Music 2 2018 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• select appropriate repertoire that is within technical skill level
• maintain personal engagement throughout the performance
• consider stamina and changes of ensembles when establishing the order of performance pieces
• have supportive and well-rehearsed accompaniment that allows for a secure musical outcome
• be familiar with and understand the performance space and equipment
• ensure sound checks are short and focused
• carefully tune instruments prior to and between performances.

In better performances, students were able to:

• present repertoire displaying musical strengths
• display technical and interpretive skills demonstrating personal engagement and stylistic understanding
• explore balance and variety effectively within performances
• sustain engagement and momentum for the duration of the piece and program.

Areas for students to improve included:

• selecting repertoire that showcases technical and expressive strengths
• familiarising themselves fully with the performance space prior to the day of the exam with attention to positioning of accompanist/ensemble and/or equipment to assist with communication
• considering the overall program for interest and balance including the order of pieces.

Sight singing

Students should:

• utilise the entire two minutes allocated as preparation
• vocalise the melody using either solfege, the lyrics or verbalising the melody using a vowel rather than humming the melody
• give attention to difficult intervals and passages to ensure accurate pitch and rhythmic interpretation
• contextualise the key signature and tonality of the piece.

In better performances, students were able to:

• use the two-minute preparation time to rehearse rhythmic and melodic material to achieve accuracy
• establish a tonal centre at the beginning of the two minute preparation time.

Areas for students to improve included:

• using the preparation time to practise singing aloud with confidence
• establishing a pulse or beat during the preparation time to assist rhythmic interpretation.

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a strong stylistic understanding of the topic through the use of appropriate stylistic features and harmonic idioms
• create compositions that were structurally coherent with seamless transitions, effective textural changes and development of musical ideas
• sustain interest throughout by successfully integrating the concepts of music
• provide original compositional thought through the development and refinement of ideas
• show clear compositional intent and accuracy through the use of accurate scoring conventions and detailed score markings.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing all details for the reproduction of the score to ensure clear intent and accuracy
• developing, reviewing and selecting appropriate ideas to ensure cohesion within the overall structure of the work
• creating a balance of contrast and variety
• manipulating the concepts of music and including appropriate features to create and reflect a sense of style
• understanding the capabilities of the selected performing media and their roles within the work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• structure logical arguments supported by detailed score excerpts which were accurately referenced
• demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the concepts through in-depth analysis
• apply accurate musicological terminology and provide clearly linked musical examples to support their hypothesis
• demonstrate perceptive stylistic understanding.

Areas for students to improve include:

• selecting an appropriate topic which allows for in-depth analysis
• broadening the scope of the discussion to include an in-depth focus and analysis of the concepts of music
• organising essays to include scores, annotations, bar numbers, labelling of instruments or audio examples as described in the Assessment and Reporting in Music 2 Stage 6 document.

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• accurately identify the instruments and their roles (a)
• describe musical events in order with detailed reference to the concepts of music (a)
• accurately notate pitch and rhythm clearly on the stave, identifying the change in intervallic structure in bars 5 and 6 and the change in key in bars 7 and 8 including the natural sign (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• correctly identifying instruments and correctly applying musical terms and devices (a)
• attending to the correct subdivision of beat in 6/8 time signature (b).

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly identify sections and describe them as either Theme and Variations or Introduction, Section A and B (a)
• use a concept-based description to describe features of each section (a)
• provide a detailed description of texture with each point referencing the score with correct use of terminology (b)
• discuss the role of each instrument in relation to texture (b)
• describe polyphony or staggered entries with clear reference to the score (b)
• describe the use of concepts in relation to variety and provide specific examples from the score for each concept (c)
• demonstrate highly developed aural skills by referencing the G minor key change, harmonisation in thirds, triplet accompaniment and textural and tone colour changes (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• recognising similarities and differences in musical material (a)
• applying correct terminology in the discussion of texture (b)
• understanding the relationship between the concepts and how each contributes to variety (c)
• selecting the most pertinent examples from the score to support each point (c).

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• discuss a number of concepts in detail in relation to balance (a)
• include specific bars and reference instruments to illustrate an understanding of balance (a)
• address the word ‘analyse’ and demonstrate this by linking compositional devices, concepts and score references (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• exploring concepts in detail to support their observations (a)
• providing score references and analysis rather than simply listing observations (b)
• planning the response to ensure complex musical features are discussed rather than elaborating on simple musical ideas (b).

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the breadth of the question, incorporating relevant and specific musical examples and sophisticated music terminology
• provide a response which addresses ‘style’ and makes excellent links between the works and the concepts of music.

Areas for students to improve include:

• analysing the works in depth
• using relevant detail and musical quotes
• ensuring the response is organised and cohesive while addressing ‘style’
• avoiding the inclusion of unrelated score quotes.