Bridging the Gap from GCSE to A Level Music

Great support for the less academic, or for all students at the start of the A Level course!

Help your young musicians step up to A Level!

Bridge KS5 knowledge gaps with summaries and activities of carefully selected terms and theory.

  • Succinctly recap essential concepts from GCSE and build towards advanced-level theory with approachable explanations of compound intervals, additive time signatures and more!
  • Each chapter addresses a musical element:
    • Tonality
    • Melody
    • Harmony
    • Texture
    • Metre
    • Rhythm and tempo
    • Performance techniques
  • Familiarises students with key appraising music terminology – from sequences to swung rhythms.
  • Supported with knowledge-building activities – including score excerpts, written tasks and composition.
  • Presented in diagrams, tables and annotated scores – accessible for quick and easy assimilation.
  • Plus! Answers to all questions—ideal for self-assessment or easy marking!

A nice variety of activity types clearly mirroring various exam methodology...

...Concise and clear... well thought out...

...I would definitely use this

R Brown, Teacher & Expert Reviewer

Flexible! Photocopy and hand out one chapter at a time in class, or give the whole resource for independent study, e.g. as a post-GCSE summer pack!

What do teachers say about this resource? (9862)

Good. Provides a good springboard for those coming to A Level with less knowledge of music theory... The way the information is laid out in easy to understand and well-defined chunks...There is a big gap between GCSE and A Level and this helps to fill some of those gaps. It could be used with a class or as homework/catch-up material for certain students... It begins to fill in the gaps of knowledge that students need to access the set works at A Level. 

N Squires, Subject Manager - Music & Peer Reviewer

Concise and clear... There is a nice variety of activity types clearly mirroring various exam methodology... The technical design of the resource is clearly well thought out and the author has consolidated the key elements of the theory of music in the selected examples of wider music by delivering preparation type questions before the score analysis questions. This breaks down and categorises the learning effectively providing a strong resource for learners.... The author demonstrates excellent musical theory knowledge and the level of questioning at prepping A Level standard is well judged. Just the right level of difficulty – especially supporting weaker students... I would definitely use this resource.

R Brown, Teacher & Expert Reviewer