Music GCSE- how hard is it ?

[ssobia]

My daughter has been learning piano for about 2 years now. She started late ( changed a few teachers till we found one that worked for us) . She is due to sit her Grade 1 now at the age of 12.5 years.

She really wants to do Music GCSEs but her private tutor thinks its a bad idea and she will struggle to get to grade 4/5 in 3 years. The problem is her Head of Music at school seems to think its a brilliant idea for her to do music and is really pushing for it. He says that GCSE Music grades are not related to or any other music qualifications and he thinks it doesn't matter if she doesn't make it through her ARBSM in time. He tried to convince us that Music GCSEs have changed now she would score a good grade. I cannot find anything about the GCSEs in music changing and desperately need advice on someone who has recently been though all this drama.

I really wanted her to take Art instead and still continue with music outside of school. To me that makes sense, but to her it does as she is being encouraged by her school, who haven't got the time to call me /or convince me of why I should let her go through with this. Help!!

My Ds is a bit like redsky and doing it for something different to other exams..
he was at grade2 when starting on his instrument - and school teacher said thats fine - a couple of others were much higher and a couple of others complete beginners....
his exam board is x performance/x composition/x listening
your performance piece needs to be grade4 we were told - but that is just one piece - so she could work on it for the next 2/3 years - doesnt mean she has to be taking grade 4/5 for everything

he is loving it ....he is not a natural performer or musician but the school get them used to it (if you do music you have to do orchestra/choir/band- depending on what instrument)
Art wasnt an option for him and seems much more work -from what i see of his friends...

Thankyou to everyone who is advising me. I feel I should wait for her to do her Grade 1 exams next week and see how they go. It will give me an indication on how she will progress as well. She is only in year 8 and I think they are able to change the subject in year 9 if they find it difficult. She practises 30 mins /day and she is quiet keen on taking a GCSE in it. She chose it over Art and that tells me that is sure of herself. Whether her private tutor is sure of it or not, is another matter. I am going to let her go with this and see how things pan out by September. We will have a greater understand of how she will manage.

ssobia - I think waiting for the exam result is a good idea. Our school recommended minimum GR4 at start of course. The composition bit is quite challenging and you need a good grounding in music theory to do well in that.

Perhaps discuss with your dd what sort of result she would be happy with. If she's expecting a 9 she might be out of luck!

I’m also wondering about Music for my ds in year 8. He’s just about to take grade 2 piano so he should be grade 4/5 by year 11.

It appeals to me as an alternative to German! He doesn’t have to do an MFL and i know they involve lots of learning.

Also his school allow them to have instrument lessons for free if they do the GCSE so that’s a bonus! And going by the last few years he’d be in a class of between 5 and 10, which would be great for a distractible boy!

But I don’t really know how good he is musically or how he’d get on with the composition. I guess I’ll be guided by his teacher.

Obviously it would be ds’ choice! But he likes music and gets good marks in it at the moment.

I like the fact it would mean a bit less revision at the end too!

School is generally boring and hard work - I would always encourage kids to do at least one subject just for the love of it.

My son did gcse music a few years ago and despite only being an average guitar player he got a grade C and had a great time which included music tours to Italy and Holland. He now works as a sound and lighting technician in a theatre.

OP, it's definitely a weird one. I have a gifted musician who is expected to gain a level 9, she won't.
This is because the written work will let her down as she isn't academic.
I don't see how a committed student can not gain a grade 5 in 3 years.
She will need to be prepared to up the practice to about an hour post grade 3 to make the level in time.
I'm wondering why her teacher doesn't think she will do it.
What is she like academically and also which board is it, they do vary.
Mine has performance (solo), performance (ensemble) composing, and appraisal. This is Edexcel board.

My Ds is rerally enjoying the composition - even though had never done anything like it before - mainly I think because bits of it are on computer! and has inspired an inye
he's not expecting amazing grade but thats not really why he's doing it... I think if he does go onto university or even in life if you have an interest in music and can play a bit its a good way to get to know people...

They recommend grade 5 for GCSE music - you don't need to have passed the exam but that's the standard. Dd has also done grade 5 theory which really helped. If she can sing that's an option too it you need to be sing at grace 5 level of course

pupils who have passed grade 6/7/8 by the end of year 8, and grade 5 theory ages ago.

