A224 Inside Music course Options

[rabbit]

Can anyone give me an indication of the level of this course with the Open University please? Maybe a rough comparison to the theory exam levels - is it around grades 6-7 or above grade 8 etc.

Also, anyone doing this course and got any feedback for it? I'm in the middle of considering my next challenge on the musical ladder you see.

Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Claire83]

I don't think you'll find any feedback as I'm sure it is the first presentation of the course due to begin in October.

I think it is listed as a possible substitution for Grade 6 Theory in the ABRSM Diploma requirements however would probably warn against using this as a guide as my limited knowledge of what will be covered in A224 suggests that it will be very different to the Theory syllabus.

[eldatom]

Can anyone give me an indication of the level of this course with the Open University please? Maybe a rough comparison to the theory exam levels - is it around grades 6-7 or above grade 8 etc.

Also, anyone doing this course and got any feedback for it? I'm in the middle of considering my next challenge on the musical ladder you see.

Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Hi Rabbit

You need to have at least grade 3 theory to take the course and I should imagine it takes you up to around grade 8 theory for knowledge. It is a replacement course for A214 so this year will be its first presentation. I know that there is a song element to this one and you get sibelious software. I am registered to do this and really excited, if it is half as good as A214 then I know that I am going to enjoy it. It will be studying Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor KV491 which you have to purchase yourself.

ET

[Tixylix]

The course this one replaced (A214) is accepted as an ABRSM substitute for Grade 6 theory. I haven't heard any mention of A224 being given this status yet, probably because the first presentation isn't until October so it's not actually in circulation yet.

A214 and A224 are not an excluded combination with the OU, meaning they do not overlap enough to make studying both redundant. A214 did not require any previous theoretical knowledge, whereas the recommendation for A224 is that you have an understanding equivalent to Grade 3 ABRSM theory before you start. I really can't say any more than that right now, though I'm planning to start A224 in October (I didn't do A214) so I'll know when the box of books arrives!

Edit: Just emailed the Board's syllabus department to enquire about this, and asked if they don't know now to give an indication of when they might. I'll let you know when I get a reply.

[rabbit]

Thanks all - I didn't realise it was the first presentation of the course.

It will be great if you can let me know that Tixylix.

[Tixylix]

Got a reply:

Dear [Tixylix],
Thank you for your email regarding the possibility of ABRSM accepting course A224 from the OU as an alternative qualification to the Grade 5 Theory, Grade 5 Practical Musicianship, Grade 5 Jazz prerequisite for entrance to the higher practical grades (grades 6-8).

As this is effectively a new course, which ABRSM has not come across before, we will need to see as much information on the course as possible before a decision can be made as to whether or not we can accept the qualification as an alternative to our own.

Please could you send in a copy of the syllabus, any exam papers and any other relevant material you may have to:

ABRSM Syllabus Department
24 Portland Place
London
W1B 1LU

Once we have received this information, we will be able to make a decision as to whether or not this qualification can be accepted. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

It's a) not quite what I was asking, but never mind and b) looks like the answer is we don't know until the course starts as the material they've requested is not yet available. I may try asking the OU about this, presumably they can share the relevant information with the Board directly.

What has occurred to me is that as A224 does not actually have an end-of-course exam (it's entirely coursework-assessed), so they might not accept it in place of an examined qualification. I'll do my best to get us an answer anyway, or to find out when we might be able to get an answer.

Update: Emailed the Communications Dept. of the OU (who produce the Professional Recognition leaflets which tell you which other organisations accept their courses as substitutions) and got a response saying it's been forwarded to the Faculty of Arts so someone from the Music Dept. will hopefully let me know.

[Kai-Lei]

I notice the OU offers -

In order to check whether you have the necessary knowledge to start this course, you are strongly advised to look at the preparatory material. If you pre-book for this course, we will send you details on how to access this material when it becomes available in early 2011.

If the material covered there is unfamiliar, you should work through it before starting A224. It is best to do this over several weeks, so that you have time to absorb it, rather than trying to cram it all in immediately before starting the course.

It's a shame they don't allow access to this material before you pre-book the course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif)

[rabbit]

I notice the OU offers -

In order to check whether you have the necessary knowledge to start this course, you are strongly advised to look at the preparatory material. If you pre-book for this course, we will send you details on how to access this material when it becomes available in early 2011.

If the material covered there is unfamiliar, you should work through it before starting A224. It is best to do this over several weeks, so that you have time to absorb it, rather than trying to cram it all in immediately before starting the course.

It's a shame they don't allow access to this material before you pre-book the course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif)

I quite agree! They might get a few more uptakers were this the case!

[eldatom]

I notice the OU offers -

In order to check whether you have the necessary knowledge to start this course, you are strongly advised to look at the preparatory material. If you pre-book for this course, we will send you details on how to access this material when it becomes available in early 2011.

If the material covered there is unfamiliar, you should work through it before starting A224. It is best to do this over several weeks, so that you have time to absorb it, rather than trying to cram it all in immediately before starting the course.

It's a shame they don't allow access to this material before you pre-book the course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif)

I quite agree! They might get a few more uptakers were this the case!

