MUSIC
OCR specification:
My Handwritten Notes:
This link opens a Google Drive folder which contains all my handwritten notes and online documents for each subject. This link specifically opens the Music section. (It contains only the notes.)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XZqD7gaLY5DFT3rXUeRKUvf-Ey3jHf2K?usp=share_link
Recommendations:
Here are my main recommendations of websites, YouTube channels & textbooks for you to use while you complete your Music GCSE.
TEXTBOOKS:
Here are the books that I personally bought:
YT CHANNELS:
These are the best YouTube Channels for Music:
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YouTube Video:
*These are Amazon Affiliate Links. This means I may earn small commission if you click through and make a purchase. :)
Top tips from a Grade 9 student:
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Have fun with it: even though music is a GCSE, it's still a chance to relax a bit from the seriousness of other subjects.
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Perform whenever you can: this is good practice for when you have to do your solo and ensemble performances in Year 11.
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Start on your composition EARLY: do the free composition as soon as you can, and when the brief comes out in September of Year 11, focus on it until around December.
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Learn all the content before you reach Year 11 if you can: this helps you focus on performances & the last composition.
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Use the CGP Guide: it's a God-send. I personally found it A LOT more helpful than the Study Guide, because it was more detailed and considering the fact that the specification is quite vague at times, it helped fill a lot of gaps.
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Listen to lots of music: listen to music from all the Areas of Study and analyse them while you're listening. Keep at it, even if it might not be your favourite music.
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Learn to identify different instruments of the orchestra: this can help in the listening exam.
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Improve your rhythmic and melodic dictation: questions come up worth a lot of marks that ask you to write down the melody of the piece of music. It would be beneficial if you practice doing that a lot beforehand.