Students will work towards their final assessment on Solo Performance and look at a range of musical styles from around the world. They will begin their set composition by OCR.
a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.
How beats or pulse in music are divided up
The largest Steel Pan within a Steel Band ensemble playing the lowest pitch and playing the bass note, often the root of the chord often using dotted rhythms.
The second largest Steel Pan within a Steel Band ensemble playing the chords, melody or bass. The Cello Pan is also known as the Guitar Pan and often plays the third and fifth notes of a chord on offbeats.
A pair of tall, narrow single-headed drums played with the hands on a stand which the musician has to stand to play used in Calypso and Samba.
A Brazilian friction drum used in Samba music with a large pitch range, produced by changing the tension on the head of the drum. The tone/timbre/sonority of the Cuica produces a high-pitched squeaky sound.
A skin-covered African hand drum shaped like a large goblet made out of single tree trunk hollowed out. The skin is made from goatskin and rope is used to tighten the skin to tune the drum to the appropriate pitch.
An open-ended hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stuck along the notches to produce a “ratchet” sound/timbre/sonority.
A small drum used in Samba bands and Samba music, similar to a snare drum but taller, that is usually played with one stick and the bare hand. It has a more metallic tone than the snare drum and can be used to play solo cues in call and response patterns.
A rhythm used in Samba music originating from Son music played by the Claves, but in Samba used as a rhythmic ostinato. There are two main variants of Son Clave, known as 2:3 and 3:2.
Steel Pans are made by cutting oil drums into different sizes and then beating the tops into concave bowls. Each individual note is then beaten into a small area of the bowl.
A bass drum used to make the beat of Samba music. Surdos keep a steady beat and alternate between higher and lower pitches. A smaller Surdo often plays an important role within the ensemble.
A way of changing a rhythm by making some notes a bit early, often so they cross over the main beat of the music on the “weaker beats”.
Prepare for solo performance exam, building confidence and learning new concepts about world rhythms.
Building confidence and learning key words.
Studying rhythms of the world and general musical features from India, Greece, Palestine and Israel.
a way of decorating a melody
A cowbell with two pitches, one high and one low, played with a wooden stick and hand-held. The bells can also produce a sound by squeezing them so that they strike each other.
How smoothly or “spikily” something is played e.g. Legato means played smoothly often shown by slurs, Staccato means played short and sharp often shown by dots above or below a note, Accents (>), Sforzandos (Sfz or Sf).
A stringed instrument that has three or four pairs of strings tuned either to the same note, or an octave apart to give the Bouzouki its distinctive timbre or sonority. It is most often used as a melody instrument and often plays distinctive slides.
A progression of (at least) two chords that concludes a phrase, section or piece of music. Cadences can be defined as Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect and Interrupted. Greek folk music has phrases which end with clear cadences.
The rhythm on which Punjabi Bhangra is based consisting of a repeated eight note pattern in 4/4 metre. The Chaal rhythm is “swung” (as in Blues music) and has a triplet feel (dum-di, dum-di, dum-di, dum-di).
The effect produced when two “conflicting” rhythms are heard together.
A type of drum used in Bhangra music (smaller than the Dholak) and played with the hands, often slung from the shoulder. The Dholakplays more complex rhythms and decorated parts along with the Dhol.
The sounding of two or more musical notes at the same time. Harmony can be described as Diatonic, Chromatic, Consonant, and Dissonant, the use of a Pedal Note or Drone and different types of chords.
Time signatures where there are an odd number of beats per bar e.g. 5/8 or 7/8, often used in Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern folk music.
The rhythmic structure, the patterns of accents heard regularly recurring measures of stressed (accented) and unstressed (unaccented) beats at the frequency of the music’s pulse. Metre is notated at the beginning of a composition with a time signature.
A type of Harmony used in Arabic folk music and Punjabi Bhangra where the intervals between notes of a scale (or mode) are smaller than a semitone, often a “quarter tone” giving 24 notes in an octave. Microtonal music can sound “strange" or "exotic".
A type of scale, mode and melody used in Indian Classical music each with a particular mood and associated with a particular time of day. Also the name given to a complete piece/performance of Indian Classical music.
A pair of small drums used in Indian Classical music and Punjabi Bhangra placed side by side on the floor in front of the player. Their main role is to keep the time, but they sometimes interact with the soloist and have short solos.
Indian classical music is based on rhythm patterns called Talas (single Tala) - a repeating rhythm pattern usually played by the Tabla.
A traditional Arabic rhythm pattern.
A greater understanding of cultures and influences on music and lifestyles from around the world.
Working together and an understanding of different cultures.
Students continue learn about Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East, Greek, Palestinian & Israeli Music. They will review AOS2, Concerto Through Time.
a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.
the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness.
a piece of music
How beats or pulse in music are divided up
when an event takes place in a film
Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film.
Using technology to record ideas and arrange them in a particular order
Students continue to practice exam questions and gain a deeper understanding of cultures from around the world. They will work on answering questions and developing group performance skills.
Students work together for their group performance.
Students focus on completing their group performance and composition set by OCR. They will also work through AOS2 to AOS5 through listening exercises.
a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.
Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.
2 or more notes sounding at the same time
a series of #'s or b's (sharps or flats) to indicate what notes are in the scale.
creating a new version of an existing piece of music
Sound organised over time.
The way notes are played or sung.
How loud or quiet the music is.
The act of communicating emotion in music.
The speed of music.
how low or high the sounds are
a way of decorating a melody
Students work towards a deadline and complete coursework.
Working in groups, students complete their group performance. They will support each other throughout the process and develop a range of learning skills.
This term students will focus on the 40% listening exam and revise all the AOS.
a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.
a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.
A group of performers on various musical instruments, playing together. This usually includes the four families - brass, woodwind, percussion and strings.
2 or more notes sounding at the same time
the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness.
Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film.
Students will work through exam techniques that they will be able to transfer to other subjects.
Students will support each other and share learning techniques.