Music study guides

An overview of the SQA Higher Music composing assignment, the coursework component: composing your own music applying compositional methods and concepts, and reflecting on it in a composing review.

An overview of the melody and harmony concepts in SQA Higher Music: intervals and scales, chords and cadences, and tonality, modulation and ornaments, all examined by ear in the Understanding Music question paper.

An overview of the music literacy in SQA Higher Music: reading pitch and rhythm from staff notation, and reading the signs and Italian terms in a score, the reading skills the Understanding Music question paper tests alongside aural identification.

An overview of the musical styles examined in SQA Higher Music: the classical tradition (baroque, classical, romantic), the popular, jazz and world idioms, and Scottish music, all recognised by ear in the Understanding Music question paper.

An overview of the SQA Higher Music performance, the coursework component: performing a programme on one or two instruments (or voice), assessed in a recital that carries the largest share of the course marks.

An overview of the rhythm and tempo concepts in SQA Higher Music: simple and compound time, syncopation and the scotch snap, tempo markings and changes, rubato and rhythmic devices, all examined by ear in the Understanding Music question paper.

An overview of the texture, structure and form concepts in SQA Higher Music: monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic textures, and the forms binary, ternary, rondo and theme and variation, all examined by ear in the Understanding Music question paper.

An overview of the timbre and dynamics concepts in SQA Higher Music: identifying instruments, voices and ensembles, the playing techniques and articulation, and the dynamic levels and changes, all examined by ear in the Understanding Music question paper.