Music

1. What makes Music distinct?

A Music EE must:

• investigate music as an art form, not as biography, history or social commentary

• analyse musical structure, style, genre, compositional technique or performance practice

• draw on musical elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, instrumentation or form

• engage with scores, recordings or practitioner perspectives

• apply music theory, musicology or analytical frameworks

• situate music within cultural, historical or stylistic contexts

• construct an argument grounded in musical evidence and terminology

Your essay should feel like music analysis, not general discussion of musicians or culture.

2. What counts as a suitable Music topic?

A strong topic is:

• centred on specific compositions, recordings, composers or performance practices

• narrow enough to analyse techniques, structures or interpretations in depth

• supported by accessible recordings, scores, analyses or interviews

• analytical rather than descriptive or narrative

• framed around musical questions rather than biographical ones

Examples of suitable topic types

• analysis of a composer’s use of harmony or thematic development

• comparative study of interpretations of the same piece

• investigation into stylistic influences on a composer’s work

• analysis of rhythm, texture or structure within a genre

• evaluation of performance practice in historically informed performance

Examples of unsuitable topics

• biographies of musicians

• essays focused solely on lyrics or cultural impact

• descriptions of concerts without analysis

• topics with no score, recording or analytical evidence

• purely personal reflections on musical taste

Music requires examination of musical structure, technique and meaning.

3. Using evidence in Music

Your essay should draw upon musical evidence, such as:

• scores or transcriptions

• reliable recordings or performances

• composer writings or programme notes

• musicological analyses or scholarly criticism

• interviews with performers or composers

• annotated musical examples or figures

Avoid

• unreliable transcriptions or poor quality recordings

• websites without academic credibility

• essays dominated by descriptive listening notes

• evidence not directly connected to musical features

Evidence must be interpreted using musical terminology and concepts.

4. Research methods appropriate for Music

Your methods may include:

• formal analysis of melody, harmony, rhythm or form

• comparative study of works or interpretations

• contextual research into social, political, or cultural influences

• analysis of performance practice or technique

• investigation of compositional processes or stylistic influences

• interpretation of musical intention and purpose

Methods should be transparent, relevant and consistently applied.

5. What analysis looks like in Music

Music analysis should:

• interpret how musical elements convey meaning or intention

• explain structural, harmonic or rhythmic features

• connect analytical observations to cultural or historical factors

• compare pieces, interpretations or styles where relevant

• support arguments with accurate musical examples

• remain focused on the research question rather than storytelling

Analysis must show expert understanding of how music works.

6. What evaluation looks like in Music

Evaluation may include:

• limitations of score or recording access

• challenges in analysing improvisation or non notated music

• differences between theory and performance interpretation

• reflection on stylistic or cultural limitations

• assessment of conflicting critical viewpoints

• consideration of alternative musical readings

Evaluation should appear throughout, not only as a concluding section.

7. Common pitfalls in Music EEs

Avoid these issues, as they frequently lead to weak outcomes:

• topics that drift into biography or cultural studies

• essays that describe rather than analyse music

• insufficient musical evidence

• overreliance on personal listening impressions

• lack of score based or structural analysis

• topics dependent on inaccessible recordings

• imprecise or incorrect use of musical terminology

8. Model research questions

Here are high quality examples of Music research questions:

1. How does Debussy use harmonic colour and modality to create atmosphere in selected piano préludes?

2. To what extent does Glenn Gould’s interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations alter the perceived rhythmic architecture of the work?

3. How effectively does polyphonic layering communicate political resistance in selected works by Fela Kuti?

4. To what extent does John Coltrane’s improvisational approach in A Love Supreme reflect modal jazz principles?

5. How far does instrumentation and orchestration shape narrative intention in Bernard Herrmann’s film score for Psycho?

Each question is analytical, music centred and grounded in accessible evidence.