Is a level music that hard?

Deciding on my a levels and ive been told by many how insanly podantic and hardmusic a level is, so i was wondering how other people found it. I did gcse which felt relatively easy but too much. Im grade 7 piano (my main instrument), grade 4 guitar and grade 5 violin. Is that a good enough level for me to be able to get an A? And how strict/difficult is the composition and performance aspect in comparison to gcse? I did gcse aqa and probably the same for a level if i take it btw. Any opinions would be great thanks!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

Belle_22

I did a level music at AS and they're very strict in everything, I'm a diploma level singer and got a C in my performance. Also with composition I found it was based on music taste as to whether they liked it or not. But I met the best people and they made it so fun :smile:

Reply 2

Terry Tibbs

It's a bit of a weird one because it's very different depending on which exam board you do, for all of them the exam is probably quite hard/awkward but if you're good at performing you can boost your overall grade up quite a bit in that module (I got an A in AS purely from getting maximum marks in the performance module).

Reply 3

jmet117

Hi, I've just finished A-level Music and in my experience you should be fine on the performance side with your Grades 7 and 5, so don't let that put you off. However, you need to remember that there's more to the A-level than that (i.e. doing well in the performance modules might not get you an A overall). So in the composition modules for AS and A2 you will most likely need to do both free composition and some kind of skill-based work, e.g. Bach chorale harmonisation, counterpoint writing, minimalist composition, etc., which means you need to have a decent head for music theory. As well as that, depending on your exam board the written exams will be 30% or 40% of the AS and A2, so bear in mind you'll need to be able to answer questions on new extracts of music and/or set works you've studied, and you'll need to be able to write essays about music. And yes, in my experience the examiners are quite pedantic when it comes to marking!

I did OCR Music; if they are your board I would think twice about taking the A-level. The syllabus and mark schemes are horribly vague about what you actually need to know, and organisation is just generally poor so the whole thing was made more stressful than it needed to be. Also 40% of your AS and A2 rides on the one day each year that you do your performance exams with external OCR assessors, which I hated.

I don't want to give too much of a negative impression – I love music as a subject (about to go off to do it at uni!). But just be aware that the A-level isn't an easy option!

Reply 4

leahdw

I've just finished Edexcel Music A Level, which was a lot of work but I really enjoyed it - the performance will be fine as long as you're prepared, the composition is quite hard but I loved doing harmony (I think because it was very logical, and once you know the cadences it pretty much writes itself, especially if the phrase modulates!), and the written exam is a lot to remember and some unprepared questions are a little more difficult.

It's definitely not an easy option, but I don't think it was the hardest subject I did at A Level and I really enjoyed it! :biggrin:

Reply 5

MusicPanda

You've got brilliant grades! I did A Level music with working on grade 5 piano and working on grade 6 singing (and I have grade 1 flute buut.... :P ) so you'll be fine! Only thing is though, if you don't have it already, get grade 5 theory. I'm lucky that my school had a sixth form so the music teacher from GCSE to A Level was the same for me and he knew I could do it but had I changed schools, I don't think I would've been accepted without grade 5 theory. Apparently it's an entry requirement for the local college. What's annoying is that no one told me this so I tried to rush doing grade 5 theory, piano and grade 6 singing and do my AS exams within two terms but it didn't work out (still haven't got that piano... :P). But if you do all of that, you'll be fine! Performance will be a doddle, if you've done GCSE, I assume you're okay on composition? And the listening is the hardest I think. We did pop music and it went pretty good! The pop music question this year was a dream because we could use The Beatles to answer (literally, all we did first term was study The Beatles...). Well that was what I had to do, I'm on AQA for A Level (did Edexcel for GCSE). Good luck! :smile:

Reply 6

HoratioMG

From a Bath Uni student going into the 2nd year of a Maths and Physics degree, AS Music is the hardest subject I have ever taken.

Reply 7

RedNebula

If you play grade 7 piano pieces for the performance, you get scaled up to the higher marks which will help you :smile:

I imagine playing piano and guitar you also have a decent understanding of chords and basic theory, circle of fifths etc so you shouldn't be too bad on the chords and lines and harmonising bach chorales. How do you do on the exam and essays?

