MATSEC IM Music study plan

Map the full IM Music syllabus into a one-page checklist of every named topic, work, and skill area, marking each as known, shaky, or unknown.

Build a personal glossary of core rudiments (staff notation, clefs, key signatures, time signatures, intervals, scale types) and write a definition and one worked example for each.

Complete 40 short notational drills: identify key signatures, write named major and minor scales ascending and descending, and label intervals by size and quality.

Set up a listening log template (piece, composer, period, forces, texture, form, one distinctive feature) and fill it for three set works.

Analyse the harmony of eight short passages by labelling chords with Roman numerals and identifying cadence types at each phrase end.

Transpose four given melodies by a named interval and rewrite two rhythms into a different but equivalent time signature.

Practise aural identification of intervals, triads, and cadences by ear using self-made recordings, scoring each attempt.

Draft a short harmonic realisation (8-12 bars) of a given soprano line using primary and secondary triads.

Compare the main stylistic markers (texture, melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation) of Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and twentieth-century repertoire in a comparison table.

Identify form and structure (binary, ternary, rondo, sonata, theme and variations, strophic, through-composed) in six set or comparable works and justify each label in two sentences.

Write a 250-word programme note on one set work using correct terminology for period, genre, and forces.

Listen to each set work twice with the score and mark the structural boundaries on a printed outline.

Sit a self-made 45-minute timed paper covering notation, intervals, scales, cadences, and form, then mark it against a model answer.

Re-teach the three weakest areas from the mock by writing a one-page explanation of each in your own words.

Memorise the set works list with composer, date, genre, and one identifying feature using spaced-repetition cards.

Perform a short prepared piece or excerpt and record it for self-assessment against accuracy, fluency, and expression.

Complete a full timed past-paper-style paper under exam conditions and self-mark it using the mark scheme logic you have reconstructed.

Build a one-page summary sheet of every definition and formula you must recall (cadences, ornaments, tempo and dynamic terms, texture labels).

Practise 20 sight-reading or score-reading extracts, answering questions on key, texture, instrumentation, and phrase structure.

Write an extended answer (400 words) comparing two works from different periods, using at least ten precise musical terms.

Drill the recall sheet daily until every definition is reproduced from memory without prompts.

Analyse four unseen short extracts under five-minute time limits, identifying key, cadence, texture, and likely period.

Refine the extended comparison answer by cutting filler and adding specific musical evidence from the score.

Review the error log from weeks 4 and 5 and confirm each weakness is now closed with a short written check.

Complete two more full timed papers this week and compare scores to identify any remaining trend.

Rehearse the performance component twice under exam-like conditions and record both for comparison.

Write model answers for the two question types you have scored lowest on, then reduce each to a memorised structure of headings.

Summarise every set work on a single revision card with composer, date, genre, forces, form, and two distinctive features.

Review only the highest-yield material: recall sheet, set-work cards, error log, and model answer structures.

Sit one final timed paper in the morning and mark it the same day, stopping all new learning afterwards.

Rehearse the performance once at final tempo and once slowly, then rest the instrument or voice.

Plan exam-day logistics: timing per section, order of answering, and a two-minute checklist for checking notation answers.