODCASTS The Listening Service BBC Radio 3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078n25h How to compose music https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b6ff
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HE & Careers
A Level Music course is the ideal preparation for going on to study Music in any capacity, either for an academic course at University, or a performance-based course at a Music Conservatoire. There is a wide choice of careers in the music industry, (see below for a selected few) all of them require a passion for Music. In a broader sense, you will also develop skills such as creative and analytical thinking, confidence, personal evaluation, organisation and management of workload, which are valuable to any prospective employer or University. Various degrees are open to you after studying Music. See www.informedchoices.ac.uk for more information about university courses and https://www.ukmusic.org/assets/general/UK_Music_Careers_Information_Pack.pdf for more information about careers in the music industry.
LOOKING TO STUDY MUSIC AT UNIVERSITY? UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP) is a collaboration between a select group of educational institutions and the membership of UK Music. MAP is designed to maximise the employability of students enrolled in these institutions and ensure that they have the right mix of experience and skills most needed by the industry.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ukmusic.org/skills-academy/music-academic- partnership/ UK Music’s MAP Institutions include:
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DR T SMITH – glossary of musical terminology
Dynamics Forte (f) – loud Fortissimo (ff) – very loud Mezzo forte (mf) – medium loud Piano (p) – quiet Pianissimo (pp) - very quiet Mezzo piano (mp) – medium quiet Crescendo (cresc) - gradually getting louder Diminuendo (dim) – gradually getting Quieter Fp – loud then suddenly quiet Sfz – Sforzando – sudden, strong emphasis Terraced dynamics- abrupt and sudden changes from f to p without use of cresc and dim. A key feature of baroque music. Build - a long crescendo and thickening of texture
Tempo, Metre and Rhythm Metre – how many beats per bar Pulse/Beat – the underlying regular beat Tempo – the speed of the music Rubato – flexible and expressive rhythm Simple time – time sig where the beat is a single note and the top fig is 2, 3, or 4 Compound time – time sig where the beat is a dotted note dividing easily into 3’s and the top fig is 6, 9 or 12 Syncopation – rhythmic device where a note is stressed on a weak beat or between beats
Triplets – playing 3 notes in the time you would normally play 2 Moderato – medium tempo Allegro – fast/lively
Andante – at walking pace Vivace – lively/fast Adagio – slow tempo Rallentando (rall) – getting slower Ritardando (rit) – getting slower Accellerando (accell) – getting faster Swung rhythm – relaxed jazz rhythm where the beat has a triplet feel (can also be called ‘shuffle rhythm’)
Drum Fill – short drum solo in between sections of a piece. Hemiola – where a piece of music in one time signature appears to change to another beat e.g. 6/8 suddenly sounds like ¾ (I like to be in America) Cross-rhythm – simple beats such as quavers playing over the top of triplets to cross over each other and make a complex sound Augmentation – doubling the note values/lengths of the original tune Diminution – halving the note values/lengths of the original tune Anacrusis - a note or group of notes before the first down-beat in a phrase
Breakbeat - a short section (often just one bar) of a pop or dance track where most instruments other than drums stop playing Colla Voce - ‘with the voice’ - the chords/accomp. should follow the rhythm of the singers 12 | P a g e Polyrhythmic - a texture of several rhythms played together Recitative - vocal music that mimics the rhythms of ordinary speech
Texture Melody with accompaniment – a tune with backing (this is often chordal/homophonic) Unison – When everyone sings/plays one part which is the same pitch and rhythm Homophonic – a texture where all parts (melody and accompaniment) move in the same (more or less) rhythm creating a chordal effect. The accompaniment is supporting a clear melody. Polyphonic – A texture several important layers of tune are heard playing at the same time Polyrhythmic – a texture where several layers of un-pitched rhythms are played at the same time Call & Response – one part sings/plays and another answers back/responds Monophonic – one single melody line Octaves – If the instruments/voices are an octave apart this is called being in OCTAVES. To be in unison the notes must be at the same pitch. Broken Chords – Playing the notes of the chord separately, one after the other Imitation – a phrase is repeated (imitated – so not necessarily exactly the same) Walking bass - a bassline that creates a steady tread by moving mainly on identical note lengths (crotchets or quavers) in contrast to the movement of the upper parts Canon – is a particular type of imitation. It’s like a round (‘London’s Burning’), where the imitating part repeats the entire melody and not just a few notes of it. Fugal – imitative entry of a voice or instrument often at a slightly different pitch Antiphonal –stereo effect as a musical phrase is passed from one group of performers to another. E.g. like two choirs singing alternate phrases standing in different places in a church, or different parts of an orchestra ‘answering’ each other such as strings answered by woodwind. Contrapuntal or two-part texture - A texture where 2 equally important, independent melodies weave in and out of each other Continuo – a type of instrumental accompaniment, common in Baroque music, played by organ, harpsichord or cello. Pedal – repeated or sustained note (can be tonic or dominant for example) against changing harmonies above Inverted Pedal - a pedal that occurs in the topmost part of the musical texture Drone - similar to a pedal - sustained sound - usually on 2 notes (associated with folk music) Heterophonic – where 2 or more voices/instruments play simultaneous variations of the same theme Solo – a prominent part for a single player in an ensemble Tutti - Everyone. A passage in which all or most members of an ensemble are playing
