Assessment Exemplification – 3rd level - Creating
Significant Aspects of Learning - Creating
Prior Learning
demonstrate that they can be creative and express themselves in different ways.
be able to express themselves, think innovatively, meet challenges positively and find imaginative
solutions to problems
work cooperatively and communicate with others, and in so doing, show initiative, dependability,
resilience, leadership and enterprise
have opportunities to nurture and develop their expressive arts interests and skills
Using listening to music as a starting point, the learner develops the ability to
express themselves through analysing both the purpose behind compositions
and the approaches different composers and songwriters adopt when writing.
Creative activities are centred around opportunities to use skills acquired
through performance. The nature of the creative activities allows the learner
to begin to develop their own compositional voice and identity. A mix of
individual composition activities and working together as part of a group
encourages the development of skills such as leadership, resilience and
problem solving. At this level the role of the teacher was to facilitate the
development of composition skills and ideas. Lyrics at 3rd level not being
assessed
Class activity exploring
how a composer
expresses their ideas.
Class activity exploring
the reasons behind
why we compose music
3rd Level Experiences &
Outcomes
3rd Level Learning
Statements
I can use my voice, musical instruments or
music technology to improvise or
compose with melody, rhythm, harmony,
timbre and structure.
produce a composition/improvisation
folio demonstrating use of melody,
rhythm, harmony, timbre, structure,
dynamics and music technology.
Compositions/improvisations will
demonstrate skills acquired through
performance.
EXA 3-17a
Pupil Comment – I found learning about
how composers write music that connects
with us really interesting. It helped our
group with our own ideas and it was
amazing to see our ideas come to life.
Using a mood as a theme made it easier to
get started.
Teacher Comment – The preparatory listening
activities at this level were designed to
enhance the learner’s understanding of the
ways in which a composer communicates their
ideas. The activities were not genre specific
and allowed the learner to demonstrate their
creativity in different ways by developing the
interests and skills through music composition.
Third level - Music - Creating - audios
Skills Progression
Listen to: Pupil song
Learning
Intentions
Success
Criteria
Through this activity, the learner has been developing their
skills in songwriting. They have listened to and analysed a
range of music and have developed an understanding of
songwriting form. As an introduction to songwriting, the
learner constructed lyrics for a verse and chorus structure and
spent time experimenting with chord sequences. Having
established their chord progression, the learner tried out
different ways of playing the chords but settled on using broken
chords to accompany the melody. The learner felt that this best
suited the mood and character of the music. Teacher support
was given for the final performance/recording.
For my composition for voice, I started with basic scales and chords
which I was comfortable with then developed them by changing a
few notes and creating inversions. I then created a melody that went
with the chords. I tried various different combinations, some worked
and some didn't but I just kept trying different combinations until I
found one I liked. I found this task very different to the ones I have
done in the past, as it had to be entirely my own work and I wasn’t
working with other people. I would like to improve my song writing
ability as it is a task I really enjoy
•Learn how to compose a song using a simple verse/chorus structure
•Learn about how to construct a basic chord sequence.
•Learn how song lyrics can provide rhythm for a melody
•I can use my voice, musical instruments or music technology to improvise or
compose with melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre and structure. EXA 3-17a
•E’s &
O’s
• Develop a well structured chord progression
•Completed lyrics for a verse and chorus structure
•Create a melody using the voice
Learning
Statements •produce a composition/improvisation folio demonstrating use of melody, rhythm, harmony,
•produce a composition/improvisation folio demonstrating use of melody,
rhythm, harmony, timbre, structure, dynamics and music technology.
Compositions/improvisations will demonstrate skills acquired through
Learning
Statements performance.
Success
Criteria
• Working well as part of a group.
• Compose a structured piece of music using an intro, verse and
chorus.
Learning
Intentions
• Learn about basic song structure using intro, verse and chorus.
• We are learning to understand how to compose music as part
of a group.
timbre, structure, dynamics and music technology. Compositions/improvisations will
demonstrate skills acquired through performance.
