Singapore JC Subject List - Music (H3)

H3 Music provides students with the opportunity to delve deeper into musical inquiry and research. It builds upon the foundation laid by the H2 Music syllabus, allowing students to explore advanced concepts and develop independent research skills.

Course Structure

The H3 Music syllabus is structured around three key Areas of Study:

1. Music Analysis: This area focuses on understanding how music works and what it means. Students learn to analyze musical elements, gestures, and structures, considering social, cultural, and historical contexts. They may investigate Western art music, jazz, popular music, or oral traditions.

2. Performance Practice: This area explores how music is and has been performed. Students examine historical performance practices, considering factors such as treatises, instruction books, instrument design, and tuning systems. They also investigate contemporary performance practices in world, jazz, and popular music.

3. New Media and Technology: This area examines the impact of new media and technology on music production, dissemination, and consumption. Students explore the influence of technological advancements on musical expression, collaboration, and presentation, considering digital audio, digital instruments, and web audio engines.

Research Project

A significant component of H3 Music is the independent Research Project. Students choose a topic within one or more of the Areas of Study and conduct in-depth research. The project can be submitted as:

1. Format 1: An essay of 3000–3500 words.

2. Format 2: A combination of text (2000–3000 words) and other modes of presentation, such as video recordings, original compositions, or analytical graphs.

The Research Project requires students to demonstrate musical understanding, analytical skills, and the ability to communicate findings effectively. It is important to note that topics covered in the H2 Music syllabus are not permitted for the H3 Research Project.

Assessment

H3 Music is assessed based on the Research Project, which is graded on four criteria:

• Musical understanding, aural perceptiveness, recognition of significance and relevance
• Appropriateness of analytical inquiry and/or investigative methods
• Ability to analyze and evaluate perspectives from a range of sources using appropriate technical vocabulary
• Communication of findings, presentation, substantiation of judgments, acknowledgments