OCR GCSE Music J536 Specification - Revision and Study Checklist

Sep 5, 2026

Revision checklist for OCR GCSE (9-1) Music J536, focused on general music theory and two additional areas of study. Covers listening and identification skills across melody and pitch, articulation, dynamics and expression, texture, structure and form, harmony and tonality, instrumentation and timbre/sonority, rhythm and metre, tempo, and music technology. Includes score reading and dictation, exam technique and further reading. Extends to concerto history through time and global rhythmic styles, specifying what learners must identify and describe for each.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

General Music Theory

Core listening-and-identification elements

Reading a Score and Dictation

Exam Technique and Revision

Further Reading

Area of Study 2: The Concerto Through Time

Baroque Solo Concerto / Concerto Grosso / Classical / Romantic

Area of Study 3: Rhythms of the World

Indian Classical / Punjabi Bhangra / Greek Folk / Palestinian / Israeli / African Drumming / Calypso / Samba

OCR GCSE Music GCSE (9-1) Music J536 Specification - OCR GCSE Music Vocab - OCR GCSE Music Playlist General Music Theory You need to have knowledge of the following musical elements and be able to identify features through listening: | MAD
T-SHIRTT | Revision / Study Guides | BBC Bitesize / GCSE Music Revision | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Melody and Pitch | -CGP Revision Guide p.28-29 , p.54-55
-OCR Study Guide p.180-181
-OCR Revision Guide p.19 , p.21 , p.25-27 | -Bitesize- Intervals
-Bitesize-Ornaments | -Bitesize-Scale Degrees-Bitesize-Scale Types | | Articulation, Dynamics and Expression | -CGP Revision Guide p.19-20
-OCR Study Guide p.179
-OCR Revision Guide p.12-13 , p.16-17 | -Bitesize-Articulation Terms
-Bitesize-Articulation Notation | -Bitesize-Articulation
-Bitesize-Dynamics
-Bitesize-Dynamics Notation | | Texture | -CGP Revision Guide p.45-47 -OCR Study Guide p.187
-OCR Revision Guide p.30-31 | -Bitesize-Texture
-Bitesize-Unison and Monophonic
-Bitesize-Homophonic
-Bitesize-Polyphonic | -Bitesize-Heterophonic and Antiphonal
-Bitesize-Melody and Accompaniment | | Structure and Form | -CGP Revision Guide p.54-62 -OCR Study Guide p.185-186 -OCR Revision Guide p.28-29 | -Bitesize-Structure | | | Harmony and Tonality | -CGP Revision Guide p.24-53
-OCR Study Guide p.179-180 , p.186-187 -OCR Revision Guide p.14-20 , p.24-25 , p.32 | -Bitesize-Key Signatures
-Bitesize-Major and Minor | -Bitesize-Chords
-Bitesize-Cadences Video | | Instrumentation and Sonority / Timbre | -CGP Revision Guide p.63-80 -OCR Study Guide p.184
-OCR Revision Guide p.31 | -Bitesize-Sonority/timbre
-Bitesize-Strings
-Bitesize-Woodwind
-Bitesize-Brass | -Bitesize-Percussion
-Bitesize-Voices
-Bitesize-Techniques Video | | Rhythm and Metre | -CGP Revision Guide p.12-14 , p 17
-OCR Study Guide p.181 , p.184-185
-OCR Revision Guide p.22-24 , p.27-28 | -Bitesize-Rhythm Notation
-Bitesize-Rhythmic Devices
-Bitesize-Syncopation
-Bitesize-Rhythm Video | -Bitesize-Dotted Rhythms
-Bitesize-Time Signatures
-Bitesize-Simple and Compound Time | | Tempo | -CGP Revision Guide p.18
-OCR Study Guide p.186
-OCR Revision Guide p.29-30 | -Bitesize-Tempo
-Bitesize-Tempo Terms | | | Technology | -CGP Revision Guide p.73-76 -OCR Study Guide p.182 | -Bitesize-Music Tech
-Bitesize-Electronic Instruments
-Bitesize-Tech Developments | -Bitesize-Turntablism
-Bitesize-Sampling
-Bitesize-Effects Video
-Bitesize-Recording | | Reading a
Score and
Dictation | -CGP Revision Guide p.8-23 | -Bitesize-Notation
-Bitesize-Sharps and Flats | -Bitesize-Scores
-Bitesize-Keys and Chord Symbols | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Exam Technique and Revision | -CGP Revision Guide p.2-7 , p.150-181 -OCR Study Guide p.5-53 , p.165-191
-OCR Revision Guide p.5-11 , p.88-111 | -GMR-Comparison Question Video
-GMR-Long Answer Video | | | Further
Reading | -Bitesize-Renaissance Melody
-Bitesize-Renaissance Harmony
-Bitesize-Dance Rhythms | -Bitesize-1900s Harmony
-Bitesize-1900s Structure | -Bitesize-1900s Concerto
-Bitesize-1900s Melody | Area of Study 2: The Concerto Through Time Baroque Solo Concerto - Baroque Concerto Grosso - Classical Concerto - Romantic Concerto For each period or type of concerto, you need to be able to identify and describe: | Historical and social context and influences, including: | Musical elements and compositional devices including: | | | --- | --- | --- | | -What the concerto is and how it developed through time.
-Changing audiences, venue size and composer intentions.
-Names of composers.
-Features of each time period in order to tell them apart.
-Solo instruments and describe the role of the soloist.
-The relationship between soloist and accompaniment. | -Melody, Pitch and Ornamentation
-Articulation
-Dynamics and Expression
-Texture
-Structure and Phrasing | -Harmony and To

FAQs

What knowledge is required for the general music theory listening tasks in this checklist?

Learners need knowledge of musical elements and must be able to identify features through listening, including melody and pitch, articulation, dynamics and expression, texture, structure and form, harmony and tonality, instrumentation and timbre, rhythm and metre, tempo, and technology.

What topics are included under Area of Study 2: The Concerto Through Time?

It covers the concerto’s development across time periods and types, including Baroque solo concerto, Baroque concerto grosso, Classical concerto, and Romantic concerto, with focus on both historical/social context and musical compositional devices.

What must learners be able to identify and describe for Area of Study 3: Rhythms of the World?

For each style or world area, learners must identify and describe historical and social context and influences, as well as musical elements and compositional devices, such as origins, cultural context, performer collaboration, and the impact of modern technology on traditional music.

Sep 5, 2026

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