Exam Content

For Section A

By the end of the course you will know how music has developed from 1910 to the present day. You will need to know about the following topics:

  • Blues 
  • Gospel 
  • Folk 
  • Dixieland Jazz 
  • Swing 
  • Rhythm and Blues 
  • Country and Western 
  • Rock and Roll 
  • Soul 
  • Reggae 
  • Folk Rock 
  • Progressive Rock 
  • Heavy Metal 
  • Punk and New Wave 
  • Indie/Alternative 
  • Rap/ Hip Hop 
  • Disco 
  • Synth Pop 
  • Club Dance 
  • House/Acid House 
  • Drum and Bass/ Jungle 
  • Ambient 
  • Grunge 
  • Nu-Metal  

For each genre of music you will need to be able to:

  • Identify each genre of music. 
  • Recall important artists, dates of when each genre was popular. 
  • Important musical characteristics. 
  • Show how the key musical elements are used in each genre and the way they are used make that genre sound unique. 
  • Explain how music technology was used and developed by each genre. 
  • Explain how each genre was influenced by other music. 
  • Show how each genre influenced other music.

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For Section B 

This section looks at two musical genres in depth. These are:

  • Examination year 2013: Rock and roll/Rap and hip hop.
  • Examination year 2014: Reggae/Heavy rock.
  • Examination year 2015: Soul/Indie rock.
  • Examination year 2016: Punk and new wave/Club dance.

By the end of the course you will be able to answer questions about their:

  • How they started.
  • How they developed over time.
  • What influences changed the genres.
  • How they influenced other genres of music.
  • Where each genre fits into social and political issues. 
  • How music technology developed through the genre.
  • You will also know any special vocabulary used for each genre.

How will the examiners assess whether you know this information?

The questions on the paper will be designed to test your aural skills. For each genre of music you must be able to discuss the following key musical elements:

  • Melody 
  • Harmony 
  • Rhythm 
  • Structure 
  • Instrumentation 
  • Texture 
  • Timbre 
  • Dynamics

And discuss the following key music technology elements:

  • Recording techniques 
  • Balance 
  • Stereo Field 
  • EQ 
  • Dynamic processing 
  • Effects processing 
  • MIDI sequencing 
  • Troubleshooting 

You will also need to know how to write and read musical notation.