AREA OF STUDY 5 - CONVENTIONS OF POP
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Details from the OCR exam board
Learners should study a range of popular music from the 1950s to the present day, focussing on:
- Rock ‘n’ Roll of the 1950s and 1960s
- Rock Anthems of the 1970s and 1980s
- Pop Ballads of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s
- Solo Artists from 1990 to the present day
Learners should study and demonstrate an understanding of:
- vocal and instrumental techniques within popular music
- how voices and instruments interact within popular music
- the development of instruments in popular music over time
- the development and impact of technology over time
- the variety and development of styles within popular music over time
- the origins and cultural context of the named genres of popular music
- the typical musical characteristics, conventions and features of the specified
genres
Learners should study and understand how composers of popular music use and develop musical elements and compositional devices, including:
- instruments and timbre (acoustic and electric)
- pitch and melody (including bass lines and riffs)
- rhythm and metre
- tempo
- dynamics, expression and articulation
- texture
- structure and phrasing
- harmony and tonality
- dynamics, expression and articulation
- ornamentation
- repetition, ostinato and sequence
- technology including amplification and recording techniques.
Learners should have some knowledge of:
- names of solo artists and groups who composed and/or performed in each genre
- the changing nature of song structure
- the historical and social context of the named genres of popular music
- the growth of the popular music industry