Music at Leaving Cert

Ragdoll742

Hey, Im currently in third year and I want to do music for my leaving cert. However my school doesn't do music so I'm gonna have to do it as an eigth subject outside of school. I cant get much information on the course as my school doesn't do it so can anyone give me a hand here and let me know what the course entails?

irishmonkey

50% Written
50% Practical

If you live in Dublin, i think Waltons do a LC music course.

There are 4 set works you have to study for the listening paper.
They change every 3 years, but for my year for example, its:
Mozart K488 (Three movements)
Berlioz Symphonie Fantasique (Two movements)
Raymond Deane - Seachanges (Contempory piece)
The Beatles - Srg Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (4 songs)

The on the harmony/composing paper, You do two questions out of 6.
They include continuing a given melody, 16 bars, inc modulation.
And adding chords and bass notes to a melody.

As for the practical, they take place the same week as the orals.
If you're doing one thing, ie, singing/piano, You do 6 pieces.
If you want to do two things, you do 4 of each.
There is also the option to do music technology.
You're given a 16 bar piece, and you have to input it onto a stave using a computer programe, like sylibus or finale notepad. And you do 4 songs on whichever instrument you wish.

naasface

hi there im in 6th yr doing music,business,bio + french. Doin all HL except for maths.
Music is my most difficult subject
the pros:
re: the practicals, seeing as they are 50% its quite handy to get a good grade in them. So if u play an instrument go for it. Some of the irish music theory is interesting and it's a nice feeling learning about the irish culture in regards to music

The Cons:
The theory is really hard (in my opinion anyway), like all lc subjects though it's manageable. There is a lot of theory though just for the sake of 50%, Too much imo.
If you have a genuine interest in music i'd do it. But let me tell you its COMPLETELY different to JC music. I got a higher level B in the junior by doing eff all so thought it would be handy to do for the leaving cert...wrong. The standard jumps by loads more in comparison with say, business.
Did u do it for jc? Do u play an instrument??
If no and no I would discourage you from taking it up. Yes if u could do it in school, but on top of everything else.
Hope i havent put u off too much! Just my two cents
Anymore Q's fire them at me!

PurpleFistMixer

Re: 50% practical thing, that isn't necessarily the case. The course is basically divided into 3 parts; performance, listening, and composition. Each of these counts for 25%, and then you have an option to specialise in one of them for the remaining 25%. The vast majority of people choose performance to specialise in (resulting in 50% practical), but it isn't the only option. It's basically the only option presented to most people (I'm assuming, since nobody ever seems to know about the other options), probably because it's the simplest if you already play an instrument.

How you find music is going to come down a lot to how much musical experience you have. I didn't do music for the JC put took it up for the LC because I already play an instrument and thought it'd be easy. And it was. I did grade 5 music theory when I was in 3rd of 4th year and it basically had all the stuff they expect you to know for the LC, so all I really had to learn was some more about composition, and the set works. Practical was grand since I was grade 7 on my instrument, so all in all it was a very handy subject. But this is mostly because, well, I've been playing the violin since I was 7, so I was very comfortable with music in general. What a terrible mish-mash of tenses...

Ragdoll742

Cheers lads, youve been great help.

Yeah, I play guitar. Electric and Acoustic. Couple more questions. I didnt do JC music so whats the story there? And also, whats with specialising in a topic?

PurpleFistMixer

I didn't do JC music, you don't have to do it to do LC music. Otherwise I know nothing about it. : p

The other options I'm a bit hazy on... for listening you have to sort of do some kind of project on other pieces of music, and have to write essays about it on the day or something... I think. Composition means you've to basically compose some much longer piece which you also do as a project, and submit it, and a tape of someone performing it, afaik.

Ragdoll742

And does style come into it? Could it be your own type of music or would it be a set genre?

For the part you have to write obviously

JohnG18

Just to note on the 50% Practical as pointed out in a previous post you can choose to give yourself the extra 25% in either Listening, Composing or Promforming.

If you want to know about the Listening elective pm me as I did it.

Also LC Music is one of the most enjoyable courses I did. The composition is really fun and you get to be so creative. And Mozart's Piano Concerto is amazing mainly the 3rd movement.


Ps. Seachanges is tripe

Dante

And Mozart's Piano Concerto is amazing mainly the 3rd movement.


Ps. Seachanges is tripe

I couldn't agree more!

PurpleFistMixer

No the 2nd movement is so lovely! I'd say 2, 3, 1 for greatness order. First movement is just a bit boring...