LEAVING CERT MUSIC 2010

nazar

Hi all,

I've decided to sit Leaving Cert Music as a mature student. I know nothing of what is required for the practical or written exam.

I have done singing and piano up to grade 5 and would be quite confident about the practial side of things. Where can I find a list of song choices for the exam for the performance side ?

Also has anyone bought the pack on http://www.leavingcertmusic.com/ and if so was it any good and it is enough to just follow this ?

Thanks as I need a C minimum in Higher Level - so any advice would be appreciated.

gracenotes

Practical: you can choose to have your practical exam count for 50% of your overall result and there's no set list of pieces, you can play virtually any style of piece as long as it's of the level required.

I think, under SEC guidelines, your pieces are supposed to be at a level equivalent to five years of playing - so grade 5 would be ideal. However, that's not entirely set in stone. For example, when i did my LC last year, i played 2 grade 7's, 1 grade 6 and 1 grade 4. Tbh, it's more about how well you perform rather than what level you are at!:)

Written part is broken into composing& listening sections (25% each).

Composing: Melody writing section(40m) - you either compose a melody to a given 4 bars OR compose in a given dance metre OR set words (like a poem) to music. Most people do the first or second options.

Harmony section(60m): Either composing bass notes & chords to a given tune OR adding descant & chords to a given tune OR compose melody and bass from given chords.

Listening section(100m): consists of questions on your set works, irish music (including a short essay) and a question on a piece that you (most likely) won't have heard before.

Altogether, getting a C is very achievable if you're good at the performance side of things - many people get close to the full 50%!:)

ldxo15wus6fpgm

is there anywhere i can find out what grade a particular song would be? i'll be playing guitar for the practical and i reckon i'm going to stick to mainstream stuff.

nazar

Thanks Grace Notes - that's all very useful info!!

evolving_doors

Jada Hot Gown wrote: »

is there anywhere i can find out what grade a particular song would be? i'll be playing guitar for the practical and i reckon i'm going to stick to mainstream stuff.

Could you show the tab or a video of it on you tube maybe?..

A Neurotic

Jada Hot Gown wrote: »

is there anywhere i can find out what grade a particular song would be? i'll be playing guitar for the practical and i reckon i'm going to stick to mainstream stuff.

Probably better off just showing the songs to your teacher, who should have a good idea of the standard required in non-classical songs. I did one classical and three "mainstream" guitar songs for my practical last year and got almost full marks.

Bosphorus

hey, i am doing it this year as well. I really need to do some serious studying for the everything but the practical!
but im not too sure about the practical, i got distinction in grade 8 and i play the drums. I don't know if i am meant to play on my own or with others, because i don't know anyone who will have songs prepared in time! My music teacher said she knows nothing about the practical, how stupid like!!!
any help? any how many songs for 50% again? thanks!

A Neurotic

Bosphorus wrote: »

hey, i am doing it this year as well. I really need to do some serious studying for the everything but the practical!
but im not too sure about the practical, i got distinction in grade 8 and i play the drums. I don't know if i am meant to play on my own or with others, because i don't know anyone who will have songs prepared in time! My music teacher said she knows nothing about the practical, how stupid like!!!
any help? any how many songs for 50% again? thanks!

That's shocking.

You can do 6 songs on the drums for your 50%, or if your school has the facilities, you can do 4 songs and also Music Technology, which is very simple and takes far less time and practice than 2 songs... It may be a different protocol for drums though, I'm not sure.

Bosphorus

A Neurotic wrote: »

That's shocking.

You can do 6 songs on the drums for your 50%, or if your school has the facilities, you can do 4 songs and also Music Technology, which is very simple and takes far less time and practice than 2 songs... It may be a different protocol for drums though, I'm not sure.

ya, she's a grind teacher, i only have a 1 hr class once a week! music has recently come into my school, i think i will need to have a chat to the music teacher there! Thanks for replying, if i have 6 songs, would playing 6 different types of music be much better than doing 2 or 3? It might be a stupid question, but you never know it might'nt!

ldxo15wus6fpgm

okay i've changed my mind im going to play metal for all my pieces. i cant really get any info on grading of the music i like though, seeing as grading it pretty much exclusive to classical pieces on the guitar. my teacher doesnt play guitar at all so she cant really help. can you suggest a song for me to look at that would give me some impression of the standard required?

soddy92

Hey im in leaving cert, nearly got my practical sorted, im doing six pieces; playing guitar and singing. Just wondering how will i be marked if i choose "voice with accompaniment"? is it 50% guitar and 50% singing or what?

