QCAA Music study plan
QCAA Music · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Performance & Integrated musical understanding and aural skills
Audition and select two contrasting performance works (one from a prescribed-style list, one free choice) and commit them to a practice log
Map the full form and phrase structure of both works by annotating a printed score bar by bar
Establish a daily 30-minute technical warm-up routine targeting the specific technical demands of each selected work
Record a baseline unedited performance of each work and write a self-assessment identifying three priority weaknesses
Your checkpoint
A two-page practice plan containing annotated score maps, a warm-up routine, and a written baseline self-assessment of both recorded performances
Performance & Musicology and analytical listening
Practise each work in slow tempi with a metronome, raising the tempo by 4 BPM only after two clean consecutive run-throughs of each section
Identify and label the harmonic language of each work (key centres, cadences, modulations) on the score
Analyse how texture, dynamics, and articulation choices in the score shape interpretation, and write interpretive decisions for each section
Sight-read one unseen excerpt daily and log accuracy and tempo achieved
Your checkpoint
An annotated harmonic and interpretive analysis of both performance works plus a seven-day sight-reading log
Performance & Composition
Compose a 16-bar original melody in a chosen style that applies at least three compositional devices identified in the week 2 analysis
Rehearse each performance work in halves, isolating and looping the two weakest four-bar passages until three consecutive error-free repetitions are achieved
Notate the original melody accurately with correct rhythmic grouping, articulation, and dynamic markings using notation software
Perform the original melody and one study work from memory for a peer or teacher and collect written feedback
Your checkpoint
A notated 16-bar original composition with a one-paragraph rationale explaining the devices used, plus written feedback notes on the memorised performance
Performance & Composition
Extend the 16-bar melody into a complete work of at least 32 bars with a contrasting section and a clear ending
Perform both study works end to end at 85% of target tempo with no stops, recording each attempt
Apply at least two specific feedback points from week 3 to the composition and document the changes made
Develop a memorisation strategy for each work (aural, visual, or kinaesthetic) and test recall of each section in random order
Your checkpoint
A complete notated composition of 32 or more bars plus a recording of both study works at 85% tempo with a written comparison against the week 1 baseline
Musicology and analytical listening & Integrated musical understanding and aural skills
Analyse two unseen works from contrasting eras, identifying form, tonality, texture, and instrumentation in written prose
Transcribe by ear a four-bar melodic phrase and a four-chord harmonic progression from recordings played four times each
Compare the two analysed works in a structured written response of 300 to 400 words using correct musical terminology
Identify intervals, chords, and cadences by ear in a daily ten-minute drill and record accuracy percentages
Your checkpoint
Two written analytical responses of 300 to 400 words each plus a completed aural transcription sheet and a seven-day ear-training accuracy log
Performance & Musicology and analytical listening
Perform both study works at full target tempo in front of an audience of at least one person and record the performance
Refine the composition's notation for performance clarity, including phrasing, bowing or breathing marks, and tempo indications
Write a comparative musicological response linking the stylistic features of the study works to their historical and cultural contexts
Critique the week 6 full-tempo recording against the score and list remaining discrepancies
Your checkpoint
A full-tempo recorded performance with a written critique listing discrepancies, plus a 400-word contextual musicological response
Performance & Composition & Integrated musical understanding and aural skills
Run two complete mock performance sessions under exam conditions, including setup, performance, and spoken introduction
Finalise the composition score and produce a clean engraved copy with a title, tempo marking, and performance notes
Complete a timed 30-minute aural skills mock covering intervals, rhythms, melodies, and progressions, then mark and correct it
Rehearse spoken programme notes for each work, articulating the stylistic and interpretive choices in under two minutes each
Your checkpoint
A final engraved composition score, two mock performance recordings, and a marked and corrected aural mock paper with a list of error patterns
Performance & Musicology and analytical listening & Integrated musical understanding and aural skills
Consolidate both performance works through daily full run-throughs with no more than one restart per session
Review all analytical and musicological written responses and rewrite the weakest one to full standard
Complete a final timed integrated mock combining a short aural test with a written analytical question
Compile a one-page exam-day checklist covering repertoire, equipment, warm-up routine, and timing
Your checkpoint
A final integrated mock result with self-marked score, a rewritten analytical response, and a completed one-page exam-day checklist
Milestones
Week 2: Both performance works are fully annotated with harmonic and structural analysis, and the seven-day sight-reading log shows measurable tempo or accuracy improvement
Week 4: Both study works can be performed end to end at 85% of target tempo without stopping, and the composition is complete at 32 or more notated bars
Week 6: A full-tempo recorded performance exists for both works, and two 300-to-400-word analytical responses plus one contextual response have been completed and self-marked
Week 8: The final integrated mock is completed under timed conditions with a self-marked score, the composition score is finalised, and the exam-day checklist is complete