Performance and musicianship
What the domain tests
Performance and musicianship is assessed through AS91422: you perform a prepared programme as a soloist or ensemble member. The assessor looks for technical control, expressive shaping, stylistic accuracy, ensemble communication and presentation. A programme needs contrast - tempo, key, era, texture or mood - and enough duration to show sustained musicianship.
Core rules
- Choose repertoire that sits within your range but stretches you; secure notes and rhythms first, then add dynamics, articulation, phrasing and tone colour.
- Mark the score with breath marks, bowings, sticking, pedal changes, cues and dynamic plans.
- In ensemble work, balance is not equal volume: know who has the melody, who accompanies, and when to subordinate.
- Rehearse transitions and starts and ends; performance begins before the first note and ends after the last.
Worked example
A guitarist programmes a Renaissance lute piece, a Romantic character piece and a contemporary work. The first needs transparent voicing and terraced dynamics; the second needs rubato and pedalling; the third needs percussive attack and precise metre. Rehearsal reasoning: record each piece, compare against the score, isolate two bars at half tempo, then reintegrate at performance tempo. This targets accuracy before expression and gives contrast in timbre and period.
Traps
- Choosing a showpiece beyond your current control.
- Ignoring ensemble balance or tempo drift.
- Adding expression before the notes are secure.
- Stopping after a mistake instead of recovering musically.