Hi

I'm new to this so sorry if I don't respond to anything anyone says, just blame my lack of technical skills...!
I was wondering if anyone could help me - I'm currently revising for the analysis part of my AS level music exam, which is in about a month's time. I'm finding it fine in terms of understanding - however, I'm unsure and slightly worried as to what extent I need to remember details to. The main thing I'd like to know is whether I need to remember lots of specific bar numbers when I make references to features of the pieces? I know we're allowed an unannotated copy of the score with us but I'm not sure how many bar references to remember, if any, or whether I'll find it easy to just flick through and find the features I'm looking for.
(I'm studying Music for Large Ensemble and Popular Song and Jazz.)

I know it's a long shot but any ideas would be greatly appreciated - my teacher doesn't go into much detail about these things and I'd just like to know how everyone else is approaching their revision!

Thanks

In a word: YES!

For the questions, especially the higher marked ones, you get points for both statement e.g Black and Tan Fantasy has a horse whinny in it and more points for saying e.g at bar X, beat Y.

It is crucial that you remember as many bar references as possible if you want the highest marks, or even the area where certain things are, so you can quickly look in the exam.

Have got dinner now - but please do PM me, I did Pop and Jazz and Large Ensemble for AS (although the lists have changed I have to do all the Pop and Jazz one for A2) and I'll give you some pointers. I got 101/120 (I think) for the Listening and Understanding unit for AS, and I know my listening was weaker than my understanding, so any questions, fire away!

Good luck.

Take what I say with a pinch of salt, because this wasn't part of A Level when I did it - but if you have a copy of the score with you in the exam, if you can remember the area where things are then you should be able to find relevant bar numbers reasonably easily. If you know the structure of the music inside out and that for instance the horse whinny is in such and such a part, then with the score in front of you and a good idea where it is, it shouldn't be difficult to find the relevant bar number(s).

I geuss what I'm saying is, whether you memorise bar numbers or not at least partly depends on how easy/hard that is for you, me I'd find it easier just remembering which section of the music it was in roughly so that I could flip the to appropriate bit and go "ahh yes, bar 56!", bit like I would with say a play "ahh yes, there's such-and-such in act 4 scene 2, I shall go find the appropriate line". But if you find it easiest to link the features with actual bar numbers then that'll be what works FOR YOU. What is important is that you are able to use those bar numbers, so whether you memorise them as a list of numbers, or whether you're better off being familiar with the score in your hands so you can find the numbers, will depend very much on how you're wired.

Erm. Not sure if this made any sense.....

It does make sense Sarah, and yes that's a good way too...but for things like structure/large sections, it might be easier to know the bar numbers.

Yup...Black and Tan has a horse whinny...created by the trombone and a mute and various other things I think.

Revision wise...I listened to the set works lots, and lots, and lots, and lots. When I was revising a particular set work, I'd have the music of it on in the background. I'd also go through it with the score. I then made mind maps, and did grids where I had the title, and then did a section for rhythm/melody/texture/structure/performance circumstances/tonality/ etc, as these are what the examiners especially like to test you on for the last question.

Do you have the orange Rhinegold book? If not, they're really useful, even if they are expensive.

We also had a class outing, where all the AS and those who were retaking at A2, went to my teacher's house, had a meal but revised all afternoon together. That was good.

Past papers - and mark schemes especially are useful, as you can see what the examiner wants. They have a vast marking scheme, but you have to be specific, and non waffly. Do you know that you can write in bullet points in the exam - this is good for being concise and saving time.

^ Bullet points are very useful. Much quicker and you can't waffle!

Yup, and it's quite restricted in terms of time the AS exam

Unfortunately, at A2, you have to write it as an essay

From experience in uni exams: if you have a good basic structure/essay plan that you can revise, it's worth taking two minutes to write that out for each essay when you start the paper.

That way, you have all the important points down, and just need to expand on them: then when you've finished the essay you cross out the plan (no need to scrub it out, just make it clear it was just a plan).

Two major advantages here: you're writing down a nice structured, concise plan of your essay - you have the basic skeleton to hang everything on, and you've got it all down in the first few minutes while it's fresh in your head, before you're tired and the memory starts to lapse, so you can relax a little knowing you just have to flesh it out - and your essay is likely to be well structured because you have a good guide to what points are going where.

