Performing and Composing: Requirements and Planning

Performing and composing: the coursework

In GCSE Music some marks come from a written exam, but a large share comes from what you actually do: performing and composing, assessed as coursework. Component 1 is performing, where you play two pieces, one of them as part of a group, adding up to between four and six minutes, with one piece linked to an Area of Study you have covered. Component 2 is composing, where you create two pieces of your own, one of them written to a task set by the exam board, adding up to between three and six minutes. The performing and composing themselves cannot be practised here, but this module builds the knowledge around them: what each component requires, how the work is marked, and how to plan so that nothing is left to the last minute.

Words for the music coursework

Learn these terms before the coursework parts are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each coursework part to what it involves

Performing against composing

The coursework has two components. Knowing what each one asks for is the first step to planning it well.

Which piece meets the requirement?

For Component 1 you must include one particular kind of performance alongside your solo. What is it?

• An ensemble piece, performed with other musicians
• A second identical solo
• A composition
• A written exam answer

Choose music at the right level

One of the biggest decisions in the coursework is choosing pieces at the right level of difficulty. A very hard piece played with mistakes usually scores less than a slightly easier one played cleanly and with real feeling, because accuracy and control carry marks. So be honest about what you can play well by the deadline, and leave time to polish rather than just to learn the notes. The same idea guides your own writing: a clear, well-shaped idea developed with care beats an over-ambitious sprawl that never quite works. Aim for music you can truly master in the time you have, and let quality, not difficulty, be your guide.

Pick what a strong performance needs

Select everything that a strong performance in the coursework should show.

• Playing the right notes accurately
• Playing with feeling and clear dynamics
• Keeping good control and timing
• Playing as loudly as possible throughout
• Playing as fast as you can, whatever the piece

Order how to prepare a performance

Put the steps of preparing a coursework performance into a sensible order.

• Choose pieces at the right level
• Learn the notes accurately
• Add expression and dynamics
• Rehearse, including with your group
• Record the final performance

Complete the coursework facts

Component 1 is _____, where you play two pieces on your instrument or voice. Component 2 is _____, where you create two pieces of your own. One of your performances must be played as part of a group, called an _____. One of your compositions must answer a task set by the exam board, called a set _____.

Tap the two performing requirements

Read these four statements about the music coursework. Tap the TWO that are requirements of the performing component.

• you perform two pieces of music
• one performance is played with a group
• you write one piece to a set brief
• you sit a listening exam

A chef cooking to an order

Writing a piece to a set task is like a chef cooking to a customer order. The customer says what they want, perhaps a light dessert, not too sweet, ready in twenty minutes, and a good chef treats that as the shape of the challenge, not a cage. Within those limits they still choose the flavours, the method and the finishing touch that make the dish their own. Your own writing works the same way: the task fixes the outline, the mood or the instruments, but the ideas, the development and the character are all yours. The skill is to meet every part of the request while still making something that could only be by you.

The coursework run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Plan the coursework well

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• You are choosing a piece to perform. What is the wisest choice?
• You must write one composition to a set brief. What should you do?
• It is weeks before the deadline and your piece is still rough. What is best?

Build a coursework point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about the music coursework.

Explain the performing and composing coursework

A friend starting GCSE Music asks what the performing and composing coursework involves. Using what you have learned, explain the main requirements and how to plan.

• Explain what the performing component requires
• Explain what the composing component requires
• Explain what an ensemble performance is
• Explain what a set brief is
• Explain how to plan so the work is ready in good time