VCE Music Style and Composition: Externally-assessed Task Guidelines 2016
VCE Music Style and Composition: Externally-assessed Task Guidelines 2016
The Externally-assessed Task (EAT) is the assessment format for Outcome 3 in Units 3 and 4 of VCE Music Style and Composition. The following advice is specific to the EAT and should be read in conjunction with the Externally-assessed Task Specifications 2016.
Students will submit a folio for the EAT that contains two short creative exercises, an original music work, audio recordings and documentation including notation as appropriate to the work as outlined below.
Unit 3
· Two creative exercises that were completed in response to studied music. The exercises should be created within specific parameters described in the assessment task established by the school and draw on explicit links to the music studied. The exercises must be:
- presented in notated and audio form,
- approximately 12-16 bars and/or approximately 25-30 seconds, and
- for 2-5 instruments.
· Description and/or annotation of the relationship between the creative exercises and the music studied. The documentation must describe the link to the music studied and details of the aim of each creative exercise. The documentation must be:
- between 100 and 150 words for each exercise in prose, annotation and/or dot point format.
Unit 4
· An original music work presented in notated and audio form. The work must be:
- between 2-4 minutes.
· Documentation for the original music work. The documentation must be:
- between 900 and 1100 words in prose, annotation and/or dot point format, and include:
o a statement of intention for a complete original music work,
o evidence of the development and refinement of the work from starting point to final realisation,
o explanation of decisions made at stages of the creative process,
o explanation of technical and practical factors that influenced the creative process,
o description and/or annotation of the treatment of the elements of music to achieve the stated aim in the final work, and
o description and/or annotation of the use of compositional devices, including contrast, repetition and variation, in the final work.
Audio Recordings and Notation Guidance
An audio recording and appropriate notation is required for each creative exercise and for the original music work. Students should write for the resources and performance capabilities available to them. The notation submitted should be in a format that is appropriate to the exercise or work.
Details of acceptable audio recording files and notation are outlined below.
Music Style / Audio Recording File / Notation /· Western European ‘classical’ tradition or in styles that depend on complete notated parts, such as music for:
- orchestral ensembles
- modern stage bands
- choral or big band arrangements / · Generated from a computer-based music notation application
· A recording of an actual performance is not required / · Complete notated performance-ready score of the entire work
· Styles not generally dependent on full notation of individual parts, such as:
- contemporary pop and rock styles
- world-music influenced works / · Recording of an actual performance of the work
· Recording may include overdubbing, if necessary
· Students, teachers and/or other musicians may perform the work / · All main musical ideas, such as:
- main melodic lines
- bass lines
- riffs
- harmonic patterns
- solo outlines
- formal structure
· Jazz or other styles that may include some improvisation / · Recording of an actual performance of the work
· Students, teachers and/or other musicians may perform the work / · Full notation of all parts in at least one major section of the work (e.g. all parts of an identifiable ‘head’) along with an outline of the formal structure of the work
· If partial notation and a recording of a performance are submitted, the recorded performance of the work should reflect the creator’s intentions, and students need to take this into account during the creative process
· Intended to exist as a finished work only in digital form, such as:
- soundscapes
- synthesised electronica / · Recording of completed work / · Appropriate notation of the complete work, such as:
- effects
- non-musical sounds
- synthesised sounds
· Explanatory keys to non-musical notation must be included
Documentation Guidance
Documentation may include score annotations, prose, dot points and/or use of music examples.
Unit 3
Documentation accompanying each creative exercise should:
· indicate the composer, performer and title of the music studied,
· nominate the main musical characteristic being explored, and
· describe the relationship between the creative exercise and music studied.
Unit 4
Documentation accompanying the original music work should:
· indicate the creative intention of the original music work,
· describe the processes used to create the work, including explanations of decisions made at stages of development, refinement and final realisation,
· describe technical/practical issues that influenced the creative process,
· describe and/or annotate how the treatment of the elements of music in the work relate to the original intention, and
· describe and/or annotate the use of relevant compositional devices, including how contrast, repetition or variation have been used to develop musical material.
Folio Submission Guidance
All student work for the Externally-assessed Task must be submitted electronically to the VCAA via a secure file transfer site (SFTP) in the recommended file formats, for each student, using standard file name conventions. Specifically:
· the student files are to be stored separately for each student in folders;
· the folders should be named as the student number (e.g. 90888888W); and
· each folder should include all of the student’s folio material to be presented for assessment.
The VCAA recommends the following file formats for student work: WAV, MP3, SIB and PDF. The preferred folder structure is:
· School Folder
- Student Folder (e.g. 90888888W)
o Unit 3 Folder
o Unit 4 Folder
o Overall Folder
- Student Folder (e.g. 80777777W)
o Unit 3 Folder
o Unit 4 Folder
o Overall Folder
The VCAA will provide login credentials and instructions for the SFTP in August.
All Externally-assessed Task materials and the Externally-assessed Task Marking Sheet 2016 must be received at the VCAA by 5.00 pm on Friday 9 September, 2016.
It is critical for teachers to maintain copies of student work that has been submitted to the VCAA for at least one fortnight after the submission date identified above.
The student’s name or school name should not be included in any part of the folio. Each page of the student work should be identified with the student number.
Marking Sheet
The Externally-assessed Task Marking Sheet 2016 must be submitted with the folio materials. It is available on the VCE Music Style and Composition index page of the VCAA website.
Supplementary Guidance for Teachers
It is recommended that all teachers read the VCE Music Study Design and associated documentation each year to ensure that the Externally-assessed Task is being correctly addressed. Pages 135 and 136 of the Study Design clearly identify elements of music and compositional devices relevant to the Externally-assessed Task, and include definitions of contrast, repetition and variation. Please refer to these definitions.
To aid the easy identification of student work, the student number needs to be written on every page of submitted work, and the audio files and notation need to be labeled clearly with the student number and assessment component (e.g. 90888888W Unit 3 Creative Exercise 1).
Unit 3
Creative Exercises
Music studied for the creative exercises needs to be accurately referenced by identifying the composer, performer and title of work. It is preferable to submit no more than one creative exercise per work.
It is vital for student outcomes that the creative exercises are restricted to approximately 12-16 bars and/or approximately 25-30 seconds in duration, and be for 2-5 instruments.
Documentation
While annotations can be a good way of identifying the relationship between the creative exercises and music studied, these links must be clearly explained. Therefore, students may wish to consider using prose or dot points to elaborate annotations.
The recommended word count of approximately 100 to 150 words per creative exercise must be adhered to.
Unit 4
Original Music Work
If original music works are linked to programmatic or subjective ideas, these ideas should be related to musical aims.
Please ensure that the 2-4 minute time limit is adhered to.
Documentation
Documentation should guide the assessor through the process of creating the original music work, from initial ideas and stimulus through to the final work.
If the documentation includes indications of sections, for example, ‘Section C’, then students must ensure that these sections are also marked in the score.
While annotations can be very useful to support the documentation, they must be explained thoroughly rather than being left for assessors to infer their meaning and relevance. Therefore, students may wish to consider using prose or dot points to elaborate annotations.
Word limits of between 900 to 1100 words must be adhered to.
Overall Notation
Please remember that complete scores should include metronome markings, phrase marks, fermata/fermatas, tempo markings and other relevant notation. If using screenshots, these must be explained to show the relevance of their inclusion.
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