Balearic PAU Music & Dance study plan

Build a dated timeline of Western art music from medieval to contemporary, placing each period's defining genres and three representative works with composer and approximate date

Match each historical period to its characteristic harmonic and textural traits (e.g. modal vs tonal language, monophony, polyphony, homophony, basso continuo) and justify each match in one sentence

Define and correctly use core language terms for rhythm, melody, harmony, texture and form in written descriptions of three chosen works

Identify, by ear alone, the period of five short excerpts using instrumentation, texture and harmonic language as evidence

Analyse the formal structure (binary, ternary, rondo, sonata, theme and variations, strophic, through-composed) of four scores and mark section boundaries directly on the notation

Locate and label cadences, modulations, sequences and motivic development in two tonal scores without external commentary

Read short notated excerpts in treble and bass clef aloud, naming intervals, chords and key signatures accurately

Link each analysed score to its historical period and explain which stylistic markers confirm the attribution

Chart the development of Western theatrical and social dance from Renaissance court dance through Romantic ballet to twentieth-century modern dance, naming key works, choreographers and composers

Describe the Spanish and Balearic dance traditions (e.g. bolero school, flamenco forms, regional Balearic dances such as the copeo or fandango-derived types) with their characteristic metre, instrumentation and social context

Compare one ballet score with its choreographic realisation, explaining how musical tempo, dynamics and phrasing shape the movement

Distinguish the technical vocabulary of dance (en dehors, port de bras, batterie, zapateado, compás) and apply it accurately in description

Transcribe by ear the metre, tempo marking and rhythmic cell of four recorded excerpts and notate the rhythm accurately

Identify chord progressions and cadence types from both notation and listening, distinguishing perfect, imperfect, plagal, interrupted and Phrygian cadences

Describe texture changes across a full work, tracking how density and voicing evolve from section to section

Explain how tempo and dynamic markings in a score relate to the performed result, using two recorded performances of the same passage

Classify Balearic traditional repertoires by function (work, religious, festive, dance) and by instrumentation, naming representative genres and their usual performance contexts

Trace the connections between Spanish popular and traditional music (flamenco, jota, sardana, copla) and their regional and global circulation

Analyse how recording, broadcasting, streaming and social media have reshaped the production, distribution and reception of music and dance

Evaluate the economics and ethics of the cultural industries: copyright, live versus recorded markets, and the role of festivals and public institutions in the Balearic Islands

Prepare and perform one short piece or movement phrase, applying period-appropriate or style-appropriate decisions about tempo, articulation, ornamentation and dynamics

Improvise over a given harmonic or rhythmic framework, demonstrating awareness of phrase structure and cadence points

Compare two interpretations of the same work and justify which choices are historically or stylistically defensible

Document your own rehearsal process, identifying three technical problems and the specific practice strategy used to solve each

Identify instruments by timbre, family and historical period from audio alone, including orchestral, traditional Spanish and Balearic instruments

Recognise and name the genre, period and likely composer of ten unseen excerpts, justifying each answer with two audible features

Detect choreographic features from video or audio description: formation, spatial pattern, group versus solo structure, and characteristic steps

Self-test under timed conditions and log every error with the reason for the misidentification

Consolidate the full historical timeline by reproducing it from memory with periods, genres and representative works in correct order

Cross-link music and dance history, matching each major period to its dominant dance forms and performance contexts

Complete two full timed practice papers under exam conditions and score them against the official weighting of the eight domains

Target the three weakest areas identified in the mock results with focused revision and re-testing