A Level | Music – Leighton Park

A Level in Music

Exam Board: WJEC Eduqas

Benefits of the course

The WJEC Eduqas A Level in Music offers a broad, coherent and exciting course of study and is designed to allow students to pursue their own musical interests. Students develop skills in the three distinct but related disciplines of performing, composing and appraising, whilst having flexibility to specialise in either performing or composing by choosing to apportion 10% of their assessment to one of these options. Students will engage with both classical, jazz and rock and pop music.

Course description

All students must study:

Area of study A: The Western Classical Tradition. The Development of the Symphony 1750– 1900: This area of study focuses on the development of the symphony through the Classical and Romantic eras. Students will use the musical language of this period to compose one piece of music to a brief.

Students choose one Area of Study from either B, C or D:

Area of study B: Rock and Pop. This area of study focuses on rock and pop music from a variety of genres composed between 1960 and 2000.

Area of study C: Musical Theatre

This area of study focuses on the work of six musical theatre composers: Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Schwartz.

Area of study D: Jazz

This area of study focuses on prominent genres from the world of Jazz between 1920 and 1960.

Students also choose one Area of Study from eitherArea of Study E or F:

Area of study E: Into the Twentieth Century. This area of study focuses on the distinct musical styles of the early twentieth century, which was a time of significant change and experimentation in music.

Area of study F: Into the Twenty-first Century. This area of study is possibly the most difficult to classify, as it is happening here and now, while at the same time it is potentially the most exciting, as it engages with the work of living composers such as Sally Beamish, Judith Weir, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès, and how they create and develop ideas to make music.

Future opportunities

A Level Music is a highly respected subject. It is a myth that you only study Music if you want to become a musician – it is still a wonderful subject to study even if you do not intend to pursue a career in Music. It pairs equally as well with subjects such as Maths and Physics as it does with English and Drama. Many universities and employers rate an A Level Music qualification on your CV very highly as they understand that this subject teaches you a wide range of skills that are transferable to many courses and jobs. Music is a subject for students with all career aspirations, both in the music industry or in a different field altogether.

If you have any queries about this course, please contact Head of Department: Rosemary Scales

To apply for our Sixth Form, please see our Admissions page.