The full Music A Level course offers an excellent opportunity to develop your musical skills and knowledge in many ways. You will gain experience of composition, be given the opportunity to perform in whatever style you choose and you will learn how to listen perceptively to every type of music from the Renaissance to the present day. The course encompasses a huge variety of music from classical, pop, rock, dance, jazz, to film music and is ideal for anyone wanting to deepen their appreciation of music as well as those wishing to make it their career.

What is Music @ DLD?

Music lessons are centred on the individual needs of students and taught by expert staff. We have an open house policy: which permits students to use the music facilities when they are not being used for teaching. We offer regular performance opportunities for all DLD students in our end-of-term concerts and events such "DLD's Got Talent". Private music lessons are available for piano, guitar, voice and drum kit. The department is extremely well equipped and includes a recording studio and two practice rooms. All our rooms are soundproofed from the rest of college and can be quickly converted for recording.

How is it assessed?

What do I need?

GCSE students will have had experience of composing but if you have not don't worry: the tasks are clearly structured and the style is entirely up to you - you don't have to compose in the style of Bach if you don't want to. The choice of performance pieces is also up to you, as long as they are approaching grade 5 (or equivalent) standard, then these will be at the right level for the course. Finally, you should be open to new styles of music from different periods and parts of the world because you will always learn something new and find new sources of inspiration.

Good subject combinations

Music is an arts subject and can be combined with any other subject which requires similar skills of critical analysis and formation of arguments with evidence support. Other subjects could include English, History of Art, Classical Civilisation, Theatre Studies or a Modern Language. If you are a singer, languages are particularly useful. However, if you are considering a course in Music Technology or Studio Music Mathematics, Physics, ICT or Music Technology should be seriously considered.

After DLD

A good pass in A Level Music is usually needed in order to be able to study it at a higher level. For many courses you have to pass a performance test and/or offer a pass at a high level in the Associated Board grade examinations. You can take a Music degree at university, where you will be studying alongside students in other disciplines, or at a Music college or Conservatoire, which caters only for music students. Two examples of the latter are the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music. Past students have gone on to study for degrees in performance or even to train to become music teachers themselves.

Questions

Can I do the course in one year? NO
Is Easter Revision available? YES - SEMINARS ONLY
Do I need to be able to read music? YOU SHOULD LEARN THE NOTES OF THE TREBLE CLEF BEFORE YOU START THE COURSE.