Junior Cert music covers U2, Ella Fitzgerald and John Lennon

What do Eye of the Tiger by 80s pop group Survivor, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2, a cover of John Lennon's Imagine by the cast of Glee, the theme from Star Wars and Dream a Little Dream by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong have in common?

They all popped up on this year's Junior Cert music higher-level paper, as students were asked to write about their musical features.

Noel Cronin, TUI subject representative and a music teacher at Borrisokane Community College in Co Tipperary, said that both the higher- and ordinary-level music papers were very fair.

Síofra Cox, ASTI representative and a teacher at Scoil Muire Gan Smál in Co Roscommon, said that the choice of music in question five on the higher-level paper tested students’ ability to recognise genre.

“There were no surprises in the composition section of the paper, with the triad question taking the form of a popular song, See You Again, which most students would have recognised.”

In another question, students were asked about one of the topics they had chosen to study, using wording that was somewhat different to previous years.

However, both Mr Cronin and Ms Cox said students will have been able to answer the question.

Mr Cronin said the ordinary-level paper had a lot of multiple choice, which will have helped students.

Ms Cox that that students taking the ordinary-level paper will have found it a straightforward exam, with “a couple of tricky corners, including defining a square dance in question two and identifying a slip jig in question three”.

TRY THIS AT HOME:

From the Junior Cert music higher-level paper:

Q. Set the verses below to your own original music. Write for voice(s) and accompanying instrument(s) of your choice. Name these voice(s)/instrument(s) on the score.

The Wind I saw you toss the kites on high

And blow the birds about the sky;

And all around I heard you pass,

Like ladies’ skirts across the grass -

O wind, a-blowing all day long,

O wind, that sings so loud a song!

- Robert Louis Stevenson