Music - Year 12

Music Overview

Term 1: Bridging Unit

This unit is designed to introduce students to the core components of the course and asses their starting point. They will look at the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven from AOS1 and popular jazz song from AOS2.

  1. Short Solo Performance , Composition in Sonata Form, Listening quiz
  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students will have a clear understanding of what is required for the course and the type of skills they will need in order to achieve.

Create a supportive community:

Encouragement, building confidence and peer support through feedback when performing.

Term 2: AOS1 - Instrumental Classical Music of Haydn, Mozart and BeethovenAOS2 - Popular Song - Jazz and Blues

Students will explore Classical Symphonies by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as well as well known Jazz and Blues songs.

  1. Solo Performance Seminar 1. Marks will be based on performance criteria from the exam board.
Composition

a piece of music

key signature

a series of #'s or b's (sharps or flats) to indicate what notes are in the scale.

minuet and trio

A dance like structure in 3/4 time surviving from the Baroque period and present as part of larger Classical structures such as the symphony.

Alberti Bass

A type of broken - chord accompaniment used extensively in the Classical Period.

Antecedent-Conesquent

Two linked phrases in a question and answer style, where the first ends in a weak cadence (e.g. I-V) and the second ends in a strong cadence (e.g. V -I).

Divisi

A string section which is divided into two or more separate groups.

Cadence

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.

Syncopation

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”.

Anacrusis

If a phrase begins before the first downbeat of a bar, the notes or notes preceding the downbeat are known as an anacrusis.

Dominant minor 9th chord

A dominant 7th chord, plus the note a minor 9th above the root. On C, this would be: C E G. Bb. Db

Enharmonic change

Changing the name of a note without changing the sound (e.g. C# to Db are the same pitch).

Octatonic scale

An eight-note scale where the intervals ascend in alternating intervals of a semitone and a tone.

Circle of 5ths

A series of notes or chords that are all a perfect 5th apart.

French augmented 6th

A type of augmented chord, containing the root, major 3rd, 4th and augmented 6th.

German 6th

A type of augmented chord, containing the root and notes of a major 3rd, perfect 5th and augmented 6th.

Neapolitan 6th

A major chord on the flat 2nd degree of a diatonic scale (usually a minor scale) in first inversion.

Cadenza

A passage of music (usually in a concerto) for the soloist alone in which they could display their technical brilliance.

Accompaniment

A part (or parts) which supports the melody.

Primary Chords

The most commonly used chords.

Imitation

A melodic idea in one part which is immediately copied by another part, often at a different pitch, while the first part continues with other music.

Chamber music

instrumental music written for a small group of players

Sonata form

A structure used in the first movement of most classical pieces. Includes Exposition, Development and Recapitulation.

Sonata

A style of music written for a solo instrument.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Building confidence as a performer and a deeper understanding of the musical elements in the classical period.

Create a supportive community:

Supportive environment when working towards their first performance.

Terms 3 and 4: AOS1 - Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.AOS2 - Popular Song - Swing and Big BandAOS5 - Programme Music

Students will learn about music from the Big Band and Swing era, Concertos from the Classical Period and begin to look at Programme Music from the Romantic Period.

  1. Listening Test on AOS1 and AOS2.

    Short composition task.

    Performance Seminar 1 (part of a chamber concert).

    Criteria will be based on OCR levels.

concerto

music for soloist and orchestra

minuet and trio

A dance like structure in 3/4 time surviving from the Baroque period and present as part of larger Classical structures such as the symphony.

ritornello

a short instrumental refrain or interlude in a vocal work. The chord usually resolves to the dominant.

codetta

a brief conclusion, a dominant–tonic cadence at the end of the exposition that may be repeated several times for emphasis.

Alberti Bass

A type of broken - chord accompaniment used extensively in the Classical Period.

Divisi

A string section which is divided into two or more separate groups.

sequence

a succession of musical chords that are often repeated throughout a pop song

Cadence

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.

Anacrusis

If a phrase begins before the first downbeat of a bar, the notes or notes preceding the downbeat are known as an anacrusis.

Augmentation

Lengthening the time values of a musical theme (often doubling the length)

Antecedent - consequent

Two linked phrases in a question-and-answer style, where the first ends in a weak cadence (e.g. I-V) and the seconds ends in a strong cadence (e.g. V-I).

Cadenza

A passage of music (usually in a concerto) for the soloist alone in which they could display their technical brilliance.

Chalumeau register

The lowest pitch register of the clarinet.

Circle of 5ths

A series of notes or chords that are all a perfect 5th apart.

Commission

A formal request for a specific piece of work.

French augmented 6th

A type of augmented chord, containing the root, major 3rd, 4th and augmented 6th.

German 6th

A type of augmented chord, containing the root and notes of a major 3rd, perfect 5th and augmented 6th.

Hauptstimme

The principle vocal or instrumental part.

Neapolitan 6th

A major chord on the flat 2nd degree of a diatonic scale (usually a minor scale) in first inversion.

Non divisi

On an orchestral score, a request for each player (in a particular section) to play all the printed notes of the chord.

Phrygian cadence

An imperfect cadence in a minor key, where the dominant chord is preceded by the subdominant in 1st inversion, so the bass line moves down a step to the dominant.

Tremolo

Playing fast, repeated notes. Often used on string instruments as a device for creating tension.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students build confidence through performance, continue to develop creative ideas and learn about music in the Romantic Period.

Create a supportive community:

By taking part in a chamber concert, students are part of a formal occasion where social skills and etiquette are required.

Terms 5 and 6: AOS 1 -Instrumental music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven AOS 2 - Set Work by Frank SinatraAOS 6 - Innovations in music from 199 to the present day

Students will begin to look at set works for AOS1 an AOS2 and continue with their study of Programme Music. They will work on completion of Composition 1 and Solo Seminar 3 in Term 6.

  1. Listening Exam

    Composition One (12%) of final grade

    Solo Performance Seminar 3 (part of the Summer Proms School Concert)

concerto

music for soloist and orchestra

Alberti Bass

A type of broken - chord accompaniment used extensively in the Classical Period.

Divisi

A string section which is divided into two or more separate groups.

Syncopation

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”.

Aeolian mode

a scale that is reproduced by playing the white notes from A to A an octave above. It has a minor key sound, but does not function like a normal minor scale.

Charleston

A popular dance from the 1920s, which uses a specific dotted crotchet rhythm followed by a crotchet beat.

Circle of 5ths

A series of notes or chords that are all a perfect 5th apart.

German 6th

A type of augmented chord, containing the root and notes of a major 3rd, perfect 5th and augmented 6th.

Accompaniment

A part (or parts) which supports the melody.

Symphony

A large scale work for an orchestra

Improvisation

Music ideas that are not prepared.

Diatonic

music in major or minor keys

Homophonic

A texture in which all parts play or sing the same rhythm at the same time, in harmony.

Imitation

A melodic idea in one part which is immediately copied by another part, often at a different pitch, while the first part continues with other music.

Melody and accompaniment

A texture in which one part has the melody while the other parts accompany.

Chamber music

instrumental music written for a small group of players

Sonata form

A structure used in the first movement of most classical pieces. Includes Exposition, Development and Recapitulation.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students complete final submission for coursework and contribute to Summer Prom Concert at school. This will help them with their preparation for their final recital in Year 13.

Create a supportive community:

Students will act as role models for younger learners by displaying high performance standards at the concert, which will inspire others.