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Tips for writing a musicology essay
This article (written by Kim Waldock from Sydney Grammar School) provides Music 2 and Extension students with valuable advice on preparing their submitted essay.
The starting point: choosing a topic
Choosing a topic for your essay is often one of the most difficult parts of the task. Before deciding on a topic you should consider the syllabus guidelines.
Word limit
The topic must be able to be addressed within the given word limit of
1500 words for Music 2 and 3000 words for Music Extension. The bibliography,
discography, appendix and footnotes are not part of the word count.
Primary and secondary sources
The essay should demonstrate use of primary sources such as recordings,
scores interviews with composers and concerts. Secondary sources, which
include information from books, journal articles, newspaper reviews and
Internet sites, are an important way of gathering information. However,
they must be combined with reference to primary sources.
Marking criteria
The criteria and marking guidelines for musicology elective essays are
available on the Board
of Studies 
web site. They refer to:
- the quality of your analysis, discussion and musical observations
- your understanding of the concepts of music and the relationship between them
- the organisation, structure and development of your ideas.
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