Top Tips Use the words picking/strumming for guitar and pizzicato/plucking or bowed/con arco for orchestral string instruments Rhythmic device = syncopation, triplets, dotted rhythm Melodic Device = sequence, call & response, ostinato, imitation, repetition Harmonic Device = drone, pedal, ostinato, basso continuo
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Structure Binary – 2 sections e.g. AB Ternary – 3 sections e.g. ABA Call & response – a musical phrase answered by another different musical phrase, like a question and answer Strophic – where the same music is used for each verse Verse and chorus – the two-section structure of many pop songs- the two sections are repeated and sometimes linked by a bridge Bridge - a short and often contrasting passage in a pop song that links 2 other sections, can also be called a middle 8, even if it doesn’t have 8 bars Ground bass – repeated bass pattern – used a lot in Baroque music Rondo – varied sections which keep returning to the main theme e.g. ABACADAE Ritornello – musical passage heard repeatedly (complete or partial), alternating with sections of contrasting material Theme and variations – an initial musical theme followed by a set of variations upon it that may vary in pitch, rhythm, key, texture etc. Arch shape – e.g. ABCBA Rondo form - where the main section (the rondo theme) alternates with contrasting episodes e.g. ABACA Sonata Form – exposition (ideas heard), development (ideas developed) recapitulation (original ideas revisited) Through – composed – music composed to fit with a theme e.g. words – it doesn’t repeat ideas but develops music which reflects exactly what is happening in the words at any given point Concerto – a piece of orchestral music featuring a soloist e.g. flute solo plus orchestral backing (flute concerto) Symphony – full orchestral piece Cadenza – a flashy/showy bit of the music where the soloist in a concerto gets to play a virtuosic section of music Phrase – a section of music, often 2 or 4 bars, that ends with a cadence Retrograde – music device where the music is played ‘backwards’ from the last note to the first
Da capo - a type of ternary form (ABA) in which you repeat A and can embellish it Scena - in music theatre, a scena (Italian for scene) is a continuous piece of vocal music comprising several distinct sections Fanfare - a short and lively flourish for trumpets or a group of brass instruments, typically used to introduce something or someone Concerto Grosso (baroque piece) - a piece for a group of soloists and orchestra - concertino (the part that the group of soloists play), ripieno (the section the full orchestra plays)
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Melody Pitch – how high or low the note is Interval – measuring the exact distance between two notes e.g. 5th, 3rd, 2nd, 7th Scale – a ‘ladder’ of notes played in ascending or descending order. Scalic melodies are melodies that follow the order of a particular scale. Arpeggio - playing the notes of a chord one by one ascending and descending Passing notes are the notes in between the notes of the harmony Sequence – a motif or phrase which is repeated at a higher or lower pitch Ostinato / Riff - a repeated rhythm or tune. (Both words mean the same, but riff tends to be used in a pop context.) Improvisation – when a player makes the music up on the spot. In jazz/blues/pop players will often improvise a solo, Indian and African musicians also do a lot of improvising Conjunct - a melody that moves by step Disjunct – a melody containing leaps Triadic - melodies that use the notes from a triad (3 note chord). E.g. a melody using C’s, E’s and G’s would be triadic as those are notes from the chord of C. Glissando – a slide between notes Ornamentation – decorating the melody with trills or mordents for example Articulation – how to play the notes: Staccato short, detached notes. Legato -smooth. Indicated by a slur Accent notes played with more force. Augmentation – widening the interval between notes in the melody Diminution – decreasing the interval between notes of the melody Portamento – vocal slide between notes Acciaccatura – fast ‘grace note’ or ‘crushed note’ played before the main note of the melody Mordents – (upper and lower) – 3 notes starting and ending on the same note with the middle note either a step higher or lower. Appoggiatura - a dissonance that takes half the value of the main note Trill - rapid alterations between the main note and the note above Inversion – to turn a tune upside down Loop - a short section of music that is continually repeated using technology Leitmotif - a musical idea that is associated with a person, object, place or emotion in a music drama Title hook - a short and catchy motif (tune) set to the words of a song Ostinato - a rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated many times in succession
