GCSE and A-Level Music: Creating Outstanding Compositions

ABOUT THIS COURSE

The course is continually rewritten to reflect the latest developments in teaching composition, and is packed with information, tips, proven teaching strategies and expert guidance.

The day begins by examining common features amongst all assessment criteria across all exam boards, seeking to create an alternative system of board-wide criteria for outstanding compositions, through which compositions can be assessed and shaped during the compositional process, rather than through a specific board’s mark scheme designed to assess a final product..

The rest of the day seeks to establish teaching strategies and philosophies that allow students of all abilities to score well for the composition component. This will be followed by a detailed examination of what students need to demonstrate to examiners at GCSE and A-level, including looking at the definitions of key assessment terms used in the highest criteria, and exactly why they are used..

A suggested model to use throughout the compositional process will be proposed that both encourages students at each stage, and provides valid and accurate data for tracking and assessment within the department. Various approaches to teaching composition will be looked at, critiqued and tweaked, with the aim of providing guidance on implementing a curriculum-wide approach that guarantees greater engagement, empowerment and curiosity from students at all age ranges, all aimed at helping students to excel with A-level composition..

Proven strategies for weaker or underconfident students will also be suggested, along with ways of developing compositional skills across KS3-5, with the aim of encouraging a love of composition, underpinned by an understanding of the creative process. Three outstanding composition examples will then be discussed.  

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• A thorough day of CPD on all things composition, discussing everything from specific mark schemes through to implementing a school-wide approach to composition.
• A thorough day of CPD on all things composition, discussing everything from specific mark schemes through to implementing a school-wide approach to composition.
• Expert guidance from one of the UK’s leading educationalists, who is also an A-level examiner, former Head of Music, and the author of one of the top A-level resources in the UK: www.masteringalevelmusic.co.uk.
• Take away proven strategies, approaches and monitoring processes for composition at both GCSE and A-level.
• Gain a range of effective methods that encourage low, mid and high ability students.
• Raise academic standards in composition, and be challenged with new ideas and philosophies, regardless of your experience.
• Learn ways to mitigate the risk of subjectivity in compositions.
• Gain confidence in tackling the compositional process; particularly if you do not think of yourself as a composing musician.
• Improve understanding of assessment criteria and how to use them effectively.
• The chance to discuss composition issues with colleagues, and with Alex.

PROGRAMME

Actually Defining Outstanding

• Looking at the top two marking bands for every exam board at GCSE and A-level: common patterns, hidden helpful things, and issues.
• Seeking a general consensus from the exam boards on what makes a composition outstanding. Creating ‘Super Criteria’.
• Words, words, words: hidden perspectives within examiner adjectives, and normalising their use with students.
• Dissolving summative mark schemes into formative processes: problems and solutions.
• Summarising examiner feedback from all boards at both GCSE and A-level: common patterns, hidden helpful things, and issues.

Break

The Ingredients of Outstanding Composition Teaching at GCSE and A-level

• The power of research: harnessing and capitalising upon student’s tastes.
• The issue of pastiche, and why Lego is useful.
• Types of composition brief: alternative perspectives.
• Summarising examiner comments from all boards on high-scoring compositions.
• Unpacking three examples of free composition briefs: common pitfalls when designing briefs, and the role of audience and occasion.
• Summarising examiner comments from all boards on planning, style, and free compositions.
• Elaborative interrogation: our secret weapon?
• Balancing creative freedom and academic rigour: analysis vs. composition, and important questions.
• Helping weaker or underconfident student to boost confidence and self-belief.

Deepening Skills

• Making your life easier – Getting students thinking and the importance of environment.
• Overlaps with the other components of the specification; achieving greater efficiency.
• Teaching non-pianists to harmonise, and singers to think vertically.
• Graphical methods and alternative ideas for the planning stage; daring to be different.
• Writing up later: Surprising benefits.

Lunch

Developing Compositional Skills

•  Making your life easier – getting students thinking and the importance of environment.
• The role of generative artificial intelligence.
• Embedding the philosophy of composition and understanding the creative process. Lego again…
• Analysis vs. composition revisited: alternative methods to crafting an analysis, and daring to be different.
• Summarising examiner comments from all boards on writing idiomatically: tips and tricks to avoid clangers.

Developing Students’ Skills

•  The environment: cultivating curiosity, normalising analysis, and developing the skill of critical enquiry.
• The role of AO3 and AO4 in composition: developing and deepening vocabulary, and merging appraising and composition.
• Developing analysis skills: linking vocabulary and intentions, understanding ingredients, and capitalising on tastes.
• Developing aural skills: reducing the fear of the unknown, and overlaps with other parts of the GCSE and A-level specifications.
• Deepening general knowledge and contextual understanding: why everything matters.

Keeping Track: Monitoring and Feedback Processes

• Verbal feedback vs. written feedback – making SLT spreadsheet lovers happy.
• How technology can give us our evenings and weekends back.
• ‘Sir/Madam: I’ve started again’ – playing them at their own game.
• Efficiency, frequency and depth: achieving the hat-trick with minimum time and maximum value.
• Accuracy vs. validity – problems with using the mark schemes before students have finished.
• Daring to write up later.

Adding Shine: The Refining Process

• Making a composition outstanding.
• Being a pedant: notation, typesetting, formatting and annotating – avoiding common errors.
• ‘Hello Examiner’ – cover notes, subjectivity, and the role of AO3, AO4 and appraising skills in communicating intentions.
• Summarising examiner comments from all boards on scores, commentaries and lead sheets.
• ‘Tis a thing of beauty: finishing up, and getting students to care until the end.
• Composition recordings – issues, alternative perspectives, and avoiding common errors.

Discussion of Three Outstanding Composition Examples