A Neurotic

I don't know any metal to be honest; just to add, if you do two activities (eg Drums and Music Technology) you're marked at Ordinary Level - ie, far easier than doing 6 pieces on one instrument (which apparently equates to more expertise on said instrument and thus Higher Level marking). I can't recommend this enough. I did four guitar songs for my practical. Two of them were pretty simple for an intermediate player. One was moderately challenging. The other was somewhere in between.

The standard was not at all high.

The music technology was a non-event. A complete piece of piss. If your school doesn't do it, maybe ask your teacher about doing it yourself outside of school. It requires minimal instruction, and a little bit of practice. I can't believe every school doesn't do it. It pretty much scored me full marks in my practical.

EDIT: Wait, do you mean playing metal on the guitar? Sorry if I misunderstood. In that case, it might be worth looking into doing some guitar and some drumming. That would count as two activities and merit the easier grading, I think.

leavingcertsuck

Ok so i know i'm an idiot and all that but my music practical is in a couple weeks and i need to know what the exact name of the software music technology is examined on so i can practice over Easter!!!!!!!



Also any additional information would be highly HIGHLY appreciated. Like a run down of what's expected/ what i have to know. If worse comes to worst i can always sing an additional 2 songs but my accompanist has only prepared the four i'm meant to be doing so PLEASE HELP ME :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

evolving_doors

Basically you can use whatever software you like depending what's on your school computer.. finale notepad (shareware downloadable) or sibelius (trial version) are the usual....you're kindof leaving it a little late though!!

A Neurotic

leavingcertsuck wrote: »

Ok so i know i'm an idiot and all that but my music practical is in a couple weeks and i need to know what the exact name of the software music technology is examined on so i can practice over Easter!!!!!!!



Also any additional information would be highly HIGHLY appreciated. Like a run down of what's expected/ what i have to know. If worse comes to worst i can always sing an additional 2 songs but my accompanist has only prepared the four i'm meant to be doing so PLEASE HELP ME :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I used Cakewalk Music Creator 2.

You're expected to input the music from a sheet of paper to the computer competently: at a decent speed, without misplacing notes or anything. It's easier than it sounds, there's really no pressure with it at all.

You'll also be asked to perform a couple of edits. This can be as simple as increasing the tempo (typing the higher tempo into the tempo box), to changing the instrument (er, clicking change instrument and picking a new one from the list), to the slightly more complex transposing - still fairly simple once you've practiced it.

Behind you Joey

leavingcertsuck wrote: »

Ok so i know i'm an idiot and all that but my music practical is in a couple weeks and i need to know what the exact name of the software music technology is examined on so i can practice over Easter!!!!!!!



Also any additional information would be highly HIGHLY appreciated. Like a run down of what's expected/ what i have to know. If worse comes to worst i can always sing an additional 2 songs but my accompanist has only prepared the four i'm meant to be doing so PLEASE HELP ME :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Finale Notepad 2005.

MiKala2020

A Neurotic wrote: »

I used Cakewalk Music Creator 2.

You're expected to input the music from a sheet of paper to the computer competently: at a decent speed, without misplacing notes or anything. It's easier than it sounds, there's really no pressure with it at all.

You'll also be asked to perform a couple of edits. This can be as simple as increasing the tempo (typing the higher tempo into the tempo box), to changing the instrument (er, clicking change instrument and picking a new one from the list), to the slightly more complex transposing - still fairly simple once you've practiced it.

Just wondering, do you have a download link for cakewalk? Have been searching the internet but have been insuccessful!

cedomination

A Neurotic wrote: »

You'll also be asked to perform a couple of edits. This can be as simple as increasing the tempo (typing the higher tempo into the tempo box), to changing the instrument (er, clicking change instrument and picking a new one from the list), to the slightly more complex transposing - still fairly simple once you've practiced it.

We are using finale so it might be different, but our teacher told us that we choose what changes we are going to make beforehand. Is that right?

kaylee91

hi lads n lasses i have my music practical next thursday (april 22nd) and i am singing 6 pieces and can only choose 4.. my music teacher is no help really with no feedback from my performances so i really am lacking the confidence ta pick my last 2 songs.. can you maybe suggest a few that i can try out as i am lost thinkin of songs at this stage.. thanks

Groinshot

kaylee91 wrote: »

hi lads n lasses i have my music practical next thursday (april 22nd) and i am singing 6 pieces and can only choose 4.. my music teacher is no help really with no feedback from my performances so i really am lacking the confidence ta pick my last 2 songs.. can you maybe suggest a few that i can try out as i am lost thinkin of songs at this stage.. thanks

Go with somethiong you know already- bit late to be changing your mind now, no?

