STUDENTS AND teachers welcomed yesterday’s music paper and deemed it to be very straightforward, according to Maria Morgan, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) representative.

“It was very doable,” she said. “No students should have had a problem.” There were no surprising questions and nothing out of the ordinary, she added.

In the first half of the exam, students listen to recorded music, and then they spend the rest of the time on the remaining questions.

Since there was nothing different this year, the exam was very clear for students, said Ms Morgan.

Mary McFadden, of Loreto College, Balbriggan, also praised the paper.

“It was a very fair and reasonable paper and the students’ response was very positive. They felt that all the topics that they studied in detail appeared and that they were rewarded for their hard work.”

A number of the early questions were especially well-framed, said Ms McFadden.

“The composing section featured four of the five keys studied on the course, so that was very good for those who had prepared.”

She said the illustrative and film music question was well-received by students: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was the piece played in question five. It’s a category that they like. Students would have prepared a lot for it and it’s a real favourite of theirs.

“That piece is also one that they would be very familiar with anyway, because of the Disney connection.”

At ordinary level, the language was very suited to the candidates’ ability, found Ms McFadden.

“For example, technical words like ‘monophonic’ are explained, which I thought was a great idea.”

Overall, she agreed that both papers were fair and reasonable towards dedicated students.

However, she said they were still challenging enough to keep candidates on their toes.

EOIN CUNNINGHAM