Leaving Cert music: Bohemian Rhapsody hits the right note

The Leaving Cert higher-level music paper played to the strengths of students and had plenty of choice, teachers have said.

Ciara Coleman, a music teacher at the Institute of Education, said that it was fair and balanced.

“It played to student strengths, especially students who had studied their set works in depth,” she said.

In the listening section of the paper students always study four set works and, this year, Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s celebrated song, was the main question with a significant 25 marks up for grabs.

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“Most students will have been happy to see this … it has not been examined in depth since 2012,” Ms Coleman said.

“As per recent years, this first question was broken down into shorter sections and excerpts which makes for a more manageable listening exam experience. Students who had studied the recording and instrumental techniques featured in the Queen [song] were rewarded with questions on both.”

Tchaikovsky, Gerald Barry and Bach also appeared in this section.

Noel Cronin, TUI subject representative and a music teacher at Borrisokane Community College in Tipperary, said the composition part of the paper, which required students to complete a melody and a harmony, was manageable for prepared students.

“There was a good choice of essays in the Irish music question, with additional essay choices given this year due to COVID-19 adjustments,” Mr Cronin said.

Queen were not the only 1980s stars to appear on the paper.

“The appearance of the well-known ‘It Must be Love’ by Madness will have brought a lighter note to proceedings but there were some challenges here and even students who knew the song well will have had to listen particularly hard,” Ms Coleman said.

In the elective composition section of the paper, Ms Coleman said that there were questions which were designed to play to student strengths.

“Question one was a minor melody in E minor which students sometimes find challenging and, added to this challenge, was the fact that it was in compound time. However, there was no upbeat in the given opening, the rhythm was mainly in quavers, and the shape of the melody was mainly based on step movement and triadic movement, which students will have appreciated.

“Question five was in the more straightforward key of A major but the first challenge to overcome was the fact that the melody line was often syncopated, so students would need to think carefully about which notes to harmonise here, especially around bars five and six,” Ms Coleman said.

Mr Cronin said that he spoke to ordinary level students who were happy with the paper.

“They were particularly happy with the listening section, where there was nothing shocking or out of the ordinary,” he said.

Leaving Cert music - sound file 1

https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2023/LC067ZLP045EV.mp3

Leaving Cert music - sound file 2

https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2023/LC067ZLP046EV.mp3