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Original poster

Another music GCSE question

28 replies

bookmarket · 28/01/2021 07:27

I don't want to detail the other thread so I am starting a new one.

DD is in Y10 and takes music GCSE. She plays piano grade 4 standard and is working towards grade 5.

She's finding the music theory difficult and starting to hate the GCSE. My DH and I had no music education as children. DD started piano at almost 9. Her GCSE class is small and all the other students are music scholars, having started playing instruments at a very young age with the reinforcement of lots of music at prep school. This is not my DDs background. She's actually pretty good at the composition side and performance.

Due to lockdown, classes are now all theory and DD is losing her way as the lessons are taught to the highest children's ability. Which is everyone else but my DD.

I am sure it is just because of lockdown that they are having to do exclusively theory and perhaps tearing ahead with that part of the course so they have plenty of time for the other parts, and revision when they are back in school. But I don't want my DD to disengage and dread the lessons.

tl:Dr Can someone point me in the direction of videos or resources which will help my DD get her head around the theory required for music GCSE.

Thank you Smile

OP posts:
Musicaldilemma · 28/01/2021 08:49

Also try mymusictheory.com and musictheorynet

Musicaldilemma · 28/01/2021 08:46

I can’t answer the GCSE question but my kids although much younger have recently been working on Grade 5 music theory (one passed with Distinction, the second will take it soon). The new ABRSM books that have come out recently called Discovering Music Theory are quite good and come with answer books (some errors in there though). Could you afford a tutor because a lot of it is simple easy building blocks you memorise and then apply (for example, writing out an interval and circle of fifths/mnemonics).

annalikestea · 28/01/2021 08:39

I did GCSE music a while ago now, but I doubt it's changed a lot! While I was probably more like the other kids in your daughter's class I really sympathise with her position and hope this doesn't cause her to disengage!
I'm guessing a lot of the other students will have done grades in music theory which would give them an advantage. She could look at the ABRSM workbooks, I think they're called music theory in practice. Start at grade one and work from there. Hope that helps!