What could DD use a music GCSE for?

[starfish4]

Options are out this week. DD is adamant her first choice will be music. It's good she'll be doing something she'll enjoy and might do her good , with the pressures of school, but I can't really see it being of much use when she leaves school. Just wondering what she could use it for, or when it might be handy? She currently plays the violin (Grade 4 and teacher reckons she could get her up to Grade 7 in Year 11). We haven't got the money for music tuition in another instrument which I know would be good.

She wants to do Textiles. She's considering whether she wants the pressure of triple science as her marks are towards the bottom of those that qualify to do it. She being fast tracked for French when this is done has to do Spanish - these subjects are compulsory for her and they are being taught as one option.

My understanding is it's grade 4/5 + for performance to get the best marks. It's why ds2 will use voice rather than piano (I did specifically check that he can use voice for performance).

But I would have thought if grade 3 now, he'll be fine by GCSE's.

Also, as a mechanical engineer, I SWEAR that my music making aged 7 to today has been instrumental (excuse the pun) in developing my spatial awareness, logical and mathematical mind. I nearly did Music with Maths at uni, opting for an engineering degree instead.

I think to get an A* you would need to be Grades 6-8 by Year 11. Without having passed ABRSM Grade 5 theory a pupil might also struggle with the written paper and composition. Consider buying Eric Taylor's "AB Guide to Music Theory" and the Grade 5 theory work book.

The maximum score available is fora piece of grade 5 standard played reasonably well. No extra points are awarded for performing a grade 6+ piece.

So if he's at a grade 3 standard now, he has a fair chance of getting a grade c or slightly above, in a couple of years?

I would imagine if grade 3 now he has a good chance of an A/A* in a couple of years time. He should be able to play grade 5 standard by then even if he hasn't taken the actual grade 5 exam.

The marking scheme for Edexcel and OCR is not concomitant with the ABRSM grades, however the reason I think at least Grade 6 is required, is because of the way the mark scheme is structured.

The solo performance is out of 30, with 12 marks potentially awarded for accuracy and 18 for interpretation. The interpretive scope for most G5 pieces is somewhat limited.

In addition to the mark out of 30, the performance has to satisfy 5 out of 10 categories (specific to the family of instruments e.g. "shifting" with regards to strings), at the "more difficult" level as opposed to the "standard level".

When I was doing my Masters in Engineering I did a bit of part time GCSE Music tutoring. I even attended a training event where we were able to ask questions of the exam board (Edexcel).

Well the music teacher last night said the same as titchy. Grade 5 standard for top grades.

DS2's piano teacher and ds3's violin teacher both say the theory is easier than grade 5 (whereas O levels were equivalent to grade 5 theory).THe piano teacher taught GCSE's until recently.

There is some scaremongering on here with grades and theory. Ds played a grade five piece and got top marks for performance. He hasn't done g5 theory but still managed to get a* last summer.

Grade 5 is AS level. Grade 3 will get you full marks for performance at GCSE (played well).

Yoko sorry, that's wrong. Grade 3 played well will get you a C (for that bit) at GCSE. Grade 5 is the maximum for GCSE, Grade 6 for AS (DD1 doing AS this year, DS doing GCSE next year).

However I think some people are missing the point a bit - playing isn't all there is to GCSE. Playing is the easy bit, frankly.

Saintly - in the good old days of O level if you had grade 5 theory you got an exemption from the harmony paper at O level. Whereas you don't get any exemptions from GCSE. :(

And grade 5 theory isn't that hard tbh - plenty of younger children do it and pass, including those at primary.

Billingsgatedoxy, it might be worth having a word with ds's music teacher as he/she should be able to give you an idea of what grade he might be on in Year 11. Also, his school teacher might be able to give you an idea of what he's capable of

30somethingm - thanks for the book recommendations. She is just starting to play Grade 5 pieces, but as you say it's not just about playing one instrument well.

YokoUhOh - thanks for your encouragement. My DD is under the impression from her violin teacher that for some of the marks she will have to put an ensemble together and play with another musician. Do you or anyone else know if this is correct?

Depends on the exam board. It's possible that not all of them require ensemble work. DD1's did. Which turned out to be something of a disaster.

Yes - the performance element is made up of two pieces, one solo (15% overall mark) and one ensemble (also 15% overall mark). The ensemble however could be an orchestra she plays in, or her playing with a piano accompaniment. (Another 30% is on two compositions, and 40% is the exam paper, which is listening to various extracts and answering questions.)

Some elements of Grade 5 theory are harder than GCSE for sure, but one only has to compose a melody and have basic harmony understanding for Grade 5 theory - GCSE composition requires more than this, as one has to compose music in a recognisable form (structure), modulate, vary the texture and harmony, and display significant melodic development.

My niece is 11 and has Grade 5 performance and theory (both at Distinction). She is quite keen to start composing for fun but at the moment she is finding it hard to write more than a few bars, as one only has to compose a melody without harmony consisting of 8 bars for G5 theory. She is quite talented though so will be writing 3-5 minute pieces with harmony before long.

Students are encouraged NOT to play pieces harder than grade 5 (absolute max) at GCSE as they will gain no further credit and are more likely to lose marks for not producing an amazing performance. Interpretative skills can be used on any piece, regardless of the grade level. You can play Grade 1 pieces with Grade 8 interpretation so the comment regarding Grade 5 lacking the interpretation skills required is not correct.

Starfish dd1 is doing music GCSE this year (sorry, don't know what board), and yes, she had to play as part of a duet or ensemble for her practical. However, it doesn't have to be another GCSE student to play with - dd1 had a teacher from her school, who is a flute player (but not her flute teacher, nor even a flute teacher IYSWIM) who played a duet with her. If they can get time off work/college/school, if can be someone from outside school if that's easier.

titchy - dd1 was told it couldn't be her playing, and someone accompanying her on piano (we know several people who could have done this), it had to be an actual duet or ensemble.

Thank you. Her violin teacher has actually volunteered to accompany her, which is lovely, so that one's covered at the moment!