E’s & O’s
•I can use my voice, musical instruments or music technology to improvise or
compose with melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre and structure. EXA 3-17a
•I enjoy creating texts of my choice and I am developing my own style. I can regularly
select subject, purpose, format and resources to suit the needs of my audience. LIT
3-20a
Skills Progression
Listen to: Three Musketeers
Teacher Comment – As part of a folio of compositions, the learner has
demonstrated good use of songwriting form. The learner has developed
their lyrics and achieved a clear verse and chorus structure and has used
broken chords and a simple melody. The composition draws on skills
acquired through performance.
In this project the learner works as part of a group to
compose a piece of music. The group originally started out
with an instrumental piece before deciding to incorporate
it into a song. They used a four chord pattern and adapted
the rhythm to create a verse/chorus structure. The group
recorded this composition as an introduction to developing
their music technology skills.
Teacher Comment – In this composition, the learner contributes to the
development of a song demonstrating good use of melody, timbre,
harmony and structure. The learner uses skills acquired through
performance to record the composition as part of a group.
We worked well in the group and everybody played a crucial role. I
like the song because it is quite a jazzy up-beat piece. We
experimented with different instruments but we could have added
more harmonies.
I spent time trying out different ideas on the guitar before
choosing my chord sequence. I then tried out different
melodies before writing lyrics. I have learned about how
to structure my songs using verses and choruses and enjoy
playing them live.
The learner uses a basic melody which follows the chord
sequence. The chords also use a repeated rhythmic pattern
which would require further variation to progress to the next
level. Overall the song demonstrates the learners awareness
of structure and form.
Learning
Intentions
Success
Criteria
Skills Progression
The learner is given time and space to experiment with different
chord patterns before building this song around a repeated
chord progression. The learner is beginning to establish their
own compositional identity based on music they both perform
and listen to. Through performing and recording their
compositions the learner is becoming increasingly confident on
their instrumental performance.
•I can use my voice, musical instruments or music technology to improvise or
compose with melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre and structure. EXA 3-17a
• Learning to think about song structure and form.
• Learn how to perform and record composition.
E’s & O’s
•produce a composition/improvisation folio demonstrating use of melody, rhythm,
harmony, timbre, structure, dynamics and music technology.
Compositions/improvisations will demonstrate skills acquired through
Learning
Statements performance.
• Create a well structured composition
• Use performance skills to record the composition.
Learning
Statements •produce a composition/improvisation folio demonstrating use of melody, rhythm,
Success
Criteria
harmony, timbre, structure, dynamics and music technology.
Compositions/improvisations will demonstrate skills acquired through
performance.
E’s & O’s
•I can use my voice, musical instruments or music technology to improvise or
compose with melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre and structure. EXA 3-17a
We came up with a theme for our song first and then tried
out different chords until we found ones that fitted well
together. We then wrote a melody to fit with the chords
by improvising until we found something we liked and then
wrote lyrics. Our song has two verses and two choruses
and we repeated the last line of the chorus to finish.
Writing music is a long process but fun.
The learner has experimented with a repeated chord
progression. The timbre of the chords changes between the
verses and choruses providing musical development and a
clear definition in the structure of the song. The melody
demonstrates an increased range and confidence in the
composition process.
Listen to: Holly composition
Learning
Intentions
Skills Progression
The learner is developing more
confidence in the composition
process and is experimenting with
different techniques for playing
the guitar to contrast between
sections of the song. Through
extemporising over the chords, the
melody contains more rhythmic
variation and a wider range of
notes. The learner is developing
greater confidence in using their
skills acquired through
performance and is beginning to
move towards the next level. This
learner performed their song for a
public audience.
• Create a well structured composition
• Work together to add a vocal harmony
• Perform with confidence.
• To learn how to add vocal harmonies into the composition.
• To learn about timbre by experimenting with a range of strumming
and picking patterns on the guitar..
Recordings
The two recorded
versions of the song
demonstrate it being
used as both a solo
performance at a
concert as well as the
original group
performance. The group
performance version
contains the vocal
harmonies developed by
the learners.
Listen to:
Group performance
Solo performance