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Reply 8

HKP24

Original post by jmet117

Hello, I know this is quite late
I'm currently doing A level Music for AQA and I'm aiming to get A/A*.
I'm looking to go to Music conservatoires and will be taking auditons this year.
As you're already studying Music but at university, I'd like to ask, how you are finding the course
Thanks

Reply 9

tylersmells

Original post by Rumpadum

who r u fam fight me

Reply 10

username2235913

Original post by HKP24

Hi! I do AQA Music too, and I've been trying to find students who do the same exam board, which is really difficult as Music is not a highly populated subject. do you do 7272? or..? and how are you getting along with it?

Reply 11

HKP24

Original post by Yusrak

Heyya
Thanks for your reply
I do AQA 7272 Specification Music a level
I'm finding it quite hard but also enjoyable
I'm studying the Operas of Mozart- Le Nozze de Figaro at the moment which is quite a big challenge
I'm also unable to find good resources online, do you have or know anywhere i can find music resources for analysis, notes, anything really.

Reply 12

username2235913

Original post by HKP24

Yeah...sometimes i feel like im not learning anything in music so its a bit rubbish for me
and how strange!! we've started learning the the same opera this term, too.

do you need resources for the opera or just in general? i'm also struggling too, i just use the aqa key words to help me with analysis. and resources my teachers have made. i could message you if you want to see how they're like..
also, sorry for another question, but which aos are you doing?

Reply 13

HKP24

Original post by Yusrak

That's great we're on the same boat I need resources for the opera if you have any for overture, cavatina, duettino, anything really
Same as you, I use key words and the textbook but that's about it.
I'm doing music for media and art music since 1910
Also, is it possible for you to send me the key words you were talking about

Thanks

Reply 14

tsteward

edexcel music is the WORST. my soul was taken from me the moment i started the course. they seem to have made this course in order to drown your love for music and murder it.

...they're coming for me.....

HELP M--

Reply 15

mooseflame

Original post by tsteward

Rip tsteward. Unspecified - May 2018

Reply 16

Natslennon

I found this discussion really interesting as I took A level music in 1997. I got into Oxford (for English) luckily with a two E offer. I’d still have got in but I got C in music. My other subjects were sciences. I taught piano on the side until 2010 and the board syllabus I checked reflected my A level requirements. Hardest subject for me as it demanded skills beyond grade 8:Musical dictation in exam conditionsTwenty performances of which five attended performances by your teacher 30 set pieces from 1300 to early 20th century to write on in an examBach chorale and Handel counterpoint composition in exam conditions (but with keyboard and headphones thank god) in 90 minutesDoes that sound harder than the current requirements (plus the standard music assessment/appreciation listening exam which I think hasn’t changed).Little composition option and if I hadn’t had such a negative music dept id have chosen than rather than Bach/Handel but my teachers required Bach/Haydn composition as a precursor to composition and in any event composition options were very restricted back then

Reply 17

JosephCiderBwoy

I get this is an old thread, but for anyone wondering what studying AQA A Level Music (2016 spec) is like, then read on:
Made up of three elements - performance, composition, exam. The performance should be preferably 10 minutes long, but it can be shorter. For composition, you do one free composition and one themed composition, such as minimalism, serialism, chorales etc. The performance and composition are each small parts of the A Level but still aim to do well in them. With the exam, you need to have studied specific works from two of Baroque, Classical or Romantic for the Western Classical section, then two from Pop, Jazz or Film Music, so four categories in total. The bulk of marks comes in the essay which is worth 30 marks. I am a good violinist, but I only got a C in my performance. For my composition, I got a C. However, for my exam, I got an A*. Ultimately, my grade levelled out to an A, so it tells you what the most important part of the exam is.

Reply 18

The O'Cearra

Yup! I did a BSc in physics and a master's in electron microscopy. A level music was the most difficult course I ever took, even with being a member of a national championship winning brass band! Still loved it though!