Music Extension 2024 HSC exam pack

Two solo pieces

Students should:

• select repertoire that highlights musical sophistication and reflects mature and nuanced stylistic understanding
• perform a sophisticated program demonstrating an outstanding awareness of the role of the soloist
• communicate expressive intent
• perform works that demonstrate refinement, musical awareness and highly developed technical capacity.

In better performances, students were able to:

• convey a strong structural awareness of the chosen repertoire through nuanced phrasing, dynamic contrasts and tonal variation
• demonstrate and sustain technical and interpretive skills through a stylistic interpretation of the chosen repertoire, for example, pieces that are within the students’ technical ability that allow for a range of expressive intent to be shown
• confidently communicate with the accompanist, and lead showing a strong performance flair
• demonstrate artistry with clear evidence of performance preparation that results in convincing and personalised solo skills.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the role of both soloist and accompanist within the chosen style
• choosing repertoire of a suitable length that shows breadth of technical and expressive skills
• selecting repertoire that highlights musical strengths and technical abilities
• ensuring the two solo chosen works are contrasting.

Ensemble piece

Students should:

• demonstrate deep understanding the work and the role of each ensemble member within the context of the whole piece
• choose repertoire in which the musical interest is shared between the ensemble members and different roles are explored, for example, pieces that vary within the structure to allow for a wide range of techniques to be shown
• work with ensemble members who are suitably matched in technical skill, have adequate rehearsal time, and are well positioned and balanced
• demonstrate excellent ensemble communication and interaction, with the ability to lead the ensemble with subtlety and sophistication, ensuring seamless transitions between ensemble roles.

In better performances, students were able to:

• demonstrate a strong stylistic connection in a sophisticated and engaging delivery of the chosen repertoire
• purposefully lead the ensemble showing awareness of the interdependence of all parts
• perform the chosen repertoire confidently with a clear understanding of the expressive intent
• display musical sophistication and sensitivity in a sustained performance.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring the nature of ensemble repertoire is understood, where all members have an equal role, in contrast to a solo work with accompaniment
• selecting repertoire that allows the student to perform with ensemble members that complement their technical skills
• understanding the technical aspects of amplification equipment, when used appropriately, to render a genre or style
• making sure the ensemble piece is rehearsed in ways that refine and develop the performance over time, with reference to balance and blend.

Students should:

• carefully consider musical choices to aid the development and communication of a personal voice
• ensure original ideas are evident within the chosen material
• consider the layout and organisation of their score to ensure clarity of notation and parts, and consider the need for a landscape or portrait score, for example, in a large orchestral score ensure layout is easily interpreted and able to be read on a screen
• provide a clear audio recording that is live and/or musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) to best support the intention of the work
• select an appropriate instrument, or combination of instruments, to effectively convey the style and development of musical material
• use the time available in the composition to create an effective structure and allow for the development of musical ideas.

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly imagine the work as a whole, whilst exploring sophisticated musical ideas that allow for originality to emerge in the compositional voice
• explore textural variety including the role of silence to maximise musical impact
• understand the capabilities of different instruments, their dynamic possibilities and registers when orchestrating and organising ideas
• effectively and deliberately manipulate texture for the ensemble or instrument to create specific musical effects, for example, make specific decisions about when to repeat, when to develop, and when to introduce new material
• use a musical style as a starting point in order to effectively re-imagine the musical ideas
• demonstrate how different musical concepts work together to create cohesion within the overall structure, for example, the use of dynamics and expressive techniques as part of the development process rather than as an afterthought.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that scores include appropriate transcription and detail of the musical ideas when using electronic performing media, for example, any pre-recorded track containing multiple sounds needs to be notate
• taking into account the acoustic reality of writing for the chosen instrumentation, for example, considering whether the submitted MIDI recording gives the same result as a live recording
• considering the final performance of the composition to ensure that the score and the ideas can be clearly communicated
• exploring sophisticated use of musical concepts to allow for the ideas to be fully realised and sustained throughout the entire structure, for example, choosing combinations of techniques and devices to communicate the chosen style
• crafting of complex and interesting melodic, harmonic and rhythmic material to create purposeful and sustained musical interest
• considering the overall structural integrity of the submission, rather than relying on simplistic structural elements, such as ternary form with a strongly contrasting middle section
• submitting scores that are fully notated, for example, a jazz rhythm section with a comping section and/or repeated notated patterns
• ensuring recordings are balanced to enhance musical ideas.

Students should:

• develop a clear and original hypothesis that is achievable
• analyse primary sources that enhance the overall discussion ensuring selected scores and sound are supportive of the hypothesis
• use concise musical language supported by evidence from primary sources
• show an engagement with and connection to the chosen works
• develop a sustained argument to continually support the hypothesis
• use a wide range of reputable sources, clearly acknowledging and referencing both the bibliography and body of the essay.

In better responses, students were able to:

• develop an original hypothesis based on an attainable musical discussion
• analyse primary sources (scores, audio samples) that provide evidence of musical features that support the argument, for example, score features that relate to the discussion and prove a particular observation, linking to the hypothesis
• use sophisticated musical terminology to discuss the primary sources, such as an in-depth discussion of pitch, highlighting harmonic and stylistic features of the score linked to contextual references
• establish a cohesive academic writing style, showing engagement in the topic through wide listening and breadth of research within a logical essay structure
• maintain a sustained focus on the premise throughout the length of the essay, for example, each paragraph revealed further depth and supportive evidence relevant to the overarching hypothesis
• use a wide range of reputable sources, clearly acknowledging and referencing both the bibliography and body of response, such as scholarly journal articles, books, program notes, in conjunction with a consistent and recognised referencing system to acknowledge the sources
• integrate primary and secondary sources to sustain a persuasive argument in line with the hypothesis, by drawing upon reputable research and using well-chosen musical examples to support the analysis.

Areas for students to improve include:

• choosing an original hypothesis, based on a self-devised premise as opposed to a well-known descriptive or generalised investigation such as ‘the history of the flute’
• developing a more formal writing style, linking secondary sources to analytical discussion
• selecting repertoire that allows for detailed musical analysis and breadth of discussion, linked to secondary sources that are appropriately chosen
• copying and/or borrowing heavily from existing sources, even if these are acknowledged, for example, dissertations, textbooks, websites, music resource kits, and YouTube. For example, transcriptions of YouTube analysis that are not fully referenced in the bibliography, footnotes or endnotes
• including audio excerpts to support the musical analysis and hypothesis
• using long audio excerpts and score examples
• ensuring that score examples are clearly labelled with title, bar numbers, timestamp, clef, key signatures and instrumentation.