Unit Content for HNC Units

Unit 15 Research content

1. 1 Be able to select effective methods and techniques for undertaking research activities
Research methods: type of research eg qualitative, quantitative, systematic, original; use of libraries and
archives; internet and digital resources; conducting/interpreting market research eg questionnaires, polls;
undertaking interviews; critical review eg performance/production or score analysis
Academic framework: identifying previous research eg literature review; selecting suitable methodologies
eg musicological frameworks, reception, critical analysis, praxis; contextualising the area of research eg
acknowledging issues of gender, race, sexuality, politics; applying appropriate referencing techniques
2. 2 Understand the validity of appropriate research material from primary and secondary information
sources
Organisation: standards eg thematic, chronological, biographical, comparative viewpoints, informed
awareness of different perspectives, specific issues
Primary sources: evidence eg first editions, autographed scores, live performance, studio recordings,
audio-visual presentations, internet resources, online polls, social networking research, interviews,
personal accounts, notes and annotations, correspondence, statistical data
Secondary sources: evidence eg publications, referenced texts, archives, reviews,
recordings/photographs/videos of live performance, historical/social/cultural documentation
3. 3 Be able to formulate critical opinions on a selected research subject
Formulation: critical evaluation of sources; synthesis/interpretation of data; critical thinking;
objectivity; identification of target audience; presentation of viewpoint
Methodology: context eg critical review of material, links to practice, balance between text and other forms
4. 4 Be able to present outcomes based on research using a recognised format
Format: suitability eg essays, dissertations, journal entries, bibliographies, reading lists, live practice, audio
recordings, audio-visual presentations, production notes, presentations, seminar, forum, PC-based
(PowerPoint etc), websites, digital journals, social networking, prototype designs, saleable projects, scores,
texts, production design
Presentation methods: context eg written texts, verbal presentations, recordings, performances,
demonstrations and workshops
Referencing systems: citation eg Harvard, American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Languages
Association (MLA)

Unit 25 Business content

1. 1 Understand the structures of small businesses in the arts sector
Structures: business structures; sole traders; partnerships; concept of unlimited and limited
liability; limited companies
Role of small business: small businesses in the arts and their inter-relationships in the industry; niche;
expertise
Personal structures: role and responsibilities of sole traders; partners; directors of small limited liability
companies
Personal skills: time management; financial and market awareness; commitment; assertiveness;
communication; planning; target setting; problem solving and decision- making
2. 2 Understand sources of funding and the support available to small businesses Start-up funding:
loans; overdrafts; government grants and loan schemes; start-up
schemes; local and regional variations
Ongoing sources: special project funding; lottery funding; Arts Councils; European sources; other specialist
sources; employment subsidies
Supporting relevant organisations: RABs; local, regional and governmental departments; Arts Councils;
local authorities; unitary authorities; public organisations; sponsorship
Role of relevant organisations: services offered; clients; aims and objectives
3. 3 Be able to apply financial administration techniques important to small business
enterprises
Recording financial transactions: simple systems for recording financial transactions in a small business
environment
Income tax, national insurance (NI) and VAT: liabilities in respect of tax, NI and VAT; calculating likely
contributions/demands; documentation relating to tax, NI and VAT; implications of self-assessment
Credit control: recognising the importance of credit control; simple credit control techniques relevant to
small business; cash flow forecast
4. 4 Understand management issues relevant to small business enterprises Use of time: time
management; demands
Limits to growth: availability of personnel; implications for employing personnel; limitations of market;
budgetary constraints; complying with legislation
Financial forecasts: role; cash-flow forecasts; the value of targets and associated strategies; business
planning; marketing; business development; target markets/audiences

Not all of the content needs to be covered, but use this as a guide.

Unit Content for HNC Units

Unit 48 Songwriting content

1. 1 Be able to use advanced techniques in relation to the setting of song lyrics
Lyrics: eg word setting using both original words and/or existing text, humour and pathos, prosody and
rhyme, literary devices, versification and word setting, musical pulse and word scan, suitable melodic use,
melismatic phrasing
Form and structure: eg free and established forms, introduction, verse, chorus, instrumental, middle eight
and coda, lead sheet layout and structure
2. 2 Understand advanced techniques in relation to the use of melody, harmony and instrumentation
Harmony: structures eg chord sequences, melodic writing, the hook, rhythm, modulation, tonality and
chromaticism
Style and instrumentation: eg writing in a wide variety of free, established and contemporary art forms,
stylistic writing and arrangement for voices with instruments (keyboard/piano, orchestral instruments, pop
group, jazz ensembles and big band, other free combinations)
3. 3 Be able to develop songwriting skills through workshop and rehearsal techniques
Experimentation: eg jamming, changing style and structure, using instrumental resources, effective use of
techniques and games (cut-ups, rhyming games etc), word play and improvisation, using technology
Inspiration: eg literary sources, social commentary, personal experiences, historical sources, analysis of
other songwriters techniques, ballads, love songs, films, incidental music, drama, comedy, books and
poems
Songwriters tools: eg lyric books, note books, sketch books, technological tools (hardware sequencers,
portable recording equipment, MIDI workstations, DAW etc), rhyming dictionary, auto-accompaniment
software, musical games (singing different lyrics to a given melody and vice versa etc)
4. 4 Be able to compile a showreel of original compositions
Audience: eg audience feedback, showcasing, agents, demo, theme, concept, marketing
Showreel: eg personal publicity package, professional implications, Musicians Union, singer, song
delivery, targeting, copyright, publishing

Unit 55 World Music content

1. 1 Understand the musical elements of the selected genre using correct terminology
Musical elements: rhythmic eg tempos, time signatures, simplicity/complexity, polyrhythms, grooves,
rhythmic interplay between instruments; melodic eg scales, modes, ranges, call- and-response, repetition,
improvisation, phrases, motifs; harmonic eg chords and structures, relationship to other content
(melody/bass), complexity, drones, suspensions, extended chords, dissonance
Terminology: use of musical language; explanation of terms specific to the culture/language of genre
2. 2 Understand how instrumentation, arrangement and performance characteristics are used within
the selected genre
Instrumentation: specific instruments and their family groups; Hornbostel-Sachs classification; sections;
tunings; combinations; typical ensembles; developments and variations; historical and modern
comparisons
Arrangement: structure; complexity; dynamics; how instruments are employed; influences from other
cultures; range and depth, development
Performance characteristics: improvisation; discipline; virtuosity; specific instrumental technique eg vibrato,
ornamentation; historical development; how skills are acquired eg training, education, aural traditions
3. 3 Understand how contextual factors have influenced the development of the selected genre
Context: factors eg colonialism, occupation, invasion, diaspora, historical, geographical, cultural, social,
religion, other art forms (eg music developed from accompanying other media), purpose (eg dance,
meditation, story telling), geographical, political, suppression and rebellion
4. 4 Be able to present findings in a negotiated format using selected examples Negotiated format:
methods eg essays, radio/recorded format, presentations, audio-visual,
portfolio, internet/webpage, workshop, seminar
Selected work: types eg recordings, music technology, notation, demonstration, performance, film

Not all of the content needs to be covered, but use this as a guide.