How to Pass Standard Grade Music (How To pass - Standard Grade)

As the author of this book, I have been delighted by the response to it in its first year of publication, and by the fact that so many have found it a useful resource - something which was acknowledged recently by the Saltire Society who, in conjunction with the Times Educational Supplement, selected
it as their educational book of the year. This accolade is shared in equal measure between myself, my publisher Hodder Gibson (whose How To Pass series has rightly been receiving glowing praise), and school music in general, since such recognition is seldom conferred upon aesthetics subjects.

My main objectives in writing How To Pass Standard Grade Music were: to give students an interactive and easily digestible support book as they work through their Standard Grade music course; and to offer teachers a helping hand by providing them with a broad selection of music examples - contained on the accompanying 70-track CD - which can be used for the Listening
component of the course (minus the copyright concerns!), as well as exercises which give structure and direction to the composing/arranging element, and so hopefully reduce time spent on lesson planning.

But, of course, you can't please all of the people all of the time, as the review of How To Pass Standard Grade Music posted by LMac on this website would seem to confirm...

Now, I genuinely welcome all kinds of constructive criticism since, from such criticism, constructive amendments (where relevant) can usually be made, but I was perplexed both by the factually incorrect comments made in this review, and by the (to me) disproportionately bitter tone that was adopted. The assertion relating to the inaccuracy of the musical concept
list in my book is, frankly, quite ridiculous. Were it true, it would surely have been pointed out by the scores of teachers who have been happily using the book for almost three terms now - and, in the event that the concept list is altered by the SQA at some point in the future, I'm sure any competent teacher will be able to adapt to such minor changes with the
minimum of fuss.

However, considering that this particular reviewer attributes the book to having been written by more than one author (when my name alone appears clearly on the cover), perhaps this is only confirmation of a tendency towards inaccuracy!

Everyone is clearly entitled to a personal view, but I would be concerned if potential purchasers were put off by a negative review that does not seem to accord with the views of anybody else who has used the book for class or individual use.

Good luck to all the students who use How To Pass Standard Grade Music, and to their teachers; I hope my book will contribute to the smooth flow of the Standard Grade Music course.

The perfect companion for students (0/0 people found this helpful)

I picked up a copy of this book just before my exams. I didnt know what to expect since there are very few books around on this subject. Let me just say that working my way through it really made the course clear. My inventing came on leaps and bounds (being a person who is rubbish at inventing music), and the list of concepts were not only clear to understand but included everything (even ones my teacher had not said to me). Overall a must have to anyone who sits standard grade music.

VERY disappointing and confusing for students (3/4 people found this helpful)

I am a secondary school music teacher, and was looking forward to the publication of this book, as there is little out there specifically written for standard grade music revision. The fact that this publication has an accompanying CD seemed particularly appealing also.
Looking through the book I saw that there are several good examples of exam style questions. HOWEVER - the concepts used in this book are in a lot of cases IRRELEVANT TO THE STANDARD GRADE COURSE! Pointless and confusing!

Irrelevant concepts featured in this book include:
- concepts which (considered too difficult for standard grade) were moved to the higher grade list in 2001 (this book realeased in 2005);
- some removed completely from the standard grade list IN 2001;
- some were never in the standard grade course AT ALL!!

In addition to this, some of the recordings on the CD are terrible examples.

Very disappointing and more importantly, very confusing for our poor music students. I really think that the authors of this book need to do their research a LOT more thoroughly. Stick with the Leckie and Leckie Standard Grade Music Course Notes book - published a few years ago now, but still much more up to date and better researched.

Passing with Flying Colours (4/5 people found this helpful)

It was refreshing to read an academic book which actually encourages and motivates you to pass your chosen subject, i.e. in this case music. The fact that the author seems to enjoy teaching is transparent within this book. It's a must for anyone wishing to pass their standard grade music.

How to Pass Standard Grade Music (How To pass - Standard Grade)

Joe McGowan

Reader Reviews:

The Author's View (0/1 people found this helpful)

The perfect companion for students (0/0 people found this helpful)

VERY disappointing and confusing for students (3/4 people found this helpful)

Passing with Flying Colours (4/5 people found this helpful)

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