Music

Course summary

You may love singing or playing an instrument. You may dream of becoming a composer or conductor. Or you may simply want to study something creative alongside your other A-level choices. Whatever your reasons for choosing Music, this is a highly fulfilling and enjoyable A-level that will greatly enhance your ability to appreciate music and also play your chosen instrument. You’ll have the chance to study a wide range of composers and musical genres, discovering music that could make a lifelong impression. Your studies will fall into three areas: appraising music, performance and composition. In appraising music, you’ll focus on the Western classical tradition from 1650 to 1910. You’ll also pick two of the following topics: pop music; music for media; music for theatre; jazz; contemporary traditional music; and art music since 1910. In performance, you’ll develop your technical and expressive control and learn how to demonstrate an understanding of context, including the chosen style or genre of music that you perform and the composer’s purpose and intention. In composition, you’ll learn how to develop musical ideas, use appropriate musical elements and compose music that is musically convincing as a whole. Where Music Can Take You Music can take you into a wide range of careers including performance, composition, arts management, music editing, broadcasting/ journalism, music therapy, and teaching – depending on where your strengths and passions lie. It can also lead to degree courses and careers that don’t necessarily involve music. Universities and employers value the transferable skills you’ll have gained, particularly on the creative, analytical and technological side.