Music Technology A2 Units 3 & 4

Unit 3 60% of A2 mark

Unit 3 builds on skills acquired in Unit 1 and extends these to include a composition task. It involves detailed study of Area of Study 3: The Development of Technology-based Music. Students carry out the work for this unit under controlled conditions. Students must complete three tasks which together make the A2 Music Technology Portfolio: Task 3A: Sequenced Integrated Performance Task 3B: Multi-track Recording Task 3C: Composing using Music Technology. Each task will be submitted as a designated track on the Music Technology Portfolio 2 CD. All of your coursework is marked externally by Edexcel examiners.

Logbook
You will also submit a logbook which will provide information on the resources used in each task. There are no marks available for completing the logbook, but students work cannot be assessed if this is not completed.

Controlled conditions
Students have the following number of hours to complete the three tasks in Music Technology Portfolio 2: a maximum of 20 hours to complete the Sequenced Integrated Performance a maximum of 20 hours to complete the Multi-track Recording a maximum of 20 hours to complete the Composing Using Music Technology.

The hours may be divided into any number of sessions but each session must be supervised.

Unit 4 - 40% of A2 mark

This assessment will take the form of a 2-hour examination. The exam will take place in early June 2010. There are two sections in the examination paper and students have to complete both.

Music Technology A2 Units 3 & 4

Each student will have an audio CD, which will contain a series of music les to be imported into music production software. You will also have an examination paper which will include some or all of the CD tracks notated as conventional staff notation, editing grids or numerical data. You will be required to review the materials, commenting on musical elements and technological processes, identifying mistakes and discrepancies and correcting them and, nally, producing a stereo mix. The tasks may involve adding and editing MIDI data, and may involve vocal track(s). The nal mix will consist of four tracks totalling, approximately, one minute of music. Some of the material on the audio CD may take the form of separate sections or samples which will have to be assembled into a complete track. The rst track will consist of a melody which may be original, a popular song or jazz standard, folk tune or lm/TV theme. The second will consist of backing chords for keyboard(s), guitar(s), wind or string instruments. The third will consist of a bass line. The fourth will be a drum and/or percussion part.

GRADE BOUNDARIES