I have two pupils aged 10 and 11 working towards Grade 5, and I am really struggling with the last section of the aural - identifying period and style. I normally switch them to TG exams before they get to this level so haven't taught this before. Has anyone got any ideas where to start even?

Have PMed you

Do have a look at the Aural Test Survival Book for that grade - these books are really helpful and have very sensible suggestions.

...and the website e-musicmaestro.com has a few free examples to practise with which is useful.

My genius shorthand way of identifying music:

If it's got two tunes moving along together, it's Baroque.
If it's a cute tune over a broken chord/pattern type accompaniment, it's Classical.
If it's all sweeping and dramatic sounding, it's Romantic.
If it sounds like rubbish nothing on earth, it's Modern.



(n.b. I do actually say that to my pupils!)

I don't think I'd go that far with describing the modern, becasue I don't think they'd play that sort of music in the aural, but I do say that if one aspect of it - melody (angular) rhythm (syncopated or very irregular and unpredictable) or harmony (discordant) sounds a bit "wrong" for what they've normally listened to, then it's modern.

When I was at university, one of my friends had open on his desk a library copy of the Messe de Notre Dame by Machaut - the rules we work by hadn't really been formulated in those days (Machaut's day, I mean, not my time at uni! ) and the big know-all of our year was also among the gathering, and took a look at the music, which wasn't showing a title. "What on earth is THIS?" he said, "It's worse than Stravinsky!"

Thanks, that's very helpful. I guess we'll just have to do lots of examples and see what happens.

Joking apart, in an emergency situation, one could do worse than this....

Thank you!