As for OP, I palyed guitar and sang mainstream stuff, the grade doesnt really come into it so much for that, its more how well you perform it overall, but I would advise go with stuff you're comfortable with, and the music technology is absolutely brilliant. I did it for two weeks before the exam for an hour every 3 days or so, and at that, you bring in the piece of music yourself, put in a few bars of it, then open up the whole piece completed, and perform the edits, I changed the tempo marking, an mp to a p, and transposed it using sibbelius.

the hardest part is studying the works, the berlioz and mozart and beatles and eachanges for us, whatever it is for you, but you can get a C without showing up for that paper really if your good enough. I never did a classical instrument, just had 2 years of learning music in school and I got a B1 overall. Good luck!

M O N T O

Music Practicals tommorrow morning...Have four grade 6 piano pieces sorted, so thats handy, Just never bothered figuring out how to do the edits on The Music Tech. If that wasn't bad enough, I'm on boards at 3:04am.

Oh yeah I'm ross, glad to join this little LC community!:D

kaylee91

Groinshot wrote: »

Go with somethiong you know already- bit late to be changing your mind now, no?

As for OP, I palyed guitar and sang mainstream stuff, the grade doesnt really come into it so much for that, its more how well you perform it overall, but I would advise go with stuff you're comfortable with, and the music technology is absolutely brilliant. I did it for two weeks before the exam for an hour every 3 days or so, and at that, you bring in the piece of music yourself, put in a few bars of it, then open up the whole piece completed, and perform the edits, I changed the tempo marking, an mp to a p, and transposed it using sibbelius.

the hardest part is studying the works, the berlioz and mozart and beatles and eachanges for us, whatever it is for you, but you can get a C without showing up for that paper really if your good enough. I never did a classical instrument, just had 2 years of learning music in school and I got a B1 overall. Good luck!

thanx 4 that it helps a bit really ill have a go at the finale 2moro and see how hard/easy i find it thanx 4 the advise

cedomination

If I'm doing 4 pieces,how much time do I have? Our teacher never said.

Bosphorus

cedomination wrote: »

If I'm doing 4 pieces,how much time do I have? Our teacher never said.

less than 30mins, they can stop you if you go over.I'm doing, (on drums)
Al jarrau-Take 5(hip hop)
Herbie hancock-Cantaloupe island
Dave brubeck-take 5(jazz)
Random funk song
Take 5 remix.....strange one
Gnarles barkley-run

Danish Door

Does anyone know any sites that have a decent analysis on Berlioz, Seachanges, Beetles and Mozart? Especially Mozart, our teacher only did a week covering the 2 movements and we haven't even done the third one yet.

Is Seachanges looking to be the 25 marker on the Leaving this year because it was never the 25 marker before and this is the last time it'll be on the syllabus...???

BTW: Had practical today, I reccommend music tech any day!! Saved me!!

Bosphorus

can someone tell me how to modulate BACK to the tonic key in melody compisition??

If the tonic is Amajor....you go to B in order to go the dominant which is Emajor....

How do you get from Emajor back to A major?? what note do you take as the leading note to the Amajor or what?

leavingcert

How did everyone's music practical go?
I found the clapping very easy and gig group singinf and Technology and am absolutely so happy with it


Just wondering does anyome have anny predictions for the written paper this year?
Will Mozart or Seachanges come up... or none?

smileykiely

A Neurotic wrote: »

I don't know any metal to be honest; just to add, if you do two activities (eg Drums and Music Technology) you're marked at Ordinary Level - ie, far easier than doing 6 pieces on one instrument (which apparently equates to more expertise on said instrument and thus Higher Level marking). I can't recommend this enough. I did four guitar songs for my practical. Two of them were pretty simple for an intermediate player. One was moderately challenging. The other was somewhere in between.

The standard was not at all high.

The music technology was a non-event. A complete piece of piss. If your school doesn't do it, maybe ask your teacher about doing it yourself outside of school. It requires minimal instruction, and a little bit of practice. I can't believe every school doesn't do it. It pretty much scored me full marks in my practical.

EDIT: Wait, do you mean playing metal on the guitar? Sorry if I misunderstood. In that case, it might be worth looking into doing some guitar and some drumming. That would count as two activities and merit the easier grading, I think.

A Neurotic, what songs did you play?

A Neurotic

I played Cannonball by Damien Rice, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin, Blackbird by The Beatles and a classical piece called Spanish Romance

leg

Minimum i got in my music practical after reviewing my scripts was 190 out of 200. music is some subject highly recommended

tara talks

Hi guys
I am a past Music LC Student, and I am currently creating a website that stores info for students, to make studying easier, information easier obtain and provide the ability to listen to recordings.

It should be up soon