Music Practitioner Qualifications

Unit Grading Criteria

MUSPRA: 201
Unit Title: Music Arranging (styles)
Unit Aim

The aim of this unit is to facilitate an awareness of the protocols associated

with musical arrangement across a range of musical styles. The purpose of
the unit is to create two distinct arrangements of music, which are reflective
of existing work in the chosen styles.

Distinction

To achieve a distinction, learners must have evidenced all the skills required
for level 2, plus:
1. Show an excellent ability at arranging the musical features of a song
extract. They are excellent at arranging instrumentation, arrangement
and tempo demonstrating a well thought out approach. They can
clearly demonstrate arrangement skills in the styles they are working
in through an excellent understanding of the musical characteristics.
2. Demonstrate excellent abilities at condensing an effective
arrangement down to a piano accompaniment of the original melody
at this level.

3. Demonstrate excellent abilities at representing the arrangements

through notation preferably notation that clearly indicates each part
i.e. stave notation and a combination of other notation
4. Describe strengths and areas for development showing a greater
understanding of progress, with a self-assessment style approach
offering solutions to areas for development.

Merit

To achieve a merit, learners must have evidenced all the skills required for
level 2, plus:
1. Show good abilities at arranging the musical features of a song
extract. They have good skills at arranging instrumentation, structure
and tempo demonstrating a well thought out approach. They can
clearly demonstrate arrangement skills in the styles they are working
in through a clear understanding of the musical characteristics.
2. Demonstrate a good ability at condensing an effective arrangement
down to a piano accompaniment of the original melody at this level.

3. Demonstrate clear abilities at representing the arrangements through

notation preferably notation that clearly indicates each part i.e. stave
notation and a combination of other notation.

4. Describe strengths and areas for development showing an

understanding of progress, offering some solutions to areas for
development.

Pass

To achieve a pass, all learners must have evidenced all the skills required for
level 2, plus:
1. Display an ability at arranging the musical features of a song extract.
They show some good ability at arranging instrumentation,
arrangement and tempo. They can demonstrate arrangement skills in
the styles they are working in through a basic understanding of the
musical characteristics.
2. Demonstrate basic abilities at condensing an effective arrangement
down to a piano accompaniment of the original melody at this level.

3. Demonstrate basic abilities at representing the arrangements through

notation, which may take the form of graphic notation.

4. Describe strengths and areas for development showing a basic

understanding of their progress and developmental areas.

Unclassified

A learner not on course to achieve this unit might evidence the majority of
the following:
1. Demonstrating little or no abilities at arranging the musical features of
a song extract. They may fail to arrange instrumentation, structure
and tempo and present something which only varies slightly from the
original. They show little understanding of the styles and musical
characteristics they are working on.
2. Demonstrate poor abilities at condensing an arrangement down to a
piano accompaniment of the original melody at this level where little
or nothing of the original parts remain intact

3. Demonstrate little or no abilities at representing the arrangements

through notation, The notation provided may be incorrect or
incoherent in relationship to the music provided.

4. Fail to describe either strengths and areas for development or both

showing no understanding of personal progress.