Yomi BlackMusic is examined at international depth, with syllabuses written to be taught over two years and examined in components. That is the sentence to hold onto, because the same subject examined by a different body at a different depth needs a different plan, and candidates who carry preparation across from one to the other lose marks they did not need to lose.
- Subject
- Music
- Examined by
- Cambridge
- Format here
- Multiple components per subject, with practicals examined as separate papers in the sciences
- Depth
- International depth, with syllabuses written to be taught over two years and examined in components
- What the grade does
- A grade read by admissions officers worldwide without translation
- Papers
- Objective, essay, an aural paper and a performance test.
- Required for
- Music, performing arts, music education and theatre arts
How Cambridge examines this subject
The format is multiple components per subject, with practicals examined as separate papers in the sciences, and it is marked against published assessment objectives, with grade thresholds set after each series.
This is the certificate you sit when the destination is outside Nigeria, and the portability is what you are paying for.
What a good grade here is worth
In this examination the grade is a grade read by admissions officers worldwide without translation. Music is required for music, performing arts, music education and theatre arts, and course requirements are checked subject by subject, so a strong overall result with a weak grade here is a disqualification for the course that names it rather than a near miss.
Questions candidates ask about Music
What is it required for?
Music, performing arts, music education and theatre arts.
How many papers are there?
Objective, essay, an aural paper and a performance test.
What makes it hard?
Four components, two of which are scheduled outside the main timetable, and candidates routinely lose one to a date they never chased.
What is the most common way candidates lose marks?
Preparing performance and neglecting theory, which carries more marks.
Where do I get the official syllabus?
From Cambridge, on its own site, free. Check the year range on the cover before you use it.
Has the syllabus changed?
Syllabuses are revised on published cycles and old ones stay online after they expire. If the copy you are holding has no year range, you do not know what you are holding.
How do I turn it into revision?
One line per topic area with a box beside it, then tick the lines off against past papers rather than against your notes. The lines that stay blank are the finding.
Is Music compulsory?
No. It is a humanities subject, chosen as one of your electives, and you should choose it because a course you want names it.
What the subject covers
Use these topic areas as the frame for your own checklist, then verify the detail against the syllabus Cambridge publishes itself, because depth and emphasis shift between curriculum cycles even when the headings do not.
- Rudiments and theory of music.
- Harmony and counterpoint.
- Aural training.
- History of Western and African music.
- Nigerian traditional music.
- Performance on a chosen instrument or voice.
The paper structure, and how to weight your time
Objective, essay, an aural paper and a performance test.
Split your preparation roughly in the proportion the components are weighted. Candidates habitually over-prepare the part they enjoy and meet the other part for the first time in the hall.
What makes it hard
Four components, two of which are scheduled outside the main timetable, and candidates routinely lose one to a date they never chased.
Set that against how this examination works. The syllabus assumes teaching most Nigerian schools do not provide, particularly in the sciences, which is why entering privately is difficult here.
Where marks are lost in this subject
- Preparing performance and neglecting theory, which carries more marks.
- Missing the aural or performance dates, both of which are scheduled separately.
- Under-preparing the African and Nigerian music sections.
Get both the aural and the performance dates from your centre in writing.
Turning it into a plan
- Get the current syllabus from Cambridge and check the year range on the cover.
- Write one line per topic area, with a box beside it.
- Work a past paper in this examination’s format, multiple components per subject, and tag every question back to a line.
- Mark the lines your teaching has never covered. Those are the priority.
- Re-weight towards the component carrying the most marks. Two series a year, June and November, with a formal enquiry-about-results process afterwards.
Sources
- Cambridge Assessment International Education. www.cambridgeinternational.org