And secondly - if disaster strikes and you fail to finish an essay, your essay plan is there and can be taken into consideration. Granted, you won't do as well as if you'd finished it, but it will help examiners give credit where it's due even if it doesn't get you the best marks.

You hard working well revision-drilled folks may go "duh, of course", but I thought I'd share just in case because it wasn't something I'd ever done before uni, and it got me through at least two or three sticky exams that I may have struggled with/hopelessly waffled on otherwise

I don't know how useful this is for the kind of essays you have to write, but it helped me in subjects as diverse as essays about Russian history, mediaeval literature, and cults and sects in Russia, so I'm willing to believe it's a useful thing to know .

It works best with things where you've a lot of details you KNOW need to go in (almost regardless of exact question wordings!) which can be scribbled down in bullet point form, but it is helpful even if you only have a vague idea of what the questions will be, to have yourself a structure and note down anything that immediately springs to mind as a "oh, that question - I must remember to mention X, Y and Z" - things all too easily forgotten in the stress of the exam room while you're trying to write a nice concise introductory paragraph!

Just leaving a little space to be able to scribble those things down as they occur to you, rather than having to think "I must remember to talk about such-and-such when I get to the relevant bit of the essay" is really useful. Even the best essay-writers can forget a vital fact under pressure; even if it was in their heads at the start of the exam, when 2 or 3 hours have gone by sometimes remembering one's own name is a 50-50 chance

Hope I've explained that OK.....!

Plans are fantastic

I usually do them not that detailed, but the amount of times I've read through the exam paper, then in the middle of another question suddenly remembered another point for another question and written it down on my plan is numerable.

Great explanation Sarah

Wow, you are fountains of knowledge!
Thank you very much Nicki and Sarah-flutes I'm feeling a lot better about it now and have written bar references next to all my notes with the intention of learning as many as I possibly can. Will definitely be doing it for the rest of my pieces! Also, the advice about planning really came in useful too so thanks Sarah - despite being a double English student I'm not the world's best essay planner/general reviser (!) and that was another part of the analysis I was a bit stressed about! I'm a lot calmer now though
An essay at A2?! Our teachers haven't chosed to drop that bombshell on us yet, thanks for the warning! I'm sure you'll be fine though. Oh, and I didn't know about being able to write in bullet points... I can see that being a lifesaver! I'm going to track down the Rhinegold book too. Your revision afternoons sound great Nicki, our class (all three of us...!) get on really well with our music teachers so I might suggest it to them.
Thanks again for your help - the first forum I've ever joined, would you believe?! I think I might see myself becoming a regular

...and yes Nicki, I know that horse whinny well

I didn't really learn how to revise till uni (and then only because I would've failed a module otherwise ) - so I totally understand

Hope it goes well, glad you're feeling more positive about it

You're welcome

It sounds like your notes are going well

Well, it doesn't seem too bad, though saying that I've not done it yet. Are you thinking of doing A2?

The Rhinegold book is - http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/guides/msg/edx/...x-as-covers.cfm - it's the guide, but I see they have some new books. The listening tests are REALLY good, but also expensive. See if your school can them.

We only had one...and there were only 3 AS then too. I'm the only A2er this year.

Yes, you quickly get addicted *cough cough*.

I'm definitely doing A2, yes - hoping to study singing at one of the music colleges and if not then at Leeds or another good music uni. I absolutely love it!

Thanks for the book link, it looks great and I think I'll talk to my teachers about them/me getting a copy.

On the note of forum addiction I'm off to get some sleep now - an evening of revision has tired me out! Thanks for your help




[/quote]
You're welcome

It sounds like your notes are going well

Well, it doesn't seem too bad, though saying that I've not done it yet. Are you thinking of doing A2?

The Rhinegold book is - http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/guides/msg/edx/...x-as-covers.cfm - it's the guide, but I see they have some new books. The listening tests are REALLY good, but also expensive. See if your school can them.

We only had one...and there were only 3 AS then too. I'm the only A2er this year.

Yes, you quickly get addicted *cough cough*.
[/quote]

Yes it does get addictive - be warned!

Hope your exams go really well