Music for leaving cert

magicianz

Just wondering whats involved in music for leaving cert? How much theory, how much practical stuff? Is it your choice what u play or do you have to pick from a list? Any other info people can provide would be great :-D (sorry if its been asked before but boards mobile doesnt have a search function (that i know of:eek:))

Piste

Well you can choose for your music practical to be worth 25% or 50%. If you choose it to be 25% you must choose either composition or listening as your 50%. You can play whatever you like, as long as it's a certain standard (usually around grade 6, though I sang my grade 5 pieces).

There are two papers, the first one is listening which involves listening to excerpts from the set works you've studied and answering questions on them (instrumentation, form, changes etc.).You study 4 set pieces and you'll be asked on them all, with one work 25 marks and the others worth 10. The next section is Irish music in which you'll be asked questions on various excerpts of Irish music that you havent heard before. There's also a short essay (like an A4 page) on an area of Irish music.

The last part of Paper 1 is listening to a piece of music or two (if it's two they're usually related) and answering questions on them (change of rhythym, dynamics etc.)

Paper 2 is composition, hou answer 2 questions, the harmony question and Melody question. I think there are about 4 options to choose from in each question., but it's mainly filling in boxes with chords for harmony and writing a melody to a given opening.

aine-maire

There is a search function, it's just on the darkish blue bar near the top of the page ^^

Also : have you already chosen music, or are you considering doing it outside of school? I did it outside of school, and I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you're prepared to put in the work... Even with 50% of the exam done in April, the actual exam is not easy!

sock puppet

aine-maire wrote: »

There is a search function, it's just on the darkish blue bar near the top of the page ^^

Also : have you already chosen music, or are you considering doing it outside of school? I did it outside of school, and I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you're prepared to put in the work... Even with 50% of the exam done in April, the actual exam is not easy!

I don't think that's true at all. My guitar teacher taught the course to a group of 6th years this year and wasn't under any pressure. It's not a big course really.

Twilightning

I didn't study at all for the test and came out with a C1 at HL. Wonder what I could have gotten if I actually went over that pile of sh*te that is Sea Changes. :pac:

If you have the natural musical ability, you've got nothing to worry about. I enjoyed my practical.

OxfordComma

sock puppet wrote: »

I don't think that's true at all. My guitar teacher taught the course to a group of 6th years this year and wasn't under any pressure. It's not a big course really.

It's not a particularly big course, but the exam is tough. Very tough. They mark the practical quite easy, so it's hard not to get an honour in it, but the paper itself REALLY challenges those going for an A. You've got to know the Set Works inside out - seriously. They ask very tricky and awkward questions on them and you have to cover everything comprehensively to do well. The Irish Music and Aural Skills sections are difficult because you can't study for them (apart from the Irish Essay) - you're relying entirely on your own ear for music. Plus, you've got to be very competent at reading music for the Composition paper.

That being said, it's an excellent subject to do outside school, because so much depends on the Practical (which you'd be preparing outside school anyways). I've done up to Grade Eight on the piano so it was a no-brainer for me:)