Which is marked the best? Composition, Viva, or Performance? (1 Viewer)

[terushi]

With what configuration of electives is it easiest or of a higher likelihood to get a high band 6 in Music 1?

I initially wanted to do 1 elective perfomance and 2 elective compositions, but I sort of assume that compositions and performances are very hard to achieve high marks in unless they are Latin, Jazz or extremely obscure. I mean rightfully so, but I originally wasn't intending to do Music 1 for HSC so I don't have any pieces of the sort that I have been practicing or developing compositional ideas around. As well as this, I play guitar (and not at an extremely-high level either).

I was wondering: would I be better off taking a theory-based approach to my Music 1 electives? Like one composition and two viva voce? Or should I still keep the electives that I originally wanted to do? My performance skill really isn't up there to be picking very complex pieces. As well as this, I don't know how compositions OR viva voces are marked.

That being said, my real question is: which forms (composition, viva, performance) have a higher chance of receiving a high band 6 IF done correctly? And on what grounds (eg. Latin pieces, classical pieces, obscure, etc.)? I am willing to put effort and time into doing the best I can for whatever form, but I really don't want to do that for certain forms if the system doesn't allow, say, a composition to achieve high marks even if someone creates one at its highest quality.

(Also, does anyone know of past HSC students who have achieved a very high band 6 in Music 1 through performing and composing rock and pop-based pieces?)

 

[ecksdee]

you can control what marks you get for your composition and viva voce unlike performance.
I feel like you are correct about your assumption that you get higher marks for an obscure composition but I don't think it is true for music performances. For your music performance, do not choose any pieces that you think your markers will have heard before. It is still okay to choose a popular piece if you play it to perfection. You don't have to choose complex pieces. I believe they do not mark the level you are playing at. They mark your ability to express your music.
This opinion may be biased as I do not have much experience in composition but I believe that it is extremely hard to come up with original ideas that will WOW your teacher. For composition, you almost must be very motivated and experimental.

If I were you, I might choose 2 performances and 1 composition but if you are not confident in performance, just stick with your original electives. It is also useful if you ask your teachers as they know you the best.
Best of luck !

 

[pencilspanker]

From someone that did Music 2 i can give you a few tips:
If you aren't confident/high-skilled in playing guitar trust me; don't do a performance exam. Performance HSC takes experience; you need to have practice playing with the accompanist several times (if you arent playing solo) and you need to be able to show off your skill. If you arent 100% confident and havent been playing guitar for a while, dont do it. Now composition is something that you cant go wrong in. For me in music 2, i wasn't the best at composition but i constantly checked it with my teachers at school and did a lot of research into other compositions to gather ideas. You can take ideas from other compositions *to an exent* as long as you mention them in your portfolio, !! Thats why you have a portfolio!!! Now since music 2 is different from music 1 just a takeaway, I wrote a rag-time for my music 2 which ISN'T obscure compared to other pieces and im fairly sure it did pretty well. But I do think that obscure works do actually mark better IF they are written well and intelligently. In the end, elect what you love best, viva voce cant really tell u much but with COMPOSITION YOU CANT GO WRONG IF U CONTINUOUSLY CHECK WITH YOUR TEACHER/OTHER MUSICIANS ETC. LISTEN TO EXAMPLES OF EXEMPLARY COMPS ETC.