help! have a made a bad subject choice? (1 Viewer)

[coco567]

HI EVERYONE!
So I made a very last minute decision to switch to music 1 because I wasn't able to do the other subject I wanted. I play guitar very basically, I can play ukulele and I sing pretty averagely (is that a word?). Anyway, my question is: have I made a poor subject choice or will I be okay in Music 1? I really need some advice asap.
Thankyou!

 

[doggossigh]

The thing with music is you should have a good theory base, or knowledge of music theory. It doesn't have to be extensive but you should at least be able to sightread fairly well, be able to clap a rhythmn, hum a melody and have good knowledge about music techniques. If you can do those, or you are willing to learn it (very quickly) then you should be fine. Btw I'm talking about like Grade 2-3 AMEB music theory (ideally you should be Grade 4 but grade 2-3 should be enough to start). What people underestimate the most about music is the theory aspects, which is pretty tricky and does take time. I don't feel like you will struggle with the performance aspects, choose some technical songs which show off your vocal range and maybe even invest in vocal/guitar lessons but it is pretty important to have a decent music knowledge.

 

[jjuunnee]

The good thing is that music consists of performance, musicology and composition (basically), so if your strengths don't lie in performance you can still do well in musicology and composition. Musicology is basically music theory, so that involves analysing pieces uses the concepts of music and being able to identify the style of music through specific features. Composition is mainly assessed on the process towards creating the piece and your understanding of your use of certain compositional devices, so it doesn't necessarily have to sound like something worthy of a Grammy award. But by getting your teacher to listen and give feedback you can get a pretty decent comp. Practice is basically the only way to get better at performances, so try to practice as often as possible. Overall, you haven't made a poor subject choice, as you have plenty of potential to improve throughout the year, however, it would be good to talk to your teacher about this throughout the year and they will be able to provide some advice.