Music Year 10 and 11
Areas of study
1 Repetition and contrast in Western Classical music 1600 – 1899.
Through the study of:
Ground bass
Variations
Ternary form
Rondo
2 New directions in Western Classical music 1900 to the present day.
Through the study of:
Serialism
Minimalism
Experimental music
Electronic music
3 Popular song in context
Through the study of:
12 bar blues
Reggae
Club dance remix
Songs from musicals
4 Rhythms, scales and modes in music from around the World
Through the study of:
Gamelan music
Indian Raga
African drumming
Music which draws together at least two different cultures
Repetition and contrast in Western Classical Music 1600 - 1899
This Area of Study requires students, through performing, composing and appraising, to
develop aural perception and musical knowledge and understanding of the following topics:
ground bass, variations, ternary form and rondo.
Ground bass
Students should examine pieces using ground bass where there are continuously varying
textures around the ostinato theme (or ground). They should explore the different devices which
introduce variety in each repetition of the theme and examine the following musical
characteristics: prominent bass; varying texture, melody, and harmony; and increasing
complexity. They should understand the context in which the music was performed from the
seventeenth century onwards (as chamber music and in the concert hall), and the instrumental
resources deployed (keyboard, chamber and orchestral music).
Variations
Students should examine works using variations where a piece opens with the statement of a
simple theme which is then elaborated in various ways. They should explore the different ways
in which variety is introduced in the variations such as purely melodic decoration or motivic
development. They should recognise and experiment with changes in harmony; rhythm; metre,
tempo; texture and key. Variation form is found through all periods of music and students
should listen to a range of examples.
Ternary form
Students should examine pieces in ternary form. They should explore the way in which pieces in
this form fall into three distinct and recognisable sections with the middle section (the episode)
contrasting with the outer sections. They should explore the use of keys and should examine the
different ways in which contrast is achieved through changes in mode, rhythm, tempo,
dynamics, mood or texture. They should understand that ternary form has a long history and is
found in much Baroque vocal music in the da capo aria, and in the Classical period as minuet
and trio form, for example.
Rondo
Students should examine pieces in rondo form where a main section recurs and alternates with
contrasting sections (episodes). They should explore ways in which contrast is achieved through
changes in mode, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, mood or texture and should examine such formal
characteristics as links between sections and codas. They should understand the context in
which the music was performed with, for example, its frequent use as the last movement in
symphonies and concertos.
New directions in Western Classical music 1900 to the present day
This Area of Study requires students, through performing, composing and appraising, to
develop aural perception and musical knowledge and understanding of the following topics:
serialism, minimalism, experimental music and electronic music.
Serialism
Students should examine serialism (a method of composing using a series of pitches, or other
musical elements, heard only in a particular order). They should understand and experiment
with different ways of treating the series. They should understand the context in which the
music was performed, its break with tonality and generally its use of small instrumental forces.
Minimalism
Students should examine minimalism where the music undergoes a gradual process of change
involving repeated patterns and tonal harmony. They should explore the different processes
through which Minimalist (or systems) music is constructed with its use of ostinati and
interlocking repeated phrases and rhythms. Students should experiment with various processes
such as phase shifting, addition/subtraction, and melodic or rhythmic transformation. They
should understand the context of Minimalism with its origins in America, the use of amplified
sounds, tapes and tape loops, and the importance of the composer/performer.
Experimental music
Students should examine experimental music that uses non-standard notation (eg 3-line staves
showing relative pitch, graphic notation, prose score), chance, performance art, or extended
vocal or instrumental techniques. They should explore aleatoric music. They should experiment
with non-standard notation and explore the use of extended vocal and instrumental techniques
which enable performers to wring unusual and unexpected sounds from their instruments.
Electronic music
Students should examine electronic music ie music based on techniques that generate and
manipulate sounds electronically. They should understand the impact that music technology has
had, opening up a new world of possibilities for the composer with the potential to rule out the
performer. They should be aware of the milestones in the development of electronic music,
principally the invention of tape and the advent of the synthesiser. Students should be aware of
resources such as sequencers, and synthesisers and of processes such as multi-track recording,
sampled sounds, and looping.