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Tonality & Harmony Tonality – In Western classical music, sounds that are organised into major or minor keys Major – a happy, bright and uplifting sound (play C-C to get used to the sound) Minor – a sad, more serious sound (play A-A, replacing the G with a G# to get used to the sound) Modal – music based on scale systems such as Aeolian which use white notes of a piano keyboard Drone – 2 long held notes, usually in the bass- often used in Folk music Pedal point – sustained or repeated note, usually tonic or dominant, in the bass against changing harmonies Cadences – a cadence is formed by the two chords that come at the end of a musical phrase: Perfect cadence V-I. Sounds final and complete. Plagal cadence IV-I. Also sounds complete, but not as strong. Used for the “Amen” at the end of hymns. Imperfect cadence I -V. Unfinished feel to the music. Interrupted cadence V-VI. Your ears expect it to go to the tonic as in a perfect cadence, but instead it goes to the VI chord – so it is a surprise cadence– usually a STEP UP in the bass & ends on Minor chord NB don’t forget to use ROMAN NUMERALS to describe chords Parallel harmonies - a succession of similar chords whose notes all move in the same direction Circle of 5ths - a series of chords whose roots are each a 5th lower than the previous root (e.g. E-A-D- G-C) Bell chord - a chord that is sounded as a downward succession of sustained notes Pentatonic – a five note scale. Often used in African and Celtic Folk melodies Chromatic – harmony where the notes of chords are outside of the key e.g. # notes in C Major Dissonance – harsh sounding combination of notes – chords that sound unstable and need resolving Modulation – to change key/tonality in the middle of a piece Whole tone – a scale made up of only whole tones. (Sounds quite mysterious) C, D, E, F#, G#, A# Consonance - music/harmonies that sound nice (consonant). Dissonance – clashing music/harmonies (dissonant). Tierce de Picardie – when a piece in a minor key finishes with a major chord Anticipation – a non-harmonic note, common just before a cadence point Appoggiatura – a non-harmony note which is usually heard one note beyond the chord where it started-approached by leap and left by step Auxiliary note – a non-harmony note heard between 2 repeated notes – the stepwise movt could be up or down Diminished seventh – four-note chord consisting of a series of minor 3rds Diminished triad – 3 note chord consisting of two minor 3rds Murky bass – a term used in eighteenth-century piano music, where the left hand plays slow- moving chords in broken octaves Diatonic harmony uses only the notes that belong to the major or minor keys. Atonal – music with no sense of fixed tonality/key. May sound rather ‘random’ Quartal harmony - chords based on intervals of a 4th rather than the more usual 3rds Suspension - a dissonance between melody and accompaniment which then resolves onto a consonance False relation - 2 different forms of the same pitch occurring in different parts e.g. G# in LH and G natural in RH Enharmonic - when the same pitch is written differently e.g. Gb and F#
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Instrumentation (and playing techniques) Timbre (the type of sound an instrument makes) Vocals – The use of voices: o Soprano – A high pitched female voice. o Tenor – A high male voice. o Alto – A low female voice o Bass – A low male voice. o Countertenor - a male alto achieved using a falsetto voice Acapella – just voices, NO instruments playing in the background Con arco (arco) – to play a violin for example with a bow Pizzicato (pizz)– to play a violin string for example plucked with the finger Reverb – electronic effect - the sounds of an instrument last longer, imitating the sound of the instrument reverberating against walls, floors and ceilings. Distortion – Usually used in rock, this is when an instrument is forced to sound ‘aggressive.’ Picking – to play a guitar by plucking the string rather than strumming a chord Falsetto – ‘false voice’ technique where male singers can sing higher using a softer voice. Muted (Con sordino) – To deaden/quieten the sound (strings/brass use it mostly) Double stopping – when 2 strings are played at once on a violin for example Harmonic - on string instruments a very high and pure sound produced by placing a finger on a string very lightly before plucking or bowing Tremolo/tremolando – literally means ‘trembling’ – strings or piano (e.g. LH Beethoven) Multi-tracking – A recording technique where different sounds or instruments are recorded separately and played back together Panning – Sound is electronically moved across from one speaker to another, or is separated into different speakers Wah wah - a guitar effect which can mimic the human voice saying ‘wah-wah’ Vibrato – A slight regular wavering of a pitch used by singers and instrument players to add warmth and interest to the note. Chorus – This effect is created when several sounds of almost the same timbre and pitch are heard as one. Can produce a shimmering sound. Pitch bend – bending the note on a guitar or any string instrument/voice or keyboard/synthesizer. P.M. - Palm mute - dampening the strings of a guitar with the side of the hand whilst plucking to give a ‘dry’ sound Articulation – how to play the notes: Staccato - short, detached notes. Legato - smooth. Indicated by a slur Accent - notes played with more force. Syllabic - each syllable pf the text is set to a single note Melismatic - one syllable is set to a group of notes Word Painting - A technique in which the meaning of a word or phrase is directly reflected in the music Vocables - nonsense syllables such as ‘ah’ or ‘do do do’ Virtuosic - very skilful playing Virtuoso - a performer of outstanding technical ability Tessitura - the name given to the part of the pitch range in which a passage of music mainly lies Break - in pop and jazz, an instrumental solo (often improvised) Sus chord - in pop and jazz, a chord containing a 4th or 2nd instead of a 3rd above the root (which then sounds like the dissonance heard in a suspension)
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