Don't be ridiculous!
Grade 6 is the standard for A-level music.

Didn't even need to be anywhere near that standard for O'level music back in the day, never mind GCSE music. By the way a C grade and above at O'level Music used to exempt you from having to take Grade 5 theory. However, Music GCSE is not equivalent.

When does your daughter need to decide her options Op? End of yr 8 or 9?

Ok, I'm a secondary music teacher. There are quite a lot of misconceptions and anecdotes here which relate to previous syllabi which have all gone, so ignore anything from people whose kids sat the GCSE before 2018.

My school teaches the Eduqas syllabus (the English part of WJEC). You can perform anything you like but to access the maximum difficulty marks, you need to play a piece above ABRSM/TG/RS/whatever grade 3 standard. That does not mean you need to take or pass grade 3. You need to play a piece of that standard. So if your DD started learning a piece once she has taken her exam, there's a good chance she could play it perfectly by the middle of year 11.

Candidates need to perform as part of an ensemble. Again, I'm only familiar with the Eduqas definitions, but candidates have to accompany with at least one other live person where there is interaction between the parts for at least 1 minute. So she could play the second (lower) part of a piano duet or could accompany for example a flautist.

Theory grades are useful but by no means essential. I have a grade 8+ violinist who obviously has her grade 5 theory who never seems to have a clue what is going on in my year 10 class. Equally, there is a nice singer and moderate pianist who freely admits she struggles, but she asks lots of questions and has made tremendous progress. I don't know if child 1 will get a 9. Child 2 is on track for a 7 and may well get an 8 if she works hard.

I don't want to sound disrespectful about your DD's piano teacher but since the GCSEs changed from the A*-Gs to the 9-1 qualifications, they are not necessarily familiar with the requirements and could be operating on outdated information. I would ask the school which exam board they use for their Music GCSE and look up the specification yourself.

At the end of the day, it has to be your DD's choice. If she enjoys the subject and gets something from it, why not study it?

Malbecfan Thats very helpful info - thanks. My DD is hoping to take music GCSE she doesn't play an instrument as such (she has some learning difficulties) but does sing. I've no idea what grade she might get at GCSE possibly a 4. She loves music and singing.
She would have one singing lesson a week too.

From a teacher's perspective would you be happy to have someone with that level of attainment in your class. I get the feeling from her options evening that teachers only want the high achievers in their classes.

She enjoys the subject very much.

I had very similar advice from DD's school music teacher as malbecfan just gave. DD is doing grade 1 in the summer and he did not think that it would be hard for her to do GCSE.

Hi Malbecfan! So glad to have a secondary school music teacher's input . It is highly likely that the private tutor is not aware of the changes in curriculum like you and the Head of Music at our school are. We have had to choose our options now in the Spring of Yr8 ( deadline was March 14th) in preparation for the start in yr9. Its early but I think its a good thing. I believe the school use AQA and Edexcel boards. DD clearly enjoys the music and it is one subject she was adamant on choosing ( her other two are History and Computing). I appreciate everything I have been informed about in the forum and I want to give her a chance with this. So glad I asked!

Check the board and syllabus used at your school. The % given to performance has got to be key here. My DS is doing the GCSE this year and he has the 30 perf, 30 composition, 40 appraisal paper breakdown. Right now he is polishing his second composition having done recordings of solo and ensemble. He is maybe in the middle of his group instrumentally but had grade 5 by the end of year 8. I am saying that not to brag but to suggest your school is mad frankly. Most of his class are playing at well above the G5 standard for the GCSE performance piece with a view to banking some good marks to insure against a weak written exam. He is actually not that good on the written paper. So I think going into a course with a notable weight on performance without the existing competence is bonkers. Sounds like a teacher trying to get their numbers up. Unless your DC has some native strength in composition and listening and appraisal I think you should avoid.

Head of Music here!

Haven't RTFT but your daughter sounds like a good candidate.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

@Hello1290 I welcome singers onto the course! If she enjoys it, and can sing beautifully, she'll do well.

