In preparation for your future technology-based composition. I would like you to complete the following three tasks. These short compositions will get you thinking about how to compose with music technology at the heart of the ideas. Task 1: Composition …
Finding your feet with Component 4 – Producing and Analysing
Component 4 – Producing and Analysing exam is mostly a practical assessment that will test your knowledge and understanding of techniques for producing music. The exam is made up of 2 sections, Section A is based on 5 practical questions …
Getting ready for Component 3 – Listening and Analysing
When it comes to exams there is no such thing as being over prepared and one of the top pieces of advice I give to my students is to complete practice papers and then mark them for yourselves. By doing …
A Level Music Technology Areas of study overview
Based on a discussion with my students, it’s become apparent that they are aware of the four components for the A Level Music Technology course but very few of them know or can identify the elements/areas of study that construct them.
To better support the students, this year, I will be giving them a copy of the three areas of study. The mission is to get them to check off the specific topics as they feel they have built up enough knowledge and understanding. I think that this would greatly benefit the year 13s become more organised and proactive with their studies.
Component 1 Recording – Backup Backup and Backup
To reduce risk and to preempt the likelihood that something will go wrong during the academic year, I believe that it is wise to create a backup of all of the students Component 1 projects directly after the main recording sessions have been completed. This, of course, can take time to check and copy onto an external drive or private network, but the benefits can massively outway this if a worst-case scenario occurs.
In the past, it has been necessary for me to use these backup files to check the sincerity of a students accusation or because a student has deleted whole instrument parts or sections from their work. In both cases, it was easier to verify from the back up than it would have been to untangle from the current position of their project.
Component 1 Recording – Don’t use percussion
In this session, we’ll discuss the frequently asked question of which percussion can I use for my A-Level Music Technology Component 1 Recording task.
To make the rules around this issue clearer we will take a look at the kinds of percussion you can’t use and how it would affect your grade if you choose to go ahead and add percussion to your recording.
Component 1 Recording – Understanding the rules
This week we look at the specification and rules regarding the recording process for Component 1. I think a lot of people will be conflicted with today’s video as it puts into scrutiny weather a centre should get their students to record the same song for all students or get each student to record a different song each.
After talking to the exam board, here are my thoughts and the process that I will be following this coming year.
Component 1 Recording Timetable
Quite often, I am asked the question “How do you go about planning and completing the A Level Music Technology Component 1 – Recording task?”
As an organisational challenge, this one is tough and my best answer is to try and get the bulk of the recordings completed as early as possible in yr13. Through bitter experience, I’ve found the longer I leave it, the more that can go wrong.
I aim to get the bulk of the recording completed in one block with semi profession musicians, and I usually get the students to all record the same song which streamlines the whole process. In this post I have outlined my timeline.
A Level Music technology Component 2 Briefs Overview 2019 – 20
Welcome back and I hope you all had an amazing break. A few days ago the A Level Music Technology Component 2 Briefs for 2019 – 20 were released and today I would like to take a quick look and see what you guys think.
In the video, we take a look at all three Component 2 briefs and look at what to expect and how to approach these pieces of work.
It would be great to get your feedback and for you guys to let us know which options you will be choosing and why.