Knowing the OU as I do, I am sure if you were to ring up and ask for details then these would be supplied to you.

[Maizie]

And you may find that these materials do become available on the open-to-all website for future presentations - the reason they weren't accessible this time around is because it was a new course and they weren't written yet!
My nearly-finished course (A330) was new in Oct 2010 - there is now a pre-reading section on the arts faculty website for the course. But this wasn't available until quite soon before the course started, i.e. when most of us on it had already registered.

[eldatom]

And you may find that these materials do become available on the open-to-all website for future presentations - the reason they weren't accessible this time around is because it was a new course and they weren't written yet!
My nearly-finished course (A330) was new in Oct 2010 - there is now a pre-reading section on the arts faculty website for the course. But this wasn't available until quite soon before the course started, i.e. when most of us on it had already registered.

A330 looks a really interesting course Maizie. Did you have to do a level 2 course that was similar first or does it stand alone?

[Maizie]

A330 looks a really interesting course Maizie. Did you have to do a level 2 course that was similar first or does it stand alone?

It does stand alone quite nicely - you don't really need to know a great deal of classical history or anything like that. I did A219 (Intro to Classical World) and AA309 (Roman Empire - now discontinued) beforehand, and while it does fit in nicely with those, they definitely aren't necessary.

In A219, you cover Augustus coming to power at the end of the Repbulic/start of the Empire, from a historical perspective and also in the poetry of the time. In AA309 this period comes up again more than once, including Virgil's Anaeid. And then in A330, you get to look at the Anaeid from a third perspective. They don't build on one another, but it is really nice to see the courses fitting together like that - basically, they've thought about people who might have studied other classical studies courses, and put something in there for them, as well as for people completely new to the area.

The recommended preparation is here. I would say the best things you could do to prepare are:
- to be familiar with a bit of classical history, but really basic stuff like "Rome was a monarchy, then a republic, then there was a civil war and it became an empire" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) You don't need to worry about dates or names or anything detailed!
- to read the set book Metamorphoses from cover to cover (it's quite a big book, and it's divided in to fifteen sections which are confusingly each called 'books'!) In the course, the first six books are read in varying levels of detail. But by reading the whole thing you get introduced to a lot more myths - it helps you just to have that familiarity. Besides that, it is a jolly good read! (And it may come in useful in TMAs and the EMA, as it will give you more things to choose from, e.g. we had a TMA where we had to discuss a story of our choice from Metamorphoses - it didn't have to be one of the ones studied in detail in the block)

[eldatom]

A330 looks a really interesting course Maizie. Did you have to do a level 2 course that was similar first or does it stand alone?

It does stand alone quite nicely - you don't really need to know a great deal of classical history or anything like that. I did A219 (Intro to Classical World) and AA309 (Roman Empire - now discontinued) beforehand, and while it does fit in nicely with those, they definitely aren't necessary.

In A219, you cover Augustus coming to power at the end of the Repbulic/start of the Empire, from a historical perspective and also in the poetry of the time. In AA309 this period comes up again more than once, including Virgil's Anaeid. And then in A330, you get to look at the Anaeid from a third perspective. They don't build on one another, but it is really nice to see the courses fitting together like that - basically, they've thought about people who might have studied other classical studies courses, and put something in there for them, as well as for people completely new to the area.

The recommended preparation is here. I would say the best things you could do to prepare are:
- to be familiar with a bit of classical history, but really basic stuff like "Rome was a monarchy, then a republic, then there was a civil war and it became an empire" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) You don't need to worry about dates or names or anything detailed!
- to read the set book Metamorphoses from cover to cover (it's quite a big book, and it's divided in to fifteen sections which are confusingly each called 'books'!) In the course, the first six books are read in varying levels of detail. But by reading the whole thing you get introduced to a lot more myths - it helps you just to have that familiarity. Besides that, it is a jolly good read! (And it may come in useful in TMAs and the EMA, as it will give you more things to choose from, e.g. we had a TMA where we had to discuss a story of our choice from Metamorphoses - it didn't have to be one of the ones studied in detail in the block)

thanks for the very informative reply Maizie. Something for me to consider next October. I am planning on doing the advanced creative writing but if I don't get along too well with A215 then I may change my mind. This is where I need other options to consider.

[rabbit]

The OU have added to their site that this course begins at the same level as the ABRSM grade 3 paper! Can't hurt to go over some of the basics again, can it??

[CJB]

The OU have added to their site that this course begins at the same level as the ABRSM grade 3 paper! Can't hurt to go over some of the basics again, can it??

Just don't get caught out in a false sense of security. OU courses can get tricky quite quickly. I'm doing TA212 at the moment which claims to include all the theory pre-reqs for A224. G3 is probably about right. There was a bit of grumbling on this course which claimed you needed no ability to read music that about 16 hours of study time were allocated to the theory work. This was in the 1st 4 weeks including simple dictation along with the intro to the maths needed and a TMA covering all of it. Fine if you had moderate prior knowledge but a handful of folks got into a bit of a panic about it.