Schools use a mixture of exam boards. Mine use WJEC for Music (AQA and Edexcel for other subjects) so a quick phone call to the Exams office or Music dept should confirm so you can then look up the spec online. Like a PP, specs have changed a lot in recent years.

I think music is a subject where the approach varies most according to the cohort in a school. It sounds like you daughter may have a good instinct for music, and her school may be familiar with taking late starters through. I'd be much more worried about a grade 2 pianist who had been learning for 5 years already :)

In your shoes, I'd be asking the music department direclty about the results they are usually getting, and what results they would expect from students like your daughter. If what you hear sounds realistic and in line with what your daughter might be expecting, great. If you are worried by what your hear, hopefully it will give you a basis for a more careful conversation with your daughter.

My eldest is doing GCSE music currently; she's at the other end of the spectrum as a highly experienced musician who is also very academic. Interestingly, both her performances have been singing, as the experience of her teachers was that it was easier to ensure top marks on voice rather than instruments. She is currently expected to clear a 9 with ample room to spare - I hope her teachers know as much as they think they do!

Now that she's at the final stages of exam technique for the written paper, she's commented that, unlike some of her other subjects where she's got to be very careful to answer the question asked, in music it appears she just needs to write everything that might be relevant. So, and I'm guessing here, an academically able student, properly taught, may be able to do pretty well in the written component even if they are an inexperienced musician.

I hope you get the reassurance you need.

Ssobia thanks for starting this thread! We don’t have to choose til next year, although ds is the same age as your dd. I’ve found everyone’s contributions very helpful, thank you!

I remember my shy but musical sister having a last minute panic about the performance element of the GCSE (even though she’d done several grade exams) and switching to Art. She regretted that as it was really stressful and the coursework is very time consuming.

Ssobia I think your dd is better off with Music than Art for this reason but make sure she’s ok with performing. My ds did a solo at a school concert last night and was very nervous but got through it so I think he’d be ok on that score.

I managed to do the old GCSE via a weekly (I think) one to one lesson in my lunch hour as an extra and still got an A! I think I was possibly grade 6 piano by then though.

Thank you for the nice comments . I'm glad to be able to help.

I'm pretty sure all the exam board splits are 30% each for performing and composing with 40% for listening/appraising thanks to Mr Gove's "learned" interference. We used to do a different board but when the new specs came out, the ISM produced a brilliant comparison document with all 4 specifications compared on it. We decided to go with Eduqas and I have to say that they are lovely people to deal with. Questions are answered instantly and the content of the course is very approachable - no, I don't work for them! The only downer is that all the revision materials were published for the other 3 exam boards first, but people have deserted them in droves. There are now practice questions published and a great text book written by one of the chief examiners.

Hello1290 singing is absolutely fine. The only issue with singers for Eduqas is their ensemble performance has to not be the main tune. If your DD could learn a harmony part, she'd be sorted.

I'm possibly going to be flamed for this, but on MN there seems to be a mentality that anything lower than an 8/9 grade is failure. It simply is not true. Last year 2 girls who always tried hard but were not very natural musicians got 7s. They were both thrilled and delighted, and so was I. I know how much went into those, and in many ways I'm happier for them than for the grade 8 in year 7 pianist who got his 9, but his performances should have been a doddle. The girls I mentioned were around grade 5. They could play pieces of the right difficulty, but simply playing them without mistakes is not enough. You have to perform them confidently. It is also worth mentioning that graded music exam boards mark differently from GCSEs, so just because you do well at one does not necessarily follow that you will nail the other.

I passed (Grade C old money) GCSE music having only started music in the autumn term Y7. I was doing a decent amount outside of school (lucky enough to be part of an award winning concert band) but I’m in no way exceptional musically. I never got more than a pass in a music exam and only sat to Grade 4. I also never sat any theory exams, just learnt what I needed to perform and pass GCSE.

So I would say it’s perfectly possible to be at that stage and pass GCSE music - more so if she seems to be doing well.

Thanks Mutant I think she has a nice voice but needs to sing a bit louder - she has 3 years to work on it!

Malbec - thanks for all the info you have shared. It's so inspiring to hear about your two pupils who got grade 7's. :)