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Preparing for the Musicology/Aural skills examination
Examination techniques
Organising your thoughts
You can use some of the following ideas and techniques to organise your thoughts in preparation for, and during the examination
Make the most of your reading time at the start. Look carefully at each question, and the accompanying score and try to relate the two together. This is where your practice in scanning scores will be invaluable and the skills and knowledge that you have developed should enable you to respond to the information given.
On the first playing, actively listen. This sounds simple enough, but with the pressure of answering the questions, many students worry too much about their response, and miss vital information that can be garnered from concentrating on the music and following the score.
Responses to Question 1 may be short, up to five or six lines. The questions will be clear and succinct. They will use words such as describe or identify and your answers need to reflect the language of the question. Generally a one-word response will not be detailed enough.
The latter questions in the examination will seem to be broader in outlook and focus, but you will need to be prepared to relate the detail required from the music. There may be comparative questions, either about different sections of the same piece of music or a different work. Examiners will expect that students can respond with a depth of understanding of composition techniques and style characteristics from the Additional and Mandatory topics
Structure your response
When it comes time to answer, try to structure your response clearly.
Use bar number references from the score to support your comments.
This is one way to clearly identify the section of music you are writing about.
Use musical quotes (rhythmic, melodic or harmonic) from the given score to support your comments.
Sometimes a clearly labelled diagram that is relevant to the question will communicate your ideas effectively (e.g. melodic contour, texture, role of layers).
Style of response
Decide whether you are better able to structure your answer in essay form or expanded point form. Each is valid.
Essay style presentation is effective if you are able to structure a cohesive response and your answer is logical and avoids repetition of ideas.
Point form presentation is just as effective and can give clarity to your answers as long as you remember to expand on them when necessary. Responding in point form can also help you to avoid subjective comments or opinions. Consequently your explanations and definitions are more likely to be concise and accurate.
It is important to decide which answering style suits you before you enter the examination.
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