BEAT A Level Music Centre
Music
Examining board - EDUQAS
Click here for the Music Eduqas specification
Additional course entry requirements:
Grade 6 in GCSE Music if taken and Grade 5 on an instrument or singing and Grade 5 music theory. Applicants without will need to attend an audition.
Why music?
Studying with Barnet Education Arts Trust (BEAT) at our A Level Music Centre (located at, but not part of Woodhouse College), will give you the opportunity to explore a fascinating practical, creative and academic subject. You will learn to perform, compose and appreciate different types of music, developing critical and creative thinking, cultural and aesthetic awareness, and the ability to make music individually and as part of a group.
Many BEAT A level music and music technology students have gone on to study music or a closely related degree course at Oxbridge, Russell Group and other universities. A good degree in music will give you the necessary grounding to thrive in a highly competitive profession with many different career paths. The three-way transferable skills (practical, creative, academic) also make this a desirable subject for those who intend to study other subjects at university. There are many opportunities to perform in concerts, both on and off campus, learn how to use modern notation software, and to take part in extra-mural music activities including choir and a range of ensembles run by BEAT.
Course content
You’ll learn to perform music at Grade 7 level with control and continuity, using appropriate tempi, and show critical understanding of the music chosen. You’ll study the processes involved in creating music, and develop the technical and expressive skills needed by a composer. You’ll be encouraged to explore a range of compositional starting points and investigate a variety of techniques for developing and manipulating ideas. You will then turn these ideas into completed pieces of music. You will engage critically with music, develop an understanding of its place in different cultures and contexts, and learn how to analyse and evaluate music in aural and written form.
Music Technology
Examining board - Edexcel
Click here for the Music Technology Edexcel specification
Additional course entry requirements:
Grade 6 in GCSE music or Grade 4/5 in maths and science. If no GCSE Music then Grade 2-3 Theory. Applicants without will need to attend an interview.
Why music technology?
Studying with Barnet Education Arts Trust (BEAT) at our A Level Music Centre (located at, but not part of Woodhouse College), will provide you with a gateway into the fascinating and evolving world of music technology. You will learn about recording, technology-based composition, listening, analysing and producing. You will be encouraged to engage with a wide range of music technology techniques and develop an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of the use of music technology in the creation and production of music.
In recent years, many music technology students have gone on to study music technology, sound production, sound engineering and other courses requiring a similar skill set at university level.
The department is proud of its state-of-the-art recording studio and Mac-based teaching space with relevant software including Logic.
Course content
You’ll explore techniques for capturing, editing and manipulating sound to help you understand the impact of music technology on creative processes in the studio. You will then produce a completed mix. You’ll develop ideas and turn them into completed technology-based compositions, develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of musical elements and musical language, and apply them.
You’ll identify, analyse and evaluate creative music production techniques, as applied to the unfamiliar commercial recordings supplied in the exam. As well as identifying effects and their associated parameter settings, you will explain the principles behind the choice of the effects heard on each recording, and their sonic character, in a series of written responses.
Current Staff
Music - Kelvin Thomson and Chris Phelps
Music Technology - Tim Hallas and Nico Bentley
Contact
Kelvin Thomson (Head of Centralised Music A Level Centre)
Email: [email protected]
Also see our Music Centres, Flagship groups and our theory classes.