THE curly-wurly, super duper, mega AWESOME current Year 10 2012/13 thread

Hi, I am going to start year 10 in September and was wondering if GCSE music is very difficult. I have been playing the piano for 10 years but can't read music as I play be ear can somebody please give me some advice on what it is like?

Thanks

im year 11 .. i havent done music but my friend did and im sure reading music is ppart of it but i wouldnt worry .. you get taught to that is afterall what it is for

x

Hi, I am going to start year 10 in September and was wondering if GCSE music is very difficult. I have been playing the piano for 10 years but can't read music as I play be ear can somebody please give me some advice on what it is like?

Thanks

Lol, I'm going into yr 11... Art will be my downfall :')

I did GCSE Music... I loved it! You have to analyse 12 set works (yes, twelve) and compose two compositions based on a brief. Then you have to record two performances, one as a solo and one in an ensemble.

I'd say the practical side is easiest. The composing: you need to have a lot of ideas, know your structure etc. Has to be at least 1:30 in length (which is not a lot actually). The twelve set works: phew! A lot of memorising as you need to know the context, harmony, structure, dynamics, instuments, texture etc. for all of them (as you can be asked on ANY one of them in the essay style questions at the end - 10 marks). You get a choice between two essay questions so you can pick.

You do kind of need to be able to read music to a standard as you'll be given scores for the set works that you have to analyse and follow through. My teacher made joining the school choir a necessity if we wanted to take GCSE Music as it helped improve score-reading.
But for the composing, you don't need to be able to notate music (some people I knew didn't know how to read music but got along fine with Logic Pro when inputting their music). I used Sibelius because I am very familar with notation and reading music (my life having been heavily music-based since I was about 5).

It's not difficult if you genuinely have an interest in it: I found it to be the subject I was most looking forward to/a relief subject compared with all the science, maths, english and language subjects!

Probably the best thing about it was the 2 day exam, where we just got to eat sweets and be off timetable for two days... not to mention a mock exam which was another two days off timetable :L
You have to be in complete silence though: other years before us got to listen to music but we weren't allowed to

It was funny though: everyone was trying to make other people laugh when the invigilators/teachers weren't looking... and we all know that things are funnier when you're not allowed to laugh!

Ahhh, Year 10

All I gotta say is that you need to start revising way before you think you're meant to. Keep on top of work because you get so much coursework at school (especially English lit.) and you may need to go lunchtimes and after school to finish off coursework etc.
Also when you go on study leave, you won't be panicking on what to revise first (trust me, I only started revising when I went off on study leave, with the exception of a few subjects where I had my exams before study leave, and I was trying to cram about 4 subjects into one day).

I did Music, Art and Dance as my options. Went into GCSE Art absolutely loving it and was excited; came out loathing it and never wanting to touch a 2B pencil ever again. Not that I'm trying to put you off; I just didn't have the freedom to draw whatever I wanted. But, on the plus side, I absolutely loved music!

Alright then, I think I will get along fine with the practical but the score reading will be a bit difficult but thankfully my dad plays piano too and can help me with the sight reading! I have already been set one composition to do for when I go back I don't know if that's the solo piece that you are talking about I'll have to find out

Thanks for the help


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Aah, yeah, I had exactly the same but for photography this year... And I'll do the same for art we're allowed music it'll be my only B

Aaah, you're lucky Do you have the option of GCSE Photography? We didn't... but we've got A-Level Photography... can't take it though as it clashes with Chemistry. Sad times

nope i havent sorry :L

and well good luck to you

you should of mice and men because mostlikely you will do that in lit

X

Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you: You just finished Year 10, going into Year 11, right? AND you just finished your History AS?

So... You finished your History GCSE in Year 9?!? Wow. I don't know whether to be more surprised that you did it or that your school let you do it

Yep! And no, I did my AS History exam! Need another exam for the whole AS

Yeah, I did lol, they select like 7-15 people do sit the whole GCSE Early, my year there were seven

Huh? Doesn't the AS exam make up the whole AS? Or are we typo-ing and confusing each other (again)?

What school do you go to? Can I transfer there? Do they accept fangirls??

No, the AS comprises of two units, HY1 and HY2 I sat HY2 so I'll do HY1 next year

Cathays High School!

Aah. Ok then. Another way in which CIE A Levels are different, I guess :| Or maybe I just missed that when I read the syllabus.

Ooh, your school website is preety. Just to compete, here's our school site
http://www.almuntazir.org/

We're a group of schools, so if you want to see mine, just go to schools>>secondary
In our defense, our site is the best site for a Tanzanian school you'll find, so...

In the meantime, I stalk Cathays High.