Music
Rugby School - Warwickshire
01788556216
The Bursary, 10 Little Church Street, Rugby, CV21 3AW
Course summary

Students who study Music A Level develop three main skill areas in creative synergy: performance, composition and musical analysis. Students have individual musical strengths which are advanced and complemented through developing this broad musical understanding. In composition, students learn the fabric of tonal harmony through sophisticated composition techniques to create well-presented, effective musical works in a genre of their choosing. In performance, students develop their sense of musicianship and leadership, as well as their technical and expressive instrumental control. In listening and analysis, students develop a concise and articulate writing style, learning how to write about music from a range of genres using accurate subject-specific vocabulary demonstrating skills in analysis, appraisal and evaluation. Through all of these strands, aural skills are heightened to an advanced level. Students will develop knowledge of a range of styles of music. Three areas of classical repertoire (Baroque solo concerti, Romantic piano music, and operas of Mozart) complement studies in styles of music as diverse as popular music, film music, music theatre and jazz. Complementary skills in score reading, notation software manipulation, harmony, chords and aural appraisal will also be developed.

Entry requirements

Offers of places at 16+ are conditional on applicants achieving our required grades at GCSE, IB MYP or the equivalent foreign examinations. We ask for three 7 grades (or grade A) and above and another three 6 grades (or grade B) and above at GCSE or for IB MYP we require three 6 grades and three 5 grades. These should include English and mathematics and, where applicable, the subjects chosen for IB Higher Level or A-Level. We allocate places on academic merit, considered alongside the potential to contribute to our co-curricular programme. We recommend at least a Grade 6 at I/GCSE in any subject taken at IB Higher Level or A-level; students will not normally be allowed to pursue a subject in which they have attained less than a Grade 5.

How you'll be assessed

• 35% performance coursework (10+ minutes; solo and/or ensemble, greater than Grade VII or equivalent standard). • 25% composition coursework (one free composition of three minutes and one Bach chorale exercise) • 40% written exam; analysing and appraising Music. One 2.5 hour written paper. Students have individual recordings of the extracts; roughly 75% of marks are for short answers on set works and unseen works, and 25% for an essay on the set areas.

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionWest Midlands
Local AuthorityWarwickshire
Ofsted Rating
Gender TypeCo-Educational
ISI ReportView Report
Boarding Fee£45,990
Sixth Form FeeDay £28,890
AddressThe Bursary, 10 Little Church Street, Rugby, CV21 3AW