Popular song in context
This Area of Study requires students, through performing, composing and appraising, to
develop aural perception and musical knowledge and understanding of the following topics: 12
bar blues, reggae, club dance remix and songs from musicals.
12 bar blues
Students should examine the 12 bar structure with its use of chords I, IV and V, and three line
verses. They should explore the following musical characteristics: riffs; swing rhythm; blue
notes and syncopation. They should understand the use of the blues scale and improvisation.
They should be aware of the context of the 12 bar blues with its origins in African and European
music, its overriding influence on the development of rock and pop music (rock and roll, for
example), and the importance of the words with raw emotional lyrics about feelings, fears and
hopes. They should understand the influence of the development of instruments on the 12 bar
blues and the use of electric instruments and music technology today.
Reggae
Students should examine reggae music. They should explore the quadruple rhythmic structure
with its missing beat emphasis. They should understand the use of short repeated bass riffs;
syncopation; pentatonic, diatonic, and blues scales. They should explore the use of instruments
and texture and be aware of the importance of percussion. They should understand the context
of reggae music with its roots in Jamaican ska and rock steady, its links with Rastafarianism and
lyrics about poverty, politics and religion.
Club dance remix
Students should examine club dance remix where original recordings are reinterpreted through
the use of technology. They should be aware of the technological resources such as samplers
which are used to manipulate fragments of recorded sounds, drum machines and drum loops.
They should understand the formal structure with its use of collage, choruses and breaks. They
should be aware of the context of the music and its origins in 1980s rave and dance culture,
drum and bass and garage music. They should recognise that the increased sophistication and
availability of music technology has led to the rise of dance music.
Songs from musicals
Students should examine the type of songs which are used in musicals in the West End or on
Broadway. Students should be aware of the importance of lyrics and they should examine the
verse and chorus structure with its use of middle eight, diatonic harmony, elements of jazz, and
symmetrical eight bar phrases. They should be aware of the populist appeal of musicals and
examine a range of songs from 1920s Broadway to those currently being staged in the West
End.
Rhythms, scales and modes in music from around the world
This Area of Study requires students, through performing, composing and appraising, to
develop aural perception and musical knowledge and understanding of the following topics:
gamelan music, Indian raga, African drumming and music which draws together at least two
musical cultures.
Gamelan music
Students should examine Indonesian gamelan music. They should understand that the gamelan is
regarded as one large instrument with many players performing on a variety of gongs,
metallophones and drums. They should explore and experiment with the musical characteristics
such as the heterophonic layering of sounds and the two scales, slendro (5 note) and pelog
(7 note). They should be aware that gamelans have spiritual significance for Indonesians and
that performances form an important part of community life. Gamelan forms the basis of
shadow puppet plays, poetry, dance, drama, traditional rituals and ceremonies. Students should
be aware that the oral tradition was traditionally used to train musicians and that, although there
is a numerical system of notation it is only used as a memory aid and not in performance
Indian raga
Students should examine music belonging to the Indian classical tradition. They should
understand that Indian musicians improvise according to the strict rules of raga (sequences of
notes similar to scales but with much more rhythmic variety), and tala (rhythmic cycles).
Students should understand that each raga, of which there are many, is associated with a
particular mood and time of day or season, and that harmony in Indian music consists of the
rising and falling melodic improvisation sounding against the continually sounding drone.
Students should study the traditional formal structure of alap, jhor and jhala. They should
understand the context in which the music is performed, with its master-student tradition based
on listening and memorising, and concerts which may last for several hours.
African drumming
Students should examine sub-Saharan African drumming. They should explore and experiment
with the rhythmic complexity of African drumming with its use of rhythmic counterpoint, call
and response; repetition with variation, and cross rhythms. They should be aware that in Africa
music is central to every aspect of traditional life, from rituals to entertainment, and that most of
the music is passed on through oral tradition. They should be aware of the wide range of drums,
their uses and the role of the master drummer.
Music which draws together at least two different cultures
Students should examine music which draws together at least two different cultures. They
should be aware of the hybrid styles which have developed as musicians from one culture have
been exposed to sounds and instruments from another. They should examine the mutual
influences of Western pop music and non-Western traditions which have been absorbed by jazz,
folk, rock and classical music eg bhangra.