Practical performance: solo repertoire on the chosen instrument or voice
Domain focus
The solo performance component tests a prepared programme on your chosen instrument or voice: secure notes and rhythm, stylistic understanding, tonal control, and the ability to discuss your repertoire.
Preparation
- Choose pieces that show contrast: at least two periods or characters, not two works with the same technical demand.
- Mark phrase shapes, breathing or bowing points, fingering and difficult leaps before slow practice.
- Practise at a tempo where every note is controlled; raise tempo only after accuracy and even tone are stable.
- Know the key, form, composer, period and one distinctive feature of each piece.
Worked example
A candidate performs a Baroque Allegro and a Romantic song. In the Allegro, the pulse should be steady and the articulation light; ornaments should be few and deliberate. In the song, the tempo can flex with the text, but the accompaniment pulse must remain clear. The reasoning: style determines tempo, articulation and rubato, not personal speed.
Traps
Choosing an over-fast tempo that collapses in the exam; ignoring rests and phrase endings; applying Romantic rubato to Baroque dance movements; stopping after a wrong note; being unable to name the key or form of your own piece.