Music

    OCR
    GCSE

    Specification: J536

    This subject will help you develop key knowledge and skills required for exam success.

    45

    Topics

    0

    Objectives

    219

    Exam Tips

    233

    Pitfalls

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    Study Guides

    37 revision guides for OCR GCSE Music

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    Key Features

    • Master key concepts
    • Develop exam technique
    • Apply knowledge effectively

    Assessment Objectives

    AO1
    30%

    Perform with technical control, expression and interpretation

    AO2
    30%

    Compose and develop musical ideas with technical control and coherence

    AO3
    20%

    Demonstrate and apply musical knowledge

    AO4
    20%

    Use appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgements about music

    What Gets Top Grades

    A*/Grade 9

    Knowledge & Understanding

    Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge

    • Uses correct subject-specific terminology
    • Shows detailed understanding of concepts
    • Makes accurate connections between topics
    • Demonstrates depth beyond surface-level knowledge

    Application

    Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts

    • Selects relevant knowledge for the question
    • Adapts understanding to unfamiliar scenarios
    • Uses examples appropriately
    • Shows awareness of context

    Analysis & Evaluation

    Develops sophisticated analytical arguments

    • Constructs logical chains of reasoning
    • Considers multiple perspectives
    • Weighs evidence to reach justified conclusions
    • Acknowledges limitations and nuances

    Key Command Words

    OCR
    State
    1 mark

    Give a single fact or term

    Identify
    1 mark

    Name or select

    Describe
    2-4 marks

    Account of process or features

    Explain
    3-6 marks

    Give reasons with BUSINESS-FACING outcomes

    Analyse
    6-9 marks

    Examine methodically showing cause→effect→outcome

    Evaluate
    9-12 marks

    Judge, weigh up evidence, reach SYNOPTIC conclusion

    Common Exam Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exams

    • •Selecting repertoire that exceeds the candidate's technical capability, resulting in frequent breakdowns
    • •Neglecting fundamental technical preparation such as tuning or breath support in favour of expressive gestures
    • •Submitting compositions with parts that are technically impossible or unidiomatic for the specified instruments
    • •Selecting repertoire beyond technical capability, resulting in frequent pitch errors and loss of fluency.
    • •Stopping and restarting a phrase after a mistake, which draws attention to the error and reduces the fluency mark significantly.
    • •Inaccurate rhythm in syncopated passages, where candidates unintentionally 'straighten' rhythms to on-beat patterns.
    • •Confusing 'tempo' (speed) with 'dynamics' (volume), a persistent error in listening papers where candidates describe a loud section as 'fast'.
    • •Describing the emotional effect (e.g., 'it sounds scary') without identifying the specific musical element (e.g., 'chromaticism' or 'dissonance') responsible for that effect.

    Top Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for exam success

    • •Select performance pieces that sit comfortably within your technical grasp to maximize marks in the Accuracy strand
    • •Annotate composition scores with specific technical instructions (e.g., 'con sordino', 'pizzicato') to demonstrate idiomatic understanding
    • •Ensure audio recordings for the portfolio are balanced and clear so technical nuances are audible to the moderator
    • •If an error occurs during performance, maintain the pulse and continue immediately; a momentary slip is less damaging than a stop.
    • •Choose a piece you can play flawlessly rather than a difficult piece with errors; the difficulty multiplier cannot compensate for a low raw mark in accuracy.
    • •For the Listening exam dictation questions, check the key signature first to ensure accidentals are accurately represented.
    • •Create a glossary of Italian terms for dynamics and tempo; OCR penalizes incorrect spelling of technical terms in Section B extended responses.
    • •When asked to compare two extracts, explicitly state the contrast: 'Extract A uses legato phrasing, whereas Extract B uses staccato articulation'.

    Specification Topics

    45 topics

    Technical Control

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Accuracy

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Expression

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Communication

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Appropriate stylistic interpretation

    0 objectives7 tips7 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Ensemble Skills

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Melody Writing

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Harmony

    0 objectives9 tips10 pitfalls3 subtopics

    Rhythm

    0 objectives10 tips11 pitfalls3 subtopics

    Structure

    0 objectives11 tips11 pitfalls3 subtopics

    Instrumentation/Arrangement

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Use of Musical Elements

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Development of ideas

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Writing to a Brief

    0 objectives6 tips6 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Identifying Musical Elements

    0 objectives3 tips4 pitfalls

    Analyzing Musical Structures

    0 objectives3 tips4 pitfalls

    Evaluating Musical Effectiveness

    0 objectives7 tips7 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Understanding Musical Contexts

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Use of Musical Terminology

    0 objectives6 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Comparison and Contrasting

    0 objectives6 tips6 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Knowledge of Set Works

    0 objectives8 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Melody

    0 objectives7 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Timbre

    0 objectives7 tips7 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Texture

    0 objectives8 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Dynamics

    0 objectives7 tips7 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Tempo

    0 objectives7 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Instrumental Music (1700-1820)

    0 objectives6 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Vocal Music

    0 objectives8 tips8 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Music for Stage and Screen

    0 objectives6 tips7 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Fusions

    0 objectives6 tips6 pitfalls2 subtopics

    Understanding Musical Contexts (e.g., historical, social, cultural)

    0 objectives3 tips4 pitfalls

    Analyzing Musical Structures (e.g., phrase structure, form, cadence)

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Communication (e.g., audience engagement, conveying musical intention)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Instrumentation/Arrangement (e.g., timbre, texture)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Structure (e.g., form, phrase structure)

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Development of ideas (e.g., motif development, variation)

    0 objectives3 tips4 pitfalls

    Harmony (e.g., chord progressions, voice leading)

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Accuracy (e.g., pitch, rhythm, intonation)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Melody Writing (e.g., contour, range, motif development)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Rhythm (e.g., rhythmic patterns, time signatures)

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Expression (e.g., dynamics, phrasing, articulation)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Technical Control (e.g., posture, embouchure, fingering, bowing, etc.)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Use of Musical Elements (e.g., dynamics, tempo, articulation)

    0 objectives4 tips4 pitfalls

    Ensemble Skills (for ensemble performance)

    0 objectives3 tips3 pitfalls

    Identifying Musical Elements (e.g., melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, dynamics, texture, form)

    0 objectives3 tips4 pitfalls

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